Othello act 2 scene 3 questions

1) Iago switches from verse to prose when he speaks with Cassio, and Cassio follows. What does this indicate about the exchange? What might it indicate about Cassio? AO2 LFS

When speaking normally in a social situation with Cassio, he speaks in verse. However we notice that when Iago is manipulating Cassio, he actually talks in prose and Cassio does the same because he is quite naive and is actually quite blind to what Iago is doing. It suggests that the exchange is very much dominated by Iago because he is the only one, apart from the audience, that really knows what is going on. 

2) What language does Cassio use when speaking about Desdemona? How does it compare to the language Iago uses to sexualise her? Why do you think Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way to Cassio? (lines 15-25) AO2 LF

When Desdemona and Othello leave, Iago changes the topic to be about Desdemona on purpose in order to manipulate him. Yet they both agree that Desdemona is beautiful, when Iago starts describing her to be promiscuous and wanting attention off other men by exclaiming 'what an eye she has', Cassio disagrees and believes that she is just 'modest'. I think that Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way because he is trying to manipulate Cassio into believing Desdemona is something she isn't in order to keep his plans alive. 

3) How does Iago persuade Cassio to drink? Use your close reading skills to analyse the language he uses. (note how 'but' is used as an adjective here) AO2 LFS

Iago is persuading Cassio to drink by making him feel bad about not being courteous to the rest of the people, in other words Iago is using Cassio's personality in order to get him to drink so he can use the anger he gets from drinking alcohol to cause a scene. Iago believes making him look unprofessional in front of Othello will mean his lieutenant position will be stripped of. He is trying to make it seem like its not a lot of alcohol by describing it as 'but one cup' to persuade him that he won't get drunk.

4) Why does Iago try to subvert the social order and bring others down to his level, rather than try to climb up the ladder and raise himself up? Consider ideas about social order at the time AO3, context.

During the 17th century, society was fixed and social mobility was basically unheard of which is probably why Iago thought it fitting that he not try climb up past Cassio on the social ladder, but bring them down so he has the advantage to move past them. Especially if you were lower in society, like Iago because he is an ancient, it was difficult to move past someone like Cassio who is higher up in society because he is lieutenant. He uses the art of persuasion and manipulation to cause problems between those around him in order to further his own agenda. 

5) Othello says "My blood begins my safer guides to rule/And passion, having my best judgement collied/Assays to lead the way" (lines 201-203) What does this quotation reveal about the effects of Iago's knavery in this scene? 

This quotation reveals that Iago's knavery does have a big impact because even act 1 scene 2 when Brabantio was accusing Othello of stealing Desdemona away from him, he kept calm and spoke in reason. However, now Iago has caused all these problems and no one really knows who started what he is getting angry, and by Shakespeare writing Othello to be behaving like this he is subjecting Othello to the racial stereotype of being uncontrollable. 

BIG QUESTION:

Why is this scene important in relation to the play as a whole? 
Consider:
-How Iago is presented
-What happens in the scene
-What this scene indicates about key characters

In act 2 scene 3, Iago is presented as extremely manipulative as he causes pretty much all the problems that come about in this scene through his planning and scheming. He targets Cassio in particular because as a character, he is weak. His personality holds him back from seeing the wrong in anybody which is why, on the most part, he is unbeknownst to Iago's misdoings. In this scene in particular, Shakespeare is sticking to racial stereotypes as he presents Othello as quick to anger and short-tempered. This scene indicates that Iago is ingenious in his efforts to manipulate others because of the way Othello was portrayed earlier in the play. If we look at act 1 scene 2 we can see that although Brabantio was quick to accuse Othello as being a 'theif' regarding his daughter Desdemona, Othello was always calm. However if we look back at the way Othello is presented by Shakespeare in act 2 scene 3, we can see that he starts to lose his temper from where his 'blood begins my safer guides to rule', which supports the above statement about Iago.