Genre, Structure And Language- OTHELLO Flashcards
GENRE:
Tragedy:
What is a chorus?
A group of characters who feature in tragedies of Ancient Greece who represent the ordinary people in their attitudes to the action. They witness and comment on events, but do not participate in them
What is classical of tragedies?
In classical tragedy, the hero’s tragic end is inevitable- comment on this association of genre in relation to Othello’s eg: foreshadowing
What does FR Leavis think of Othello in his book “Diabolical Intellect and the Nobel Hero” (1963)?
-accepts Othello is a tragic hero, he does not believe that Othello learns anything in the course of the play. He claims that Othello realises his folly but there is ‘no tragic self-discovery’. As a result, Othello ‘is now seen as tragically pathetic’ by end of play.
What are the origins of great tragedy?
- Greek tragedy is based on conflict and depicts the downfall of high-ranking characters, who make fatal errors of judgement (hamartia) because of their overweening ambition and pride (hubris).
- destroyed by consequences of errors
- fate determine outcome- tragic hero dies fighting against
- at end justice and order are destroyed and new status quo established
- catharsis- purging of the emotions
- Aristotle suggested that tragedy should evoke pity and fear (pathos) in an audience
Greek tragedy and Othello:
- fits mould:
- high-ranking general + descended from a line of kings
- suffers from hubris (overweening ambition and pride)
- inevitability about downfall-arrives in Cyprus and feels “too much joy”
- tragic denouement in Act V- evokes fear and pity
- Emilia acts as a Greek chorus when she comments on Othello’s folly
Conflict and suffering in tragedy:
-what conflicts are present in Othello?
- in Othello’s mind-divided against himself- loves or hates Desdemona. Causes him suffering and anguish-intensifies
- conflict and suffering end in violent death including protagonists own demise
- BUT…
- first black hero in English drama- departs from dramatical conventions
- also keeps Iago alive at end of play (typically would die as part of the catharsis)
- IAGO’s dominance is unusual- villain and hero have equivalent stage time and equally powerful speakers
What does Rory Kinnear who played Iago in a production of Othello in 2013 think?
-the tragedy of the play is “all the more overwhelming” because the audience knows about Iago’s evil scheming and are “powerless to stop it”
What does Shakespeare explore within his tragedies?
- the nature of good and evil
- disintegration on families
- breakdown of law and order in states or countries
How does Shakespeare make use of the theatrical conventions of his own age as well as challenging them?
-usual to present tragedies in 5 acts, with a climax/ turning point in Act 3 and a tragic outcome in act 5
What is a key theme in the tragedy and how does Iago exploit this?
- isolation
- isolates the characters from each other- makes it easier for them to rely on him, trust him- breaks down any other options, support…
- Iago’s success lies in his own isolation but he also needs others for his plans to succeed
How is love intertwined with pity displayed throughout the text?
- Act one= couple with a mutual love appealing to the audience, defend when love is threatened
- Act 3= undermined by mistrust, uncertainty and jealousy
- act 5= love reassess itself at the end of Othello- Desdemona défends her lobe for Othello with her dying breath and the tragic protagonist dies ‘upon a kiss’
Extent to which Othello is a victim:
- suffering of couple as a result of Iago’s malicious plotting
- recognise Othello as noble and most view him brought down by a powerful adversary
- Dramatic irony as know Iago is an untrustworthy and manipulative villain from beginning
- Othello still able to make own choices and be honest with Desdemona
Is Othello a domestic tragedy?
- to an extent
- usually protagonist are ordinary middle class or lower class individuals
- contrasts with classical tragedy-central character is usually a king or of noble rank, downfall not simply personal matter usually also an affair of state with consequences for the whole nation he rules
The influence of comedy
How does Shakespeare do this?
- Uses theatrical conventions- jealous husband who fears he has been cuckolded
- use of music and clown
- both Brabantio and Desdemona are ancestors from an early comedy he wrote named “The Taming of the Shrew”- deceived fathers and deceptive daughter stock characters from comedy
STRUCTURE:
- Dramatic structure
- The use of settings:
- narrow focus
- principal locations- Venice and Cyprus
- gradually becomes fixed on single bedroom- sense of claustrophobia
- outer world becomes insignificant as Othello becomes obsessed and jealous
- Venice is suitable location, dramatists increasingly using Italy as a location for revenge tragedies
- Venice seen as culturally sophisticated and location suggested power, order and wealth
- appropriate that Machiavellian villain- Iago originates in Italy before going to Cyprus
- use of war with the Turks (uneasy atmosphere), garrison town in Cyprus used as a ‘halfway house’ between civilisation and heathen world
- war isolates Desdemona and Othello’s feels difference and isolation in Cyprus ‘perplexed in the extreme’
- threat of danger lurking- passions unleashed and order destroyed
- storm reflects fear and violence that characters will experience in Cyprus whilst also a symbol of love for Othello and Desdemona
