Othello Language & structure Quiz

Othello Language & structure questions

The answers and an explanation for each question appear as you play, and on the answer-key page of the printout.

1. Iago tells Roderigo 'I am not what I am.' What does the line reveal?
   He has forgotten his own name and rank · He is secretly the son of a Venetian duke · He hides his true self behind a show of service · He deeply regrets his own dishonesty
2. How does Iago describe jealousy while seeming to warn against it?
   A green-eyed monster that mocks its prey · A sickness that passes with time · A sign of true and faithful love · A fire that burns only the guilty
3. Why is Act III, Scene iii called the 'temptation scene'?
   Desdemona is tempted to leave Othello · In one scene Othello turns from trust to murder · Cassio is tempted to start drinking again · Iago is tempted to confess his whole plot
4. What does Othello's broken speech before his fit show?
   Iago's poison has destroyed his eloquence · He is only pretending to be ill · He has drunk far too much wine · He is reciting a prayer aloud
5. What does the play's tight, fast action contribute to the tragedy?
   Room for the Turkish war to be fought · No time for Othello to test Iago's claims · A long courtship before the marriage · Years for Cassio to win back his post

More Othello practice: all Othello quizzes · characters quiz · language & structure quiz · plot recall quiz · read Othello free

Original questions written for Pagine. Quotations are from the public-domain text.