WILLIAM Shakespeare’s Othello is the Shakespearean play that has been selected for use in Literature In English  JAMB, WAEC, and other examinations for secondary schools final year students. Below are likely questions from the text. Excerpts that may come out as questions. E.g

“Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:
She has deceived her father, and may thee.”

The questions will then be like:

•  Who said this?
• To whom was it said?
• Who else was present while this was said apart from the speaker and the addressee?

Well the answers to that are simple. It was said by Brabantio to Othello. Iago, The Duke of Venice and Desdemona were present.

Now, that’s just an example. Below are many more excerpts that are likely to come out in JAMB, WAEC and NECO questions.

1. ‘That I did love the Moor to live with him,
   My downright violence and storm of fortunes
   May trumpet to the world: my heart’s subdued
   Even to the very quality of my lord: ‘

Scene III

(Said by Desdemona to Brabantio concerning her love for Othello.)

2. ‘Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them’

Scene II

(Said by Othello to Brabantio’s men when Brabantio and his men came to confront him having heard from Iago and Roderigo that Othello had charmed Desdemona and taken her away. Othello here is telling them to put down their swords, that there is no need to fight.

3.   “To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on.” (Act I, Scene III)

     (Said by The Duke to Brabantio, Desdemona and Othello. The Duke is trying to tell Brabantio that there is no point nursing grudges against Othello because of his daughter. What is done is done.)

4. “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at; I am not what I am.” (Act I, Scene I, lines 64-65)

         (Said by Iago to Roderigo, this is one of the most revealing lines in the play. Here Iago describes the type of person he is in his own words. He says ‘I am not who I am’ meaning I am not who I say I am or who you think I am. here, he reveals his own deceitful personality. unfortunately, gullible Roderigo does not understand.

  5. ” She loved me for the dangers I had pass’d,
And I loved her that she did pity them.” (Scene III)

       (Said by Othello. Here, having being accused by Brabantio of using witchcraft to woo Desdemona, Othello reveals that he has used no charm. And that Desdemona loves him because of the dangers of war he had passed through and he, Othello, loves her because of the way she always pitied him whenever he tells his stories of war.)

6. “I do perceive here a divided duty.
To you I am bound for life and education.
My life and education both do learn me
How to respect you. You are the lord of my duty,” (Act I, Scene III)

     (Said by Desdemona to her father. Here she is telling him that truly he is the lord of her duty. But down the line (not in he excerpt) she reveals that Othello is her husband. She is trying to tell her father that even though she respects him as a father, she still cannot marry him and so she has chosen Othello.)

7.  “Though I do hate him as I do hell pains,
Yet, for necessity of present life,
I must show out a flag and sign of love –
Which is indeed but a sign.” (Act I Scene I)

     (Said by Iago to Roderigo about Othello. Here Iago is saying that he hates Othello, but musts till show a sign of love; just a sign. He must show a sign so as to achieve his own selfish goals.)

8.  “If virtue no delighted beauty lack,
Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.” (Act I Scene III)

     (By The Duke to Brabantio concerning Othello. Here, the Duke tells Desdemona’s father that Othello is a good man in terms of virtues regardless of his ‘black’ complexion. {More to come about why Othello is regarded black.})

9.   “I am bound to thee forever.”

        (Said by Othello to Iago trying to tell the latter that he is so useful to him. Like, ‘What can I do without you, Iago.’ {More notes on this to come})

10. ” Rude am I in my speech,
And little bless’d with the soft phrase of peace:
For since these arms of mine had seven years’ pith,
Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used
Their dearest action in the tented field,
And little of this great world can I speak,
More than pertains to feats of broil and battle,
And therefore little shall I grace my cause
In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,
I will a round unvarnish’d tale deliver
Of my whole course of love.” (Act I Scene III)

   (Said by Othello to the Duke, Brabantio, Iago, Roderigo and all others present while trying to explain how Desdemona fell in love with him. NOTE: If you are asked to who this is addressed, your answer must be The Duke, but peradventure The Duke is not part of the options, go for Brabantio.)

11. ‘We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow’d. ‘ Act 1 Scene 1
Said by Iago to Roderigo.
Meaning: Here, Iago is explaining to Roderigo where he is still serving Othello as an ensign even though (according to Iago ) , the Moor does not deserve it. He tells Roderigo that everybody cannot be masters, then all masters cannot be truly and dutifully followed. This means Iago is still Othello’s ensign just because of his own selfish interest and aim that he sets to accomplish.

12. ‘But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.’ Act 1 Scene 1
Said by Iago to Roderigo.
Meaning: This is one of the most revealing lines in the play. Here Iago says he is not who he is. This means he is not who he appears or seems to be; he is not who people thinks he is. Roderigo, being a foolish man does not understand that this does not only refer to Iago’s character camouflage to Othello, but to everyone including Roderigo too. It can also be an allusion to the Holy Bible. In the Holy Bible, in the book of Exodus, God told Moses on Mount Horeb: ‘I am who I am.’ So when Iago says ‘I am not who I am’ which is the opposite of what God said, it can be said that Iago is a devil.

13. What does Iago mean by ‘making the beast with two backs’ in Act 1 Scene 1 of
the play while talking to Brabantio.
Meaning: Making the beast with two backs is a euphemistic metaphor for two people engaged in sexual intercourse. It refers to the situation in which a couple in the missionary position or standing cling to each other as if a single creature, with their backs to the outside. [Source: Wikipedia]

14. ‘Mine’s not an idle cause: the duke himself,
Or any of my brothers of the state,
Cannot but feel this wrong as ’twere their own;
For if such actions may have passage free,
Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be.’ Act 1 Scene 2
Who said this? – Brabantio.
What was the speaker’s ’cause’? – His cause can be said to recover his daughter from Othello’s charms. Brabantio believes Othello has used ‘spells and medicine’ to spirit his daughter away and to secretly marry her. Hence, his cause is to retrieve his daughter.
What is the meaning of the last two lines? – What Brabantio is saying is that if such actions as Othello, a Moor (black man) marrying Desdemona should pass free without any punishment, then the statesmen, rulers and judges alike, can be liken to pagans and slaves.

15. ‘A maiden never bold;
Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion
Blush’d at herself; and she, in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with what she fear’d to look on!’ Act 1 Scene 3
Speaker: Brabantio.
Who is the maiden referred to here? – Desdemona, Brabantio’s daughter.
What [Who] does the speaker refer to as ‘What she feared to look on’? – What he is referring to here is Othello. Using ‘what’ as though referring to an inanimate thing instead of ‘who’ shows what Brabantio thinks of Othello. Othello is a Moor, a black man and so Brabantio regards him as a ‘what’ i.e unimportant and not a ‘who’.

16. ‘When remedies are past, the griefs are ended on
By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on’ Act 1 Scene 3
Speaker: the Duke of Venice.
Who is being addressed? – Brabantio.
Where is the discussion taking place? – A council chamber.
Meaning: This very intelligent statement from the Duke is telling Brabantio that since there is nothing he can do after his daughter has professed her love for Othello against his wish, he should end the grief. According to the Duke, mourning a past mischief will only bring more mischief. Hence, the Duke is telling Brabantio to let go, to forgive and forget.

17. Speaker A: ‘It is silliness to live when to live is torment;
and then have we a prescription to die
when death is our physician.’
Speaker B: ‘O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four
times seven years; and since I could distinguish
betwixt a benefit and an injury, I never found man
that knew how to love himself. ‘
Who is A? – Roderigo.
Who is B? – Iago.
Why does Speaker A say ‘it is stillness to live’? – Here, Roderigo has just witnessed the scene where Othello justifies his marriage with Desdemona. Now, it is to be noted that Roderigo has long since desired to have Desdemona as wife and now that he has seen the Moor being married to her, then life, to him, is no longer worth living.

18. ‘Go to; farewell. Put money enough in your purse.’
Said by Iago to Roderigo.
Meaning: Here, Roderigo has just decided to drown himself thinking he has finally lost Desdemona to the Moor. But Iago tells him otherwise. Iago says there are better ways to die and that he should not give up. According to Iago, Desdemona married the Moor hastily and blindly and will soon divorce him. Therefore, Roderigo should ‘put enough money in his purse’ i.e he should gather all the money he can and make himself rich so that by the time Desdemona divorces the Moor, he will be fit to propose to her. This also means he should gather enough money to pay Iago who is helping in the arrangement. In the end, Roderigo is convinced and says he will sell his land.

19. ‘News, lads! our wars are done
The desperate tempest hath so bang’d the Turks,
That their designment halts.
A noble ship of Venice
Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance
On most part of their fleet.’ Act 2 Scene 1
Speaker: [Third] Gentleman.
What does he\she means by ‘Our wars are done’? – The gentleman is announcing to those present that the war is over. The ‘desperate tempest’ as fought the war for them. Their enemy’s fleet (Turkish fleet) has been destroyed by the tempest.

20. Pray heavens he be;
For I have served him, and the man commands
Like a full soldier.’ Act 2 Scene 1. Montano.
Who is being referred to as ‘the man’? – Othello.

More questions to come. Check this space.

   Study these excerpts. Know to whom each of them is said, who said it, why it was said, in what condition and what it means. Don’t overlook one because it’s too simple or too short or too long. That is exactly hat your examiner will be expecting you to do. Don’t be fooled.

   I personally advise that you read this text not less than three times before your exam. That way, you will be able to know who said what…etc. Do not memorise any of these. Read and understand the play. That way when you see an excerpt, you will know that this is likely to come from deceitful Iago or gullible Roderigo. Let me know what you think in the comments. Feel free to ask questions. All the best.

          Please take note: These are just suggestions, not actual questions. All of them may come out in your exams, some of them may come out and none of them may come out. Best of luck.

Caught between the anvil and the hammer
In the forging house of a new life,
Transforming the pangs that delivered me
Into the joy of new songs
The trapping of the past, tender and tenuous
Woven with fibre of sisal and
Washed in the blood of the goat in the fetish hut
Are laced with the flimsy glories of paved streets
The jargon of a new dialectic comes with the
Charisma of the perpetual search on the outlaw’s hill.
Sew the old days for us, our fathers,
That we can wear them under our new garment,
After we have washed ourselves in
The whirlpool of the many rivers’ estuary
We hear their songs and rumours everyday
Determined to ignore these we use snatches
From their tunes
Make ourselves new flags and anthems
While we lift high the banner of the land
And listen to the reverberation of our songs
In the splash and moan of the sea
Kofi Awoonor (1935 – 2013) Ghana

.Structure: poem has 21 lines.

Metaphor and Symbolism.
1. ‘The anvil’ – metaphor for the Traditional culture.
2. ‘Hammer’ – Foreign, imposed culture.
3. ‘Forging House.’ Line 2- Where the transformation from traditional to foreign lifestyle takes place. (Church, School, Politics, etc.)
4. ‘Blood of the goat in the Fetish hut.’ Line 7 – Traditional rituals and religions.
5. ‘Paved streets.’ Line 8 – Civilization, modernity and reformation.
6. ‘Jargon of new dialectic’ Line 9 – Words of the new language e.g English, French, Portugese.
7. ‘The Old days.’ Line 11 – The good days before the arrival fo colonialists. The traditional days.
8. ‘New garments.’ -Line 12: New lifestyle; new way of life that the colonialists brought.
9. ‘New flags and anthems’ – Line 18: New counties, states and nationalist groups.
10. ‘Banner of the land.’ Line 19- Cry for independence.

Themes.
1. Eroding of the Traditional African culture.
2. Civilization.
3. Colonialism.
4. Desire to return: Nostalgia.
5. Cry for independence.

Setting.
Poem is set in the colonial times.

More notes to come on this.

You may also want to read Lonely Days Summary.

Location: Kufi Village.

Yaremi: Ajumobi’s widow now in her early fifties. From Adeyipo village.

Ajumobi: Yaremi’s late husband; a brave hunter.

Yaremi’s children:

• Segi: (lives at Olode with her husband. Mother of Woye. She  is the first born.)
• Alani: (the only son. Carpenter. Lives in Ibadan.)
• Wura: (second daughter. Lives in Apon.)

Yaremi’s admirers:

• Ayanwale: a successful drummer who plays the Kongo drum.
• Olonade: village woodcarver. Nickname: Twin father.
• Lanwa: farmer. Also Ajumobi’s half-brother.

Widows of Kufi village:   Dedewe, Fayoyin and Radeke.

Other notable characters in the book are;

• Rogba: the village flute player (ekutu)
• Uncle Deyo: Ajumobi’s friend.
• Okanlawon: Ajumobi’s rival.
• Woye: Segi’s daughter and Yaremi’s grandson who stays with her.

For a full summary, check Comprehensive Summary of Lonely Days.

Author: Bayo Adebowale.                    Country: Nigeria.

Language: English.                             First Published: 2006

ISBN: 978-978-029-746-6

Pages: 141 (Spectrum Edition)             Chapters: 14

Genre: Prose.

Other books by the author are: Out Of His Mind and The Ambitious Village Boy.

Plot Summary:

Lonely Days, Bayo Adebowale’s novel centres on Yaremi, a strong widow and her experiences as a lonely woman in Kufi village.

Yaremi is the widow of Ajumobi who was a very brave and prosperous hunter. She has three children: Segi, Alani and Wura. As in all African cultures, Yaremi faces a lot after the demise of her husband ranging from accusation of murder and several rites and practices. After going through all those, Yaremi is now left alone to face life as a widow.

Yaremi’s grandchild (Segi’s son), Woye, is a small boy who stays with Yaremi during this trying times. The boy helps Yaremi with her trade in the market and also with the production of dyed materials who she sells for a living.

After a short while of reminiscing on the good days, of sorrowing over her dead husband, of trying hard to face the new life of loneliness that the death of her husband presents; Yaremi is to pick a new husband.

Dedewe, Fayoyin, and Radeke (three widows whom Yaremi used to pity before she also becomes a widow visits her and comfort and encourage her a day before she is to pick a new husband during the Cap- Picking Ceremony.

As a result of her husband’s death and the love she had and still has for him, Yaremi has grown stiff and is fast becoming more like a man. And so when three me, Ayanwale, a popular drummer; Olonade, a successful wood carver and Lanwa, a successful farmer who is also Ajumobi’s  half-brother; when these three men presents themselves before Yaremi in front of the whole village, she rejects them all to the utter shock of the villagers. The elders were ‘speechless and overwhelmed’.

Due to this act of stubbornness, ‘a conspiracy’ is ‘sprouting which might get her ostracized or outrightly annihilated from Kufi village.’ Yaremi decides to leave and return to her own maiden village Adeyipo before she is sent out of Kufi.

A week after the new-husband-picking incident, Segi, Yaremi’s first child and daughter visits to comfort her mother and tell her that there was ‘no reason on earth for’ a second marriage or new husband.

Woye, the small son of Segi who has been living with Yaremi is undisturbed by the issues at hand. When Segi, his mother sets to return to her own husband’s house, Woye sets to follow her and dreams of going to school.

After this, Yaremi sets to leave Kufi but for the ‘timely appearance of Alani’ who has not been seen for a decade. Alani lives in Ibadan city.

Uncle Deyo, a friend of Yaremi’s husband comes and shows Alani the farmlands of his father which has been left untended since his death. According to uncle Deyo, ‘It is the duty of the son…to look after his father’s property. When fire burns, it succeeds itself with wood ash…’

Despite all this Alani is not moved. The next day, he approaches his mother, Yaremi and explains to her that he cannot stay in the village to tend any farm. He has a booming carpentry business in the city which he wants to face squarely in a bid to marry ‘a pretty city girl’ who is now heavy with pregnancy and to also take his mother to his home in the city in the end. After this explanation, Alani leaves two loaves of bread, a tin of corned beef and a large size custard for his mother and departs. Yaremi bursts into tears.

The village elders add to the problem the following day when they announce that due to her stubbornness and refusal to pick a new husband, Yaremi is to be ostracized as a leper and also her husband’s property is to be confiscated. The story ends as Yaremi cries and lament for the future days of widowhood and loneliness.

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• You should also check out William Shakespeare’s Othello for the summary and questions on it.

I can still remember it vividly as though it were only yesterday. It happened on a friday, a cold one. My friend Ezra and I had gone to the school field to have some fun. Some boys were playing football and so we stood under a tree watching them.
Then Ezra found a cutlass and started playing with it.
“Ezra, drop it.” I said subconsciously. Ezra didn’t answer me, obviously he was enjoying himself with the cutlass.
“Drop it Ezra” I said again without meaning to. Ezra didn’t answer me. And then after few minutes, something I can’t explain, something no one can explain (except maybe Ezra) happened and I couldn’t see anything.
“Ezra!” I called out in fear.
“Am-so-oo-r-ry-Mi-cha-el, I didn’t mean to.” He stammered

I didn’t see anything. For a fleeting moment I knew I was never going to see again, I knew I was never going to see even Ezra again, I was blind forever. Then I saw blood, coming from my eyes. Ezra’s cutlass had hit me, right above my right eye. Blood was dripping down as though a rain of blood was falling.
“Ezra! Ezra! Is it inside my eyes? Ezra?”
I was scared as I tried using my tie to stop the blood. My tie was soaked in a second.
“No Michael…no..it’s above it…am sorry I wanted to throw the cutlass away” Ezra managed to say. He too was scared. Scared that I might go blind, scared that his guardian might hear about it (his guardian did hear about it anyway), scared that he might be suspended, scared of everything.

Slowly, with blood dripping down my face, we made our way to the clinic. However, something worse happened in the clinic which I do not want to write about. Something funny and at the same time painful and unexpected.

I knew my friend, I knew Ezra. He never meant to, it was an accident. Love you Ezra. Trust your friends no matter what.

Those close to me will remember this incident. The scar still remains there, above my right eye, perhaps if you see me one day I’ll show you. But thank God, I didn’t go blind. Thank you Jesus.