OTHELLO - STUDY NOTES AND QUESTIONS

Beginning study of Othello, Moor of Venice

For more pictures and explanation refer to: Study Aid, with Visuals

For an interesting blog try this: OTHELLO, et. al.

You cannot discuss the characters, much less the plot, if you don't know what's going on. It is YOUR responsibility to find find a summary (for lack of a better word) of the play as a whole, and of each act. I will use the text of Shakespeare's play in class, with the focus on characters. You need to make sure you know WHO is WHO!! 

NOTE:  Classes are not "in sync." Be sure to read the post title.

Take what you already know about Shakespearean drama and add:

  The AUDIENCE- composed of:

groundlings or penny-stinkers

Important [in large part for the same reason audiences are important today] because:
To the playwright:

On stage, two conventions developed:

An Aside

A Soliloquy

While the sets and special effects were limited, great concern was placed on costumes because

Language because

On Shakespeare's tragic heroes:

“Like Greek tragic heroes, Shakespeare’s protagonists are exceptional human beings whose stature makes their misfortune all the more dramatic. These characters pay a high price for their actions. . . . all lead to irreversible results. . . . Tragic heroes confront devastation; they command our respect and compassion, because they act in spite of terrifying risks. Their triumph is not measured by the attainment of what they seek but by the wisdom that defeat imposes on them.” ~ Michael Meyer

* Practical help in reading Shakespeare:
1. Do not rely solely on Spark Notes or No Fear Shakespeare; use them as they were intended, but remember, in class, in your essay, you will not be using either study aid.
2. Refer frequently to the list of characters called the dramatis personae listed and briefly described at the beginning of the play; in Othello, there are several significant characters, as well as minor characters; be sure you are familiar with:
Othello Roderigo Bianca
Desdemona Cassio
Iago Emilia
3. Pay attention to footnotes or allusions in the drama; if you do not understand a reference AFTER reading BOTH the play and your choice of study aid, ASK, but make a genuine effort to figure it out first
4. Don’t just rely on written study aids; try finding an audio file  or recording of the play; hearing professional actors can enrich your understanding
5. AFTER reading the play, view a film of the performance. Try to resist the urge to watch a movie until after you have read the play; by then, perhaps, you will have formed your own ideas about the characters.
(NOTE: It is interesting to watch and listen to different actors to interpret the various roles--some may or may not fit a mental image you have of a particular character.)

Questions (from Michael Meyer, The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 9th ed.):

1. Explain how Iago presents himself to the world. What is beneath the surface of his public identity? Why does he hate Othello so passionately? What makes Iago so effective at manipulating people? What do other characters, besides Othello, think of him?

2. Explain whether you think Othello could have protected himself from Iago’s schemes. What could Othello have done differently to avoid the suffering that ends the play? Is Iago to be blamed for everything, or must Othello shoulder some of the blame?

3. Explain why you think Othello’s racial background does or does not affect the events in the play.

4.  Describe how the two settings, Venice and Cyprus, reflect different social and psychological environments as well as different behavior among the characters.

5.  How does Othello change during the course of the play? Do you feel the same about him from beginning to end? Trace your response to his character as it develops, paying particular attention to Othello’s final speech.

6. Consider how women--Desdemona, Emilia, and  Bianca--are presented in the play. What characteristics do they have in common? How do they relate to the men in their lives?

7. Despite its grinding emotional impact and bleak ending, Othello does have its humorous moments. Locate a scene that includes humor and describe its tone and function in the play.

Oedipus - Questions, Quotes, and Spark Notes (Gasp!)

Before trying to understand either the Spark Notes or the play, it is ESSENTIAL that you understand the story of Oedipus, FIRST, even if the understanding comes from (gag!) wikipedia:

The Story of Oedipus.  Ideally, you can find a copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology and read her account of the story. Though it is still the same story, Hamilton is the recognized authority on Greek and Roman myths.

What  Spark Notes says about the first 337 lines of Oedipus:

Sophocles’ audience knew the ancient story of Oedipus well, and would therefore interpret the greatness Oedipus exudes in the first scene as a tragic harbinger of his fall. Sophocles seizes every opportunity to exploit this dramatic irony. Oedipus frequently alludes to sight and blindness, creating many moments of dramatic irony, since the audience knows that it is Oedipus’s metaphorical blindness to the relationship between his past and his present situation that brings about his ruin. For example, when the old priest tells Oedipus that the people of Thebes are dying of the plague, Oedipus says that he could not fail to see this (68–72). Oedipus eagerly attempts to uncover the truth, acting decisively and scrupulously refusing to shield himself from the truth. Although we are able to see him as a mere puppet of fate, at some points, the irony is so magnified that it seems almost as if Oedipus brings catastrophe upon himself willingly. One such instance of this irony is when Oedipus proclaims proudly—but, for the audience, painfully—that he possesses the bed of the former king, and that marriage might have even created “blood-bonds” between him and Laius had Laius not been murdered (294–300).

Although the Chorus’s first ode (168–244) piously calls to the gods to save Thebes from the plague, the answer they get to their prayer arrives in human form. Immediately following the ode, Oedipus enters and says that he will answer the Chorus’s prayers. For a moment, Oedipus takes upon himself the role of a god—a role the Chorus has been both reluctant and eager to allow him (see 39–43). Oedipus is so competent in the affairs of men that he comes close to dismissing the gods, although he does not actually blaspheme, as Creon does in Antigone. At this early moment, we see Oedipus’s dangerous pride, which explains his willful blindness and, to a certain extent, justifies his downfall.

The only problem with the notes is that there are no specific lines or examples from the play itself. This analysis is limited in what it can provide, because the online analysis reflects the drama as a whole; it does not take into account the individual translation which is in a given text. Not all translations are the same.

Identify the speaker and the significance in the following lines from the Prologue:

 . . . I have come myself to hear you—

I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name.

 . . . Your own eyes

Must tell you: Thebes is in her extremity

And can not lift her head from the surge of death. . . .

You are not one of the immortal gods, we know,

Yet we have come to you to make our prayer

As to the man of all men best in adversity . . .

 . . . I have sent Creon . . .

To  Delphi, Apollo’s place of revelation.

Then once more I must bring what is dark to light. . . .

Whoever killed King Laios might—who knows?—

Decide at any moment to kill me as well.

By avenging the murdered king I protect myself.

What is the Parodos?  How does it differ from the Prologue?

Quotes and questions  from the Scene I:

Is this your prayer? It may be answered. Come.

Listen to me, act as the crisis demands,

And yo shall have relief from all these evils.

Until now I was a stranger to this tale,

As I had been a stranger to the crime.

What does Oedipus decree as the punishment for concealing the murderer?

Thus I associate myself with the oracle

And take the side of the murdered king

As for the criminal . . .

I pray that that man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness . . .

Identify at least 3 examples of dramatic irony between lines 40 – 60.

What evidence is there in this scene, between lines 60-70, that Oedipus is still loyal to the gods?

Explain the significance and irony of Teiresias being a blind seer.

In what way does Teiresias speak in riddles? (lines 100-105;109-110; 125-127)

Explain the sight imagery in these lines:

I say you live in hideous shame with those

Most dear to you.  You can not see the evil.

Explain the sight imagery and dramatic irony  in these lines:

You child of endless night! You can not hurt me

Or any other man who sees the sun.

Who does Oedipus accuse of betraying him and Thebes by murdering Laios?

Identify and explain the sight imagery and dramatic irony in Teiresias’s speech at the bottom of page 171.

What is Teiresias’ final prophecy?

What is an ode? Summarize in your own words Ode I, page 173.

Choose 3 of the following questions to answer in discussion format. Each answer should be written in no more than 1-2 paragraphs, with an opening, body, and conclusion. Do not concern yourself with a lengthy introduction, but a spot-on topic sentence that goes to the heart of the answer, which you will then support and explain.

Questions for Essay Test Spring 2013

1. What is the point of the speech by the Choragos at the very end of the drama? In what way is Oedipus a cautionary tale?
2. Compare and contrast the response of the Chorus to Tieresias with that of Oedipus’ response.
3. Every literary work is, in some way, a product of its time and culture. What is revealed in this drama about Greek religion and its support of “moderation in all things”?
4. Although he never makes an appearance in this play, which god is most prominent in this drama? Who are his “servants” in the drama, and how do they contribute to the discovery Oedipus makes of his own identity?
5. Does Oedipus deserves the punishment he inflicts upon himself, or has he allowed his excessive nature and arrogance to again rule his rationality?
6. At what point in the drama does Oedipus “cross the line” of propriety and allow his pride to become extreme, to exceed the limits of temperance?
7. Which characters try to save Oedipus from himself? Why does he persist in his effort to find the truth? Is he acting on behalf of Thebes or is he completely self-centered in this?
8. Choose a significant quote from the drama that contains both sight imagery and dramatic irony. Identify the speaker, the context of the quote, the sight imagery and dramatic irony within the quote, and explain why this quote is of such importance to the drama as a whole.