Othello Journal 6

    I think Desdemona has a very mild personality.  She wants to please people but at the same time stands up for what she believes in, in Cassio's case.  Her main desire is to do anything that will benefit Othello which makes the accusations against her ironic, because cheating is the last thing she would do.  Desdemona is very kind and forgiving, and I think she only sees the good in people, such as her husband.  Her motivation for acting the way she does is that she loves Othello.

Othello Journal 5

    One technique used a lot in Othello is foreshadowing.  It keeps the play moving along and gives you more to think about and question.  I think foreshadowing makes you look at the possibilities for the future events in the book and stops you from just waiting to read and be told what happens.  Secondly, the word choice and sentence structure obviously plays a big part in the play.  Although this may have been how they spoke back then, when we read it now it gives the reader a lot more to think about.  If you translate the text to modern day English you already have a deeper understanding of the content of the story.  I feel like the play on words is used very frequently which gives much of what the characters say multiple meanings.  Also, irony is used, especially dramatic irony.  With all the different scenes, often times the reader knows something that the characters don't which causes suspense to see how the events are going to play out.  This keeps the play interesting.

Comment:
winden said...

I agree with the connection you made to Lord of the Flies and how the animals show humans' connection to feral instincts. It's a really good point.

December 14, 2010 9:25 PM

Othello Journal 4

OTHELLO

"Ay, let her rot and perish and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone. I strike it and it hurts my hand. Oh, the world hath not a sweeter creature, she might lie by an emperor’s side and command him tasks" (4.1.184-88).

 

    Shakespeare uses Othello's internal conflict to foreshadow future events in the play.  The tone is very powerful when he says "rot," "perish," "damned," "stone," "sweeter creature," and "emperor's."  Between the third and fourth sentence there is a shift in Othello's tone in which he changes from anger to thinking about how sweet of a person he thought Desdemona was.  In this scene he mentions how she won't live much longer.  This is completely contrasted from earlier in the play when he spoke with Iago about needing proof after suspicion, and then he would still keep his emotions in check.  Othello has become vengeful and frightening which shows how jealousy can make a person become violent and volatile.  He uses a metaphor when Othello says "my heart is turned to stone," which represents the transformation, and the image is expanded upon when Othellos says he can "strike it and it hurts [his] hand."  The contrast in this passage serves as a short reminder of how calm and collected Othello used to be, and how much he loved his wife.  He goes to say how sweet Desdemona is and that alone is powerful enough to allow her to control another person.

 

Comment:

 

winden said...

I agree! A person's actions speak louder than words. This also shows how well Iago's plan is working, because the lies Iago has told Othello are not only changing Othello's thoughts but his actions as well. He is a completely different person.

December 13, 2010 7:14 PM

Othello Journal 4

Othello:
"This fellow's of exceeding honesty, and knows all qualities, with a learned spirit, of human dealings" (3.3.274-76).
"Oh, that the slave had forty thousand lives!  One is too poor, too weak for my revenge" (3.3.457-8).
     The actor I would pick for Othello would be tall and strong with a good smile and a happy face.  This would show his authority and power as well as his social side and his trust for others.  However, halfway through, the actor must be able to make a transformation into an extremely jealous, angry man that won't let anyone get in his way.

Iago:
"I do hate him as I do hell pains" (1.1.158).
"For Michael Cassio, I dare be sworn I think that he is honest" (3.3.137-8).
     The actor for Iago would be a little shorter and very thin and pale with longer black hair.  He would have to be sneaky and smooth in order to pull off Iago's character.  Iago is great at lying, pretending to be someone completely different than he is, and hiding his strong feelings.  He is able to fool everyone else around him.

Desdemona:
"If I do vow a friendship I'll perform it to the last article.  My lord shall never rest" (3.3.21-22).
"Believe me, I had rather have lost my purse full of crusadoes; and but my noble Moor is true of mind and made of no such baseness as jealous creatures are, it were enough to put him to ill thinking" (3.4.25-29).
    Desdemona would be fair-skinned and have easily read emotions.  The actress would have to act passionately and show Desdemona's strong feelings for justice.  She is very loyal to her friends and people she believes in.  When she starts to be accused and have Othello turn against her, I assume she would act desperate and very hurt and confused by the falseness of the accusations.

Emilia:
"What he will do with it heaven knows, not I; I nothing but to please his fantasy" (3.3.313-15).
"If it be not for somce purpose of import, give't me again.  Poor lady, she'll run mad when she shall lack it" (3.3.332-34).
    Emilia only wants to please her husband, Iago, but she is also kind and dutiful and doesn't want to do anyone any harm.  I think she is unaware of Iago's true character and feelings and would be greatly horrified by it all.  Emilia is innocent and unobserving.  I see the actress being plain and maybe shorter and more plump.  She would have to be unaware of all the scheming around her. 

Comment:
I agree that the actress you picked looks like she could be desperate and would do anything for Iago. However, I think another side to Emilia is that she is unsuspecting and doesn't know the trouble that Iago is making for Desdemona.

December 12, 2010 8:25 AM

Othello Journal 3

     Desdemona seems kind and likeable as well as slightly outspoken.  She freely talks to Cassio and Iago.  I think Iago is completely rude and disgusting and will do anything to get his way.  He uses Roderigo and doesn't care about anyone else.  Othello is truly in love with Desdemona and I am not looking forward to the conflict that Iago is trying to start.  I am surprised that he thinks that Desdemona likes Cassio and I wonder if Iago truly thinks that Desdemona will tire of Othello so quickly.  Iago is made even more angry by the rumor that Othello slept with his wife but Iago must not care much about the feelings of his own wife when he says that he wants to get even with Othello "wife to wife."

Othello Journal 2

The Moors
     The word Moor is derived from "mauros," which is a Greek adjective that means dark or black.  The Moors were generally known to live in the Sahara along popular trading routes.  A Moorish general named Tarik-bin-ziad was asked by the Greeks to move his people north into the Iberian Peninsula and to defeat the Visigoth King Roderick of Spain.  The Moorish army eventually gained control of Spain and remained in Europe as rulers of several kingdoms and were involved in several wars throughout the centuries.  Moorish rule ended around 1479.  These people were also very religious; however, the Europeans tried to convert them from Muslims to Christians.

Comments:

winden said...

A seizure a day is a lot. I think it is interesting how people with epilepsy were thought to be "plagued by demons and Satan" and the Moorish people were also very superstitious. I wonder if epilepsy commonly affected their society and if epilepsy will be brought up later in Othello.

December 7, 2010 5:41 PM

winden said...

What is Venice like today compared to then? Are there still music centers?

December 7, 2010 9:07 PM

winden said...

The turkish people sound like they were very powerful and caused a lot of conflict. I think the conflict between the turks and cyprus is just coming up in Act one scene three of Othello.

December 7, 2010 9:12 PM

winden said...

 

I wonder if the Turkish people are as defensive as their government and always ready for attack?

December 7, 2010 9:15 PM

Othello Journal 1

    My strategy for reading the first scene in Othello was to begin by reading the list of characters at the beginning of the book.  Then I went through and read the vocab and explanation of phrases on the left page before I actually read the script on the right-side page.  After I finished the scene, I went back through to reread it and clarify anything I didn't understand.  I also tabbed the second time through.  The scene was a little confusing but I think the play will be much easier to read, once we have had practice on the first few scenes.  I like how it started off right away with the discussion between Iago and Roderigo.  Iago seems like a very complex, passionate character and I'm interested to see how the conflict will develop between all the characters.  Brabantio seems very worried about his daughter, but he also seems like he could be very controlling and demanding. 

The Piano Lesson Journal 8

In Act Two Scene Two, August Wilson uses internal conflict to convey that people must maintain a balance between learning from and accepting the past and moving on to live in the present, in order to be content.  At this point in the play, Berniece has been arguing with Boy Willie about the piano and dealing with Sutter’s ghost.  Avery has come to tell her about his progress in getting a church as well as to making another marriage proposal.  Berniece becomes angry when Avery pushes the subject and after arguing says “Everybody telling me I can’t be a woman unless I got a man,” so Avery asks how long she is going to cling to the memory of Crawley (67).  Here Berniece has plenty going on in her life; her past is coming back to haunt her with Boy Willie trying to take the piano, and a flood of bitter memories about Crawley’s death that she has never accepted or even confronted.  Berniece does not feel sure of herself when everyone in her family thinks she should get married.  She is fighting to be strong as an individual and not make the statement, that she “can’t be a woman unless [she] got a man,” a reality.  On the other hand, Berniece is afraid to start another relationship in her life for fear that she will lose her connection with Crawley, therefore losing her link with her past.  The past is a certain, without any surprises, and Berniece fears taking an unknown step into the future.