The Delay of Othello's Entrance in Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Othello
In this piece of coursework I will be looking at the reasons why
Shakespeare delayed Othello's entrance until Scene 2 of Act 1 in the
play. I will also look at points such as the audience's perception of
Iago, and our views of Othello before and after his entrance. I will
also talk about the historical, social and cultural contexts and I
will look at critical opinions, authorial intentions and language
analysis.
Othello is set in the early 17th Century when Shakespeare (the
playwright) was in his middle ages. The location it was set in was
Venice (a pleasurable, tranquil place) and Cyprus (a bad atmospheric,
violent place). In the first scene in Act 1, we see Iago and Roderigo
talking to each other. Iago is the character telling us all about
Othello. The word often used to describe him is 'the Moor'. This means
very black people, which in Elizabethan times were believed to be
evil. Nowadays of course, we know that this is not true. Other quotes
highlighting the blackness and mystery of Othello include 'What a full
fortune does the thicklips owe,'[1] quoted by Roderigo early on in the
Act referring to his lips. Another quote that he says is 'to the gross
clasps of a lascivious moor:'[2] again speaking negatively about
Othello. Shakespeare intentionally made Othello a black character to
create an impact on the audience, although it was more effective when
it was acted out in Elizabethan times because they were so critical of
coloured people.
In Shakespeare's play 'Othello', the eponymous hero doesn't actually
make an entrance until the second scene. This has been done
deliberately to give an effective result at the beginning of the play.
Shakespeare uses many dramatic devices in this production and compared
to many other scripts that he has written, in most tragic genres, the
tragic hero almost always enters in the first scene but this is not so
in Othello.
One reason why Shakespeare has done this is so the audience can build
Othello, takes place in Venice during an attack of the island of Cyprus . The
	The first scene of Act I illustrates Iago's use of manipulation. Iago knows that Roderigo is upset about losing Desdemona to Othello. Iago himself is angry at Othello for being passed over for promotion to lieutenant for Michael Cassio. Realizing that by playing on Roderigo's jealousy he can gain an ally to work against Othello. Iago does this in a subtle manner. He explains to Roderigo that he was passed up for promotion by Othello. While doing this he makes Othello look inferior by reinforcing the fact that he is a Moor. By pointing out that Othello is a Moor Iago causes Roderigo to become even more jealous, because of the fact that he lost Desdemona to someone who he feels is of a lesser race. It even seems that Iago is toying with Roderigo when he reveals that he is a fraud when he says, "I am not what I am." (I.i.62) By using these tactics, Iago has almost gained total control of Roderigo.
The Significance of Act 3 Scene 3 of William Shakespeare's Othello Othello was written by Shakespeare around 1602 and was set 35 years previously to that time (around 1571) during the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare got the idea for the play from the Italian Novella 'Gli. Hecatommithi and only changed minor details slightly. He kept the same plot but some of the characters and themes in the play were very different.
Shakespeare does not give specific details of Othello’s background, however, it is apparent Othello is a dark-skinned outsider. The characters in the play call him the Moor. A moor is a member of a northwestern African Muslim people of mixed Berber and Arab descent. He is referred to as black by several characters including himself. Roderigo even calls him thick-lips which is a racial slur towards African Americans.
the audience. Following this relevance of malice, Shakespeare. enforced by Roderigo calling Othello 'the thick lips'. This racist insult is proof of the hatred for Othello and a punch line to Iago's. I am not what I am, as in Jacobean times, Negroes were associated. with evil and would have been the stereotypical villains, but appearances deceived.
Picture this- William Harold Shakespeare, the most coveted playwriter in the history of the world, sitting at his desk, perspicaciously pondering over what shall become his most prominant and delicated tragedy of yet. Of course, given what little is known about Shakespeere displays, such deepseated imagery cannot simply be accomplished without first the propriety of haste and vinction.And yet, his very own rhetorical vibe displays allows such a vague pictoration to be concieved. Throughout the whole of Othello, the great Shakespeare remarks through an astounding displays show of pronouns, allitteration, and cacophonous diction his own resentment of both the King of Italy and the poor conditions of the said novelist.
“I asked her to wear something revealing, so she showed up in a prophet's toga.”(CITE) Jarod Kintz’s words are an example of miscommunication, or failure to comprehend meaning. In this case, it is implied that one person misunderstood the message of another, but incomprehension also applies to problems other than falsely interpreted requests. Incomprehension can occur when people misinterpret another’s words or intentions, or when a person misreads situations or events. The outcome described in Kintz’s quote is unexpected and unintended, but there are instances of incomprehension that have consequences of greater severity. Perhaps a classic tragedy with a high body count falls under these parameters.
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55)
Watkinson, A. "Othello: The Ironic Interdependence of Othello and Iago." Novels for Students. 5 November 2004. http://www.enotes.com/othello/743/print
Despite the negative foregrounding of Othello’s character by Iago, our first impressions of Othello in Act 1 are of a noble and well-spoken man, his nobility is conveyed through his speech ‘most potent grave and reverend signiors’(1.3.76) to his future father-in-law Brabantio of Othello’s love for his daughter Desdemona in Act 1 Scene 3. This is a very different character to what we expect from Iago’s preparation for the introduction of Othello. Where we are expecting an angry and possibly violent character, we instead are met with something completely surprising, a quiet and calm man who dismisses Roderigo’s insult and even avoids the prospect of a conflict.
In William Shakespeare’s Othello, unspoken fears of being an outsider and concerns about his public image contribute to the downfall of a tragic hero named Othello. Othello, a general in the Venetian army’s, final monologue reflects the importance of reputation and the conformity needed to fit his surroundings. He is seen as an outsider of the Venetian culture; he is frequently referred to as “the Moor” and is called an abundance of racial slurs by the Venice born natives. Although Othello never voices his internal struggle to feel accepted by the people around him, his image and physical appearance are some of major issues he faces. Even in the moments before he stabs himself, Othello is more concerned with the legacy he is leaving behind than with the death of his wife, Desdemona. Shakespeare uses Othello’s transformation from a heroic military soldier to a tragic figure to warn of the dangers of obsessing over one’s reputation and the need to feel accepted by society.
From the beginning, Othello is noble, quick to act, judicious, trusting, and gives much weight to the importance of duty. These are all traits that serve to make him great at the beginning of the play, and later, ironically, become key elements in his downfall. These aspects can be considered the internal causes of Othello’s tragic flaw. “Othello's nature is all one piece. His trust, where he trusts, is absolute.
When we were given this project, my group knew it would be challenging. We read the excerpt many times and annotated accordingly. Although understanding this scene was not difficult, we had an extremely hard time finding a creative way to stage the scene. We were unable to do anything out of the box. Our excerpt didn’t lend itself for creative staging. Absences also struck our group and had a hand in setting us back. The group did have the idea of having Desdemona sunbath. This angle would peak Othello’s suspicion even more. Unfortunately, we left all of our props in our car and our housemaster wouldn’t let us go grab them. Despite this, we tried our best we could with the lack of probs. We knew what we were saying and tried to
Shakespeare’s Othello consists of the themes betrayal, love and dishonesty. At the centre of this play is the tragic downfall of Othello at the hands of his so called friend Iago. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for and against Othello being responsible for his downfall through looking at critical interpretations of his character and actions.
Barthelemy, Anthony G. "Introduction" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 1-19)