Monday, 14 March 2016
Cast Iago
Thursday, 10 March 2016
Othello act 2 scene 3 questions
1) Iago switches from verse to prose when he speaks with Cassio, and Cassio follows. What does this indicate about the exchange? What might it indicate about Cassio? AO2 LFS
When speaking normally in a social situation with Cassio, he speaks in verse. However we notice that when Iago is manipulating Cassio, he actually talks in prose and Cassio does the same because he is quite naive and is actually quite blind to what Iago is doing. It suggests that the exchange is very much dominated by Iago because he is the only one, apart from the audience, that really knows what is going on.
2) What language does Cassio use when speaking about Desdemona? How does it compare to the language Iago uses to sexualise her? Why do you think Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way to Cassio? (lines 15-25) AO2 LF
When Desdemona and Othello leave, Iago changes the topic to be about Desdemona on purpose in order to manipulate him. Yet they both agree that Desdemona is beautiful, when Iago starts describing her to be promiscuous and wanting attention off other men by exclaiming 'what an eye she has', Cassio disagrees and believes that she is just 'modest'. I think that Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way because he is trying to manipulate Cassio into believing Desdemona is something she isn't in order to keep his plans alive.
3) How does Iago persuade Cassio to drink? Use your close reading skills to analyse the language he uses. (note how 'but' is used as an adjective here) AO2 LFS
Iago is persuading Cassio to drink by making him feel bad about not being courteous to the rest of the people, in other words Iago is using Cassio's personality in order to get him to drink so he can use the anger he gets from drinking alcohol to cause a scene. Iago believes making him look unprofessional in front of Othello will mean his lieutenant position will be stripped of. He is trying to make it seem like its not a lot of alcohol by describing it as 'but one cup' to persuade him that he won't get drunk.
4) Why does Iago try to subvert the social order and bring others down to his level, rather than try to climb up the ladder and raise himself up? Consider ideas about social order at the time AO3, context.
During the 17th century, society was fixed and social mobility was basically unheard of which is probably why Iago thought it fitting that he not try climb up past Cassio on the social ladder, but bring them down so he has the advantage to move past them. Especially if you were lower in society, like Iago because he is an ancient, it was difficult to move past someone like Cassio who is higher up in society because he is lieutenant. He uses the art of persuasion and manipulation to cause problems between those around him in order to further his own agenda.
5) Othello says "My blood begins my safer guides to rule/And passion, having my best judgement collied/Assays to lead the way" (lines 201-203) What does this quotation reveal about the effects of Iago's knavery in this scene?
This quotation reveals that Iago's knavery does have a big impact because even act 1 scene 2 when Brabantio was accusing Othello of stealing Desdemona away from him, he kept calm and spoke in reason. However, now Iago has caused all these problems and no one really knows who started what he is getting angry, and by Shakespeare writing Othello to be behaving like this he is subjecting Othello to the racial stereotype of being uncontrollable.
BIG QUESTION:
Why is this scene important in relation to the play as a whole?
Consider:
-How Iago is presented
-What happens in the scene
-What this scene indicates about key characters
In act 2 scene 3, Iago is presented as extremely manipulative as he causes pretty much all the problems that come about in this scene through his planning and scheming. He targets Cassio in particular because as a character, he is weak. His personality holds him back from seeing the wrong in anybody which is why, on the most part, he is unbeknownst to Iago's misdoings. In this scene in particular, Shakespeare is sticking to racial stereotypes as he presents Othello as quick to anger and short-tempered. This scene indicates that Iago is ingenious in his efforts to manipulate others because of the way Othello was portrayed earlier in the play. If we look at act 1 scene 2 we can see that although Brabantio was quick to accuse Othello as being a 'theif' regarding his daughter Desdemona, Othello was always calm. However if we look back at the way Othello is presented by Shakespeare in act 2 scene 3, we can see that he starts to lose his temper from where his 'blood begins my safer guides to rule', which supports the above statement about Iago.
When speaking normally in a social situation with Cassio, he speaks in verse. However we notice that when Iago is manipulating Cassio, he actually talks in prose and Cassio does the same because he is quite naive and is actually quite blind to what Iago is doing. It suggests that the exchange is very much dominated by Iago because he is the only one, apart from the audience, that really knows what is going on.
2) What language does Cassio use when speaking about Desdemona? How does it compare to the language Iago uses to sexualise her? Why do you think Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way to Cassio? (lines 15-25) AO2 LF
When Desdemona and Othello leave, Iago changes the topic to be about Desdemona on purpose in order to manipulate him. Yet they both agree that Desdemona is beautiful, when Iago starts describing her to be promiscuous and wanting attention off other men by exclaiming 'what an eye she has', Cassio disagrees and believes that she is just 'modest'. I think that Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way because he is trying to manipulate Cassio into believing Desdemona is something she isn't in order to keep his plans alive.
3) How does Iago persuade Cassio to drink? Use your close reading skills to analyse the language he uses. (note how 'but' is used as an adjective here) AO2 LFS
Iago is persuading Cassio to drink by making him feel bad about not being courteous to the rest of the people, in other words Iago is using Cassio's personality in order to get him to drink so he can use the anger he gets from drinking alcohol to cause a scene. Iago believes making him look unprofessional in front of Othello will mean his lieutenant position will be stripped of. He is trying to make it seem like its not a lot of alcohol by describing it as 'but one cup' to persuade him that he won't get drunk.
4) Why does Iago try to subvert the social order and bring others down to his level, rather than try to climb up the ladder and raise himself up? Consider ideas about social order at the time AO3, context.
During the 17th century, society was fixed and social mobility was basically unheard of which is probably why Iago thought it fitting that he not try climb up past Cassio on the social ladder, but bring them down so he has the advantage to move past them. Especially if you were lower in society, like Iago because he is an ancient, it was difficult to move past someone like Cassio who is higher up in society because he is lieutenant. He uses the art of persuasion and manipulation to cause problems between those around him in order to further his own agenda.
5) Othello says "My blood begins my safer guides to rule/And passion, having my best judgement collied/Assays to lead the way" (lines 201-203) What does this quotation reveal about the effects of Iago's knavery in this scene?
This quotation reveals that Iago's knavery does have a big impact because even act 1 scene 2 when Brabantio was accusing Othello of stealing Desdemona away from him, he kept calm and spoke in reason. However, now Iago has caused all these problems and no one really knows who started what he is getting angry, and by Shakespeare writing Othello to be behaving like this he is subjecting Othello to the racial stereotype of being uncontrollable.
BIG QUESTION:
Why is this scene important in relation to the play as a whole?
Consider:
-How Iago is presented
-What happens in the scene
-What this scene indicates about key characters
In act 2 scene 3, Iago is presented as extremely manipulative as he causes pretty much all the problems that come about in this scene through his planning and scheming. He targets Cassio in particular because as a character, he is weak. His personality holds him back from seeing the wrong in anybody which is why, on the most part, he is unbeknownst to Iago's misdoings. In this scene in particular, Shakespeare is sticking to racial stereotypes as he presents Othello as quick to anger and short-tempered. This scene indicates that Iago is ingenious in his efforts to manipulate others because of the way Othello was portrayed earlier in the play. If we look at act 1 scene 2 we can see that although Brabantio was quick to accuse Othello as being a 'theif' regarding his daughter Desdemona, Othello was always calm. However if we look back at the way Othello is presented by Shakespeare in act 2 scene 3, we can see that he starts to lose his temper from where his 'blood begins my safer guides to rule', which supports the above statement about Iago.
Thursday, 3 March 2016
Act 2 scene 1 questions
1. Re-read act 2 scene 1 lines 95-100. What sort of person is Cassio?
From the fact that Cassio kisses Emilia on her arrival, we know that he is a very welcoming and complimentary person. He tells us that it his 'breeding that gives me this bold show of courtesy' which presents the idea that his upbringing has caused him to be like this. This idea is reinforced by the fact that he describes the women in the play in very flattering ways. An example of this is he refers to Othello's wife as 'divine Desdemona' which also suggests that he idolizes her.
2. How does Iago plan to use Cassio’s character traits to usurp and ensnare both Cassio and Othello? (Lines 167-176 will help.)
Iago plans to use Cassio's warm and welcoming manor to 'strip you out of your lietuenantry' as everyone is known to this behaviour of Cassio, he believes it will be easy to convince Othello of the false betrayal of Desdemona. Because he doesn't respect Othello, he wants to get rid of both Cassio and Othello because he believes his 'seat' has been taken, i.e. Othello has taken his place. Iago is horrified by the fact that he is under the order of a 'moor' because it was unusual for white people to be taking orders from anyway, especially a black man.
3. What does Iago tell Roderigo to do, and why does Iago say it will help Roderigo to win Desdemona’s heart? (Lines 249-278 will help you with this question.)
Iago tells Roderigo to anger Cassio by 'tainting his discipline' because he's 'very sudden in choler', this portrays the idea that Iago wants Roderigo to get Cassio angry in order to get him out the way and therefore further Iago's agenda instead of helping out Roderigo. However, Iago convinces Roderigo that it will help him in his quest for Desdemona's heart because if Cassio is out of the way, then it will enable Roderigo to replace him and therefore gain his 'desires'.
From the fact that Cassio kisses Emilia on her arrival, we know that he is a very welcoming and complimentary person. He tells us that it his 'breeding that gives me this bold show of courtesy' which presents the idea that his upbringing has caused him to be like this. This idea is reinforced by the fact that he describes the women in the play in very flattering ways. An example of this is he refers to Othello's wife as 'divine Desdemona' which also suggests that he idolizes her.
2. How does Iago plan to use Cassio’s character traits to usurp and ensnare both Cassio and Othello? (Lines 167-176 will help.)
Iago plans to use Cassio's warm and welcoming manor to 'strip you out of your lietuenantry' as everyone is known to this behaviour of Cassio, he believes it will be easy to convince Othello of the false betrayal of Desdemona. Because he doesn't respect Othello, he wants to get rid of both Cassio and Othello because he believes his 'seat' has been taken, i.e. Othello has taken his place. Iago is horrified by the fact that he is under the order of a 'moor' because it was unusual for white people to be taking orders from anyway, especially a black man.
3. What does Iago tell Roderigo to do, and why does Iago say it will help Roderigo to win Desdemona’s heart? (Lines 249-278 will help you with this question.)
Iago tells Roderigo to anger Cassio by 'tainting his discipline' because he's 'very sudden in choler', this portrays the idea that Iago wants Roderigo to get Cassio angry in order to get him out the way and therefore further Iago's agenda instead of helping out Roderigo. However, Iago convinces Roderigo that it will help him in his quest for Desdemona's heart because if Cassio is out of the way, then it will enable Roderigo to replace him and therefore gain his 'desires'.
4. What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in Act 2? What is the effect of having him share his thoughts and plans with us through his soliloquies? Pay attention to the language used in Iago's soliloquies. What sorts of descriptive language does he use? How does it contribute to the picture of Iago that Shakespeare is drawing?
Nearer the start of act 2 we learn that Iago is actually quite sexist towards women as he reads out a list of stereotypes such as 'wild-cats in the kitchen' perpetuating the stereotype of women's main area in life is in the domestic sphere. He is also quite rude about his wife because he talks about her 'tongue oft bestows on me' which is about her always nagging at him, again using a stereotype of women always moaning about what the men are doing. The affect of using soliloquies to share his plans is that it tells us of his inner-most thoughts helping the audience gain a deeper understanding of the play.
Nearer the start of act 2 we learn that Iago is actually quite sexist towards women as he reads out a list of stereotypes such as 'wild-cats in the kitchen' perpetuating the stereotype of women's main area in life is in the domestic sphere. He is also quite rude about his wife because he talks about her 'tongue oft bestows on me' which is about her always nagging at him, again using a stereotype of women always moaning about what the men are doing. The affect of using soliloquies to share his plans is that it tells us of his inner-most thoughts helping the audience gain a deeper understanding of the play.
Thursday, 25 February 2016
Othello act 1 scene 3 questions
What do we learn about views towards foreigners/moors?
Before Brabantio enters in act 1 scene 3, Othello is described as the 'valiant moor' which although could be seen as negative because he is known for being black, it can be seen as positive because although he is black and a lot of Venetian people tended to be quite racist, as displayed by Brabantio, the word "valiant" shows they respect him. However when Brabantio enters, we learn that he has quite a negative attitude towards the moor when he accuses Othello as using "spells and medicines" to trick his daughter into marrying her because she would never "fall in love with what she feared to look on", this is playing to the stereotype of black people being a mystical negro and therefore shows a very negative view on foreigners. Throughout the rest of the discussion about whether Desdemona was tricked into marrying Othello, we notice that no other person in a position of power is intentionally negative about Othello, portraying that on the whole he is viewed in a positive way for being a moor in the 17th century.
What is ironic about Othello's claim that "rude am i in my speech"?
The fact that Othello is implying that he is unskilled in the art of speech is indeed ironic due to the fact that he actually won Desdemona over through the stories he told her about his life. He must be good at telling stories based on the very fact that he actually brought Desdemona to tears through the telling of his "travailous history". It is also ironic that although Brabantio is accusing Othello of stealing Desdemona from him, he is the reason why they even know each other in the first place. We are known to this because Othello mentions that he "questioned me the story of my life" therefore implying that he spent a lot of time round their house, with Desdemona. This also portrays that they're again playing down to black stereotypes, in this case the moor being an object of curiosity.
What is startling about Othello's decision to let Desdemona speak on his behalf?
As we know, people of the 17th century were unbeknownst to the black community as a whole as many of them weren't around. Therefore it is completely startling that Othello would place his life in the hands of a white woman of status because she absolutely had more power over him, despite being a woman in a patriarchal society, and could've convinced them that Othello had indeed snatched her and "stolen" her from her father.
Using the thinking question above, what 'stories' does Othello tell in his speech to the senate?
Othello shares of the experiences he has lived through such as being "sold to slavery" when he was fighting in earlier battles. By sharing these stories of his exciting life, he is placing himself in the stereotype of an object of curiosity. All of his stories portrays that he believes the false ideology of what it means to be a good soldier, i.e. valiant and brave. He tells these stories with the knowledge that this will make him look more innocent as he is playing into their stereotypical thoughts of him. As well as doing this, he is acknowledging his tragic flaw without even realizing.
Before Brabantio enters in act 1 scene 3, Othello is described as the 'valiant moor' which although could be seen as negative because he is known for being black, it can be seen as positive because although he is black and a lot of Venetian people tended to be quite racist, as displayed by Brabantio, the word "valiant" shows they respect him. However when Brabantio enters, we learn that he has quite a negative attitude towards the moor when he accuses Othello as using "spells and medicines" to trick his daughter into marrying her because she would never "fall in love with what she feared to look on", this is playing to the stereotype of black people being a mystical negro and therefore shows a very negative view on foreigners. Throughout the rest of the discussion about whether Desdemona was tricked into marrying Othello, we notice that no other person in a position of power is intentionally negative about Othello, portraying that on the whole he is viewed in a positive way for being a moor in the 17th century.
What is ironic about Othello's claim that "rude am i in my speech"?
The fact that Othello is implying that he is unskilled in the art of speech is indeed ironic due to the fact that he actually won Desdemona over through the stories he told her about his life. He must be good at telling stories based on the very fact that he actually brought Desdemona to tears through the telling of his "travailous history". It is also ironic that although Brabantio is accusing Othello of stealing Desdemona from him, he is the reason why they even know each other in the first place. We are known to this because Othello mentions that he "questioned me the story of my life" therefore implying that he spent a lot of time round their house, with Desdemona. This also portrays that they're again playing down to black stereotypes, in this case the moor being an object of curiosity.
What is startling about Othello's decision to let Desdemona speak on his behalf?
As we know, people of the 17th century were unbeknownst to the black community as a whole as many of them weren't around. Therefore it is completely startling that Othello would place his life in the hands of a white woman of status because she absolutely had more power over him, despite being a woman in a patriarchal society, and could've convinced them that Othello had indeed snatched her and "stolen" her from her father.
Using the thinking question above, what 'stories' does Othello tell in his speech to the senate?
Othello shares of the experiences he has lived through such as being "sold to slavery" when he was fighting in earlier battles. By sharing these stories of his exciting life, he is placing himself in the stereotype of an object of curiosity. All of his stories portrays that he believes the false ideology of what it means to be a good soldier, i.e. valiant and brave. He tells these stories with the knowledge that this will make him look more innocent as he is playing into their stereotypical thoughts of him. As well as doing this, he is acknowledging his tragic flaw without even realizing.
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Final essay question
Question 1) "Angela Carter does not only suggest the deconstruction and redefinition of femininity but also masculinity"
Using ideas from the critical anthology to what extent does Carters 'The Bloody Chamber' agree with this?
Using ideas from the critical anthology to what extent does Carters 'The Bloody Chamber' agree with this?
Gothic elements and features of 'The Tigers Bride', 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' and 'The Erl King'
Elements of a gothic novel
- One element of a Gothic novel is the setting of an isolated castle. An example of this in The Bloody Chamber is in The Courtship of Mr Lyon, however in a different way. At the start of the short story, the lions 'perfect palladian house' is spotless and filled with treasures. Whereas, further on in the story Beauty forgets about the lion and when she returns to his home, the door opens into 'perfect darkness', which reflects on the idea of isolation because no one else is around and the space is unaware of Beauty's return. Furthermore, Carter emphasizes the ruin of his home when she describes the 'arabesque of cobwebs'. This portrays the loneliness that he has been subjected to by the isolation of his home.
- Another element of a Gothic novel is one where the plot of the story blurs fantasy and reality. This idea can be seen throughout The Courtship of Mr Lyon and The Tigers Bride as the main male characters are both hybrids of male and creature. The stories are of course an alternative to the typical 'fairy tale' therefore what would one of her stories be without a fantasy element?
- One of the main aspects of the plot running throughout The Erl King is entrapment. In the sense that the main male character, the Erl king, 'keeps the sweetest singers in cages' referring to the birds in the forest. Although, further on in the novel the female protagonist realizes that the birds are not actually birds, but were once girls like her.
- In Gothic novels, men are usually in a position of power, and this is seen in all 3 of the short stories. In both The Tigers Bride and The Courtship of Mr Lyon the male characters, or 'beasts', both are suggested to be high up in authority as their houses are described as substantially big and isolated from the rest of society. In The Courtship of Mr Lyon, this is emphasized as every character in the story refers to the beast as 'master'. Similarly in The Tigers Bride, the female protagonist is surrounded by staff that the Beast employs, such as his 'valet'. This suggests wealth and class. Unlike in these 2 stories however, in The Erl King, the male character actually has a named title and actually has real obvious power over many things, i.e. the forest.
- Women are written to be victims, or some sort of subordinate to the male characters in many of Carters short stories. In The Erl King, the female protagonist is a victim of his eyes which are described as a 'black vortex' which suggests entrapment. In The Tigers Bride, she is a victim of her fathers mistreatment of her as he treats her as a possession, something to be 'lost' in a game. Similarly, in The Courtship of Mr Lyon, she finds his difference to her 'intolerable' which suggests that she is uncomfortable by his presence and almost victimised by the fact his physical presence is inhumane. Whereas, nearer the end of the story beauty forgets about the beast and becomes 'mysteriously joyful' to return to him and when she does return, she realizes her undying love for him.
- Fear is a prominent theme running throughout Gothic novels and this is emphasized in Carters The Bloody Chamber, in particular in The Courtship of Mr Lyon. Despite the fact that she soon realizes her love for him, at the start she still 'shudders' at his touch which suggests that she in fact is fearful of him because he is different to her, because he is not human but beast.
Thursday, 3 December 2015
The Snow Child questions
1) In what ways does the tale allude to other stories or fairy tales?
The snow child contains one of the main elements of a fairy tale, an evil matriarch. In the story the count wishes for a child with "white skin, red mouth, black hair" which relates to the very famous tale of Snow white. These particular features are seen as ideal in this time period and this angers the countess. Additionally, as in other fairy tales, women are seen as an object of affection, nothing more than something that is pleasant for the eye. Both females in this short story experience and understand the "bite" which unites them in the way that they have both suffered from male dominance and violence.
2) How does this story link to other stories in The Bloody Chamber collection?
Carters 'The snow child' also relates to 'The bloody chamber' in the way that Carter has used her body as a symbol for this. She is given no voice and is there as an object of violence and sexual desire. She is seen to be suffering to the subjugation of men through not being given a voice and seen to be powerless after she dies and he "thrusts his virile member into the dead girl". Therefore, as well as being influenced by other existing fairy tales, she is also being influenced by her own writing. This story also links to 'The tigers bride' in the sense that both female protagonists are objectified and controlled by men. This is suggested when Beauty's father "loses me to the beast at cards", similarly in the snow child when he "wishes" for a girl to appear.
3) The girl melts at the end. Why do you think this is the case? What do you think Carter is trying to communicate?
In this story, the girl exists on account of being wished to be alive, i think she melts at the end to present the lack of control she possesses with the count. Furthermore, i also believe that Carter writes her to melt at the end of their sexual experience because he has no use for her anymore, and this results in a reinforced ideology of patriarchy.
4) What do you think it means when the Countess says "It bites!" at the end? What is "it"?
At the end of The Snow Child, the rose is returned to the countess and she says "it bites!". On the one hand, Carter could be showing the countess in a position of power as the phrase could refer to the idea that she is rejecting the rose from him and therefore transcending the stereotypical gender roles, however on the other hand Carter could be suggesting that she too is understanding and being on the receiving end of the patriarchy and the oppressiveness of the count.
In this story, the girl exists on account of being wished to be alive, i think she melts at the end to present the lack of control she possesses with the count. Furthermore, i also believe that Carter writes her to melt at the end of their sexual experience because he has no use for her anymore, and this results in a reinforced ideology of patriarchy.
4) What do you think it means when the Countess says "It bites!" at the end? What is "it"?
At the end of The Snow Child, the rose is returned to the countess and she says "it bites!". On the one hand, Carter could be showing the countess in a position of power as the phrase could refer to the idea that she is rejecting the rose from him and therefore transcending the stereotypical gender roles, however on the other hand Carter could be suggesting that she too is understanding and being on the receiving end of the patriarchy and the oppressiveness of the count.
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