Othello Act 1 Scene 1 TASK

How does Shakespeare present the world of Venice in the first act, and how does he construct the interactions of his central characters (Iago, Othello, and Desdemona) with that Venetian world and with each other. How are these interactions complicated by the fact that Othello is a Moor and that Desdemona is a young women? Shakespeare presents the world of Venice as very racist and patriarchal because women and black people were seen as inferior to white men. This  is demonstrated by Iago and Roderigo and how they describe Othello and as if Desdemona would have not had a say in their marriage because she's a women, which also links to  Brabanito reaction to Desdemona marrying Othello because he says is must be a type of magic that Othello has used. Because Desdemona is a girl, they think she is incapable of making decisions for herself like this therefore see it must be a form of magic and that's how Brabanito justifies it to himself too. He doesn't like the idea of his daughter marrying a 'Moor'. What sort of person is Iago, as he appears in act 1? Are you satisfied by the reasons he gives for hating Othello? What is Iago's relationship with Roderigo? Iago appears to be a very manipulative person because he's taking all of Roderigo's money and making out to him as if he's working for him when in actual fact he's not using the money for what he says he will and he's not working for Roderigo because he actually likes Othello, but lies to Roderigo and says he hates him because he knows Roderigo wants to be with Desdemona so Roderigo also hates Othello. Iago holds all the power in  his relationship with Roderigo because he is able to manipulate him so easily into doing what he wants him to do and getting him to believe what ever he wants him to so that things will be better in his own situation. What sort of language does Iago use? What sort of language does Othello use? What might be the significance of this difference? Iago uses language to suggest the type of character he his e.g. 'poison' whereas Othello uses more gentle language which demonstrates he's not a nasty character. The significance of this difference could be to show how the play ends when we realise what Iago is really like and when Othello realises the mistake he has made by listening to Iago which demonstrates that Iago is almost poisonous for what he has done and Othello is not actually a nasty man, because although he kills Desdemona, he realises in the end that he was wrong and regrets it.

Othello questions

Why do Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio?

To tell him that his daughter has married Othello.

How does Brabantio believe Othello ‘won’ his daughter, Desdemona?

With witchcraft

How does Othello believe he ‘won’ Desdemona?

Through being brave when he was telling her about his stories from the past

What two reasons are there for Othello appearing before the senate?

To tell him he has to go to war and because Brabantio wanted to get a punishment for him for marrying his daughter, Desdemona.

What do we learn about Othello’s past?

That he was sold into slavery but managed to escape


What terms are used to describe Othello whilst in front of the senate?


They're all racist about him and use terms like:
"The Moor"
"The thick-lips"


What is significant about Brabantio’s rhyming couplet “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to
see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.”?


It's foreshadowing that she will be unfaithful to him.


Can you find an example of dramatic irony in Othello’s retort?


Dramatic irony is used when Othello is supposed to be the tragic hero, yet he gets his wife to speak on his behalf which doesn't make it seem that he has much power for someone who's a general.


What does Iago persuade Roderigo to do?


To give him all of his money


What do we learn from Iago’s soliloquy?


That he's manipulating Roderigo for his money and he wants Othello to be dead, he wasn't trying to help Roderigo 'win' Desdemona, he just hates Othello and wants him dead.


Pause question.
According to Aristotle, “The hero must have good qualities appropriate to his or her
station and should be portrayed realistically and consistently”, what qualities has Othello
displayed so far? Do you regard these as appropriate to his ‘station’?


He has portrayed his good qualities because he doesn't have a fight at the start but he has also portrayed his weak qualities because he gets Desdemona to speak on his behalf and doesn't speak for himself. According to Aristotle's rules, he doesn't seem to fit the description of what a tragic hero should be so therefore doesn't have all of the qualities appropriate for his 'station'.

Possible Questions

Bertens says: 'it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness'.
Using the Critical Anthology and four of Larkin's poems, to what extent do you agree with this statement?




'Capitalism, Marxism tells us, thrives on exploiting its labourers'.
Using  the Critical Anthology and four of Larkin's poems, to what extent do you agree with this statement?




'Capitalism turns people into things, it reifies them.'
Using the Critical Anthology and four of Larkin's poems, to what extent do you agree with this statement?

Classical Tragedy:

A branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered by a heroic individual.

The concept of Classical Tragedy originated from Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BCE.

Some of the earliest examples of Classical Tragedies were Oedipus Rex by Sophocles which was first performed in 429 BCE, The Oresteia by Aeschylus which was first performed in 458 BCE, and Ajax by Sophocles which was written in the 5th Century BCE.

Aristotle:

Aristotle was a Greek Philosopher and scientist who was born in Stagira, on the northern periphery of Classical Greece. He was born in 384 BC and died in 322 BC. He wrote his study of tragedy, Poetics, in 335 BCE. According to Aristotle, the aim of tragedy is to teach the audience how to best run their lives from learning not to do the same as the tragic hero in tragedies. He believed that they teach people what to do and what not to do in life.

6 component parts of tragedy, according to Aristotle:

1. Plot

2. Character

3. Diction

4. Reasoning (case being staged and opinions of characters being expressed)

5. Spectacle

6. Lyric Poetry

According to Aristotle, a good tragic structure consists of  the plot being a complete whole — with a definite beginning, middle, and end — and its length should be such that the spectators can comprehend without difficulty both its separate parts and its overall unity.

The tragic hero must be someone  of high importance but must also be someone who the audience can identify with so they can relate to them and their problems and then learn from their mistakes too. The tragic hero is very important in a Classical Tragedy because it's them who the audience learn from.

Hamartia:

The idea that the tragic hero makes a mistake.

Tragic flaw:

Called a hubris - a kind of excessive pride that causes the hero to ignore important warnings and break moral codes, thereby committing hamartia.

Peripeteia:

Greek for catastrophe.

Anagnorisis (recognition):

Important that the tragic hero recognises their tragic flaw in order for the audience to learn from their mistakes and know that the tragic hero has also learnt from their mistakes.