"A liberal hand. The hearts of old gave hands,/ But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts."
~ Othello, Othello III.iv.40-41
Okay, food for thought: why is it such a big deal that a woman cheats on her husband, but no one cares when a man has approximately 12 mistresses?
Think about it. Othello is apparently so mad that he is going to violently kill Desdemona for cheating on him, but supposedly he also is screwing Iago's wife? (Okay, that is not proven. But if it was true, who would do anything? Iago is trying to get revenge, but Othello would not be formally punished.) What the heck?? I think I just don't understand what constitutes a man's right to murder a woman who cheats while he is doing the exact same thing and no one says anything. And it still applies today to an extent - if a girl cheats on a guy or sleeps around a lot (or in some cases (especially high school) even if she only has sex once), she is automatically a dirty little whore. But if a guy cheats or sleeps around, DON'T WORRY! IT'S OKAY! He is only satisfying his overactive sex drive and I guess that is perfectly acceptable in this society. I'm not saying that women should go out and cheat and not be punished for it, but I'm just trying to convey that if you are going to call a girl a slut for sleeping around, you might as well acknowledge her man-ho counterpart. I am only striving for equality! Also, if a girl wants to be - ahem - expressive with her assets, then who are you to judge her? Just saying.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Suspense - Drama Blog 2 (Othello)
"Blest fig's-end! The wine she drinks is made of grapes. If she had been blest, she would never have loved the Moor."
~ Iago, Othello II.i.238-239
He can't even tell his best friend the truth.
4. How is dramatic suspense created? Contrast the amount of information possessed by the audience as the play proceeds with the knowledge that various individual characters have: what is the effect of such a contrast?
So basically, all the suspense in Othello is created by knowledge of information: who has it and when they will get it. Iago's scheming and true motives/nature are always known by him and the audience. Suspense is created on a level when the audience first knows of Iago's plan, then it drastically builds as we start to see parts of the plan unraveling and the undone deeds getting more and more complex and imminent. He gradually reveals information about what he will do next (usually at the end of an act or scene), which keeps us at the edge of our seats. The second part to the suspense is the other characters onstage. At this point, no one but Iago knows the extent of his plot (Roderigo knows a little, but not a sufficient amount). The audience then wonders who will find out first, when, and if the protagonists will find out before they react poorly to the lies Iago has planted.
~ Iago, Othello II.i.238-239
He can't even tell his best friend the truth.
4. How is dramatic suspense created? Contrast the amount of information possessed by the audience as the play proceeds with the knowledge that various individual characters have: what is the effect of such a contrast?
So basically, all the suspense in Othello is created by knowledge of information: who has it and when they will get it. Iago's scheming and true motives/nature are always known by him and the audience. Suspense is created on a level when the audience first knows of Iago's plan, then it drastically builds as we start to see parts of the plan unraveling and the undone deeds getting more and more complex and imminent. He gradually reveals information about what he will do next (usually at the end of an act or scene), which keeps us at the edge of our seats. The second part to the suspense is the other characters onstage. At this point, no one but Iago knows the extent of his plot (Roderigo knows a little, but not a sufficient amount). The audience then wonders who will find out first, when, and if the protagonists will find out before they react poorly to the lies Iago has planted.
Character Studies - Drama (Week 1) (Othello)
"Not I, I must be found./ My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly. Is it they?"
~ Othello, Othello I.ii.30-32
Well, since this is my first blog, let's start off easy - characters!
3. Identify the protagonists and antagonists. Are there any foil characters? What dramatic functions are served by the various minor characters? Do they shed light on the actions or motives of the major characters? Do they advance the plot by eliciting actions by others? Do they embody ideas or feelings that illuminate the major characters or the movement of the plot?
Holy crap! That was a little more involved than I anticipated. We'll only tackle the necessities.
PROTAGONIST: Othello. He's the strong, attractive, classic battle hero little girls dream about in their fairy tales. He's well-mannered, level-headed, and passionately in love with his wife, Desdemona - he's a textbook good-guy. However, as we leave Act 3, we already witness some potential tragic flaws. He's easily manipulated by that sneaky devil Iago (don't worry, we will analyze him next), so he is jealous and definitely can get a temper when provoked long enough.
ANTAGONIST: Iago. What a piece of work! There's no doubt that he is smart - he knows how to manipulate everybody to get whatever he wants when he wants it. DRAMATIC IRONY: While all the characters onstage are drooling over how honest and good Iago is, it turns out that he is a lying, scheming failure of a person, and I'm really questioning whether he even has a soul. He has that sickening quality of being ridiculously nice in public, but to those of us who have known bad people, we all sit back and gag while he makes some huge display of his affections toward the men he is willing to kill because they have supposedly "wronged" him in some way. Basically, he sucks.
FOIL CHARACTERS: Iago and Cassio. No need to describe Iago again. Cassio is completely the opposite. He is kind and loyal, and I think he likes Desdemona - which makes him an even better person because he always helped Othello court her and he stood by his friends when they had something he wanted. He doesn't let jealousy get the best of him (unlike Iago who is consumed by it), and he wants the best for other people.
As for the various minor characters, I'm not exactly sure at this point? The only one I truly remember is the Clown, who is only there for comic relief (he's punny.) in the midst of the web of deception and jealousy and bluh.
~ Othello, Othello I.ii.30-32
Well, since this is my first blog, let's start off easy - characters!
3. Identify the protagonists and antagonists. Are there any foil characters? What dramatic functions are served by the various minor characters? Do they shed light on the actions or motives of the major characters? Do they advance the plot by eliciting actions by others? Do they embody ideas or feelings that illuminate the major characters or the movement of the plot?
Holy crap! That was a little more involved than I anticipated. We'll only tackle the necessities.
PROTAGONIST: Othello. He's the strong, attractive, classic battle hero little girls dream about in their fairy tales. He's well-mannered, level-headed, and passionately in love with his wife, Desdemona - he's a textbook good-guy. However, as we leave Act 3, we already witness some potential tragic flaws. He's easily manipulated by that sneaky devil Iago (don't worry, we will analyze him next), so he is jealous and definitely can get a temper when provoked long enough.
ANTAGONIST: Iago. What a piece of work! There's no doubt that he is smart - he knows how to manipulate everybody to get whatever he wants when he wants it. DRAMATIC IRONY: While all the characters onstage are drooling over how honest and good Iago is, it turns out that he is a lying, scheming failure of a person, and I'm really questioning whether he even has a soul. He has that sickening quality of being ridiculously nice in public, but to those of us who have known bad people, we all sit back and gag while he makes some huge display of his affections toward the men he is willing to kill because they have supposedly "wronged" him in some way. Basically, he sucks.
FOIL CHARACTERS: Iago and Cassio. No need to describe Iago again. Cassio is completely the opposite. He is kind and loyal, and I think he likes Desdemona - which makes him an even better person because he always helped Othello court her and he stood by his friends when they had something he wanted. He doesn't let jealousy get the best of him (unlike Iago who is consumed by it), and he wants the best for other people.
As for the various minor characters, I'm not exactly sure at this point? The only one I truly remember is the Clown, who is only there for comic relief (he's punny.) in the midst of the web of deception and jealousy and bluh.
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