Yeah, I just didn't know what I wanted to title this, so that looked appropriate.So I must say that overall, I enjoyed Othello...but that doesn't come as too much of a surprise to me because I like most of Shakespeare's works that I have read. This one in particular is very different though because of the evil character. It is not told in the evil character's point of view, but it definitely is more objectively limited to Iago. Iago's plans are often spelled out for the most part in his asides and he is the focal point of the story since he is making the story flow. Without Iago, as annoying and cruel as he is, Othello would not even be a story. Well, I suppose it could be a story but it would be kind of boring since Othello and Desdemona are basically the "perfect couple" who "ran away together because they were so in love" type thing, but Iago definitely spiced things up a bit. It kind of ticks me off though just because Iago should have gotten what's coming to him. Cassio pretty much can do what ever he wants with Iago but that is all open for interpretation after the story ends. Overall, Othello has a huge lesson about jealousy and how it can be provoked if the facts aren't checked and the right people are not listened to. If Othello could have listened to his wife and figured out what was going on, he may not have made the rash decision to kill her and then himself. If he would have seen through Iago's deceit then he may not have ended up dead by the end of the story. Othello is a pretty good story and I'm glad we read it :]
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Desdemona,
Iago,
jealousy,
love story,
Othello,
WIlliam Shakespeare
Number 4: How is dramatic suspense created?Dramatic suspense is created in multiple ways in this play. Iago is a huge proponent of the dramatics because he soliloquys and asides always tell the reader what he is plotting to do next and how he plans on ruining someone else's life. He does not always tell the entire plan of what he is going to do, but he says things like "remove Cassio" (IV. ii.179-220) and the like which provides suspense for the audience and the reader because they do not know how it will turn out. There is much dramatic suspense when the audience or the reader realizes that the story is a tragedy but no one has died yet. Also, the bad guy has not gotten anything that has been coming to him yet. All of Iago's plans have been working perfectly for him and nothing has gone wrong until Desdemona is killed in Act V and Emilia realizes that her husband is even more of a criminal than she thought. The audience has much more information than the characters do mainly because of Iago's asides. Without the inside information about Iago, audiences would be confused because he is such a good actor that he can put on a straight face and lie to anyone to make them believe him. The audience knows that Desdemona never cheated on Othello and Othello never slept with Emilia. The audience also knows that Othello is a good man who does not turn bad until he is provoked by evil. The same applies for Cassio when he is pressured to get drunk and get in a fight with Roderigo. Since the audience has so much information, the audience is able to predict more things that are going to happen but they just cannot figure out exactly when or how these tragedies occur.
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dramatic suspense,
Othello,
WIlliam Shakespeare
"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss" (III.iii.165-170)
These words spoken by Iago to Othello are both ironic and true because jealousy can tear a person apart and Iago can attest to that. It is a very ironic statement coming from Iago because the only reason why he is messing with Othello and Cassio is because of his uncontrollable jealousy. Jealousy, along with maniacal planning, and light and dark, are a few of the many themes of Othello
Iago never stops planning. At the end of nearly every act he is planning through his soliloquy what he is going to do next. He planned to plant the handkerchief in Cassio's room so that Desdemona and Cassio looked guilty (III.iii.322-325), and he managed to plan many other things like Cassio's fight that made Othello suspect him in the first place. Now Othello's life is being torn apart because everyone who he respects and trusts he can no longer keep his faith in them.
The theme of light and dark occurs often especially sinace Othello is a black man and everyone else seems to be white. There are multiple racial slurs that are backhandedly cruel to Othello and some are just how they speak. When Iago is speaking to Desdemona and Emilia, they reference ugly people as "black" and how they will find someone that is "white" (II.i.141-142).
The most important theme of all though is jealousy. There wouldn't be a story without Iago's planning but his jealousy is what takes its toll on him and the other characters.
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jealousy,
Othello,
WIlliam Shakespeare
Othello is definitely the protagonist in the play named after him. He is the hero type who has everything going for him-- the woman, the job, the fancy lifestyle. Unfortunately he has the fatal flaw of jealousy and he begins to distrust people because of word of mouth. On the other hand, Iago is the antagonist who is trying to bring down Othello and his wife because he believes Othello once slept with his wife Emilia and he is upset because Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant instead of Iago who has more experience (I.i.35-37). Iago is the bad guy, the person that no one likes because he goes to great lengths to make life terrible and screwed up for Othello even though there is no proof that he ever slept with Emilia. Iago also suffers from the same jealousy problem as Othello. When it comes to foil characters, Iago and Cassio foil one another. Iago's planning and deceit show how terrible of a man he is and that he would do anything to get his way. Cassio on the other hand is simple a victim in this story. He is pressured to drink by Iago even though he claims he is not a drinker and then he ends up getting in a fight with Roderigo (II.iii.129-134). Then Iago tells Montano that "drink rocks his cradle" and he gets like this every night in order to get to sleep even thought this is a complete lie (II.iii.110-113). Finally, the minor characters move this story along because they are the messengers or accomplices of Iago even if they do not realize it. They do his will and his bidding because they believe him to be an honest man, but he is actually so deceiving that they do not notice his treachery.
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antagonist,
foil character,
Othello,
protagonist,
WIlliam Shakespeare
Okay, personally, I love Shakespeare. I think he has a great relationship with words :]The central purpose of this poem centers around the speaker telling his lover what he thinks of her and Shakespeare is satirizing other poets' works. Most love poems compare "her hair to the golden sun" and "her skin as white as snow," but this poem says...yeah...you're not really all of that because you're a real person. There isn't a mortal woman alive who is absolutely perfect physically or mentally. I like that the speaker is able to tell his lover that he likes her just the way she is and he likes her imperfections. I don't think I would want to hear that I am perfect...it's sweet and all, but perfect is a lot to live up to.Shakespeare is kind of playing his own satirical game in this poem because instead of the normal cliches that poets use to speak about their loves, his speaker seems to be dissing on his woman. First read through I thought he was just putting her down the whole time, but the upon reading it again, it's easy to see that he is simply being realistic. He loves her just the way she is from the inside out. Like we said in class today...it's a wonderful reverse backhanded compliment...or a forehanded compliment--depends on how you look at it. :]
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My mistress' eyes,
purpose,
WIlliam Shakespeare
