Act I Act I Scene I Summary Roderigo amp Iago are going to tell Barbanzio that his daughter Desdemona married Othello Rodrigo is angry with Iago because he has been paying him to help secure Desdemonas hand in marriage ID: 439894
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Slide1
OthelloSlide2
Act ISlide3
Act I, Scene I
Summary:
Roderigo & Iago are going to tell
Barbanzio
that his daughter – Desdemona – married Othello.
Rodrigo is angry with Iago because he has been paying him to help secure Desdemona’s hand in marriage.
Iago ensures him he despises Othello.Slide4
Summary
Iago (very vulgarly) tells
Barbanzio
that
Otello
has married his daughter. Saying they are making ‘the beast with two backs’ (
I.i
. 118).
Iago hides and so neither Othello nor
Barbanzio
know he was involved. Slide5
Importance of Anonymity
Shakespeare withholds Othello and Desdemona’s names.
We are introduced to Othello through the slurs of a disgruntled employee & Desdemona is referred to as her father’s possession by Iago. Slide6
Appearance Vs. Reality
Appearance:
Othello – A Moor.
In Venetian Society ‘makes him no better than a beast.’
Reality:
An accomplished General and war hero. Slide7
Appearance Vs. Reality
Appearance:
Desdemona – An unwed woman.
In Venetian society ‘she is merely an extension of her father’s property.
Reality:
‘The virtuous daughter of a Venetian senator.’ Slide8
Appearance Vs. Reality
In Act I, Scene 3 (when they speak), we learn the reality of them as characters. Slide9
Iago & Roderigo
We learn instantly that the relationship was strictly financial & rather strange.
Iago is a man ‘who has had [his] purse/As if the strings were [his].’ (2-3)
The purpose of which being to help Roderigo win Desdemona’s heart.Slide10
Roderigo
A Pawn:
He is easily manipulated by Iago and Iago remains on the payroll.
In many ways he is merely a puppet.
His lack of concern when Iago
tells
him: ‘I am not what I am.’ (65). Show us not only that he is a poor judge of character but that he lacks intelligence.Slide11
Iago
A two-faced villain. Known in Shakespeare’s time as a ‘
Machiavel
’ after Machiavelli.
He is cunning and manipulative. We see this in the way that he uses Roderigo.
His lies and manipulation are clear from the beginning.
The way he speaks to
Barbantio
shows his wit and quickness of speech.Slide12
How does Iago manipulate Roderigo in this scene? Find details in the text.Slide13
Light & Darkness
First incident is here in the reference to Othello as ‘the old black ram’ as oppose to her as a ‘white ewe’.
The significance being light & dark, innocence & evil, purity and corruption. Slide14
Animalistic & Sexual Imagery
Othello as:
A
n ‘old, black ram’
A ‘Barbary horse’
Finishing finally in their union described as ‘the beast with two backs’. Slide15
‘Unauthorised’ Union
Roderigo describes their union as filled with ‘bold and saucy wrongs’ and as a ‘gross revolt’.
The fact that Desdemona would marry the husband of her choosing (as oppose to the one picked to for her) shows
Barbantio’s
lack of success as a father. Slide16
Othello: The Outsider
As a Moor he was not a good candidate for Desdemona (in her father’s eyes).
She has tied ‘her duty…of here and everywhere. (135-137). Slide17
Barbantio
Rails against his daughter and advises all fathers to beware of the deceitful nature of women (169-174).
ESSENTIAL FOR THE THEME OF APPEARANCE VS REALITY.Slide18
Barbantio
Not strong relationship with Desdemona – she snuck away and married without his knowledge.
Distaste for the ‘Moors’ – Racist views?
Despite not liking Roderigo as a husband for his daughter he mirrors him: Rich but not very bright.
He is initially sympathetic; however when we see how he views Desdemona (property that has been stolen) we loose all sympathy for him.Slide19
Act I
Scene IISlide20
Othello
We see him & hear him for the first time.
His confidence in how his past acts will protect him are clear (17-24). He doesn’t see himself as an outsider.
We see his clear love for Desdemona in lines (24-28) and indeed his bravery.
All of this shows us that he is not the character described to us earlier in any way!Slide21
Othello
Cassio’s
worries of war suggest Othello is preoccupied with personal affairs at this time.
Othello is civilised and refined in this scene – again in contrast to ‘the moor’ of scene I. He rejects the fight.
Could Shakespeare be comparing Othello to Christ?
Betrayed by a friend (Iago-Judas) who pretends to be on his side when the violence and torches ensue. (John
I8
: I-11).
However Christ is calm due to his acceptance of his state whereas Othello because of his own sense of authority. Slide22
Barbantio
Assumes Othello used magic to win his daughter. There are references to his ‘sooty bosom’ for example (62-81)
His moves and dependence on violence also paints him as being below Othello.
Sexism. He views his daughter as a possession. Calls Othello a ‘foul thief’ (62)
He is faced with a lifetime of shame due to Desdemona's marriage.
Sees himself as above Othello but his lack of knowledge of the duke’s actions shows this to be untrue. Slide23
Light and Darkness
Othello suggests that his purity (32) will show him his true gallant light.
Ironically considering his decent into darkness as the play progresses.Slide24
Iago
Comes across as loyal and steadfast once again.
(I, ii, 1-10).
Iago uses an economic reference to tell
Cassio
about the marriage suggesting Othello has ‘boarded a land
carack
’ suggesting his obsession with money.
He is clearly the most well-informed character ironically considering he is of the lowest position. Slide25
Othello
‘In the opening scenes of the play Shakespeare masterfully plays with appearance and reality in terms of the character of Othello.’ Discuss.Slide26
Act I, scene 3
Summary
The Duke discusses the imminent war with the Turks and the Cyprus invasion.
Barbantio
enters to protest his daughter’s marriage to Othello, claiming witchcraft is to blame.
Othello convinces the Duke and other’s that he loves Desdemona.
Desdemona supports Othello’s claims and love. Slide27
Act I, scene 3
Summary
Othello is sent to Cyprus to defend it from the Turks. Desdemona wishes to travel with him.
We see Rodrigo once again finding himself in Iago’s pocket.
Iago explains to the audience how he’ll attempt to rip apart Othello’s life. Slide28
Domestic Vs Political
The play is primarily concerned with domestic affairs:
Othello’s marriage.
Barbantio’s
hatred of the wedding.
Desdemona betraying her father. Slide29
Political sphere
Here we see the political sphere come into focus.
To what extent could the war be seen as a mirror image of the play’s domestic exploration?
Think about:
Covert tactics
Ambushes
Alliances. Slide30
Domestic & Political
Military
Struggle – could reflect Iago’s quest for revenge or
Barbantio’s
desire for justice.
Othello’s ignorance – how is an accomplished general unable to see a foe before him in the domestic sphere.
The Duke downplays it at the expense of the political
shere
. (227). This turns out to be very wrong. The war is uneventful, the marriage is not. Slide31
The Duke
He sees Othello as an important military man at this time. His greeting ‘Valiant Othello’ tells us this (48-49).
He sees
Barbantio
as less important and so his greeting is more of an afterthought (50).
He is clearly on Othello – the outsider’s – side.
Slide32
Barbantio
He’s portrayed as being impotent in the melodramatic way that he mourns his daughter’s marriage (59).
Desdemona is clearly a piece of property to him and witchcraft was the reason she was taken from him. Lines (60-64) are particularly telling of this.
Paints his daughter as passive and modest (94-98) – after he had already disowned her for the marriage!
He is a man clearly ruled by emotion – a female trait – instead of by reason – a exemplary male trait. Slide33
Play’s Theme: Justice
‘The Duke’s flip-flopping on helping
Barbantio
use ‘the bloody book of law’ (67) to supporting Othello shows how fickle justice can be’. Discuss. Slide34
Othello’s Speech
It’s the longest uninterrupted speech in the play showing its importance.
He quickly wins the crowd by appealing to their egos and emotions (76-94 & 128-170).
Can you find any examples of this in the speeches?Slide35
Othello’s Speech
Othello’s ‘rude…in my speech’ firstly sets up Othello as modest (81-82). However is also ironic in the fact that of all the men in the meeting he’s the most articulate.
Othello paints himself as a warrior…fighting from the age of seven until nine months before the scene is set.Slide36
Desdemona’s Speech
It is culturally very unusual that Desdemona speaks out like she does & that Othello asks her to.
Women that spoke out in Shakespeare's time were considered liars or shrewish and quarrelsome.
The fact that Othello called her gives us a clear sense of trust in the marriage.
Desdemona acts on her desires (marrying Othello). Slide37
Desdemona’s Speech
She is clearly strong and active, not weak and passive like women often were at the time.
This would have taken the audience back somewhat.
She is strong from the opening (181) and shows a real strength and rhetorical ability (a masculine trait).
We are supposed to empathise with her.
Her father’s suggestion of betrayal (292-293) will become very important in Acts IV & V.Slide38
Their Love
Is
D
esdemona more in love with his stories and places he’s been then the man that it’s made him?
Is Othello more interested in Desdemona’s pity & ego-stroking than anything else?
However, if not Othello then it’s likely that she’d be married off to a political ally. Slide39
Othello
The fact that he is willing to go to war hours after his marriage show both his country & his necessity to the war effort.
‘your son-in-law is far more fair then black’ (290).
What is the significance of this line to the character of
O
thello?Slide40
Iago & Roderigo
Roderigo is eager to drown himself for love.
Iago says he would prefer to be a baboon than want a woman’s love (314-316).
He cannot understand love and sees it as weakness. This contrasts greatly with Othello and suggests that Iago and not Othello is the base character.
Iago keeps changing his allegiances showing us very clearly that he’s not a man to be trusted. Slide41
Iago & Roderigo
We see after Roderigo leaves (385) that Iago often befriends a fool that he can use and manipulate.
Iago realises that Othello holds him in high esteem which he aims to use (392).
At the end of the act (405-406) it becomes clear that Iago happily allies himself with evil and ironically images of sorcery.
He aligns himself with evil and doesn’t care about the immorality of what he will do.