The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice

Transcription

1 The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice Othello Characters Othello - Dynamic Character (changes throughout the play) - Outstanding soldier - Moor - Tragic hero, presence and authority, well-balanced individual ( at the beginning of the play) o But meets with destruction because of a tragic flaw - - Weaknesses: Acting too hastily (Cassio) and tendency to be jealous (Desdemona) - & Too honourable o This opens him up to and blinds him in relation to manipulation by Iago Othello as a tragic hero - The tragic hero is a good man, important to society - The hero suffers a fall brought about by something in his nature, often a defect in his character The fall provokes the emotions of pity and fear in the reader - Our pity for the character comes from the perceived waste of potential and the underserved misfortune they experience - The tragic character comes to some kind of understanding or new recognition of what has happened

2 Desdemona - Spirited, adventurous, independent / Victim, humble, submissive - Wooed by Othello s stories of adventure, has the courage to elope - However - Not perceptive - Meek victim Iago - Othello s foil. o Foil Character who emphasizes or highlights another character s traits by contrasting them. o Emilia is the foil to Desdemona, Cassio is the foil to Iago. - Cynical, envious, misogynistic - Skilled at deception, identifies weaknesses in his targets (Cassio-alcohol, Othello-jelousy, Roderigo-lust for Desdemona) - Also Desdemona, Casio and Othello are too noble to suspect him - Evil is without motive or beyond reason - Even once he becomes lieutenant, he goes far beyond getting even - Unrepentant Emilia - Iago s wife - Lively and good natured, questionable morals - Steals Desdemona s handkerchief to please Iago, also misled by him, remains a meek and subservient to Iago - However - Courageous when she discovers Iago s plot Cassio - Othello s Lieutenant - Young, handsome and charming - Honourable - To his detriment, he doesn t see through Iago - However his treatment of Bianca is not honourable Roderigo - A Venetian gentleman - Foolish

3 - Readily believes Iago, even though Desdemona wants nothing to do with him, even pays him - Iago s dupe Brabantio - Desdemona s father - Previously invited Othello to his home - But doesn t really know Desdemona, also racist Bianca - Cassio s mistress - Romantic, believes Cassio will marry her - Stands up to the abuse of Emilia and Iago - Shows good sense when she doesn t get involved with the handkerchief Language in Othello The manipulation of language is what creates action in Othello, the tragic hero is misled by Iago s false utterances. The play shows us the power of language. Othello s language use at the beginning of the play (Unrhymed blank verse) signifies his position, heroism and character. He speaks confidently and with purpose. His harmony with Desdemona is signified by how her style of verse matches his. This strengthens our belief in him as a good soldier and general. Also, it was his words that won over Desdemona and helped him keep her (Act 1, Sc 2-3). As Othello s thoughts are corrupted by Iago his style begins to break down. His measured verse becomes broken down prose and he is often questioning himself.

4 From this point Othello and Desdemona struggle to understand each other s use of language, indicative of the breakdown in their marriage. Othello s calm gives way to verbal bullying. Unable to see the truth in his wife s words, Othello smothers her (significant choice). Once the truth is revealed to him, he reverts to his former majestic idioms of speech, but no longer speaking of himself as a worthy hero, but rather a base Indian. Language is the source of Iago s power too, but his characteristic idiom is very different. It is full of compounds, colloquialisms and oaths, befitting a loud nononsense soldier. He switches between verse and prose to suit his audience and his purpose. Blunt and persuasive prose with Roderigo and loftier verse with Othello. Othello begins to adopt Iago s more blunt and vulgar speech once he decides Desdemona has been unfaithful. Iago s asides and soliloquies show us his cunning and ability to comment on and direct happenings in the play. This discussion of the hero s and villain s contrasting idioms might be extended; each of the characters in Othello has his or her own style. For example, Cassio s speech is gallant and courtly, Emilia s salty and down-to-earth. The different voices and styles in Othello are an important part of the play s power to hold and move the audience. Verse And Prose Othello, like Shakespeare's other plays, is written in a combination of verse (poetry) and prose (how we talk every day). Verse The iambic pentameter: An "iamb" is an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. "Penta" means "five," and "meter" refers to a regular rhythmic pattern. So "iambic

5 pentameter" is a kind of rhythmic pattern that consists of five iambs per line. It's the most common rhythm in English poetry and sounds like five heartbeats: ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. Let's try it out on this line from Othello: FareWELL the TRANquil MIND, farewell content ( ) Every second syllable is accented, so this is classic iambic pentameter. When the lines have no rhyme scheme, we call it "unrhymed iambic pentameter," which is also known as "blank verse." Prose Blank verse, as we've said, is typically reserved for the nobility and other important characters, since it's kind of a formal way to speak. Lesser characters tend to speak in prose, which is more similar to how we normally speak. Themes Tragedy A serious play representing the disastrous downfall of the hero. Achieves a catharsis (release) by arousing pity and terror in the audience. Hero is led into fatal calamity by hamartia (tragic flaw or error) which often takes the form of hubris (excessive pride leading to divine retribution). Tragic effect depends upon audience s awareness of the admirable qualities of the hero which are wasted in the disaster Jealousy The destructive nature of jealousy Professional jealousy Iago s professional jealousy with regard to Cassio s promotion is what sets the action of the play in motion. However as we see, Iago goes far beyond simple revenge and continues his plot, even once he has been promoted to lieutenant. Sexual jealousy

6 Suspicions of infidelity are rife in the play. The well balanced, mild Othello is convinced by Iago that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Iago believes (with little evidence) that both Othello and Cassio have slept with his wife Emilia. Bianca is also desperately in love with Cassio but senses that he may not feel the same towards her. Which leads to Revenge Iago s determination for revenge is what sets the play in motion. Even once he is assured of becoming lieutenant we still see his destructive energy growing. Othello is equally determined for revenge once he believes that his wife has been unfaithful. He becomes bent on destroying her as revenge for her supposed wantonness. Distortion of reality Appearance vs reality: The characters Othello believes are treacherous are in fact loyal: Cassio and Desdemona. The one he puts his trust in is evil. Honest Iago Emilia has a similar relationship with Desdemona/Iago Iago s power lies in his ability to distort the truth about people and convince his listeners that he is speaking honestly. Cassio appears to be a drunkard and Desdemona a whore, while he appears to be honest and truthful to all the characters in the play. Prejudice Othello is seen as an outsider: African not Venetian - Exposed to racism and prejudice [ Brabantio (upset that Othello is involved with his daughter) and Roderigo Thick lips Lascivious Moor ] Soldier not a courtier or politician - He is used to dealing with battle and men. Not women and love.

7 He is strong enough to deal with these issues at the beginning of the play, but not so at the end (Tragic hero). Haply for I am black / and have not the soft parts of conversation Themes continued: Envy, betrayal, corruption of the moral order (coveting they neighbour s wife), honesty, trust, blind ambition, innocence destroyed, (the destructive force of) passion.