character introduction 1. the moor general of the venetian army secretly married to desdemona 2
TRANSCRIPT
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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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Michael CassioThe man on the leftOthello’s trusted
Lieutenant and friend
Will do anything out of honor and reputation
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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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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???