William Shakespeare - Othello: Practice Questions

• a.It establishes his identity as a master of deception who subverts the moral order of the play.
• b.It suggests that he is possessed by malevolent spirits beyond his control.
• c.It highlights his internal conflict and struggle with his conscience.
• d.It signals his intention to seek legal justice against Othello.

• a.It introduces a subplot involving Desdemona’s secret history of rebellion against Venice.
• b.It serves as a moment of tragic foreshadowing and provides the psychological 'seed' for Iago's future manipulation.
• c.It marks the anagnorisis where Othello realizes he has made a mistake in marrying Desdemona.
• d.It functions as comic relief to lighten the tension of the Senate scene.

• a.It was taken from the body of a defeated Turkish general as a trophy of war.
• b.It was a prop used in a play Othello performed during his youth in North Africa.
• c.It was woven by a 200-year-old sibyl and contains magic that ensures a husband's loyalty.
• d.It was a gift from the Duke of Venice to signify Othello's military rank.

• a.

  To provide a literal foreshadowing of the physical darkness of the final scene in the bedchamber.

• b.

  To establish Iago as a religious martyr who believes Othello is a threat to the Christian faith.

• c.

  To align his character with the archetypal 'Vice' figure of Medieval morality plays, emphasizing his role as a metaphysical opponent.

• d.

  To suggest that the play's primary conflict is a theological debate between Catholicism and Protestantism.

• a.Iago is secretly in love with Desdemona and views Othello as a romantic rival.
• b.Othello has appointed Michael Cassio, a 'theoretical' soldier, as his lieutenant instead of Iago.
• c.Iago believes Othello is planning to betray the Venetian state to the Ottoman Empire.
• d.Othello has ordered Iago to be executed for his failures in the Cypriot wars.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.