Tuesday 25th February 2014
Othello
‘My fair warrior.’
Othello – Act 2 Scene 1
Learning Objective:
To examine the nature of Othello and
Desdemona’s love
Previously in Year 12 IB English:
 Iago manipulating Roderigo and
cajoling Brabantio to anger about his
daughter
 Othello defending himself from
accusations of witchcraft
 Desdemona confirming Othello’s
claims…much to Brabantio’s dismay
 Cyprus is at war with Turkey, Venice
calls upon Othello to lead the defence
 Othello leaves Desdemona with Iago
in Cyprus
 Iago’s intentions are made clear with
his soliloquy
Task:
We will produce a short role-play for Othello and
Desdemona as though they were part of a TV chat
show. In groups of 3, you will do a 2minute mockchat show interview, exploring the love between
Othello and Desdemona (see Act2 Sc1 lines 179196, p.174-175). As an interviewer, you could ask:
- What is the attraction based on?
- What are the chances of the relationship
surviving?
- Is one partner dominant?
- Why do they love each other?
Reading Act 2 Scene 1 lines 247-310 –
page 179-201
Roles: Iago, Roderigo
Summary:
Iago convinces Roderigo that Cassio has a weakness
for alcohol and should his temper be provoked he will
strike (Sir, he’s rash and very sudden in choler…’). Iago
convinces Roderigo that he can get Desdemona for
him if he follows his plan. The soliloquy (lines 284310) furthers Iago’s reasons for taking revenge on
Cassio and Othello.
Video – ACT 2:1 – lines 270-310 comparing the stage version to the text for use of
stagecraft
46mins – 50mins
Creating writing task :
In pairs, try to re-write the soliloquy in
your own words.
This can be done using Standard
English or colloquial language
Othello
‘I had rather have this tongue cut from my
mouth than it should do offence to Michael
Cassio.’
Iago – Act 2 Scene 3
Learning Objective:
To examine the ‘honesty’ of Iago
Video – ACT 2:3 – comparing the
stage version to the text for use of stagecraft
51mins – 108mins – if you wish to follow in the text it is
p184-203
Honest’ Iago?
We have explored Iago’s soliloquy; with this task you
will explore the various techniques he uses to persuade
the other characters to do his bidding.
See Honest Iago sheet.
Act 2:3 mixed group task
In your groups, look at the following section of the text
and examine how honest Iago is being here.
Group 1 – Act 2:3 lines 1-58
Group 2 – Act 2:3 lines 105-150
Group 3 – Act 2:3 lines 159-216
Group 4 – Act 2:3 lines 217-254
Reading Act 2 Scene 3 lines 255-357 –
page 197-203
Roles: Iago, Cassio
Extract 4 -298-357
Task :
1. In pairs, read over lines 255-330
in the English corridor.
2. Annotate this section to look for
the way in which Iago manipulates
Cassio into trusting him.
3. Now select 20-30 lines of the
section and role play the sequence.
Think about movement and
proximity of the actors/characters.
Be prepared to share your ideas with
the group.
Reading Act 2 Scene 3 lines 330-357
Roles: Iago,
Wednesday 4th September 2013
Othello
‘And what’s he that says I play the villain?’
Iago – Act 2 Scene 3
Learning Objective:
To practise an unseen commentary
Spend 5 minutes to read through Tips
for an IOC extract
Listen to this example for the next 5
minutes
Task :
Unseen commentary analysis – Act 2 Scene 3
 Spend 20 minutes to annotate this
practise extract.
 Get with a partner, spend no more than
30 seconds each to summarise what this
extract is about
 One of you will produce a practise
commentary (8-10 minutes) while the
other will assess and comment on what
went well.
 Once this is completed, swap roles.
Be prepared to share your ideas with the
group.
Thursday 5th September 2013
Othello
‘And what’s he that says I play the villain?’
Iago – Act 2 Scene 3
Learning Objective:
To examine the opening of Act 3
Summary of Act 3 Scene 1
 Cassio seeks Emilia’s advice and counsel. He wants
an opportunity to see Desdemona privately
Reading Act 3 Scene 2 –
lines 1-6 - page 208
This is an incredibly short scene but what do you think
of its significance?
What does this scene reveal about Othello’s persona?
Reading Act 3 Scene 3 – lines 1-59
Task :
Desdemona’s plans for Cassio
1. What is your impression of Desdemona in this
scene? (Individually)
Put your ideas into a spidergram or bullet points, using
quotations from the scene for evidence. For example,
is she flirtatious? Confident?
2. Look back over lines 1-28 of Act 3 Scene 3 and ask
yourself if there is anything can be seen as
ominous.
The next line in the stage direction is Enter Othello and
Iago
3. Consider what Iago says to Othello – ‘Ha! I like not
that.’ How does Shakespeare present Iago as a
manipulative character here?
Frank Kermode (Shakespeare’s Language)
explores Act 3 Scene 3 as a change from the
obsession with ‘thinking’ to a focus on ‘seeing’.
‘It becomes clear…that Iago’s interest in sex is to
watch others doing it, or at least to think about
them doing it. It was important therefore to
develop these ideas of seeing, these increasingly
coarse descriptions and conjectures
(claims/opinions).’
Frank Kermode
Is seeing always believing??
Task:
power of language
Othello and Iago – the
Reading through Act 3 Scene 3 lines 90-164 and
discuss your first impressions of the way Othello
and Iago speak to each other.
In pairs, read the conversation again, this time
indicating in some way which character you think
has the upper hand. Think about the following
things.
 Who is in control?
 Who has the power?
 What is the relationship between the two men at
this point?
 Find five lines which refer to ‘seeing’. Why do you
think there is a change in emphasis?
Extension:
Use the Conversation Analysis sheet to help you with
the terminology and identify examples in the text.
Thursday 12th September 2013
Othello – IB English A1 – Oral
Commentary
‘By the world, I think my wife be honest
and think she is not...’
Othello, Act 3 Scene 3
Learning objective:
To examine the shift in the balance of power
between Iago and Othello
Reading Act 3 Scene 3
– lines 165-281
Pages 218-226
Task:
Othello and Iago – the
power of language – part 2
Reading through Act 3 Scene 3 lines 165-261 and
discuss your first impressions of the way Othello
and Iago speak to each other.
In pairs, read the conversation again, this time
indicating in some way which character you think
has the upper hand. Think about the following
things.
 Who is in control?
 Who has the power?
 What is the relationship between the two men at
this point?
 Find five lines which refer to ‘seeing’. Why do you
think there is a change in emphasis?
Extension:
Use the Conversation Analysis sheet to help you with
the terminology and identify examples in the text.
Friday 13th September 2013
Othello – IB English A1 – Oral
Commentary
‘By the world, I think my wife be honest
and think she is not...’
Othello, Act 3 Scene 3
Learning objective:
To examine the shift in the balance of power
between Iago and Othello
Othello’s Solilioquy
Read Othello’s soliloquy (lines 262-281).
It is the first chance to see into his mind
and find out what he really thinks.
1. In pairs, take responsibility for looking closely at
the section. Examine the following things:




The content of his speech
How he express his feelings
Othello’s attitude
Language and imagery
2. How does this speech compare with Iago’s
soliloquy of Act 1 Scene 3 (lines 382-403) and
Othello’s storytelling Act 1 Scene 3 (lines 128170)?? (Look back at your notes for help)
Video – comparing the stage
version to the text for use of stagecraft 1hr 20 mins in.
Act 3 Scene 3 so far...
 Iago is trying to warn Othello about
the dangers of Venetian women
 He starts to get under the skin on
Othello
 Iago needs proof to win Othello’s
trust in the matter of the ‘affair’
 Othello and Desdemona leave and
she drops the handkerchief (uh oh
)
 Emilia find the handkerchief and
gives it to Iago...but she doesn’t
know why he wants it so much
Friday 21st September 2012
Othello – IB English – Oral Commentary
“A horned man’s a monster and a beast”
Othello, Act 4 Scene 1
Reading Act 3 Scene 3 – lines 371482
Pages 233-240
Iago finally wins over Othello
Task:
Using the A3 paper, in pairs, look throughout
Act 3 Scene 3 and chart one of the following:
a) The re-emergence of Othello’s trust in
Iago
b) The relationship between characters in
this scene
c)The developing confidence in Iago and his
use of language
d) The audience’s reaction to the shift in
the balance of power
Be prepared to share your ideas with the class
about what it is that persuades Othello.
Watching Act 3 Scene 3- 1mins-7minsCD2
Reading Act 3 Scene 4 – Enter Othello
Lines 32-154
Pages 242-250
Othello, Desdemona and Emilia
Just a handkerchief?
The fate of Desdemona and Othello’s love
hinges on this simple object – a
handkerchief!!
1. In pairs, read the selection of quotations
on the ‘Hanky Handout’.
Answer the following questions: Questions to consider
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is the importance of the handkerchief as a plot device?
What does it contribute to the themes of the play?
What does the handkerchief mean to Othello?
What is its significance to Desdemona?
Does the handkerchief mean the same to Desdemona as it does to
Othello when it is lost or does it take on a different significance?
6. Why is it important to Emilia?
7. What is Iago’s interest in the handkerchief?
Watching ‘THE HANDKERCHIEF!’
Act 3 Scene 4- 7mins-10mins- CD2
The end of ACT 3 – Scene 4
Task:
At the end of a VERY long (and
tense) Act, Shakespeare
introduces a minor character –
Bianca. Why do you think he does
this? Scan over pages 251-253 to
help you.
Consider the statements below (in pairs) –
how far do you agree with each of the
possibilities suggested?
 The meeting between Bianca and
Cassio is needed for the plot
 Their relationship is a foil to Othello
and Desdemona’s
 Bianca is a contrast to Desdemona and
therefore shows the latter to be truly
virtuous
 Bianca is another woman exploited by
men
 It is a ‘filler’ included only to delay the
main action and so increase the
audience’s tension
Reading Act 4 Scene 1 lines 1-48
We’re going to read the moment of
physical change in Othello – jealousy has
enveloped him and taken over his
sense...a bit like that black goo-alien-slime
stuff that enveloped Spiderman in the
third film...yeah, right! Anyway...basically,
Othello is in a fit of jealousy!!
Task:
In pairs, I want you to recreate
this scene. Think about the
staging of the scene; think about the
movement of the characters and how they
interact with each other at this point. If
you prefer, you could do a freeze-frame or
a chorus of the key words in this
exchange.
Have fun 
Task :
What does Othello’s ‘trance’
(p.256) in this act suggest about:
a. The strength of his feeling?
b. The power of his imagination?
c. The theme of truth/ reality/
deception/ the physical and the
abstract?
Extension:
Refer to Iago’s speech to support your
ideas.
Reading Act 4
Scene 1 lines 49 – 211- p.257-267
In Act 4, scene 1, the importance of seeing
and how an over-reliance on physical
proof leads to misunderstanding is
explored. Othello sees and overhears a
conversation between Iago and Cassio
believing it supports Iago’s statements.
Watching Act 4 Scene 1- 10mins20mins CD2
Reading Act 4 Scene 1 lines 49 –
211
In Act 4, scene 1, the importance of seeing
and how an over-reliance on physical
proof leads to misunderstanding is
explored. The opening is shocking and
disturbing because we witness Othello’s
spiralling decline – exemplified by two
examples of physical violence – his fit and
the striking of Desdemona.
Task:
 Killing Desdemona and Cassio was not
in Iago’s original plans. Why does he
feel the need to be Cassio’s
‘undertaker’?
 To what extent (if at all) does
Desdemona deserve this public
humiliation?
Reading Act 4 Scene 2 lines 1 –
39‘Heaven doth truly know it’
Othello confronts Desdemona, trying to
get her to confess her guilt. Distraught
and confused, she appeals to Iago for
help…er, not a good idea right?!
Task:
Working in pairs, analyse this discussion
and consider the following points to help
with your response:
What does the audience learn about the
relationship at this stage between
Othello and Desdemona?
What important themes are explored in
this extract?
Thursday 8th October 2009
Othello – IB English – Oral
Commentary
Reading Act 4 Scene 3 ‘I have
heard it so…’ – ‘The ills we do, their ills
instruct us so’
During this scene, Desdemona prepares for bed with
the assistance of her lady-in-waiting, Emilia. The
scene is often referred to as the ‘willow scene’,
because of the willow song that Desdemona sings
during it. The song offers a foreboding of the
forthcoming tragedy of Desdemona’s murder: it is a
song that was sung by an abandoned woman while
she died. During the scene Emilia offers the following
speech on her view of the relationship between
husbands and wives.
Emilia
I do think it is their husbands’ faults
If wives do fall: say, that they slack their duties,
And pour our treasures into foreign laps;
Or else break out in peevish jealousies,
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,
Or scant our former having in despite,
Why, we have galls: and though we have some grace,
Yet we have some revenge. Let husbands know
Their wives have sense like them: they see, and smell,
And have their palates both for sweet and sour
As husbands have. What is it that they do
When they change us for others? Is it sport?
I think it is. And doth affection breed it?
I think it doth. Is’t frailty that thus errs?
It is so too: And have not we affections?
Desires for sport? and frailty, as men have?
Then let them use us well: else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.
Act IV, Scene iii, 86-1003
Task:
In pairs, re-read the speech and underline and
highlight key words or phrases that grab your
attention.
Read back the words to each other; what do they
tell you about Emilia’s thoughts and feelings?
What are Emilia’s views about the ‘battle of the
sexes’?
Extension: Try to find a physical action to
represent Emilia while she delivers this speech.
Consider the following quotation:
‘In Othello three women, of three
distinct social ranks, figure prominently
in the plot. Desdemona is the daughter
of one of Venice’s most senior and
influential citizens. Bianca is a Venetian
courtesan – a women of substance who
supports herself and her household by
her liaisons with men o frank (notably
Cassio, Othello’s second- in -command).
Emilia is the wife of Othello’s third- incommand, Iago, and personal maid to
Desdemona. As women playing active
roles in the community the three are
occupationally distinct. All three are
wrongfully accused of sexual
misdemeanour in the course of the
play; all three, though unequal in their
rank-power, are equally vulnerable to a
sexual charge brought against them.’
Lisa Jardine4
Summary of Act 5 Scene 1
 Iago tells Othello he will kill Cassio for him but in
reality, Iago has already made plans to use
Rodrigo to kill Cassio. This will make Rodrigo look
like a maniac killer.
 All of Othello’s trust is in Iago – “O brave Iago,
honest and just, that hast such noble sense of thy
friend’s wrong! Thou teachest me.” This is when
he overhears Iago and Cassio in the same room.
 Iago’s plan works. Although Rodrigo attempts to
kill Cassio, Cassio is saved and Rodrigo gets caught
(both by Iago, what a coincidence!!)
 Before Rodrigo can confess his part in Iago’s plans,
Iago stabs him and shouts “O murderous slave! O
villain!”
Act 5 Scene 1
Othello smothers Desdemona in her bed. Iago’s plot is
uncovered. Realising his idiocy, Othello kills himself,
leaving Iago to be punished by Cassio, who remains in
Cyprus as governor.
Reading Act 5 Scene 2 ‘It is the
cause…’ to ‘They are loves I bear to you’
In your group, look over this section and be prepared
to give a short analysis using the following questions to
help with your response:
1. What is Othello’s state of mind at this
point in the play?
2. Why is this scene significant in the play
as a whole?
Reading Act 5 Scene 2 ‘Sweet soul,
take heed…’ to ‘Yes: ‘tis Emilia – by and by –
she’s dead’
In your group, look over this section and be prepared
to give a short analysis using the following questions to
help with your response:
1. What important themes are
suggested?
2. What does this scene reveal about
the development of character?
Reading Act 5 Scene 2 ‘Demand me
nothing…’ to ‘Killing myself, to die upon a
kiss’
In your group, look over this section and be prepared
to give a short analysis using the following questions to
help with your response:
1. How does Othello want us to see
him?
2. To what extent do you feel Othello
has regained his nobility? (Look at his use
of language)