"I never knew A Florentine more kind and honest." (Act III, Scene 1, lines 38-39)
Major dramatic irony right there! Obviously, the audience understands that Iago is a deceiving character while Cassio assumes he is a great man. Iago is a master at tricking everyone into seeing him in a different light. For example, Roderigo sees Iago as a close friend. Othello thinks Iago as a wise, level-headed adviser and soldier. Cassio (as shown above) figures Iago is "kind and honest." But what these characters do not see are the evil soliloquy's that follow each act. Iago is constantly plotting against his close companions and friends. Eventually, I think this web of lies will cause self-destruction. Trickery can only take a person so far.
I find it interesting that Desdemona is the only character who actually finds a flaw in Iago's character. When they are talking about "the perfect woman," Iago reveals that the "true" place for a women is in the home cooking and taking care of children. Desdemona shakes this insult off, but I feel as if this comment will come back to haunt Iago. Desdemona shows compassion towards Iago's wife, Emilia, while Iago constantly insults her intelligence and appearance. Iago's attitude points to the common attitude of men around the time of Shakespeare. Even when acting out a Shakespearean play, men acted as woman characters in order to keep the women off stage. I think Shakespeare is trying to make a social commentary about society's treatment of women. I hope that Desdemona proves women can be strong too, stronger than the lies Iago spews.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Othello, Act II
"And nothing can or shall content my soul Till I am evened with him, wife for wife." (Act II, Scene 1, lines 277 - 278)
Theme: Jealousy is a powerful, often destructive force.
An obvious theme in Othello is jealousy. In every almost every scene, jealousy is displayed through Iago and Roderigo. In the excerpt above, Iago states that he will not be satisfied until he is even with Othello; basically, he wants to have sex with Desdemona so that Othello knows how it feels to be cheated on. Iago is pretty immature if the only thing he cares about is revenge. But nevertheless, his actions progress the theme of jealousy and destruction in the play. Roderigo displays jealousy through his obsession of Desdemona who is married to another man. Obviously, Roderigo is pretty jealous of Othello. He listens to Iago's every word because he wants to make Desdemona fall in love with him. In the process, he loses all of his money and still does not win the girl.
This theme adds a dramatic element to the play. Without actions of revenge and backstabbing, would the play actually be interesting? Destruction of lives almost always keeps people interested in a story line. I think the power of the ideas increase the pleasure of the experience because people can really relate to themes such as jealousy, love, and hatred. These are emotions experienced daily by everyone. Relation to material influences people to keep reading. I do not think this play is too didactic - Shakespeare does not beat the reader over the head with common themes. Instead, he uses subtle details to illustrate theme; however, sometimes themes are hard to spot. Human concerns are definitely an important factor of the play, but I do not think Shakespeare is insufficient in his presentation. Sometimes, focusing on details helps us more than being beat over the head with a theme.
Theme: Jealousy is a powerful, often destructive force.
An obvious theme in Othello is jealousy. In every almost every scene, jealousy is displayed through Iago and Roderigo. In the excerpt above, Iago states that he will not be satisfied until he is even with Othello; basically, he wants to have sex with Desdemona so that Othello knows how it feels to be cheated on. Iago is pretty immature if the only thing he cares about is revenge. But nevertheless, his actions progress the theme of jealousy and destruction in the play. Roderigo displays jealousy through his obsession of Desdemona who is married to another man. Obviously, Roderigo is pretty jealous of Othello. He listens to Iago's every word because he wants to make Desdemona fall in love with him. In the process, he loses all of his money and still does not win the girl.
This theme adds a dramatic element to the play. Without actions of revenge and backstabbing, would the play actually be interesting? Destruction of lives almost always keeps people interested in a story line. I think the power of the ideas increase the pleasure of the experience because people can really relate to themes such as jealousy, love, and hatred. These are emotions experienced daily by everyone. Relation to material influences people to keep reading. I do not think this play is too didactic - Shakespeare does not beat the reader over the head with common themes. Instead, he uses subtle details to illustrate theme; however, sometimes themes are hard to spot. Human concerns are definitely an important factor of the play, but I do not think Shakespeare is insufficient in his presentation. Sometimes, focusing on details helps us more than being beat over the head with a theme.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Othello, Act I
"But words are words. I never yet did hear That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear." (p. 1377, lines 217-218)
I thought this line was a perfect summary of Act I of Othello - there is a lot of accusing, claiming, and talking, but no action takes place to really back it up.
At this point of the story, I believe that Othello is the protagonist of the story. The entire act speculates Othello's actions such as the marrying of Desdemona and his hiring of Cassio over Iago as officer. Since Iago and Roderigo are constantly complaining and brown nosing, they are probably the antagonists. For example, Iago basically spends Scene 1 complaining about Othello and his marriage, but in the opening of Scene 2, he states: "Nay, but he prated And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms Against your honor..." Seems to me Iago is a little bit of a hypocrite. Ironically, Cassio and Iago may be foil characters. On one hand, Iago is dedicated to military life, and he loves to drama. Cassio is an arithmetician who seems very low-key. Minor characters such as Brabantio shed light on the marriage of Othello and the motives of Iago and Roderigo. Because Iago and Roderigo try to twist the story of Othello's marriage to Brabantio, Brabantio assumes that Othello is a dirty man. This points to Iago's drama-oriented nature. At the end of the act, Brabantio learns that his daughter does love Othello. Brabantio also advances the plot by fleeing to the Duke after talking to Iago about the marriage. The Duke advances the plot by settling conflicts between characters. The Duke embodies a feeling of wisdom that is lacking by major characters in the play. Without this voice of reason, all other characters are lost. This allows characters to move forward with their lives.
I thought this line was a perfect summary of Act I of Othello - there is a lot of accusing, claiming, and talking, but no action takes place to really back it up.
At this point of the story, I believe that Othello is the protagonist of the story. The entire act speculates Othello's actions such as the marrying of Desdemona and his hiring of Cassio over Iago as officer. Since Iago and Roderigo are constantly complaining and brown nosing, they are probably the antagonists. For example, Iago basically spends Scene 1 complaining about Othello and his marriage, but in the opening of Scene 2, he states: "Nay, but he prated And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms Against your honor..." Seems to me Iago is a little bit of a hypocrite. Ironically, Cassio and Iago may be foil characters. On one hand, Iago is dedicated to military life, and he loves to drama. Cassio is an arithmetician who seems very low-key. Minor characters such as Brabantio shed light on the marriage of Othello and the motives of Iago and Roderigo. Because Iago and Roderigo try to twist the story of Othello's marriage to Brabantio, Brabantio assumes that Othello is a dirty man. This points to Iago's drama-oriented nature. At the end of the act, Brabantio learns that his daughter does love Othello. Brabantio also advances the plot by fleeing to the Duke after talking to Iago about the marriage. The Duke advances the plot by settling conflicts between characters. The Duke embodies a feeling of wisdom that is lacking by major characters in the play. Without this voice of reason, all other characters are lost. This allows characters to move forward with their lives.
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