Othello Questions

Answer questions 1-3 and 5-6 of act IV and questions 1 and 4-6 of act V on
pgs. 1601-1602. 

Act IV:

Othello finds out that Cassio had apparently given the handkerchief that he had given to Desdemona to the prostitute Bianca. I think it is ironic and stupid that Bianca comes out of nowhere crying to Cassio about why he gave her that handkerchief. Like it can't not be ironic that she comes running right when Othello is hiding nearby. The reason that Othello wasn't moved by Desdemona's appeal is because Iago's accusations and the "proof" he brought stood stronger in Othello's mind than anything his wife could say. The conversation between Desdemona and Emilia shows us that Emilia believes that if she is cheated on then she will cheat back, but Desdemona believes that if she was cheated on then she would mend the issue. Desdemona says,"Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!" In act 4 the scene between Othello and Desdemona contains massive amounts of dramatic irony because the audience knows the truth of the situation, but neither Othello nor Desdemona know the truth that they are being played by Iago.

Act V:

To summarize the events of Iago's unmasking, Cassio kills Roderigo, Iago cuts open Cassio's leg, Othello murders Desdemona, Emilia finds out and then the truth is revealed about Iago. I believe the reason that Othello kills Desdemona is because he realizes that no one would want Othello. Thus he says only the whore of Venice would marry Othello. (something like that :P) His self-esteem and his trust is hurt. When Othello says "one that loved not wisely but too well" he realizes his own faults. He realizes the things that led to his downfall. I think that his speech in act 5 seems to restore his dignity and his nobility, at least in heart if not in deeds. I still think he was stupid to fall for Iago's tricks in not even checking things out for himself. He let his faults get to him and then suffered. So Cassio was right when he said that Othello was "great of heart." However it in no doubt that his heart was his death. Thus was the tragedy of Othello.

The Tragedy of Othello

This is a play written by Shakespeare. That's all that needs to be said. Good night..........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Nah, i'm just pulling your leg. The Tragedy of Othello is quite the interesting play. Being a tragedy, it also holds elements of comedy and romance. Shakespeare really brings puns, sly sayings, and comedy over all to life. Basically, he's really slick, but he's also very smart. By putting comedy in a tragedy, especially after serious scenes, he relieves the audience from the intensity of the scenes. He does this quite often in the Tragedy Othello. For example Iago spends a lot of time making fun of women. Namely he makes fun of his wife. Its funny, but rude, but still funny, slightly. Another thing he does is deploy the use of symbolism and extensive use of foreshadowing. For example, at Cyprus, one thing that causes a great stir is the giant storm going on, and the winds. The tempest was very symbolic. What is represents it the tragic event to occur in the life of Othello, who happens to be lost in the tempest. This foreshadows the coming of a tempest into the life of Othello. The scene is meant to effect the audience. All the while, Iago, the backstabbing 2-faced jealous wanna-be Lieutenant, is still connivingly planning for the downfall of Roderigo, Cassius, Desdemona, and ultimately Othello. He has several aside's to tell the audience what is on his mind. Through these we find his true intentions.Thus he begins to execute his plan to fulfill his desires. Oh and Othello finally consummates his marriage. We can't leave that part out. After all it only leads to Shakespeare's ever comedic jokes between Cassius and Iago the jester. They go sing-song. Maybe that's where Bollywood gets it from. The only difference is that Bollywood songs have to be super long and have some good dancing in it to be a hit. :P Iago is very sly, and "a great adviser," to Cassius at least. So far his plan is going to his liking. Cassius has lost his position, Othello is mad at him, and Cassius is going to get on his knees for Desdemona....to beg for assistance of course. It also seems that every act ends with more plotting by the mind of Iago. That guy... tch tch tch...This is stuff about Othello and stuff that happened in act 2 as I read it.
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A. E. Haigh - (1855-1905) The Irony Of Sophocles...excerpt

So the author of this article basically talks about tragic irony being present in Sophocles's works. The author heavily leans on Oedipus Rex for his/her examples. I find this article compelling because it reiterates something that I have noticed while reading Oedipus Rex. For every line that comes out of his mouth he is foreshadowing his own doom. We know what is going to happen and even his audience partially knows what is going to happen, but he is totally oblivious to it till the end. Constantly through out the entire play, Sophocles makes the characters spout things about there mothers. This is odd and usually meant to be criticizing, but ironically foreshadowing of the events. They conversations even lead to the concepts of lust. Though by dialogue they are talking about conspiracies, Sophocles has thrown that in for the irony of the use of the word and the sin called lust. In fact Tiresias even shouted the entire prophecy and everything that is known to Oedipus and to Jocasta. Still no one realized anything. The irony of the truth being made aware and then the main character suffering the fate that was assigned to him, practically, by the oracles is simply tragic and nothing else. Oedipus curses himself for the murder of King Laius, his father, and curses himself of the murderer be found to be in his family. The irony that he is found to be the murderer is also tragic. This makes it seem like he brought the suffering on himself by pursuing everything so much. By pursuing the search for the murderer, he found that he killed his father, and by pursuing the search for his mother, he found that he has made love to, has had children (referred to as monsters as well), and has fulfilled the prophecy that he has been running from (and forced to make distance from) since even before he was born. This article compelled to me because it confirmed my thoughts as I read the play myself. 

Oedipus Wrap - Up In a Toga and a burrito....Dinosaur burrito...Dorito...its all the same

     Tiresias is extremely explicit in revealing the guilt of Oedipus. He specifically declares him he murderer and then goes on to say that the murderer had killed his father and coupled his mother. However, Oedipus denied all of that, even though he knew that prophecy. It was why he left Corinth after all, thinking that that was his birth home. I believe that it is Oedipus's own ignorance that makes it hard for him to see the truth and admit to it. Oedipus is also very selfish and thinks of himself above others.
     I partially agree with the interpretation that hay may be blameless for his actions. However, he killed several men and his father, unknowingly, simply because he was angered because they were going to push him off of the road. Why would one kill all those men just because of that? That is senseless and ignorant.
     Jocasta is genuine queen figure. She is also a character with genuine traits though. She respects her husband and her brother. At the same time she leads her people. In a sense she is the ideal female role model. For example, in line 773 she attempts to settle the quarrel between Creon and Oedipus. This is something a queen would do. On the other hand, she is her own person with genuine traits in that she believes that the prophecies of the gods are wrong because she had to "kill" her child, and because she committed suicide in shock of the news that she coupled and had children with the murderer of her husband, her son.
     Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the character does not. We know that Oedipus is the murderer and his prophecy has come true. We know everything, but he doesn't. It's seems to be a play of reaction. How the character(s) react to the knowledge that we already know. Even with all the hints and clues that make them look really really slow...
     It is an advantage for the play because all the characters have to do is go offstage and change masks or something. It does leave us to imagine what really happened. It leaves us to whether we believe the words of the messenger that is in shock as they are, or suspect that something else happened. For all we know, Oedipus in rage could have attacked Jocasta who could have retaliated by stabbing him wit the first weapon that she could grab, her brooches.
     Oedipus says that be blinds himself because he says he wouldn't be able to look into his mother and father's eyes when he died. He had done them to wrong to face the guilt. He can't look at his children who are also his siblings. Also he cannot look upon the city of Thebes because it is the sacred glittering image of the gods. Mainly because of his guilt though. He uses Jocasta's brooch because it represents her. His mother metaphorically blinds him.
     Oedipus really brought the things on to himself. If he hadn't gotten angry and killed his father and all those men like an idiot he wouldn't have married his mother after saving Thebes from the Sphinx that apparently only harmed if u answered it's questions wrong. I would make a zoo around it and let it have fun. Throw some steak in, a ball, and let it have fun. Why bother it if it's gonna kill you if you get it's question wrong. Then it goes and kills itself when it's question is answered. I bet it was real depressed that it was out smarted. So sure Oedipus did have a sad fate, but his faults led to his demise. Along with the stupidity of everyone else in his world.
     The gods really must have been bored if they gave him a fate like that. Why destine a child who has no faults of his own, to commit such atrocious acts? Then the gods even commanded to kill the murderer of the king, which they knew was Oedipus of course. How could they not? They are the gods. Apollo must have especially been bored or enraged by something if he went through all the trouble for that. It would have been even more sad if the whole cause of this was the people at Delphi telling everyone about the "word of god." Also since the prophecies did come true, it makes the gods look all powerful. One must never try to outsmart them and stuff like that or they will get served. The people all revere the gods and their power. Jocasta and Oedipus don't like their prophecies much though.
     The play does seem to end in total gloom. It's all depressing and sad. The only bright thing, though not necessarily good, is that Creon is in power now. Besides the everything is downhill.
     One thing or theme statement that would actively describe this text is that Ignorance breeds blindness. These are my views of Oedipus Rex. 

Oedipus the dinosaur...part 1...(he wasn't in Jurassic park though :/)

     In comparison to other texts that we have read so far, Oedipus Rex is more talkative. While other texts have descriptions and side information, this text mainly provides the reader information through dialogue between two or more characters, the chorus, or the narration done by the italicized statements after the end of ever other "speech" by the characters. One can also see how the punctuation used really shows how emotion is used throughout the text. An outstanding use of exclamation points usually signifies Oedipus's anger when accused or being a murderer. Another thing that is noteworthy is how everyone takes a god's name for every other thing that is said. Oh Apollo this, oh Dionysus that, blah, blah, blah. Like really, the god's must get tired of that.

     Hamartia or the "fatal flaw" has appeared in the text already. Creon talks of Oedipus's stubbornness while Oedipus talks of him being stubborn. Also, Oedipus thinks that he is smarter than he actually may be. His reasoning is that because he has been able to outsmart the Oracle's of Delphi's prophecy, and because he was able to solve the Spinx's riddle. Oedipus is also proud of his intelligence and of his power to reign justly as king. Also, most of all the dude is really ignorant. With his pride, his ignorance is only boosted. He is ignorant of the truth and he blames Tiresias and Creon of plotting. However by the end of the assigned reading, Oedipus's fears have begun to grow, and the truth is about to come out. I believe that Oedipus's hamartia, or "fatal flaw," is one of these things: stubbornness, pride/hubris, or ignorance.

Catharsis has been seen in the diologue between Tiresias, Oedipus, and Creon. All three of these people have gone through the process of releasing strong emotions. This in turn pushes a pathos filled speech toward the audience which is the Leader, and the Chorus, which consists of the people of Thebes. Also Creon gives an emotion filled speech to Oedipus to try and convince him that he is not plotting anything. Oedipus gives a speech that seemed to make Jacosta pity him. He told her that he had been prophesized to kill his father and couple his mother. Jocasta told him of how her son had been "murdered" so that he did not fulfill the prophecy that her husband would die by the hands of her son.  If that conversation didn't inspire emotions of pity and sadness, or pathos, then I don't know what can. That is just plain sad, and wrong. Who makes these prophecies anyway? The god's were probably really bored and decided to play a joke. It was probably Dionysus... Just Kidding... XP ... This is how this text compares to others, hamartia, catharsis, and pathos present in Oedipus Rex.