Purpose of an essay: "Looking at the text as a work of art, demonstrating clear critical judgment and explaining to the reader of your essay how the enjoyment of the text is assisted by literary devices, linguistic effects and psychological insights; showing how the text relates to the time when it was written and how it relates to our world today."
Make sure you are discussing what Othello shows us about human nature and the topic of the essay. Narrow your topic. Don't just give examples of existence of the topics. Feel free to look up famous quotes from secondary sources (but credit the source).
Writing Improvements, class notes
Manipulation
Iago: Now I will question Bianca… strumpet… beguile (IV i)
- Emilia is manipulative but doesn't really act upon it - men chew us up and belch us out (she acts on this in V, but she is killed - she faces her death when Desdemona dies
- She knows about the handkerchief in progressive degrees - she knows Iago has wanted it for a long time
"Virtue a fig" - he talks about manipulating his own mind - but he does plant seeds in other people's heads
-"gasses" people up (Roderigo)
-knows people's insecurities and plays on them
-eg when Othello says "I am rude of speech" and "I am black" "into the vale of years"
-plays on people's prejudice: "a black ram is tupping your white ewe"
-Iago does switch register when he's talking to different people - very rough with Roderigo
-terrible to Emilia (check how he treats her in front of others)
-knows Cassio can't handle his alcohol - so pressures him to drink - then sets it up so Roderigo fights him
-would Iago be able to get away with this today? - Lucas says people just need to communicate - for example, Iago is not honest
-Othello could have talked to Desdemona [but PRIDE is in the way!]
-people CAN be manipulated because of EGO and SELF DOUBT
-"the handkerchief" seems incontrovertible
- Most people don't directly confront people so openly (like on a sit-com)
- [social media often obfuscates issues]
- [interesting that Othello is seen as a hero by the Duke and other people with status - but he has so much self doubt]
- People generally do lead people astray to get what they want
- Desdemona tries to manipulate Othello in order to reinstate Cassio (or is this just influencing or giving a favour)
- Intent is important (not for the common good - think about Macbeth - kills for himself vs. Macduff leaves his family to save Scotland) - compare Iago to Macbeth and Macduff
- Did Iago intend for everyone to die?
- Happy when Othello says "I'll tear her to pieces"
- I iii 18-46 "The Turkish preparation.." - Parallelism - mislead people in order to gain
Prejudice
- What is Shakespeare's motive/significance of using racial prejudice - what if Othello were white - there would not be as much of an issue with Brabantio - he wouldn't be the "other," he wouldn't have the self doubt - perhaps Desdemona would not have deceived him if he were white
- Would be harder for Iago to manipulate Othello or Brabantio (look at all the animalistic words - barbary horse, "beast with two backs,")
- Brabantio used to have Othello in his house (however, it's different when it's your daughter - he would have wanted to choose a husband)
- Feminism - how is it different today? What do we see that is the same or different?
- Do we still see men controlling their wives?
- (I i 88-89) - calling Othello a "black ram" - very visual (size difference + verb)
- Black and white; dark and light - Desdemona is seen as virginal, light, pure - Othello has "ruined her" - someone says she risked so much to be with him
- Emilia says "if wives do fall" - it's the husband's fault - this is sexist for more than one reason - she's being spiteful because she's bitter about Iago - this is also why it's such an insult to be "cuckholded" - men have all the power, so if a weak woman cheats - it makes the man look doubly weak
- More status = more structure - more rules; but look at the hierarchy between the women: Bianca, Emilia, Desdemona (also a form of prejudice)
- (could compare Cassio to Othello - Cassio wide-eyed)
- Emilia doesn't defend herself when Iago treats her poorly - compare with Desdemona - defends herself against her father
Jealousy
- Other than Othello and Iago - who else? Roderigo was more and more jealous of Othello's relationship with Desdemona
- Brabantio is jealous that Desdemona wants to be with Othello (she's moving on, but also didn't consult him) - my daughter is leaving me - more covert jealousy
- Iago's jealousy (again - ironic, given that he warns Othello about the "green eyed monster" and also that he thinks he can tend his own "garden" - "Virtue? A fig!"
- (III iv) - jealousy is borne of itself - eats of itself
- Is every person jealous? Do we learn jealousy from people around us? Can jealousy ever be an agent of good? How can we turn jealousy into a positive force?
- Iago could have admired Cassio, but instead he tries to take him down
- Can move jealousy to motivation - but this doesn't happen in this play - interesting that Shakespeare doesn't show this for contrast (he contrasts Macbeth with Macduff; also Lady Macbeth with Lady Macduff)
- Will jealousy ever disappear?
- (thinks about how Brave New World deals with the emotion of jealousy - even in that world it still existed - Lenina wants John the Savage for herself; Bernard is jealous of all the other alphas)
- Iago is motivated by low self esteem - he cannot grasp why Cassio was promoted above him (but look at the rough way he speaks in front of superiors)
- Iago DOES make plans, whereas Othello acts in the moment
- (does everyone know Brabantio dies? - Othello, Desdemona, Emilia)
- Is Othello weak? Is Iago mentally strong? (wouldn't he be able to overcome his own jealousy)
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