Do You Like Cheese? - Drama Blog 2 (As You Like It)

"I would cure you, if you would but call me Rosalind and come every day to my cote and woo me."

~ Rosalind, As You Like It


I was re-reading this scene and I immediately thought of the movie She's the Man. The movie is actually based off of another Shakespeare comedy The Twelfth Night, but the scene matches well. Like the play, in the movie, Viola Hastings dresses up like a man (there is a lot of cross-dressing in Shakespeare plays. Why??) because she wants to play for the boys soccer team. While she's there, she meets Duke Orsino and tells him how to talk to women, all the while pretending to be one (although she actually is). It mirrors the scene from As You Like It because Rosalind dresses up like a man when she is around Orlando; she tells him how to deal with his love and woo her, then she (he) pretends to be a woman, just like Viola is to Duke. But seriously, I'm legitimately confused why there is so much cross-dressing.

Sorry that the video is so short, but this was the best one I could find

All You Need Is Love - Drama Blog 1 (As You Like It)

"The worst fault you have is to be in love."
"'T is a fault I will not change for your best virtue."

~ Jaques, Orlando, As You Like It


The biggest thematic element in As You Like It is love. Love in this play is positively connoted; often you will see modern stories and movies portraying love, but also incorporating a much more realistic perspective of it. In the play, love magically fixes everything. It turns evil people into positive, happy people (Oliver falls in love with Celia and suddenly stops his scheming). Love makes some others ridiculously optimistic and frankly, a little annoying (Orlando turns into a poet). As You Like It is very unrealistic and shallow, but not in a negative sense - it just doesn't have a whole lot to it. We discussed in class today that if Shakespeare's writings were essays that you wrote for class, As You Like It would be the religion essay: an overused theme composed of mostly BS with maybe an insightful thought or two.

Two songs today that could be related to the play and a more modern novel are "Poison and Wine" by the Civil Wars and "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. "Poison and Wine" would be more realistic because it examines poignancies in relationships, conflict of emotion for another person. "Love Story" would relate to the play because it describes a fairy tale-like situation in which everything magically turns out well in the end.

Oh, Really?? - Drama Blog 3 (Othello)

"Villain, thou diest!"

~ Roderigo, Othello, V.i.22

This is going to be more of an observational blog.

Has anyone noticed how blunt the characters are in this play? It's probably the same in Shakespeare's other plays, for I'm assuming that it just stylistic. The only other reason I could think of is because there is no narration, so he is making up for that through dialogue. But seriously, I don't think it's necessary for the characters to announce what they are about to do, and they think it is crucial. Especially in Act 5! It's like whenever some action takes place, there has to be a commentary accompanying it. Or is it in dialogue because it isn't in stage direction? You would think good actors would just automatically do the actions and make them realistic, and the other actors would react well to it without saying it aloud. Bianca announces, "Alas, he faints!" We just saw him. Roderigo tells Cassio, "Villian, thou diest!" And then he misses. (Throw up your awkward hands.) Maybe he wouldn't have moved and you would have killed him if you wouldn't have told him. Also, Sherlock screams, "Oh, I am slain!" right after Cassio stabs him. Then Othello tells an absent Desdemona, "Strumpet, I come!" She can't hear you....

Enough with the extraneous declarations! We can see you. That's really enough. I promise.

"It's This Jealousy...." / Themes - Drama Blog 2 (Othello)

"I hate the Moor,/ And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets/ He's done my office. I know not if't be true, / But I for mere suspicion in that kind/ Will do as if for surety."

~ Iago, Othello, I.iii.366-369

The suspicion that started it all....

5. What themes does the play present? To what extent do the thematic materials of the play have an effect on the dramatic experience? Does the power of the ideas increase or decrease the pleasure of the theatrical experience? Does the play seem either too didactic or insufficient in its presentation of important human concerns?

One of the biggest themes in the play is jealousy. It is involved in almost every aspect of conflict - Iago's plotting against Othello, Othello's excessive anger towards Desdemona and Cassio, and Roderigo's love for Desdemona. We see it throughout, but somehow it doesn't overwhelm the play or the experience of the audience. I think that because jealousy is something that people deal with on a daily basis and something that everyone has experienced personally at least once, the large concentration of jealous behavior and theme doesn't seem inundating. It is natural for people to see this. Also, because it is so common in everyday life, it is very relatable - while the audience would like to see everyone be friends and sit in a circle singing Kumbaya, they know that this is realistic, raw, and good - it heightens their theatrical experience. This human concern is addressed well.

And now, a song from the marvelous Darren Criss describing Othello's main theme.

Oh, the Humanity! / Drama/Tragedy - Drama Blog 1 (Week 2) (Othello)

"Speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate,/ Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak/ Of one that loved not wisely but too well."

~ Othello, Othello V.ii.340-342

2. Is the play a tragedy or comedy, a melodrama or a farce? If a comedy, is it primarily romantic or satiric? Does it mingle aspects of these types of drama? How important to experiencing the drama is the audience's awareness of the classification of the play?

This play is one hundred and ten percent tragedy. One of the characteristics of a tragedy is death, and even though they come at the end, you can still tell it's a tragedy before everyone gets stabbed. Basically, the whole play is Iago plotting, Cassio fighting, Roderigo whining, and Othello being ridiculously angry. It's nothing but drama - there's pretty much no way the plot could twist into something that concludes happily. Also, we see Othello's tragic flaw: his excessive love for Desdemona. If he hadn't loved her so much, he wouldn't have reacted so irrationally and strangled her to death. Then come the deaths - Cassio gets Roderigo, Othello strangles Desdemona, Iago stabbing Emilia, Othello stabbing Iago (although he doesn't die... he should have), and as the big finale, Othello committing suicide. The only hint of comic relief in the whole play is the punny clown who was involved for approximately .249 seconds. But he was mostly annoying. Hmm. Well, what it all comes down to is that the audience really didn't have to know it was a drama - they would find out in at least the first 10 minutes.

It Takes Two to Tango - Drama Blog 3 (Othello)

"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.

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.

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.