1. Do a close reading of 3.4.55-75 (Othello and Desdemona’s conversation about the origin and value of the handkerchief) and relate it to the play as a whole. You may talk about the handkerchief's relation to female power in the text, or the use of the handkerchief as the ultimate “ocular proof” of Desdemona’s guilt, or some other related topic.

2. Look at the problems of miscegenation in the text. What is the main problem of Desdemona and Othello's marriage? How do the other characters in the play view their coupling, and why is it a problem to them?

3. What is the myth of black sexuality and how is it linked to female sexuality in this play? One could argue that both Othello and Desdemona are marginal figures from the outset; this said, how can this be linked to problems of desire and passion?

4. It has been claimed that Othello is about seeing—the need to see evidence. Othello’s explanation to the council members in Venice seems to suggest otherwise: Desdemona fell in love with his stories. By the same token, much of the play is about hearing—about eavesdropping and listening attentively. Use 1.3.144-160, or some other reference to hearing, and talk about how and why sensory perception is problematic, and tragic, in this play.

5. How is Othello a self-fashioned text? You should begin your answer by explaining Greenblatt's term, applying it to the text, and explaining how it is problematic from a colonialist standpoint when applied to Othello.

6. How are Christian attitudes towards marital sexuality used in this text? That is, how do they relate to the main characters: specifically, to Othello, Iago, and Desdemona.

7. Othello’s heroic qualities and military proficiency allow him partial acceptance into Venetian society. How is this acceptance provisional, and what can it reveal about the sexual and emotional construction of Othello’s undoing?

8. The Duke of Venice tells Brabantio, “Your son in law is far more fair than black” (1.3 289). How does this further one’s understanding of Venetian society’s ambivalent attitude toward Othello?

9. According to Sean McEvoy, the chivalric code fails Othello because he is “living the life of a chivalric warrior in a world run by money and self-interest” (193). How does Othello allow himself to be swept up in a code which ultimately betrays him?

10. The events of the play last about three days, and Othello kills Desdemona the day after he arrives in Cyprus. How does the compressed time frame both make Desdemona’s adultery impossible and enhance the psychological impact Iago’s lies have on Othello?

11. Brabantio’s comments to Othello regarding Desdemona in 1.3 are a cautionary warning that she may betray her husband, having already betrayed her father. What does this reveal about Venetian society’s attitude toward women and connect to the tragedy at the end of the play?

12. How do the peripheral events, such as the threatened Turkish invasion of Cyprus which Othello is meant to prevent, inform the issues of race and religion at stake in the play?

13. Iago offers many motives for his trickery, and others can be inferred from the text. A few of them are: his suspicions about Emilia and Othello, Othello’s promotion of Cassio instead of Iago, a possible desire for Desdemona, a possible desire for Othello, and what Coleridge calls “motiveless malignity,” which suggests that the above listed motives are merely rationalizations for manipulating power and creating havoc for sport. Each possibility seems to evoke a specific societal critique, but which of these possibilities seems most likely to you? Why?

14. In Othello, Venice is often seen as the established home of order and stability, while Cyprus represents the chaos and inversion of a place outside of a “system.” What role, according to this understanding, does Cyprus play in furthering the action of the play?

15. While Iago possesses great intellect and wit when he addresses the audience with his plans, he feels threatened by Cassio, a gentleman of higher class, but considerably lower wit. How does Shakespeare use language to enhance this divide and reveal the tenets of the military code which values Othello over Cassio and Cassio over Iago?

16. Iago’s famous lines “I am not what I am” force an examination of identity and duplicity in this play. Is Iago the only character who could make this statement?

17. Some critics find Iago’s overzealous interest in Othello, and his determination to undo Othello’s marriage, life, and career, to reflect homoerotic desires. In performance, Iago’s line to Othello “I am your own forever” provides a moment to dramatically reveal such desires. Are there other instances in the play that would substantiate or debunk such a reading?

18. Critics believe Othello to be “internalizing the destructive norms of Christian society,” and anchor his susceptibility to Iago’s machinations in his own feelings of racial inferiority. Is this internalization an adequate explanation for Othello’s downfall? In what ways does this play reinforce or challenge racial and/or sexist stereotypes?

19. Emilia’s practical understanding of relationships between men and women is often contrasted with Desdemona’s naïve vision of love. Can these opposite understandings be reconciled? Does the outcome of the play validate one of the women’s visions of the world? Look in particular at 4.3, where Desdemona and Emilia have a conversation about men and women, marriage, and fidelity. How can you relate this scene to central issues in the play?

20. Shakespeare revised specific parts of Act 4 of Othello, which were then published in the Folio (1623), a year after Othello’s original publication (1622). Those changes make Desdemona more submissive and obedient to Othello; they add the willow song in Act 4.3; and they give Emilia a stronger, more defiant role in identifying her own husband as the mastermind behind the events of the play. How do these changes contribute to the development of major themes in the play?

21. Othello’s language often connects, especially in the death scenes, sex and death. How does this further an understanding of Othello’s uneasiness about desire and his craving for order?

22. In a recent story by Salman Rushdie in The New Yorker (July 2001), a character makes the following remarks about Othello: “Othello doesn't love Desdemona. . . . He says he does, but it can't be true. Because if he loves her, the murder makes no sense. For me, Desdemona is Othello's trophy wife, his most valuable and status-giving possession, the physical proof of his risen standing in a white man's world. You see? He loves that about her, but not her. . . . Desdemona's death is an "honor killing." She didn't have to be guilty; the accusation was enough. The attack on her virtue was incompatible with Othello's honor. She's not even a person to him. He has reified her. She's his Oscar-Barbie statuette. His doll.” Do you think this is a valuable commentary on the character? Why or why not?

23. The reason the play moves to Cyprus is to defend against invasion by the Turk. What does "the Turk" represent in the play? Does he actually appear? Where and when?

24. In 2.1, Iago instructs Roderigo on how to read "courtesy" as "lechery, ...an index and prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts" (2.1.252-258). Do you think Iago has a point here?

25. Do Othello and Desdemona ever consummate their marriage? How do we know or not? Is this an important question? Why or why not?

26. Why does Othello believe Iago? There are many doorways into this question; one of them is at the end, when Iago says, "I told him what I thought, and told no more/ Than what he found himself was apt and true" (5.2.178-179).

27. Various critics have noticed that Desdemona apparently lies more than once in the play: e.g., when Othello asks her about the handkerchief, or when she briefly comes to life at the end to absolve Othello of her murder. What’s up with that?

28. Othello's death scene is superbly staged. Shakespeare gives the character a powerful final speech. Reading it (or hearing it), do you think this tragic hero has learned from his experience, or does he continue to sustain his illusions?

29. To whom does Iago reveal his true nature? Until the final scene of the play, what is Othello’s, Desdemona’s, Cassio’s, and Emila’s opinion of Iago? Explain their various attitudes towards and perceptions of Iago. Why do they see him the way that they do?

30. Shakespeare's poetry is, of course, famous.  But the real beauty of it is that it is functional, that is, the metaphors, imagery, and motifs reveal character and promote plot development. Provide examples and discuss their value to the overall structure of the play.

31. Iago's villainous plot for revenge does not spring full-grown at once but evolves and spreads as the play progresses. Once more engage with the reasons for Iago’s actions. How far ahead does he plan, and how much harm did he intend?

32. Does Desdemona bear any of the responsibility for the tragedy? Why or why not?

33. Discuss Othello as villain and hero, paying special attention to his final speech.

34. Discuss prejudice in Othello. What points do you think Shakespeare was attempting to make?

35. Why does Othello marry Desdemona? Why does she marry him? Was the destruction of the marriage inevitable or was Iago’s malice necessary?