"She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I have used." - Othello.
The one thing I am a bit uncertain about is whether or not Desdemona truly loves Othello. The quote above is proof given by Othello, himself, that Desdemona fell in love with him because of the stories he told about his adventures. I wonder if she is not merely in love with the idea of being caught up in great adventures like the ones Othello has engaged in instead of being in love with Othello, himself. She could very well love the stories he told and not him. Additionally, Desdemona's father warned Othello that since she deceived him, she could very well deceive Othello, too. This seems like foreshadowing to me. On the other hand, she was very concerned about the welfare of Othello when his ship was caught out at sea. That fear for his life seemed very real so maybe she love him.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Othello Act II, Scene iii
"Two things are to be done: My wife must move for Cassio to her mistress, I'll set her on, myself the while to draw the Moor apart and bring him jump when he may Cassio find soliciting his wife. Aye, that's the way. Dull not device by coldness and delay." - Iago.
For this blog, I am going to answer a question found on p. 1119 of my text book
How is dramatic suspense created? Contrast the amount of information possessed by the audience as the play proceeds with the knowledge that various individual characters have: what is the effect of such a contrast?
Dramatic suspense is created when Iago speaks alone on the stage and reveals his motivations and his plans for destroying Othello. The audience knows very well that Iago is evil and is going to betray Othello. The suspense comes because Othello has no idea what is happening and believes Iago is a very trustworthy person. The other characters even call Iago "honest Iago." This helps to reinforce the huge contrast between what the audience knows and what individual characters know. The audience can't help but get nervous every time Iago is on stage because we know that he is probably devising or putting into effect his evil plans. The effect of this contrast is that it keeps the audience captivated in what is going on. The audience is just waiting for some drastic event to happen as a cause of Iago's devious plans.
For this blog, I am going to answer a question found on p. 1119 of my text book
How is dramatic suspense created? Contrast the amount of information possessed by the audience as the play proceeds with the knowledge that various individual characters have: what is the effect of such a contrast?
Dramatic suspense is created when Iago speaks alone on the stage and reveals his motivations and his plans for destroying Othello. The audience knows very well that Iago is evil and is going to betray Othello. The suspense comes because Othello has no idea what is happening and believes Iago is a very trustworthy person. The other characters even call Iago "honest Iago." This helps to reinforce the huge contrast between what the audience knows and what individual characters know. The audience can't help but get nervous every time Iago is on stage because we know that he is probably devising or putting into effect his evil plans. The effect of this contrast is that it keeps the audience captivated in what is going on. The audience is just waiting for some drastic event to happen as a cause of Iago's devious plans.
Othello Act I, Scene iii
"He holds me well, the better shall my purpose work on him. Cassio's a proper man. Let me see now, to get his place, and to plume up my will in double knavery - How, how? - Let's see. -" - Iago.
For this blog, I am going to answer a question found on p. 1119 of my text book.
Identify the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). Are there any foil characters? What dramatic functions are served by the various minor characters? Do they shed light on the actions or motives of the major characters? Do they advance the plot by eliciting actions by others? Do they embody ideas or feelings that illuminate the major characters or the movement of the plot?
In this play, the protagonist and antagonist are very clear. The protagonist is Othello and the antagonist is Iago. This is obvious from the quote I used above because Iago is the evil character who is trying to come up with a way to destroy Othello. Iago has a grudge against Othello because he didn't get the job as lieutenant and because he believes that Othello slept with his wife. Therefore, Iago will stop at nothing to get revenge on Othello and destroy his life. The foil characters of this play are Iago and Cassio. One reason for this is because Iago has no respect for women and believes that they are all the same and play the same dirty tricks on men. Cassio, on the other hand, greats Desdemona and Emilia with respect. He kneeled before Desdemona when she entered the scene and kissed Emilia as a sign of respect when she entered the scene. The functions of the minor characters are that they serve as a way for Iago to find a way to get revenge on Othello. For example, during the party after winning against the Turks, Iago says there are two men who want to have drinks with Cassio and himself. Then, Iago is able to get Cassio drunk. This ultimately is leading to Iago's revenge towards Othello. In this same way, they shed light on the motives of the major characters, especially Iago. These minor characters do advance the plot because they are being used by Iago. They do not, however, embody the ideas and feelings illuminated by the major characters.
For this blog, I am going to answer a question found on p. 1119 of my text book.
Identify the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). Are there any foil characters? What dramatic functions are served by the various minor characters? Do they shed light on the actions or motives of the major characters? Do they advance the plot by eliciting actions by others? Do they embody ideas or feelings that illuminate the major characters or the movement of the plot?
In this play, the protagonist and antagonist are very clear. The protagonist is Othello and the antagonist is Iago. This is obvious from the quote I used above because Iago is the evil character who is trying to come up with a way to destroy Othello. Iago has a grudge against Othello because he didn't get the job as lieutenant and because he believes that Othello slept with his wife. Therefore, Iago will stop at nothing to get revenge on Othello and destroy his life. The foil characters of this play are Iago and Cassio. One reason for this is because Iago has no respect for women and believes that they are all the same and play the same dirty tricks on men. Cassio, on the other hand, greats Desdemona and Emilia with respect. He kneeled before Desdemona when she entered the scene and kissed Emilia as a sign of respect when she entered the scene. The functions of the minor characters are that they serve as a way for Iago to find a way to get revenge on Othello. For example, during the party after winning against the Turks, Iago says there are two men who want to have drinks with Cassio and himself. Then, Iago is able to get Cassio drunk. This ultimately is leading to Iago's revenge towards Othello. In this same way, they shed light on the motives of the major characters, especially Iago. These minor characters do advance the plot because they are being used by Iago. They do not, however, embody the ideas and feelings illuminated by the major characters.
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