Lecture 10 OTHELLO THE MOOR OF VENICE

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Lecture 10 OTHELLO THE MOOR OF VENICE

• Critical Focus on
• Act 5, Scene 1

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Entry point through the form and choice of speech
of characters

• All human speech reveals states of mind focus on
  diction, and imagery
• And a character is just as capable of seducing
  and misleading an audience as s/he is of seducing
  and misleading another character
• Asides and Soliloquies involve a character
  talking to the audience some sort of
  relationship is thus established between audience
  and charac

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Essay

• Othello is powerless, and Iago the real enemy.
• Discuss the presentation of the character of
  Othello in the light of this statement,
• and relate your discussion to the theme of
• the individual and society more generally.

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• The interplay between what society expects and
  individual freedom

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Prefacing remarks regarding recent Reading
Literature exam paper

• Recall Section B, 2 (a) essay question
• Re- Shakespeare delights in human
  inconsistencies
• Careful reading of question?
• What sense can be attached to the playwright
  delights?
• Context? Plot Structure? Dramatically?

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Othello examination essay question

• Show how the playwright delights
• in human inconsistencies
• which contribute to
• the major themes of the play.

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Inconsistency?

• Changeable contrary
• fluctuating shifting
• incompatible
• inconsonant inconstant
• unstable unsteady unsuitable
• Vacillating variable varying

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Playwright (Shakespeare) delights

• How can I, or anyone tell?
• Good test of De Bono style lateral thinking
• Who gets the best lines? The best speeches?
• The most memorable and impacting role?
• All of which must be considered in context
• E.g. The socio-cultural context of the world of
  the play

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Interesting ironic ironising reversals

• Who does not like to reverse, turn round or
  undermine our anticipations / expectations?
• It can be very pleasure giving evident in this
  play?
• Popular and common cultural stereotypes of
  Africans (Venetian expectations of Othello?)
• Promiscuous Polygamous uncouth no concept of
  love and fidelity of romantic feelings?
• Deficient in standards of cultivated expression
• Incapable of self-discipline easy-going too
  relaxed

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Re- Iago

• No sense of honesty trustworthiness loyalty,
  fairness justice?
• Barbaric? Iago, the real barbarian of the play
• Ironic contrasts in Iagos character
• Iago as rough in his speech acts uncultured
• Iago as the one who obviously thinks and speaks a
  great deal about lust about women

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Iago (in contrast with Othello)

• Iago as the one who has no real religious
  (Christian), or moral values who only really
  cares about himself worships himself alone
• Iago as the one who cannot be trusted as the
  dark, diabolical prince of darkness of
  dishonesty of deception of discrimination, of
  destruction
• Iago as the real black devil dark savage
• The barbarian one ready to expunge even the
  good the innocent the well-meaning the
  virtuous
• Roderigo O damned Iago! O inhuman dog! p223

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Noteworthy words of IAGO

• To gross the clasps of a lascivious Moor
• Though I do hate him as I hate hell pains
• It is merely a lust of the blood
• The Moor is of a free and open nature, // That
  thinks men honest

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Iago from Act 2 Scene 1

• Her eye must be fed. And what delight shall
• she have to look at the devil? When the blood
• is made dull with the act of sport, there should
• be, again to inflame it and give satiety a fresh
• appetite, loveliness in favour, sympathy in
• years, manners and beauties all of which the
• Moor is defective in.

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And yet?Iago, the intellectual, the philosopher?

• Iago, just another ordinary soldier?
• Rank?
• Recall and Note an ancient / an ensign
• Thus, he is an officer of the lowest commissioned
  rank in the military chain of command
• But
• No typical soldier is IAGO

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Recall Iago expounding on Free Will in Act 1,
Scene 3

• Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our
• are our gardens, to the which our wills are
• gardeners.either to have it sterile with
• idleness or manured with industry, why the
• power and corrigible authority of this lies in
  our
• willsWe have reason to cool our raging
• motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts

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Delight proportionate to the degree and
quantity of human inconsistencies

• Shakespeare very greatly, and very frequently
  takes immense pleasure in not only reminding, but
  in showing his audience they cannot rely on
  cultural or sexual stereotypes
• Indeed, the WHITE IAGOs of this world not only
  may well be, but more often than not really are
  the darkest, most diabolical villains of all

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We can sense Shakespeares delight

• For IAGO in the play Othello (and his fellow
  IAGOs in the real everyday world)
• They have turned the act of evil into fine art
• They are able to practice being evil with others
  thinking and believing they are good
• Good Iago Honest Iago Brave Iago
• That one may smile, and smile, and be villain
  Echoing famous words in Hamlet

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• Act 5,
• Scene 1
• Iagos MaliceThe Final Stage

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The Tragic Downfall of OthelloTragedy / Tragic
Drama

• For the Tragic Hero, there is always a fall
  arising from flaw in his character
• Situation changes from well-being to misfortune
• Tragic hero need not be unusually virtuous or
  just yet potentially, a noble person
• but he should be someone whose misfortunes are
  brought about by some error of judgment on his
  part

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• This error of judgment arises from some flaw in
  his character some human weakness
• It is essential that to some extent he
  contributes to his own downfall
• And then by suffering as a result,
  he acquires self-knowledge,
  and so purges his faults /
  wrongdoings

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How does Othello fulfill the role of Tragic Hero?
Think critically!

• Where does the problem lie in Othello? Flaw?
• Does the high regard with which he is held in
  Venice cause him to believe in his own power and
  become convinced of his own merit?
• Is he too proud? Too unrealistic?
• Does his preoccupation with military duty and war
  render him unfit to conceive of any other way of
  life besides militaristic affairs?

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• Is he incapable of seeing marriage as a
  partnership?
• Is he overly credulous?
• Is his tragic flaw jealousy?
• Is he overly concerned with his reputation?
• Is he inherently vindictive and violent?

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Note the Atmosphere on stage

• The scene is set in darkness
• Lodovico Tis heavy night. p221
• The action and busy movement of this scene
  contrasts with the quiet passivity of previous
  Willow scene i.e. Scene 3, of Act 4
• Noise, confusion, rapid movement,
• And murder
• Begins with conspiratorial whispering and ends
  with a brutal murder

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Dramatic purpose of Act 5 Scene 1

• To present a scene full of action
• To give the audience a last look at Roderigo
• To put into action Iagos plot to have both
  Roderigo, and Cassio killed
• To keep Othello before the mind of the audience
  (appears only briefly in this scene)
• To prepare the audience for the downfall of Iago
  indeed, to show his first ever set-back

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Dramatic Techniques

• Copia Verborum / Copia also Enumeration
• Antithesis Parallelism
• Foreshadowing
• Imagery Symbolism
• Irony dramatic irony, when the audience knows
  something that one or more than one of the
  characters do not
• verbal irony, when someone says something and
  means another

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Poetic Language / Poetic Drama

• Heightened poetic language
• Rhyme
• Patterned sounds to highlight and reinforce
  meaning and message
• Compulsive Rhythms

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Copia Verborum / CopiaWarriors in Wars of Words

• Abundance of words, for verbal fencing
• Use of lengthy speeches, Othello and Iago
• Used as a rhetorical device / technique
• Employing a large army of skillfully chosen and
  well arranged words to pack a powerful series of
  effectively delivered punches or hammer strikes
  to drive your point home to sink your point into
  those with seemingly thick, impenetrable skulls,
  so that they get and accept your message, your
  point of view

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Characters Diction / Speech Style

• Characters choice and use of
• Saxon words
  Plain, simple, short, monosyllabic words
• Characters choice and use of
• Latinated words
  Formal, complex, long, polysyllabic
  words

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Noticing words that are frequently repeated word
patterns

• Note characters choice and use of simple, short
  words used quite frequently, and
  with increasing dramatic significance?
• honest honesty honour honourable
  good true truly
• dishonest villain villainy knave
  slave dog devil gross

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Diction / word choice, and
literary-critical significance

• Entry point through word choice / language
• Consider how the choice of these words reflects
  on the character using them
• And what they reveal about his or her attitude to
  the character spoken about
• Notice there is also an element of irony in the
  use of these words

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Characters Diction

• You should also notice how often characters refer
  or appeal to such words as
• heaven or hell and are concerned about the
  soul
• The frequency of this simple vocabulary makes it
  clear how much the play is concerned with?
• With human values, and divine values
• Dramatic effects

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Scene takes place in darkness made apparent to
audience through hints

• Cassio O help, ho! Light! A surgeon!
• Lodovico Two or three groan. It is a heavy
  night.
• Gratiano Heres one comes in his shirt, with
  light and weapons.
• Iago Kill men ithdark? Where be these bloody
  thieves?

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Enter Iago Roderigo

• Iago to Roderigo
  
• Here, stand behind this bulk straight will
• he come. // Wear thy good rapier bare, and put
• it home, // Quick, quick fear nothing Ill be
  at
• thy elbow. // It makes us or mars us think on
• that, // And fix most firm thy resolution.
• Here we see a firm and determined IAGO

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• Then enters Cassio followed by a flurry of
  violent action
• After the wounding of Roderigo and Cassio when
  all is increasing confusion in darkness
• Othello makes a brief appearance
• Comes on stage at a point whereby he becomes
  indirectly a party to a treacherous and cowardly
  attack on Cassio

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Diction? What words critically stand out in
Othellos praise of Iago?

• And Othello on hearing the victim, Cassio,
  cry in pain
• Othello remarks
• Tis he! O brave Iago, honest and just,
• That hast such noble sense of thy friends
• wrong, // Thou TEACHEST me.
• Note significance of Othellos diction

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Re Othello, and dramatic effects

• Change? (Tragic downfall of Othello)
  
  From noble Moor to base Moor
• Surely nothing shows more clearly the present
  debasement of his once honourable and noble
  character
• Than at this point in 5.1 when Othello does
  become a party to this treacherous and cowardly
  attack on Cassio

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Note Othellos diction, and dramatic effects

• And note the critically significant words here
• brave, honest, just, noble
• Indicating symptoms of a now perverted and
  debased mind
• Where good values have been transformed into bad
• Where evil now seems right

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DRAMATIC EFFECT?

• And what the audience comes to painfully realize
  on hearing Othello say
• Thou teachest me
• The shocking, evil, tragic truth

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And IRONY? Ironic effects

• Othellos interpretation of character and event
  is the source of much irony
• His reference to Iagos honesty and justice is
  exploited many times in the play
• In the light of what we know of Iagos part in
  this particular enterprise
• O brave Iago
  is another instance of
  deception

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• And thus marks Othello yet again as a victim of
  irony
• Is Iago really that brave?
• We notice Iago lurks in the background
• Ordering Roderigo instead to make the attempt on
  Cassios life
• Only when Roderigo fails does Iago step in

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After which we next hear Othello say

• Strumpet, I come!
• Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are
• blotted
• Thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lusts blood be
• spotted.
• Exit Othello

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• Othello regrets what he has set out to do
• He conjures up an image of killing Desdemona in
  her bed, but this mental image of the outspread
  blood blotted bedsheets begins to call to his
  mind the handkerchief
• The bed in his mind is stained with lust, echoing
  Desdemonas infidelities with Cassio
• And will be spotted with the blood of lust

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Exit Othello

• So the Moor leaves the stage with an indication
  that Desdemona will be the next to suffer
• It is also ironic he should take Iagos brave
  activity as an incitement to act against
  Desdemona
• However the impending tragedy is delayed for a
  short period of time (Dramatic Effect?)
• Creating further suspense
• As the uproar spreads with the comments made by
  Lodovico, and also Gratiano
• Iagos stabbing of Roderigo, and entry of Bianca

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Iago the ever ready master of improvisation

• Iago ever ready to seize every opportunity
• Fastens upon Bianca as a possible scapegoat for
  what has happened
• Thereby reaching a further height of hypocrisy
  when as Iago says
• Look you, pale mistress?
• Do you perceive the gastness of her eye?

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And Iago continues

• Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon.
• Behold her well I pray you look upon her.
• Do you see, gentlemen? Nay, guiltiness will
• speak
• Though tongues were out of use.
• Rhetorical effectiveness? Convincingness?
• This is villainy supreme

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And re Iago

• After Iago cunningly concealed himself while
  Roderigo on orders did the dirty work
• (Looks and sounds familiar to the audience?)
• Iago then emerges to play up the role of brave
  and helpful citizen
• And pretending to be shocked beyond measure by
  the villainies of others
• And even winning the admiration of Lodovico who
  finds Iago a very valiant fellow

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Lodovico on Iago

• Gratiano This is Othellos ancient, as I take
  it.
• Lodovico The same indeed,
• a very valiant fellow.

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To be noted Iago and ironic humour

• In Iagos question to Cassio
• O my lieutenant,
  what villains have done this?
• Dramatic Effects?
• There is surely a touch of ironic humour here
• Audience members can imagine the satisfaction the
  use of the word lieutenant must give Iago in
  this context.

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Re- Motivation of Iagos evil towards Cassio?

• One of the most suggestive (sub-textual) clues to
  Iagos motivation to do evil?
• is perhaps to be found in Iagos characterization
  of Cassio at the beginning of this scene
  p219
• Iago cannot tolerate Cassios continued existence
  because as we note him say
• He hath a daily beauty in his life //
  That makes me ugly

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Iago

• The contemplation of beauty, grace, happiness or
  nobility,
• In Othello, or Cassio or Desdemona
• destroys Iagos peace of mind
• He therefore feels compelled to undermine or
  eradicate or destroy such virtues
• Whenever, wherever in whomever he finds them

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Significant echoes of crucial events in earlier
scenes in Act 5, Scene 1?

• Othellos few moments at the scene of Cassios
  injury take the mind of the audience back to
  Othellos intervention
• To what earlier scene in the play?
• The Brawl Scene
• Act 2, Scene 2
• The brawl that led to Cassios dismissal

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(Cont)Antithesis of earlier later scenes

• In that earlier scene Othello was
• A majestic, authoritative figure
• Lording it over everybody and everything around
  him by virtue of his mere presence
• Hold, for you lives!

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Cont.

• But now Othello pauses like a thief in the night,
  degraded to that of a mere conspirator
• We observe Othellos onstage actions
  (sub-textual implications?)
• Othello remains concealed from view while he
  relishes Iagos treacherous attempt on Cassios
  life

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Cont.

• Even the noble, sonorous music of his early grand
  speeches is no longer in evidence
• His few lines addressed to Cassio referring to
  and foretelling Desdemonas fate
• Minion, your dear lies dead
• Are strident and melodramatic

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To conclude this segment re- echoing of earlier
scenes

• We observe Emilia declare her outrage upon
  hearing Biancas claim to be as honest as
  herself. O fie upon thee, strumpet!
• But audience will recall an earlier scene when
  Desdemona made a similar claim but was also not
  believed. What scene?
• The Brothel Scene
• Act 4, Scene 2
• Othello Are you not a strumpet? p191

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• Up to this Act, fortune favoured Iago
• Accidents and coincidences had always worked in
  his favour However
• Had not anticipated Cassio would be wearing a
  coat of mail armour
  
• Recall Cassios words
• That thrust had been mine enemy indeed, // But
  that my coat is better than thou thinkst // I
  will make proof of thine.

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• Furthermore Iago had not anticipated either that
  Lodovico and Gratiano
• Would come upon the scene when they did
• And thereby prevent him being able to be at
  Roderigos elbow to add his sword
• Their untimely entrance prevented him from being
  able to kill Cassio

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Note Iagos concluding ASIDE

• This is the night
• That either makes me, or fordoes me quite
• Prompting the audience to think back to Iagos
  initial words to Roderigo (now dead) at the
  beginning of this scene
• It makes us, or it mars us think on that,

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Antithesis word against wordscene against
scene and characters

• One word or phrase set against another
• Note Shakespeare thinks antithetically
• Its the way his sentences over and over find
  their shape
• Antithetical words and phrases
• Note what words are set against each other
• Earlier scenes and later scenes earlier words
  and later words
• And point up their critical significance