Act I, Scene I

1. In Act I, Scene I what reason does Iago give for hating Othello?

2. What reason does Roderigo give for hating Othello?

3. What is Iago’s master plot to annoy Desdemona and Othello (Act I, Scene I)?

4. Find and list, with line numbers, two references of Othello as the devil in Act One.

5. Compare the way Iago speaks to Brabantio with the way Roderigo speak to him. What may account for this difference?

6. How does Brabantio’s attitude toward Roderigo change during the course of Act I, Scene I?

7. What is Brabantio’s explanation of why his daughter has run off with Othello?
Everything except that she just may like Othello

8. Scene I and many of the scenes in this play begin in the middle of a conversation. Why do you think Shakespeare would do this? What effect does it create for the audience?

Act I, Scene II

1. The scene opens with Iago talking to Othello. How is he different around Othello than from what we saw in Scene I?

2. Why is Othello so unconcerned about the warning that Iago is giving him? What is the warning?

3. What news does Cassio arrive with?

4. What does Brabantio accuse Othello of having done?

6. How does Othello answer the charges against him?

Act I, Scene III