Week 4 Homework: Why does Othello react so quickly and so strongly to Iago's manipulation?

The reason as to why Othello is so quick to react so strongly to Iago's manipulation is because he feels so betrayed and insecure. I believe that it is a combination of the problem lying within Othello and Iago's skillful scheming that leads to Othello reacting so quickly to the news he is receiving from Iago. Othello is almost a little bit doubtful to begin with in his marriage to Desdemona. Being a completely different race to his wife, as shown through the naming throughout the first three acts, being refered to as 'an old black ram' and 'Barbary horse' (1.1.89-94)  have an  impact on Othello and how he see's himself. Because the doubt is already there, it does not take long for seeds of doubt to be placed in his mind by the so called 'honest Iago' (1.3.290) that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago uses his reputation and skillful trickery to convince Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with a Cassio, a man who is both charming and charismatic and  works very closely with Othello as his Lieutenant. He is also a man that people would assume would be a more appropriate match for Desdemona than Othello. Because Othello see's this as a possibility, it does not take Othello long to be convinced that his wife is unfaithful. The reason as to why Othello reacts so quickly and so strongly to Iagos manipulation is not only due to Iago's ability to trick Othello, but mostly  due to the insecurities that Othello places on himself, making the problem lie mostly within himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3 Homework: Deception

The theme deception in William Shakespears 'Othello' is introduced in Act 1 through the character of Desdemona. The audience is positioned by the use of characterisation and naming, to view this theme in the play. In the first few scenes of Othello, the character of Desdemona is presented as a young woman who is honest, sweet, obedient and holds a good reputation. It is with this good reputation that she holds that she is able to deceive people, especially her father, Brabantio. When Brabantio discovers that his daughter  has been deceitful towards him by lying about her secret marriage to the moor, Brabantio is devastated, as shown in this quote, 'How didst thou know 'twas she? O she deceives me past thought!' (I.I.164- 165) The audience is introduced to the theme deception in the first act of Othello. The positioning techniques of characterisation and naming assist in positioning the audience to identify the theme of deception.

I do/ do not feel sorry for Brabantio

I do feel sorry for Desdemona's father Brabantio because he was so unaware of what was going on between Othello and Desdemona and it came as quite a shock to him. He feels as if he has been deceived and lied to and the fact that he is so unaware, positions the audience to feel sorry for him. "How didst thou know 'twas she?  O she deceives me" (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 164). However there is a thought that maybe he is not really concerned about Desdemona's life and what she does, and that it is his own fault that he was not aware about this relationship.

Homework Task Week 2

Why has Shakespeare chosen to introduce the main character in this way? How are we, as the audience, being positioned to see Othello and to see other characters? Write a well-structured paragraph in response, using evidence from the play, including at least one quotation.

The way in which the character of Othello is refered to in the play is as a cultural outsider in the city of Venice. In the opening lines of the play, the character of Othello continues to remain at a distance from much of the action that affects and concerns him. Characters such as Roderigo and Iago constantly refer to him as 'he' or 'him' along with other insulting racial names and gross and sexual terms such as "the thick-lips" (Scene 1, act 1, 66) and "an old black ram" (Scene 1, act 1, 88). It is the character of Iago that believes that Othello’s status as a political commander of Cyprus has been misplaced, believing that he should be in the place of Othello. Shakespeare may have chosen to introduce the main character this way because it makes the reader believe that perhaps Othello has been wrongly judged and misunderstood. However there are characters in the play such as Brabrantio and especially his daughter, Desdemona who admire his exotic traits and appearance, as shown in the quote made by Othello-“[Desdemona’s] father loved me, oft invited me, / Still questioned me the story of my life / From year to year” (Scene 1, act 3, 127–129). The contrasting views of Othello in the first few chapters of the play, especially by the way Iago refers to him, make the reader feel sorry for Othello, wondering if he is has been strongly misunderstood. The way Shakespeare has chosen to introduce the main character Othello, gives him a sense of mystery and makes the reader want to see if the way that Iago speaks of him is a true representation of Othello's character.

Othello Pre-reading Research

VENICE Venice is located in North-Eastern Italy, sitting amongst the border of the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the largest cities in Italy and well known as the city of canals. Venice was a major centre for commerce and trade, especially silk, grain and spice. It was controlled by a vast sea-empire, and became an extremely wealthy European city and a leader in political and economic affairs. The Turks and the Venetians were at war during this period, this led to one of the biggest confrontations, the battle of Lepanto in 157. This event was crucial in the decline of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. CYPRUS Cyprus, also officially known as the Republic of Cyprus is an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is in a strategic location near Lebanon, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. It is due to its location that Ottoman troops had captured Cyprus during the 16th Century, and led to it being divided between the Greek dominated a Turkish Cypriot and the Republic of Cyprus. Cyrus is 2,117 kilometres from Venice. The countries located nearby are Turkey, Egypt, Greece and Syria, these countries were known to be powerful during this time and had ambitions to take land for its natural resources. Moors The generic term ‘Moors’ had been given to anyone of an African or Arab descent in Europe. Moors came to Europe when they were not ruling any country and when they had lost their land. The Moors were then migrated to Europe and were forced to keep their religious identities hidden. When migrated to Spain, Moors were forced to either convert to Christianity or if they did not agree to this, they were told to leave the country. Moors were Muslims, so it is expected that they would have followed Islamic practices before being migrated to Europe. Turks The attitude that Elizabethans had towards foreigners was one of distrust. The Elizabethans believed that the Turks were outsiders and alienated these foreigners. To the Elizabethans, Christianity was the superior religion above the others and this created tension and a gap among races. Epilipsy Epilepsy is a neurological condition, having an affect on the nervous system..’Epilepsy syndromes are described by their symptoms which can include, confused memory, involuntary movement of arms and legs, blackouts, episodes of staring, fainting spells with incontinence to name a few. In the times of the Renaissance, people who were epileptic were regarded as intelligent and considered as prophets who, while having an episode, could see the past, present and future. During the Renaissance, Epilepsy was treated a few ways, one was using the secretions from the scent glands of a beaver which was ingested, another was the use of silver nitrate mercury, tin and copper zinc oxide and a third was ingesting the scrapings from a human scull for several months. An episode can be triggered by things such as loud noises, toxic chemicals\alcohol, flashing lights, caffeine and having a lack of sleep for example.