Lesson 3Othello and Desdemona

Othello’s defense of his love, Act 1 Scene 3

What makes Othello such an admirable and great man?

She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:She swore, in faith, twas strange, 'twas passing strange,'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful:She wish'd she had not heard it, yet she wish'dThat heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me,And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,I should but teach him how to tell my story.And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,And I loved her that she did pity them.This only is the witchcraft I have used:Here comes the lady; let her witness it.

Othello after his corruption, Act 3 Scene 3

How has his syntax and diction changed?

What has happened to Othello?

Lie with her! lie on her! We say lie on her, whenthey belie her. Lie with her! that's fulsome.--Handkerchief--confessions--handkerchief!--Toconfess, and be hanged for his labour;--first, to behanged, and then to confess.--I tremble at it.Nature would not invest herself in such shadowingpassion without some instruction. It is not wordsthat shake me thus. Pish! Noses, ears, and lips.--Is't possible?--Confess--handkerchief!--O devil!--

Othello – before and after his corruption

How has Othello’s language has changed? Whose language does his language now reflect? Why?

Sort these quotes into before and after Othello is corrupted

Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.

Rude am I in my speech,And little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace

I cannot speak enough of this content;It stops me here; it is too much of joy:

Damn her, lewd minx! O, damn her!

And often did beguile her of her tears,When I did speak of some distressful stroke

Perdition catch my soul,But I do love thee!

Or keep it as a cistern for foul toadsTo knot and gender in!

Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.

I will chop her into messes O devil, devil!

JEALOUSY – ‘THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER’●Do the jealousy test online.

http://health.discovery.com/tools/assessments.html

●Are you a very jealous person?

●To what extent can you sympathise with Othello’s feelings of jealousy and how they drive him mad?

ON SCREEN

How common are themes of betrayed love

ending with revenge on modern TV shows

and in the movies? Name some.

WHAT THE CHARACTER OF OTHELLO REPRESENTS

●Othello is the protagonist and tragic hero of the play – he is Shakespeare’s examination of the tragic effects of jealousy.

●Othello links into images of exotic, faraway places and of love and war but after his corruption his language becomes filled with animal images, hell and devil images and hate and violence – showing how one person can corrupt another by playing on their jealousy and using lies and circumstantial evidence.

PERSONAL RESPONSE TO THE CHARACTER OF OTHELLO

●How do you feel about Othello by the play’s end? Is he correct when he claims he was ‘not easily jealous … but perplex’d in the extreme’? Does this explain his wife-murder?

●Could you become as enraged and vengeful as Othello because of jealousy? Why/why not?

●Why do you think the critic Coleridge said the final scene of Othello was too unbearable to watch?

Lesson 4Desdemona

Watch the following clip from the play of the song ‘Willow’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mlOCcp-a7s

What does the extract make you feel? Why?

What atmosphere does the song create?

How does the song help build dramatic tension?

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,Sing all a green willow:Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,Sing willow, willow, willow:The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans;Sing willow, willow, willow;Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones;Lay by these:--Sing willow, willow, willow;Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--Sing all a green willow must be my garland.Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-I call'd my love false love; but whatsaid he then?Sing willow, willow, willow:If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!

PERSONAL RESPONSE TO ‘WILLOW’●‘Willow’ was a well-known song in Shakespeare’s day. What does the song seem to be about? Why is Desdemona singing it?

●What themes in the play are reinforced in the song ‘Willow’?

●What does the song tell us about Desdemona’s character? About her emotional state at this time?

●How are her feelings representative of women who have been abused by their men?

●What is the tragic situation of women in the play?

PLENARY

●In what ways are Othello and Desdemona tragic victims?●What are you a victim of in your own life? How much of this can you control?●Othello says at the end of the play that Desdemona was ‘ill-starred’ and of himself ‘who can control his fate?’ Is the tragedy in our own lives beyond our control? The province of fate?●To what extent are we all victims of other people’s evil and of fate?●To what extent do we have free will?

HOMEWORK – CHARACTER DATING PROFILES

●Your teacher will send you a model dating profile power point for the character ‘Brabantio’ to show you how to set this task out.●Next lesson you will present, in pairs, a profile of one of the following characters:

Iago, Cassio, Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo●The aim of the activity is to show your detailed understanding of the character assigned to you.