Hannah Nguyen World Civ. II/Hansen Pd.

5/6

Iagos Bestiary
Due: Friday, Dec. 2nd. Background: In the middle ages, animal stories were immensely popular. There was a spiritual and mystical lore associated with beast in many of the stories. A bestiary is an encyclopedia or catalogue of beast. Many of the descriptions of the beast were accompanied with a moral lesson. Directions: Review Act 1 of Othello. Look for animals, birds, insects, and creatures that Iago mentions. List at least ten of them in the chart below and note the significant of the symbolism. This work is to be done individually. Do not share work with classmates. Do not use outside sources to assist in this assignment. Use your own wonderful brain and be thorough in your explanations. This assignment is to be typed. This assignment is to be submitted to turnitin. Act, Scene, Line of Quote
1.1.71

Animals, Birds, Insects, Other Creatures Mentioned by Iago

Daws to peck at Iagos heart

Explain the Symbolism

1.1.77-78

And, though he in a fertile climate dwell, plague him with flies.

1.1.97-98

An old black ram is tupping your white ewe

1.1.124-125

Youll have your daughter covered with a Barbary Horse.

Daws are viewed as stupid birds. This language creates an image of a crow picking at carcass of animal. The daw is symbolic of slow and dense humanity. The heart is symbolic of emotions. Iago is saying that he will not allow his thoughts and emotions to be viewed and criticized by people who he considers to be dimwitted picked at like birds picking at a carcass. This metaphor shows Iagos arrogance. Flies generally travel around in swarms and they are annoying. They are usually thought of as bad, smelly, and unclean. Flies are scavengers and feed off of carcasses of dead animals or other food that is unattended. Iago is saying Brabanchio, who lives in a clean and wealthy place, will have a taste of disgust when he finds out Desdemona has eloped with Othello. He is comparing Othello, who is black, to the flies and that he will plague his house (Desdemona) with filth and trash because blacks are usually thought of as bad and dirty. Rams are wild and unruly, while ewes are innocent and weak. Also, black and white demonstrates racism. Black is thought of as dirty, evil, and grave while white is thought of as pure, innocent, and good. Iago portrays his hatred for Othello by comparing him to the evil, old black ram. Also, because black is thought of as dirty, the old black ram will dirty the pure and innocent white ewe. Iago demonstrates racism through these lines by distinguishing Othello as black and Desdemona as white. A horse is usually untamed and sometimes wild. Barbary refers to a region in Africa, so Iago is showing racism by comparing Othello to a Barbary horse because it implies that they both come from the same place. Iago also implies that Othello, a Moor, will cover Desdemona in darkness because Othello is black and his evil will consume her.

1.1.127

1.1.176

1.3.357

1.3.357-358

1.3.379

1.3.391

Coursers are stallions and jennets are small Spanish horses. Iago is insulting Brabanchio because he is saying that Brabanchios family lineage will be tainted by Othello. Earlier, Othello is compared to a Barbary horse, so Iago is saying that his family will soon consist of mixed breeds. Again, the theme of racism is portrayed by Iago. Sagittary Sagittary represents Sagittarius, a centaur. Centaurs are mystical creatures that dont exist except in myths and legends. Since Sagittary is the name of the inn where Othello and Desdemona eloped at, it implies that their marriage somewhat has a false meaning to it. It also represents the theme of appearance vs. reality because Othello and Desdemona appear to be immensely in love with each other, but their love is based on something shallow, so their bond is not strong and can easily be broken. I would drown myself A guinea hen (fowl) is a bird, somewhat like a chicken. for the love of a guinea They are delicate and are thought of as feminine. Iago is hen. saying that he would rather commit suicide than to fall in love with someone because love is shallow. Earlier, he states that he doesnt know anyone who loves themselves, so he concludes that a person who cant love themselves cant love another. This ties into the love of Othello and Desdemona and implies that they dont have a deep love for each other; therefore, their bond is easy to break. I would change my A baboon is a type of monkey, and monkeys are usually humanity with a baboon. tricksters and act foolishly. It can be considered an insult to call a person a baboon or a monkey in general. Earlier, Iago says he would rather die than to love someone. Now, he degrades love even more by saying he would rather be a baboon than to love someone, implying that love is foolish. Drown thyself? Drown Cats and blind puppies are both helpless creatures. cats and blind puppies Drowning them seems very cruel and shows that they are weak because cats dont like water and blind puppies can necessarily swim if they are blind. Iago compares drowning oneself to drowning cats and blind puppies, so this shows only the weak and helpless will fall. The food that to him Locusts are grasshoppers, and they travel in large swarms. now is as luscious as They are usually very troublesome because they travel in a locusts. very large group, making them abundant and they usually destroy objects in their paths. Iago is saying that Othellos once abundant food will soon turn into his despair because Desdemona will lose faith in him and will choose another over him. Also, he compares the locusts to the destruction Othello will soon face.

Youll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans.

10 1.3.444-445

And will as tenderly be led by th nose as asses are.

Asses are donkeys or mules. Both have the connotations of stupid and idiotic creatures. Because of this, they usually follow their master for their life. Here, Iago implies that Othello is as easy to fool as an ass because they are both stupid and trust others too easily. This is ironic because Othello trusts Iago, but Iago is actually deceiving him which ties to the theme of appearance vs. reality. It also foreshadows that Othello, the ass, will be led and manipulated later on.