Othello Key Quotations Revision Sheet and Tasks

A one page printer-friendly Othello quotation revision sheet with 87 quotations in chronological order and a brief one sentence explanation for each.

There are various suggestions for how to use the resource:

1. Theme-coding for Love Through the Ages
   Go through the quotes and colour-code or tag them by type of love:
   • Romantic / idealised love
   • Possessive / destructive love
   • Patriarchal love
   • Self-love vs love of others
   • Redemptive love

2. Build ‘quote clusters’ instead of memorising individually
   Group 3–5 quotes that work together for one argument, for example: Jealous love as corruption
   • ‘Green-eyed monster’
   • ‘Trifles light as air’
   • ‘Lie with her!’
   • ‘My blood begins my safer guides to rule’

3. Turn explanations into AO2 language
   Rewrite the one-sentence explanations using exam phrasing:
   • Add words like Shakespeare presents, symbolises, reflects Jacobean anxieties, challenges patriarchal norms.

4. Compare characters’ models of love
   Use the resource to build mini comparisons:
   • Othello vs Iago: idealised love vs cynical appetite
   • Desdemona vs Emilia: obedient love vs realistic, equal love
   • Brabantio vs Othello: parental possession vs chosen love

5. Timeline revision (love’s decay)
   Arrange quotes in chronological order to track how love changes:
   • Courtship → trust → doubt → obsession → destruction → remorse