6. In what ways does "reputation" become an element of the conflict with each of the four major characters?

For Othello, reputation becomes an element of conflict because he is proud and has a certain reputation to uphold, which is threatened by the idea of his wife being unfaithful. For Iago, reputation is what drives his actions; jealousy of Cassio has caused him to lash out against the Moor, because Iago believes he should be held in higher esteem than Cassio. For Desdemona, reputation is central to her conflict because the one thing she did that was contrary to her reputation, marrying Othello, is the one thing that gives him reason to believe that she would be unfaithful to him. For Cassio, reputation is important because if he was not concerned about Othello's opinion of him, he would not ask Desdemona to intercede on his behalf, and Iago would not have been able to allege that they were having an affair.

7. In what way do Emilia's speeches about men reveal a certain feminist bias?

Emilia's speeches reveal a feminist bias, which is inevitable in a play like Othello, where all of the major male characters are either incompetent or evil. Because Emilia understands that Othello is jealous, for some reason, she is able to shed light on a situation and can speak honestly about the dangers of jealousy, which was an emotion associated solely with males in the play.

8. What does it mean "to love too well?"

Within the context of the play, the phrase is intended to mean that Othello's love for Desdemona was too intense and is what drove him to kill her. However, that is simply an excuse provided by Othello. His actions towards Desdemona did not reveal any love for her, but a jealous need to possess her. Had he actually loved...

Why does Othello, in Act 5 speak of himself in the third person?
There are several reasons why Othello may speak in the third person in Act 5. The most likely reason that he speaks in third person is to distance himself from the subject he's discussing: his murder of his wife. However, it is important to keep in mind that Othello is used to being the topic of discussion and praise and would have been accustomed to hearing stories about himself from the third-person perspective. Furthermore, he spoke of himself in the third person earlier in the play, at the point when he begins to lose touch with reality and sanity. Therefore, speaking of himself in the third person may be subconscious, because Othello does not identify himself as a man that would or could kill his wife.

10. How can the obvious racism in the play be connected to the conflict?

To speak of obvious racism in the play denotes a very modern attitude, which would not have been as clear to an Elizabethan audience. In fact, it is only through modern interpretation that audiences associate Othello with a man of African descent; Moors could also have been Arabic and would have been subjected to the same type of scrutiny and insults. In fact, religious and cultural differences play a more central role in the conflict than actual racial differences. Moors were considered liars and thieves by many in Elizabethan England, and Othello was noteworthy because he did not possess those qualities. By the end of the play, Othello has turned into the bloodthirsty animal that those like him were assumed to be, thereby reinforcing Elizabethan notions of race and cultural superiority.