Character introduction 1. The Moor General of the Venetian Army Secretly married to Desdemona 2.

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Character introduction

Othello

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OthelloThe MoorGeneral of the

Venetian ArmySecretly married

to Desdemona

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DesdemonaMarried to Othello

Wealthy daughter of Brabantio, a Venetian senator

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Brabantio

Venetian senatorFather of

Desdemona Is not happy that

Othello secretly married his daughter

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Roderigo The man on the leftIs in love with

DesdemonaHires Iago, the

man on the right, to help him get together with Desdemona

Will do anything to be with Desdemona

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Iago

Othello’s Ancient

Upset that he was not promoted to Lieutenant

Hates Othello and vows revenge

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Emilia Iago’s wifeDesdemona’s servant and confidant

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Michael CassioThe man on the leftOthello’s trusted

Lieutenant and friend

Will do anything out of honor and reputation

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BiancaA woman in

CyprusIs in love with

Cassio

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Race in OthelloA big deal?

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The term "Moor” was used in Europe in a broad way to refer to Muslims, especially those of Arab or African decent.

The way the label is used by some characters, as well as the references made early in the play to his physical features, make us wonder…is the play about race?

Othello, the Moor

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“There was a fascination with the exotic in Renaissance England.” Shakespeare’s audience probably found

Othello intriguing because he was different, not unlike Desdemona’s reaction to him.

The typical audience in Shakespeare’s day would likely have been more interested in the differences in social rank between Desdemona and Othello than they would have been with the difference in their races.

Literary critics weigh in…

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“The play is not about race; it’s about men who have lost their moral compass.”

Any racism we observe says more about the character who says such things than it does the play’s message.

The fact that we notice this racism is because a modern audience is sensitive to it.

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“I am nothing if not critical.”

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy, it is the green-eyed monster.”

“Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.”

“As ignorant as dirt.”

“I wear my heart upon my sleeve.”

Have you heard these famous lines?

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Spiders and websHonesty and loyaltyWhat “seems” versus what “is”JealousyProof versus suspicionWomen as whoresMen as users

Images and Motifs to watch for

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The words he used:Most of the time the words that are unfamiliar are

explained or defined in the notes on the facing page.

His sentence structure:As modern readers, we’re pretty dependent

upon “regular” word order: subject-verb-objectThe dog bit the man is very different from The

man bit the dog!Shakespeare inverted his sentence patterns in order

to achieve a certain rhythm or rhyme.

What makes reading Shakespeare difficult?

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“If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor me.”

Say what?First, what word(s) don’t you know?

Now, what would the “right” word order be?

Example of inverted sentence pattern

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Even when the sentences were in the “right” order, he used many parenthetical statements, or interrupters, that separated subjects from verbs.

“But I beseech you,If’t be your pleasure and most wise consent—As partly I find it is—that your fair daughter,At this odd-even and dull watch o’ th’ night,Transported with no worse nor better guardBut with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,To the gross clasps of the lascivious Moor:

A second weird Shakespeare thing:

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First, don’t get frustrated. You do not need to understand every single word!

Next, read for the punctuation, turning poetry into prose (just like you did with Beowulf)

On initial reading, read a speech, stop, and do a mental paraphrase. If you get the general drift, that’s enough for the first time through.

Untangle difficult lines byPutting inverted sentences into “normal” orderPaying attention to the punctuation that signals

those interrupting clauses (dashes, commas). Skip the interrupting material during a first reading.

So, what’s a poor reader to do?

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Definition: A type of drama where the major character

undergoes a morally significant struggle that ends disastrously

Developed by Greeks but perfected by Shakespeare

Greek tragic hero lived, but suffered terribly as a result of his flaws and mistakes.

Shakespeare preferred to kill off all his heroes.

Othello and tragedy

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Greater than average manFalls short of perfectionTragic flawCauses hero to make mistakesCatharsis (a moment of realization

that he caused his own difficulties)Downfall

Tragedy’s central character: Tragic Hero

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Aristotle wrote that the purpose of tragedy was to …Arouse the emotions of pity and fear in the

audience, which relied on our ability to relate to the character’s flaws and mistakes.

Produce for the audience a catharsis of its own, where we experience the character’s pain, but safely.

This means that…Through tragedy, we are able to experience great

emotions with no threat to ourselves. Hopefully through watching a tragedy we can learn

from the mistakes of the hero and avoid a similar fate.

Aristotle’s Poetics

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Regarding Iago and Roderigo, who seems to be in control?

What has just happened?Who is Brabantio?What sort of person do you think the Moor is?Why are neither Othello or Desdemona

mentioned by name in this scene?What sort of language does Iago use to tell

Brabantio that his daughter has eloped?On what sort of fears and prejudices does Iago

play?

Othello 1.1.74-160

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“I take this that you call love to be a sect or a scion”

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Text = surface meaningSubtext=the real meaningSubtext is conveyed by the following:Intonation (tone)StressPauseBody language: stance, gesture, eye contact

or eye avoidanceThe “Fred Scene”

Subtext: It’s not what you say, but HOW you say it!

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Instructions:1. Do a round robin read through2. Discuss the speeches—make sure everyone

understands every line3. Assign parts—divide as necessary to make

sure everyone has lines to speak.4. Run through your scene and practice to

ensure an accurate interpretive reading.5. Use intonation, stress and pauses to convey

the subtext accurately!

Radio performances—who is the best???