Othello Intro

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Shakespeare:

Born 1564, very educated, likely started as actor, wrote 38 plays, 4 lengthy poems

Vocab:

Verse-language includes meter and rhyme, organized lines with consistent # syllables (Used for high status chara., more formal)

pay attention when ago switches between the two

Prose- regular writing,organized sent.No meter or rhyme (Used for status char., accusations,etc.)

Meter- pattern of stressed and Unstressed syllables, respon. for creating rhythm.total # of metrical feet in line of verse

Foot- group of syllables, forms 1 complete unit metrical pattern

Most common metrical pattern Iambic Pentameter

Iamb- unstressed syllable, stressed syllable

Pentameter- lines of 5 ibic feet; 10 syllables

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Voc Continued:

Blank Verse- unrhymed Iambic Pentameter

Free Verse- No Regular meter

Sonnet:

14 line poem (usually Iambic pentameter), 3 quatrains, and couplet, rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg), 4 pt organi. greater flexibility in thematic breaks, pronounced break otun in concluding couplet.

Voc:

Quatrain- 4 line verse stanza, usually rhymed

Couplet: pair of rhyming verse lines

Aside-character remark, other characters don't hear

Monologue- single character uninterrupted speech

Soliloquy- character speech alone on stage

Foil- stark character personality difference

Allusion-reference to event,person, place from another work of liter.

shakespeare has greek and roman allusions

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Allusion: Janus

Roman God of gates and doors,depicted as double faced head, represents transition between primitive life and civilization or just transitions

Tragedy:

serious play representing hero downfall, arouses pity and terror in audience, hero led to calamity y flaw or error which form into type pride, effect depends on audience awareness of admirable traits wasted in disaster

Classical Tragic Hero:

Hero good man, important to society,hero suffers fall by own merits, fall makes reader feel pity and fear, hero has recognition of what has happened

Tragic Flaw:

Character defect that leads to hero's downfall

Othello Terminology: Moor

Muslim person of Arab and Berber descent from northwest africa, moors invade spain establish civilization 8th-15th cent, word Moor from Greek work mauros meaning verk dark, moors symbolize something other than human, something devilish

Othello Terminology: Cuckold

Man whose wife is unfaithful, represented with horns growing out of his forehead

Othello: A Tragedy

Written 1604, major tragedy after Hamlet bt before King Lear and Macbeth, focus on evil, study devastating effects of deadly sins of the spirit: ambitious pride, ingratitude,wrath,jealousy, and vengeful hate

Othello:Setting

Journey from Italy to Cyprus,Venice= order?, Cyprus=disorder?

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Major Characters:

Othello-Moor, christian, military leader in venice

Desdemona-O's wife and brabantio's daughter

Iago-passed over as O's leutenantand experienced in battle

Emilia- Iago's wife, des's friend and waiting woman

Cassio- O's lieutenant instead of Iago, experienced in war

Bianca- prostitute

Roderigo-tricked by Iago

Brabantio-des's father and senator

Duke of Venice

Themes:

Race, gender,class, friendship,love, marriage, individual vs state, nature of evil,jealousy, storytelling and language, reputations, appearance vs reality

Othello: Poetic Images

focused on natural world, contrast of light and dark,one cluster domestic=animals,while other includes monsters,devils etc.

Othello: the Villain

Delights in evil,amused by his own cunningness,related to vice, figure of personified evil,takes audience into confidence

Othello: Thematic Ideas

Nature of Love and marriage, jealousy.language use and nature, male mistrust of women, deception/ honesty, importance of Reputation

Themes

Central theme is love,central conflict between men and women presented through contrasting couples,