Summary of main ideas for Othello Theme: Deceitful appearance: Iago, Desdemona (did deceive her father) Alienation from society, destroys (Iago, Othello) Insular distrust of the alien Barbarism is a heartbeat away Black/White opposition……physically, visually, symbolically, psychologically, morally, religiously…good vs evil, deceit vs truth, illusion vs reality, ignorance vs knowledge, dishonesty vs honesty, hate vs love, death vs life, being vs seeming…..many dichotomies Jealousy…marital, professional, obsessive Human frailty/ fickleness Reputation…the reflection of yourself in others’ eyes Duality: the soul as it should be and what corrodes it Destructive forces of the human condition Dynamics of relationships Character: Othello needs to be played by someone who can combine his 2 sides of his character into a credible whole. Character full of mighty oppositions Othello- narcissistic, self-dramatising, alienated? His fatal flaw? Psychological accuracy/ credibility of characters Emotional grip on audience Ends up showing the characters purely personal world Othello goes from outward looking general to a man controlled by a single obsession….sense of contraction….and this is not voluntary, but controlled by Iago….how weak human nature is Othello is a patient rather than an agent, worked on by forces outside of himself….a victim of deception? Othello is a contradiction…noble soldier-lover ( calls for sympathy) OR egocentric and foolish Othello’s military strengths become personal weaknesses eg immediate decision, clarity of objective Othello’s otherness (Moor, not Christian) Othello (emotional range, under greater pressure, ) vs Iago….which is the greater character? Both controlled by jealousy, so the same? Iago’s power over Othello is the crux of the play….representatives of conflicting forces on a single psyche Desdemona and Iago are parasitic on Othello Desdemona, a symbol of absolutely positive moral standing? Iago’s rationalism is a perversion Personal strengths become weaknesses in different situations We have ideals, but circumstances force compromise, Othello is tragic because he does not do this Desdemona becomes burdened by Othello’s idealisation of her Iago: inner villainy and outer honesty Style: Language: Iago uses more prose than Othello Iago’s language is of static images while Othello’s is more dynamic and lofty Iago’s language degrades human activity to that of lowly animals Iago’s language often centers around darkness Othello’s speech becomes more infected by Iago’s vocabulary (goats, toads, flies etc) Othello’s speech is often (and earlier) romantic, heroic, elevated, adventurous A thread of magic throughout the play Monster/beast….monstrosity of behaviour Imagery: Garden, appetite, poison, time, religion, cosmic, celestial, bestial, nature Structure: Tension Act 4 after Othello confronts Desdemona Suspense Act 5 Sc 2 Climax Pace of dialogue….short sentences intensifies scene/ exclamations anger, distress as well as surprise/ caesura/ use of questions (interrogative) More and more action, creates intensity Act 5, Scene 1 Audience’s “need to know” survives til the end eg (why cannot Othello see Desdemona is sincere?) Some scenes start in mid-action (all Act 1) Context: James 1(1603 ascends throne) fascinated by Turkish history) Othello is 1604 On Cyprus, principals are isolated Miscegenation highlights racist ideas for Venetian and Elizabethan society Italy: pleasure and refinement, sophisticated vice Plot: Hinges on the handkerchief as evidence The play’s movement of action is a narrowing gyre from Venice to the bedroom/ tomb No re-establishment of public order, as in other tragedies No attempt to offer a panegyric for Othello, emphasis instead on the punishment of the villain Last speech…. Is Othello cheering himself up or elevated to his former grandeur