The Ghost of a Flea - By William Blake

To W. Blake , the rationality and attention to surfaces of the English social portrait encapsulated deadening Newtonian materialism; true vision is inward rather than empirical. So, in his 60s, Blake painted his riposte to the English face-painters: the portrait of the spirit, or ghost, of a flea.

Blake's flea is evil, gothic, stalking through a starry realm between stage curtains - walking the boards. The ghost's spine is a throbbing, gristly column shooting into his scaly head with its bulging eyes and voracious tongue; his massive muscles are red-toned, as if infused with dried blood, and his loping, crushing walk is that of a colossus come to life. This vastness and mad-eyed bestiality contrasts with the visible form of the spirit's physical embodiment, which can be seen on the floor between his veined legs: a little flea.

Blake's explanation of the spirit he saw accords with the painting's extreme drama of scale, the contrast of the huge invisible monster with its tiny incarnation as insect. The blood-drinking household flea, said Blake, is in fact the physical shape taken by the souls of men who are so bloodthirsty that they are providentially confined to the size and form of insects.

The ghost is gorging on a bowl of blood. This is Blake's ultimate critique of the English portrait.

William Blake - Good and Evil Angels

This interesting piece of artwork by William Blake is entitled 'Good and Evil Angels', an ink and watercolour on paper piece. It depicts a 'good' and 'evil' angel struggling for the possession of a child, the 'evil' angel ascending from the fires of hell and the 'good' angel holding onto a seemingly distressed infant in the horizon.

Blake attempts to demonstrate the perfect balance between heaven and earth, good and evil; two archetypal forces moving against each other and yet in harmony. "What would light be without dark, and when all is dark where is wisdom?"

artwork by william blake.

This watercolour piece entitled 'Jacob's ladder' was derived from the book of Genesis (28,12), where Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder extending to the gate of heaven.

This ladder in this painting represents an important symbolic motif. It was often used to convey the interlocking world of God, the soul and man. In some Hermetic texts, the ladder was depicted as a series of chains, each representing a different "sphere" of consciousness. All of these spheres were linked together, and like man, were each connected to "the true essence of God."

William Blake's Art.

This is a watercolour and relief etching called "The Ancient of Days" by William Blake.

Ancient of Days is a name for God in Aramaic: Atik Yomin.

In this piece, the Ancient of Days relates to the Medieval idea of God being an Architect, creating the world. He is seen to be holding a compass like device and sitting on the sun, without which we would not exist. The sun with the clouds and rays of light surrounding it may be symbolizing the heavens.

Favourite quote from Othello

"Thou art a villain"

Brabantio to Iago

Act I, Sc. I, Line 118

I like this quote because it is short and succint - I love the finality of it, how Brabantio just pronounces Iago for what he is, a villain. There are many words that could be used to describe Iago, like snake, double-crosser, liar, cheat, but the best description him is Brabantio's unwiting one: villain.

But what I really like about the line is that Brabantio has no idea who he is saying it to, because this takes place in the dark street outside his home, where he cannot make out Iago's face. Shakespeare has a character state the truth about Iago at the very beginning of the play, without even realising it, which is what I love most about the quote.

Favourite Othello Quote

Act 4 Scene 2
Lines 31 and 32
Desdemona to Othello;

"I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words."

This is my favourite quote in Shakespeare's Othello because it portrays the power of emotion and how emotion speaks for itself. This is important in the play because this is what Iago uses to ensnare the characters around him; he toys with their emotions. This quote also highlights Desdemona's innocence and reveals Othello's increasing inability to control his emotions after being blindly manipulated by Iago.

Favourite quote in Othello

Act 1 Scene 1 (Lines 62-6)

"For when my outward action doth demonstrate

The native act and figure of my heart

In complement extern, 'tis not long after

But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve

For daws to peck at."

I like this quote as it exemplifies Iago's cryptic and elliptical manner of speaking, which is also a vital element that Shakespeare has constructed in order to contributing to the extreme dramatic irony of the play.

Favourite Othello quote.

Act 3 Scene 3.
(Iago to Othello)
"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on."

This is my favourite quote in the play as not only does it show Iago's awareness of the emotion that he can use to toy with in Othello, but it also enables us to see his status as we realise that he is the one to unleash this "monster" in the end.
We can see the personification of jealousy as a "green-eyed monster", and I think that this represents the sheer power of this emotion that begins to eat Othello up in Act 3 Scene 3. Jealousy is a key theme in the play, as it is one of the key reasons behind Othello's downfall at the end.

Favourite quote

"whereof I take this, that you call love, to be a sect or scion"

I love how shakespeare experiments with this idea of love being a sect or scion.
Such as how he uses the napkin to portray love being passed from hand to hand, or how he uses the strawberry inscriptions on the napkin to further emphasize the symbolism.
I also enjoy the analogy of emotions being similar to florals, herbs, and plants; mentioned just before this quote. How a person would have to nurture undistinguishable seeds, only to find some were weeds, and nettles that are difficult to destroy once they've grown. I think this idea can be manipulated in many different ways, presenting many different oppurtunities.

Julia's Favourite Quote From Othello

" 'Twill out, 'twill out: I peace!
No, I will speak as liberal as the north:
Let heaven and men and devils, let them all,
All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak. "

This is my favourite quote in Shakespeare's Othello because Emilia has finally pushed to expose the truth instead of making conclusions in her own head, like Othello, or fabricating evidence, like Iago. Emilia, the character Shakespeare protrayed throughout the play previously to be so quiet and compliant, is now shown to have snapped, as if the truth is a force that cannot be contained forever.

favourite quote from Shakespeare's Othello

Act I, Sc. I
I am not what I am. (line 65) - Iago

This quote highlights the very nature of Iago; a manipulative and deceptive character. this quotation is important because Iago himself admits this, foreboding the events that are about to unfold.

'A liberal hand!'

In Act 3 Scene 4, Othello’s speech about Desdemona’s hand is extremely important because it shows his shift from the ‘noble’ man he has always been described as, to a more primitive, barbaric character. Through the vulgar imagery that Shakespeare uses, Othello conveys his self-loathing and also insinuates Desdemona’s lack of loyalty. An example of this is when he describes himself as a ‘young and sweating devil’, the vulgar imagery conveying that he believes himself to be consumed by sexual feelings and seems to hint at Desdemona’s sexuality as well. The reference to the devil connotes evil, suggesting that Othello cannot see any goodness within himself anymore.
Othello describes Desdemona’s hand as ‘moist’, ‘liberal’ and ‘frank’, showing his suspicions of her betrayal and his base feelings about her, as if she is now merely a sexual toy now that she has no virtue in his eyes. There is a strong dramatic irony in his speech because Desdemona is completely innocent and ignorant of the hinted accusations that Othello is making, while Othello believes she is aware and so becomes more incensed by her apparent dishonesty throughout the scene.
Through Othello’s phrase ‘The hearts of old gave hands; but our new heraldry is hands, not hearts’, the audience can see that he has lost his faith in the honour of love, since Desdemona gave her hand in marriage but perhaps not her heart. He is also implying that he can discern her disloyalty through the use of the word ‘heraldry’, as if Desdemona’s hands confess her betrayal because of their ‘moist’ quality.
This speech shows that Othello has begun to speak like Iago because of its continual sexual references, showing the audience his descent from the nobility and honour he began with. The speech also shows that he is overcome with anger and so will use any evidence, even the quality of Desdemona’s hand to accuse her of her disloyalty because he already believes he has been betrayed.

Act III Scene 4; and its significance.

Everything happening in Act III scene 4 serves the purpose of making Iago’s plan better and more believable. In Act III scene 3, he vouched to tear her all to pieces however is stopped by Iago. Iago states that there was not enough proof that Desdemona was being unfaithful then proceeds to inquire about the strawberry-spotted handkerchief in which he claimed that he saw Cassio using. This enraged Othello and he proceeds to demand it from Desdemona. Being unable to produce the missing handkerchief as it was in Iago’s possession, Shakespeare depicts Desdemona’s doom as the lost of the handkerchief acts as a confirmation to all Othello’s suspicions which consequently lead to Act IV, scene 1 which is when Othello determines the way in which Desdemona is to die. In this scene, the plot against Desdemona unfolds. Shakespeare denotes the similarity between the character of Desdemona and Othello. Because they are both strong headed, they don’t give in to each other easily. Determined to get what they want off each other (Othello demands Desdemona to produce the handkerchief he gave her and Desdemona wants Othello to reinstate Cassio), their argument led to no clear conclusion; the more they pushed each other, the more adamant they both became, which further infuriates Othello. The fact that Desdemona could not produce the handkerchief that Othello has asked for confirms her infidelity. However, because she does not know of Othello’s suspicion, she decides that Othello is just trying to get her sidetracked from her mission.

The significance of the handkerchief is also explored in this scene. The handkerchief acts as a symbol of Desdemona’s fidelity. Shakespeare, through Iago had suggested that the handkerchief was not the only thing she was giving away; Othello in this scene highlights how special and magically significant the handkerchief is in itself by explaining the source of its alleged power, that how losing it or giving it away is tantamount to ending their love. This is important as it reminds the audience of the alleged claims that Brabantio made in the opening scenes of the play that Othello had used charms and witchcraft to win Desdemona’s love.

Act III, Scene IV. Of Hands and Handekerchiefs.

In the scene prior to Act III, Scene IV (Act III, Scene III), Othello condemns both Desdemona and Cassio, vowing that nothing at all will sway his thoughts towards his wife, and ordering Iago to kill Cassio. As we have previously witnessed, Othello’s character and mentality has completely changed, and for the first time in the entire play, in Act III Scene IV the audience sees an argument develop between Othello and Desdemona.

This is the point in the play where other people (i.e. Desdemona and Emilia) notice how Othello has changed his demeanour. Before, Othello’s turmoil was only shown in front of Iago, but here we have Othello, in public, quarrelling with his wife – and more importantly, completely losing his confidence and calm. Due to his constant demands for Desdemona to find the handkerchief, Othello works himself into a state of hysteria – losing his “regal” and “noble” bearing. This scene marks the first direct effect of Iago’s machinations on someone other than Othello (Desdemona).

An important point to note about Othello’s behaviour is his abruptness with his wife, which is not unlike Act III Scene III when Iago speaks to Emilia. Iago just makes demands of Emilia, like Othello’s demands to Desdemona to fetch the handkerchief. And then there is Othello’s references to Desdemona’s “moist” hand which could mean that she is being unfaithful. He implies that Desdemona is liberal in her affection, much like Iago commenting to Emilia that she is a “common thing”, i.e. also liberal with her affections.

This scene is also important because it highlights the foolishness and fickleness of men. Firstly this is done through Shakespeare’s use of the clown character, who makes a comment that men are only capable of doing menial things. Then Emilia highlights their fickle mindedness with her speech where she likens men’s affection for women to a satisfaction of someone’s appetite. On the surface, it is as if Emilia is speaking her true thoughts of Iago’s treatment of her, but on looking deeper one could see this as a reference to Othello’s sudden change of heart. As he now casts Desdemona aside, like a chicken bone after devouring all its meat. Thirdly through Bianca and Cassio’s exchange, where Bianca is resigned to accept her lot as a woman, accepting Cassio’s coarseness in his attitude, and his quick dismissal of her, as if there is no other possible outcome to being a woman.

It is interesting to compare this scene with the scene from Act I where the audience is first introduced to Othello – an Othello who can eloquently diffuse the violence about to erupt in a particular situation. In this scene however, we get the sense that Othello’s anger is just building and building, until finally when it seems as if he is about to explode with rage, he flees the scene instead of standing his ground. This exit of Othello’s is important, because it leaves Desdemona in such a state of shock and confusion that she does not go after him, but instead bids Iago to go to him, giving Iago leave to further manipulate Othello in a vulnerable state.

The final most important point in the scene is the very brief exchange between Cassio and Bianca, where he gives here Desdemona’s handkerchief that he has found. The audience does not know at this point how and why he has Desdemona’s handkerchief (though one can probably guess that Iago had something to do with it). Shakespeare has chosen to end the scene with a cliffhanger. We have already seen that Othello is a different person, and suffering inside, and Iago finally has position of lieutenant, so at this point there is no rational reason why his plans need to continue. We know that nothing good can come of Cassio giving the handkerchief to Bianca, and much like the end of Act III Scene III, the audience is again left feeling extremely tense, because we cannot foresee what Iago intends to do next with his plans.

Shakespeare's Grand Handkerchief

In Act 3 Scene 4, Shakespeare attempts to explain the context of the play through the symbolic use of a spotted handkerchief designed with red strawberries. This first suggestion is seen through Othello’s from line 53 – 65, where he states that the handkerchief is symbolic of their love and it is the true magic that ‘subdues’ Othello. The fact that Desdemona has lost such an item, could be implying that the love and connection between the two, is also lost.
Shakespeare has also choosen very carefully to include strawberries on the designs of the handkerchief. In Greek times, strawberries where seen as a symbol for purity and love, due to its vibrant colors and refined taste, Shakespeare’s use of this idea portray Othello’s corrupted belief, of how the handkerchief represent not only Desdemona’s purity but also the love for her. Hence the lost of this simply item,did not imply a lost of an insignificant item but the lost of Desdemona’s innocence and love.
Another interpretation of Shakespeare’s handkerchief, is of Iago’s shallow crude ideas of love. His reference and imagery of love shown in Act 1 Scene 3 line 315 – 329. He refers to love as a scion or graft, a plant that can be grow from the stolen stems of another. This is exactly how strawberries are grown.
Shakespeare further plays with this idea when Emilia steals Desdemona’s handkerchief ,hence stealing her love, in order to satisfy her longing for love, planting that graft in Iago. This imagery of Emilia cutting a scion from Desdemona’s heart and giving it to Iago, elevates Emilia’s simple crime of stealing a mere handkerchief.
The last imagery that Shakespeare choose to use with the handkerchief is the reality of the handkerchief itself. The purpose of the item is to relieve simple irritations and annoyances. It is almost insignificant. Evenso, when such an item is not present to relieve small annoyances, these insignificant issues, grows.

Act 3 Scene 4 - Desdemona's handkerchief.

In this scene, Shakespeare highlights the significance of Desdemona's lost handkerchief to the audience, as we can clearly see that this is what the whole play hinges on. The handkerchief was given to Othello's mother by an Egyptian, and lines 52-63 in the scene enable us to see the charm around it. The handkerchief seemed to enable Othello's mother to "subdue [his] father entirely to her love", revealing the spell and power that it had. The fact that it was given to his mother by an Egyptian highlights the exotic background that Othello comes from as well as subtly reminding the audience of Iago's accusation that Othello had charmed Desdemona.

The hankerchief, being white, also represented Desdemona's purity and chastity. Thus losing it would mean that she has lost her purity in Othello's eyes and if she has given it to someone else then this would mean that she has given herself away.

Othello states clearly that the hankerchief was of great importance to him, and implies that their whole relationship hinges upon whether it has been "lost" or not. He retells the story of how "if [his mother] lost it or made a gift of it, [his] father's eye should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt after new fancies." (line 54). This also foreshadows the loathing that he will feel towards Desdemona, seeing as the audience clearly knows that she no longer has the hankerchief.

Othello is seen to have convinced himself that Desdemona has lost her virtue and honesty with the handkerchief, and this scene reveals the beginning of the events that lead to him killing her in their wedding bed.

Act 3 Scene 4

The significance of Act 3 Scene 4 in the context of the whole play Othello

Act 3 Scene 4 occurs after Act 3 Scene 3, the longest and most significant scene in the play where Othello is shown to fall directly into Iago’s cunning trap and is so quickly influenced that he begins to doubt the loyal Cassio and his beloved Desdemona.

In Act 3 Scene 4, Othello approaches Desdemona, seeking evidence, and is pulled into a heated argument where he becomes even more angered due to Desdemona’s persistence for Cassio’s sake. This is significant as it reveals their deteriorating marital relationship as a result of Iago’s manipulation. Othello does not directly ask her about Cassio and misconstrues her words, showing that his character is quick to jump to conclusions, for example when Desdemona cries ‘I’faith, you are to blame.’ (line 93), Othello swears and exits, perhaps indicating that he thinks she is saying that he is to blame for her being with Cassio. Furthermore, he also assumes that she is with Cassio because she continues to talk about him. This deterioration carves the path leading to the destruction of both Desdemona and Othello later on in the play.

Another significant element of this scene is the symbolism of the handkerchief that Desdemona has supposedly ‘lost’. The handkerchief could represent three different things, firstly Othello’s exotic heritage, secondly the love shared between Othello and Desdemona and finally Desdemona’s chastity in Othello’s eyes. By ‘losing’ the handkerchief, the love has diminished between them and Desdemona is no longer pure in Othello’s eyes. However, the audience knows that it has not been lost, but taken away. The audience realises that everything is slowly and flawlessly falling into place, and Shakespeare confirms this when Iago is brought in and he says ‘Is my lord angry?’ (line 126), indicating that this is exactly what Iago wanted to happen.

The relationship between Emilia and Iago is also revealed. Emilia tells Desdemona that she does not know where the handkerchief was, when in fact she gave it to her husband. This shows a certain degree of loyalty to her husband. Additionally, it appears that she may know more than we think, when in line 149 she says to Desdemona, ‘Pray heaven it be state matters, as you think, and no conception nor no jealous toy concerning you.’

Act 3 Scene 4 reveals to the audience the loss of control in the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, as well as how this aids Iago with his ultimate plan. It is as if the characters are now digging their own graves by pulling themselves closer and closer into Iago’s trap.

The Significance of Act 3, Scene 4 In The Context Of The Whole Play

Act 3 Scene 4 is significant in the context of the whole play because it contains the turning point of Desdemona and Othello's relationship and also highlights Desdemona's tragic flaw of being too naive.

From the moment it is introduced into the plot, the handkerchief given to Desdemona by Othello becomes the play's most important symbol. Act 3, Scene 4 assumes the bizarre shape of a perverted trial. From the moment Othello enters, he plays the role of a prosecutor, demanding that Desdemona produce the handkerchief and accusing her of being a whore. Shakespeare's integration of the significance of the handkerchief only in this scene helps to contribute to the dramatic ironies in the play, as Othello did not tell Desdemona the meaning of the handkerchief when he gave it to her in the first place, but only in such a circumstance that he believes she has lost it. Instead of defending herself against her husband's accusations, Desdemona's response by advocating Cassio’s case. The result is a shouting match, wherein husband and wife completely fail to communicate, Othello repeatedly screaming “The handkerchief!” while Desdemona enumerates Cassio’s noble qualities, all of which Othello takes as testimony against her. Shakespeare's chosen diction "zounds" as Othello's final word before his exit highlights Iago's absolute influence upon Othello, as Iago is the only character in the play who uses this strong swearing word. In addition, the fact that he swears directly to his wife and then exits conveys the poor state of their relationship.

Throughout the play, Desdemona is presented by Shakespeare as a naive character who has a pure heart, Act 3 Scene 4 exemplifies this characteristic of hers as being a major tragic flaw. In this scene, she tells the clown to deliver a message to Cassio without hesitating if the content of message would be twisted. Then, when Othello accuses her of infidelity, she does not pick up the clues in his lines and indeed, goes on to plead for Cassio. Later on in the scene, when she talks to Iago - she eventually persists him to find out what "hath puddled his clear spirit" as she believes it is concerning state affairs, not aware of the fact that Iago could further inject poison in Othello's ears of her unfaithfulness. In Shakespeare's construction of Desdemona's statement towards Iago, "men's nature wrangle with inferior things", he has emphasized the dramatic irony as we, the audience, know that Othello is wrestling an inferior thing, his own emotions; yet, Desdemona only believes Othello's "great ones" are to do with the states and does not realise that his emotion for her is an "inferior thing".

By the end of this scene, the plot unfolds without any further assistance from Iago, although he is still involved in manipulating it in some way. He has thus far been so careful to inform the audience of his every plan that it seems like he must have anticipated every turn in the road. As with the characters onstage, Iago’s power with the audience lies in his ability to make them believe he knows more than he does.

Cassio and Iago.

In Othello, Shakespeare crafts Cassio and Iago to be two contrasting characters, and this is evident from the way that they speak to and about women in the play. Iago does not treat his own wife nicely as seen from Act 2 Scene 1 thus Shakespeare may have wanted to show us that Iago had no respect for any woman, not even his wife.

Iago sees women in a physical way, and makes sexual references towards them when speaking about women and Desdemona in the play. He says "thou shalt enjoy her" (on line 310 page 26) to Roderigo, referring to him merely using her to please him and then that is all she is worth. He refers to "housewives in your bed" and how he would "drown [himself] for the love of a guniea-hen" which shows that he seems to be thinking in primitive and rude ways about women.
Iago also refers to his scheme with references to the "womb", "If thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time which will be delivered." (line 360 page 27). Not only does he refer to "wombs" but also cuckolding, disrespecting the women's choice as if they want to be cuckolded or not.

Cassio on the other hand refers to women, and Desdemona in particular (to Iago's delight), as "The riches of the ship" (line 82 page 33). She is likened to treasure and as soon as she enters he says "Hail to thee, lady!", clearly elevating her status even more. The first thing we hear Cassio say about Desdemona is that Othello is lucky to have her. He admires the two of them, and clearly sees Desdemona as something "divine" rather than a mere object belonging to Othello who he admires.

The way in which Iago and Cassio refer to women enables the audience to see their upbringing at the time and Shakespeare enables us to also understand what it was like for women at the time. It seemed as though the men were a lot more dominant, and although people of education and higher status like Cassio elevated their status, Iago shows us that women were under the rule of men and less trusted.

An effect that this has on the audience, especially the female audience at the time, is that it may make them dislike Iago even more to highlight his bad personality. It may have shocked some women to hear him refer to them in that way, thus enabling them to like Cassio, who is a clear gentelman, a lot more than him. Shakespeare may have done this to highlight the tragedy of the play, seeing as it is the character who is evil and not liked that triumphs over and poisons all the others.