ACT 2 Scene 1 – Critical Analysis


Sample Paragraph 2 Act 2 Scene 1 shows the difference between what is seen and what is really happening. We see the safe arrival of Cassio, Desdemona, Iago and Othello, ‘well met at the island’, after the terrible storm. But the real storm is just beginning, but the only ones who know are Iago and Roderigo. Iago is determined to get revenge on Othello and Cassio because he suspects them of being lovers of his wife, they, according to him, ‘leapt into his bed’. But he has no evidence, he just decides that this is the way because he has such a low opinion of everyone. He paints everything with his cynical viewpoint. Everything should be great, the wars are finished, everyone arrived on the island safely despite the storm, but Iago is plotting to make sure that this will not be the case. (140 words)


Examiner’s Comment


Š Mid-grade response that addresses some aspects of the question.


Š Reasonably focused commentary about Iago’s secret obsession with revenge.


Š The final point about irony is good, but it lacks development.


Š Little emphasis on the fascination of the scene.


Š Accurate quotation would also have improved the answer.


Sample Paragraph 3


In Act 2 Scene 1, Shakespeare presents an intriguing view of the difference between outward show and actuality. Cassio describes the deceptive seas around Cyprus, ‘The guttered rocks and congregated sands’ that threaten Desdemona’s ship. This foreshadows the coming treachery that lies ahead. Even Desdemona herself confesses to pretending, ‘I do beguile/ The thing I am’. She takes part in Iago’s coarse teasing while waiting anxiously for the safe arrival of her husband. However, it is Iago, the master of deception, in his sneering asides and an alarming soliloquy, who truly represents the difference between appearance and reality. He confides that he intends to ‘ensnare’ Cassio by using his ‘courtesies’ against him. He plans to turn Othello’s love for Desdemona against him by causing Othello to feel ‘a jealousy so strong’ that all reason disappears. Through such dramatic conflict, foreshadowing, hidden feelings, asides and irony, the audience is given an absorbing study of appearance and reality. (155 words)


Examiner’s Comment


Š A successful top-grade answer that takes on the full question directly and engages well with the scene.


Š Focused discussion of the dangerous maritime setting in foreshadowing the play’s tragic outcome.


Š Well-supported development of points on Desdemona’s hidden fears and Iago’s secret plans for revenge, supported by apt reference and quotation.


Š The final sentence provides an impressive concluding overview and there is clear expression throughout the paragraph.


Class/Homework Exercise


Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to great effect in Act 2 Scene 1. (This is where the full significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to the audience, but not to the character.)


Write a paragraph (about 150–200 words) in response to this statement.


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