William Shakespeare

Two Tasks:1. Spoken Imaginative Reflection (Spoken Task 2)

Transcripts due Friday Week 5Presentations start MondayWeek 6

2. Unseen Examination (Written Task 1)Exam Block

OTHELLO

TYPICAL TRAGEDIES

Aristotelian tragedy

o The protagonist (tragic hero) begins as a person of some importance or fortune.

o They cannot be perfect – the audience must relate to them – so they posses a tragic flaw that balances their otherwise good character.

o Aristotle usually made this flaw hubris (an all-consuming pride that causes the individual to ignore morals or divine warning).

o These flaws culminate in humiliation, defeat, and the death of the protagonist.

o The play ends in a catharsis – the event of the audience losing their anxiety and fear and eventually feeling a sense of completion.

SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDIES

• Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and King Lear

follow this pattern in the main.

• Aristotle exaggerated the flaw whereas Shakespeare tries to make it realistic so the tragic flaws aren’t immediately obvious at first.

• Shakespeare also loves to make a complicated plot with many sub-plots in order to make it that much more real and meaningful to an audience.

• Shakespeare was not too bothered with the catharsis either – he wanted the audience to feel the full blow of the protagonist’s downfall. He creates a feeling of amazement at the utter despair at the end of the play.

WHAT’S THE PLAY ABOUT?

• Have you ever heard of the “green-eyed monster”?

• The jealousy the characters feel leads to…

An archetypal narrative:

A person is wrongly deprived of something which they believe is rightfully theirs. They make attempts to defeat the

person responsible and re-establish rightful ownership.

JealousyRevenge

Shakespeare’s tragedies

feature some of the major flaws

of humanity.

KEY CHARACTERS IN ACT ONE

Othello

In Elizabethan times, most people stereotyped views of other races – black people were seen as

lustful, savage and were associated with sin.

In Othello, Shakespeare challenged stereotypes by portraying a black man as the noble

protagonist and a white man, Iago, the villain of the play.

Othello was once a slave but is now a general in the Venetian Army. He is a mercenary (hired

soldier) but also a loving husband.

Iago

Iago is one of the most immoral and destructive villains in literature. He is a master manipulator with no redeeming

features.

Iago is an ensign (a junior army officer) who is overlooked for a promotion. He becomes

hell bent on causing pain and suffering.

He is able to keep his true nature hidden and play people off each other.

Desdemona

Desdemona is the beautiful daughter of a senator (Barbantio). She goes against her

father’s wishes and marries Othello in secret rather than one of her Venetian suitors.

She is resolute in her love for Othello and is obedient, loving and loyal.

She becomes one of the main victims of the play as Iago takes advantage of her goodness

for his own revenge.

Brabantio

Brabantio is a Venetian senator and Desdemona’s father. He is arguably over-protective of his daughter and wants to

see her marry a wealthy, young Venetian.

Of course he is shocked when he learns she marries Othello in secret.

Brabantio comes across as self-important and a little hypocritical. (He used to

invite Othello over to his house to share his entertaining tales of war.)

Roderigo

Roderigo is a potential suitor of Desdemona who is convinced that if he

gives Iago all his money, he will help him gain Desdemona’s attention and

affection.

He becomes yet another pawn in Iago’s game.

The Duke

The Duke sits at the apex of Venetian society and represents God. He is the

voice of reason and of civil and moral law.

He is the dispenser of justice and final arbiter in his subject’s affairs.

He holds great respect for Othello as a military hero and provides an endorsement of his character.

Michael Cassio

Cassio is Othello’s lieutenant who was promoted over Iago.

Although he is relatively inexperienced, he is devoted to Othello

and to his position as lieutenant.

Cassio is also young, handsome and well-mannered.

THE SETTINGS

Setting:

Venice and Cyprus

• At the time Shakespeare was writing, Venice was a great trading power which was seen as sophisticated, cultured and wealthy.

• Venice was widely known in Europe for its sexual tolerance, and Venetian women were often seen as promiscuous.

• While the first Act is set is Venice, the rest of the action is set in Cyprus, which is under the threat of invasion from the Turks.

• Cyprus was a island that lived under Venetian rule but was often under this threat of invasion.

• It was isolated, war-like and seen as uncivilised.

• The problems between Othello and Desdemona begin soon after their arrival on Cyprus.

SUMMARY OF ACT 1, SCENE 1 Roderigo has paid Iago to help him win Desdemona’s love.

Roderigo is angry because she’s married to Othello.

Iago tells Roderigo that he hates Othello for promoting Cassio to lieutenant ahead of him.

They wake up Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, and tell him about her secret marriage to Othello.

Brabantio is furious when he discovers that she’s run away. He goes with Roderigo to confront Othello.

ACT ONE, SCENE ONE

• List all the criticisms that Iago makes regarding Cassio’s appointment as lieutenant.

• Iago states that Cassio’s promotion over him is “the curse of service” based on “letter and affection” and not based on “old graduation”. What does he mean by this and do you think this is a relevant issue today?

• Why does Iago continue to serve Othello even though he’s been passed over for a promotion?

Act One, Scene one really asks the audience to zoom in on the character of Iago.

What do you think of him as a character so far?

Look at the body language used by Iago – what does this say about his character?

Imagine you are given this scene in the exam…

• FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ANTAGONIST Iago seems to have a clear motive for causing Othello harm. He feels

Othello cheated him out of a promotion that was his due.

Iago is good at getting himself out of trouble (or avoiding it altogether): he leaves the stage just as Brabantio discovers Desdemona has gone, knowing that it is ‘not meet nor wholesome to my place to be produced’ (lines 143-4). The language here is ironic – neither his words nor his actions have been wholesome.

Dramatic Irony: Roderigo fails to see that a man who admits he is selfish fraud might be using him and Brabantio is unaware of the truth of his words to Iago, ‘Thou art a villain!’ (line 116).

By the end of Act 1 Scene 1, Shakespeare has established Iago as a powerful, manipulative figure who instigates and stage-manages chaos efficiently

Primary: causes/ agents Enactment EffectsPlotCharacterisationPropsSetting, lighting, costumesStage directions

ActionReactionInteractionDialogueMovementBlocking

ConflictSuspenseTensionIdentification or alienationWonder

Think about how dramatic devices are used to establish Iago’s character and to set up the direction of the plot.

In a pair, pick just two of the features above and discuss how their use in Act 1, scene 1 has been useful in propelling the plot.

KEY POINTS• The first scene sets a tone of confusion and conflict for the rest of the play:

It begins mid-conversation – we have to figure out what Roderigo and Iago are talking about.

They discuss Othello in crude and critical terms but never use his name which increases our curiosity about this person they’re referring to.

The uncertainty is supported with the idea that this scene is set in the middle of the night – Brabantio is ‘roused’ from his sleep.

The darkness links to a metaphorical idea of the difficulty of seeing – this becomes a theme as the characters struggle to separate appearances from reality.

The audience realises that the marriage of Othello and Desdemona is going to be at the heart of the conflict of the play.

Shakespeare suggests that Iago will be the play’s antagonist, even before Othello appears.

From the very beginning it is clear Iago is skilled at creating disorder from taking advantage of situations.

He openly admits he’s selfish and deceptive, saying “in following him, I follow but myself” (line 59).

He tells Roderigo “I am not what I am” (line 66).

While he manipulates Roderigo’s situation, he still maintains the look of loyalty to Othello: “I must show out a flag and sign of love” (line 157).

He uses language as his tool to manipulate. He repeats the word “thieves” four times (80-82) to encourage Brabantio to feel Othello has stolen his daughter.

He also uses bestial, sexual language to exaggerate the sinfulness of this marriage.

An antagonist is someone who provides opposition

to the protagonist.

This scene introduces some key themes

Jealousy

Sexuality

Honesty and Deception • Roderigo was deceived into believing he could win Desdamona’s hand in marriage

• Brabantio has been deceived by both Desdemona and Othello• Iago deceived himself when he believed he would be promoted.

• Iago says that he admires men who make ‘shows of service on their lords’ (line 51). He states openly, ‘I am not what I am’ (line 64).

RacismComment on how these themes are

raised in the scene.

VISUAL RESOURCES• Overview of Plot: Sparks Notes Plot Outline

• Animated Tales: BBC Animated Tales: Othello

• Audio of Act 1: Reading of Act One