Othello AO5 - Critical Analysis for All Scenes with Production Interpretations. Flashcards
In Act 1, Scene 1, in the scene where Iago and Roderigo call out Brabantio to warn him of his daughter’s relationship with Othello, where are Roderigo and Brabantio scene in comparison to Iago?
(And whose production was it?)
Roderigo and Brabantio are seen in centre stage, whereas Iago is seen lurking in the shadows at the corner of the stage.
This is emblematic of Iago’s manipulative nature, and the shadows conceal his two-faced nature.
This was in Richard Twyman’s production.
What was the advice of Edwin Booth regarding the actors playing Iago?
Many commentators and theatrical directors agree with the advice of Edwin Booth, who insisted that actors playing Iago should “not sneer or glower” and suggested that “the light comedian, not the heavy man” should play the part.
What was Harold Bloom’s comment on Othello’s, ‘Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them’?
And what do some productions do when presenting this scene?
Critic Harold Bloom commented that this was a “massive and menacingly monosyllabic line.”
The shortness of the words gives the line a sense of forcefulness.
In some productions, Othello is unarmed and surprisingly calm in the face of many raised swords. Othello’s peaceful and civilised actions again contrast with the barbaric depiction of him in Act 1 Scene 1.
How is the line ‘I won his daughter’ in Act 1, Scene 3 viewed by critics?
Possessive towards Desdemona, “I won his daughter”.
CRITIC C.PHILIPS explains that “Othello’s love is a love of possession She is a prize, a spoil of war.”
How is Othello seen by critics as being?
(In reference to all of Shakespeare’s heroes).
Many critics see Othello as Shakespeare’s most ‘poetic’ hero, a fitting judgement given the fact that we focus on the protagonist’s experiences of love in this play.
When Othello says ‘this is the only witchcraft I have used’, what producer makes him act in a certain way and what does this do?
In Richard Twyman’s production of “Othello” the actor of Othello speaks into a microphone when he says “this is the only witchcraft i have used” to emphatically assert his confidence and further his argument that if there is any truth to Brabantio’s accusation that Othello “enchanted” his daughter, this enchantment was achieved through the decidedly civil art of rhetoric as opposed to sinister magic.
What direction is taken when Brabantio embraces Desdemona?
(And by who?)
● In Richard Twyman’s production, Brabantio embraces Desdemona when he says “I am glad at soul I have no other child”, holding her head with his hands in an affectionate manner.
What does Brabantio do in Richard Twyman’s production when he says ‘for thy escape would teach me tyranny’.
When he says “for thy escape would teach me tyranny”, the static music in the background harshly cuts through the ambience, the intensity in his voice increases, becoming harsher as he grips the sides of Desdemona’s head violently.
What does Richard Twyman direct of Othello and Desdemona when he says the words “My Desdemona”.
In Richard Twyman’s production of “Othello” the director also chose to include here a heartwarming moment when Desdemona starts tickling Othello, with him laughing and reciprocating her playfulness.
How are Iago and Othello casted in the 2015 Production of Othello and by who?
(Analyse).
Iqbal Khan’s 2015 Production of Othello, Khan casts a black actor for both Iago and Othello.
Interestingly Iago manipulates racial prejudices to hasten Othello’s downfall, evident when he (a black man) calls another black man a “moor” with “thick lips”.
Iago’s own disdain for his manipulation of racial prejudice is evident, as conveyed by his poignant rendition of a Zimbabwean folk song in Act 2 scene 3.
This emphasises Iago’s dangerous nature as a villain, as he is willing to sleight (disrespect) his own racial identity to corrupt the status of Othello, his rival.
Alternatively, his outfit in the production it is very put together, he’s wearing a soldier’s uniform which puts emphasis on masculine honour.
What do critics say about Iago as a source of humour?
Critic E.A.J Honigmann comments about Iago as a source of humour in the play. He says that Iago “either intends to give pain or basking in his sense of his own superiority… very rarely is it as his own expense”.
Honnigman notes that in Act 2 Sc. 1 “we see Iago at his most playful”, however, we also see the darker side of Iago here.
Honnigman adds, “The impression that he simply enjoys himself, having fun and being sociable is overshadowed by our awareness that he ‘crowds’ his companions, and then suddenly cancelled when he reveals in his soliloquy that he hates the social games he took part in.”
Which critic comments on Othello in regard to medieval ideals and what does he say?
Critic Nicholas March highlights how Othello ‘often conjures the magnificence of a traditional, military order and medieval ideals, such as honour. His love for Desdemona has strong overtones of medieval courtly love where the woman’s purity is worshipped and idolized.’
What sonnet by Shakespeare juxtaposes Othello’s hyperbolised and idealisation of Desdemona?
(O, my fair warrior).
(My dear Othello).
● In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, he mocks the infatuation and romanticism of women to show the reality of love.
This juxtaposes Othello’s hyperbolised and over the top idealisation of Desdemona where he Othello is the thing that Shakespeare abhors, making his character full of irony where Othello’s hubris in his love for Desdemona becomes painfully obvious to the audience.
What do critics say regarding Othello’s opinion of Iago?
(Iago is most honest).
● Critic A.C Bradley comments that Othello’s “opinion of Iago was the opinion of practically everyone who knew him: and that opinion was that Iago was before all things honest”.
What is used within the 1995 film adaptation when Iago says ‘Divinity of Hell!’ in Act 2, Scene 3?
In Olivia Parker’s 1995 film adaptation of Othello, she employs visual imagery to explicitly link Iago to the devil. In the film Iago has his hands covered in soot in this scene and he is also seen against a dark background with a fire burning nearby.
