And/or you can use Mr Bruff's instead:
Monday 19 December 2016
When We Two Parted
And/or you can use Mr Bruff's instead:
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Friday 9 December 2016
Thursday 8 December 2016
Friday 2 December 2016
Tuesday 29 November 2016
Monday 28 November 2016
Language in Othello - how his words deteriorate
LANGUAGE AND
STRUCTURE
LANGUAGE IN OTHELLO
Elizabethan and
Jacobean dramatists used language to establish and build dramatic atmosphere,
to define time, place and character. But in Othello, language is
not simply the medium by which the drama is conveyed: in this play language is action.
Othello ‘falls’ because he believes a man whose every utterance is deceptive.
When the hero is taken in by false words, tragedy is the result. This play
shows us the power of words; we watch as characters construct their own and
others’ identities through language, and exert power either by speaking,
remaining silent or silencing others.
Othello is written in
blank verseand prose. Blank verse consists of unrhymed iambic pentameters, with
five stressed syllables and five unstressed syllables to each line. Shakespeare
uses this traditional form flexibly, however, varying the pace of his writing
to achieve specific effects. He also creates specific idioms for each of his
characters. If we look at the language of Othello and Iago we can see how the
dramatist creates not only character, but also the theme of opposition which is
central to the play. From his opening speeches in Act I
Scenes 2 and 3 it is clear
that Othello’s characteristic idiom is dignified, measured blank verse. This is
appropriate, given his status in the play. His use of blank verse also helps
establish his heroism.
Vaclav Volrab/Shutterstock.com
Othello speaks
clearly and purposefully. His authority also comes across in these lines, and
there is a sense of both danger and beauty – entirely appropriate to the
speaker – in his references to ‘bright swords’ and ‘dew’. We are immediately
aware that the hero is an impressive character and a powerful speaker. This
power is reinforced in the next scene when Othello uses words not just to
defend his elopement with Desdemona, but also to enable him to keep her; if he
does not speak convincingly the “'bloody book of law'” (I.3.68) may deprive him
of his wife. Desdemona acknowledges her husband’s rhetorical power when she
enters. We already know that she was seduced by his storytelling; now we
discover that she uses the same dignified and purposeful idiom that he employs.
Through their shared speech patterns Shakespeare conveys the harmony and mutual
affection of Othello and Desdemona’s match; the lovers are as Iago expresses it
“'well tun’d'” (II.1.198) at this point. Each of Othello’s long speeches in
this scene could be compared to a poem; expressing the nobility and romance we
come to associate with the tragic protagonist. Many critics see Othello as
Shakespeare’s most ‘poetic’ hero, a fitting judgement given the fact that we
focus of the protagonist’s experiences of love in this play. But Othello does
not just speak of his love poetically; he also speaks of his glorious career as
a soldier in the same vein, thus establishing himself as a great military man.
The orderliness of his verse suggests not just his confidence, but also the
fact that we, and the senate are wise to trust in his composure and reason.
Linked to this, Othello’s reference to and pride in his
“'estimation'”(I.3.275), also help to convey a sense of the hero’s worth; while
also suggesting that the way in which you are perceived by others – your
reputation – is going to be an important theme in this play.
When Othello
begins to see himself and his wife through Iago’s eyes and is corrupted by
Iago’s idiom, his stately style begins to break down. At his lowest point, just
before he falls to the ground in an epileptic fit, Othello’s words convey his
agitation:
- Lie with her, lie on her? We
say lie on her,
when they belie her! Lie with her, zounds!, that’s
fulsome! – Handkerchief! confessions! handkerchief!
– To confess, and be hanged for his labour! First, to be
hanged, and then to confess: I tremble at it. Nature
would not invest herself in such shadowing passion
without some instruction. It is not words that shakes
me thus. Pish! Noses, ears and lips. Is’t possible?
Confess? handkerchief! O devil!(IV.1.35–41)
There are a
number of points to be made about this breakdown. Firstly, Othello’s fractured
sense of self is conveyed through the lexis and syntax. Previously the hero
spoke of himself in the first and third person (their usage conveyed his
nobility and status as hero); now his use of pronouns ‘we’, ‘they’, ‘his’, ‘I’,
‘me’ suggests insecurity. His use of questions suggests this too. Othello’s
identity is threatened because he no longer feels he ‘knows’ his wife; he
cannot trust her looks and words. There is a terrible irony in the fact that
Othello declares “'It is not words that shake me thus'”; the events of the play
and the violence of his outburst here suggest that words are the cause of
Othello’s destruction. Note the use of disjointed prose rather than measured
verse: reason has given way to passion. Othello has also begun to use oaths
(“'zounds!'”) which are associated with Iago, suggesting not only the ensign’s
power as a speaker, but also his ability to influence and control the powers of
speech of others. Right at the end of this speech we struggle to make any sense
of Othello’s words (“'Pish! Noses, ears and lips. Is’t possible? / Confess?
handkerchief? O devil!'”). These lines suggest the hero’s degradation and
degeneration.
From this point
on Othello and Desdemona struggle to understand one another’s use of language.
The break-up of their marital harmony is conveyed through the disruption in the
lines and Othello’s measured calm gives way to verbal bullying (see
III.4.80–98). This pattern mirrors the disrupted lines of Act III
Scene 3when Iago first started to poison Othello’s
mind. Desdemona later says, “'I understand a fury in your words / But not the
words'” (IV.2.32–3). By this point he misconstrues everything she says:
- DESDEMONA: Alas, what ignorant
sin have I committed?
OTHELLO: Was this fair paper, this most goodly book
Made to write ‘whore’ upon? … What, committed!
Committed! O thou public commoner!
(IV.2.71–4)
Eventually,
unable to comprehend his wife’s honesty, failing to see that her words should
be taken at face value, Othello smothers and silences Desdemona. When
confronted with the truth he then recovers, returning to the majestic idiom of
his earlier speeches at the end of Act V . His final
speech echoes his first speech to the senate, but Othello no longer speaks of
himself as a worthy hero only. Now he compares himself to “'the base Indian'”
and “'the circumcised dog'” (V.2.345 and 353), his words and syntax recall
former glories, but also point towards the “'bloody period'” of the hero’s
death (V.2.354).
CONTEXT
A soliloquy is
a dramatic convention that allows a character to speak directly to an audience,
indicating their motives, feelings and decisions. In Othello we are given
access to the feelings and motivations of both victim and tormentor, which
heightens the intensity of the drama.
Language is the
source of Iago’s power too, but his characteristic idiom is very different. It
is full of compounds, colloquialisms and oaths, befitting a bluff soldier. But
Iago’s use of language is more complicated than this. We quickly notice that
the villain slips between prose and verse, adapting his style to suit his
different audiences and purposes. The blunt, persuasive and lucid prose of his
exchanges with Roderigo conveys Iago’s base nature, but the ensign also makes
use of a loftier style too, as in his parody of Othello’s idiom in Act III
Scene 3(lines 465–72). This speech is an example
of Iago’s power: he can manipulate his style effortlessly. Most worryingly for
the audience, Othello begins to use the villain’s base idiom when he decides to
revenge himself on Desdemona, showing his lack of judgement and Iago’s
increasing authority over him. When he adopts Iago’s style and begins to
eavesdrop (Iago might be seen as an eavesdropper when he speaks in asides)
Othello shows that he has become “'well tun’d'” with the wrong character.
Iago’s heavy use of asides also reveals his cunning, destructive power; he is
able to not only direct but also to comment on the action of the play. His use
of soliloquies reinforces his power. Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists used
this artificial theatrical convention to evoke the inwardness of their
characters, to show what they think and feel. Soliloquies are also used to
convey information and for particular dramatic effect. In Othello the evil
ensign speaks his soliloquies first (Othello’s soliloquies occur towards the
end of the play), drawing the audience in as he outlines his intentions and
ideas. Because we know exactly what his plans are, we might feel that
Shakespeare forces us to collude with the villain in some way: Iago is so
clever, such an impressive actor. Iago’s soliloquies and asides are also a
source of a great deal of the dramatic irony of Othello, which
increases dramatic tension for the audience. Finally, Iago is also able to
manipulate his silences, as in Act III
Scene 3 when he
deliberately introduces “'stops'” (III.3.123) to infuriate and intrigue
Othello. By faking a reluctance to talk he gains the opportunity to speak at
length. At the end of the play Iago’s defiant and deliberate silence can seem
suggestive of continued power (the villain refuses to reveal his motives and
admit remorse) or power thwarted; he no longer has the ability to sway others
with his words and has perhaps been silenced, like his victim Desdemona. It is
both ironic and appropriate that Iago is unmasked by his wife, whose silence he
has taken for granted and whose powers of speech he has not taken into account.
This discussion
of the hero’s and villain’s contrasting idioms might be extended; each of the
characters in Othello has his or her own style. For example, Cassio’s
speech is gallant and courtly, Emilia’s salty and down-to-earth. The different
‘voices’ and styles in Othello are an important part of the play’s
power to hold and move the audience. Another very important part of the
linguistic power of the play is Shakespeare’s use of figurative language, the
imagery, which is discussed in Critical
Approaches: Imagery and Critical
Approaches: Themes .
Aristotle vs Shakespeare
Read these two articles and make a table of the differences between Aristotelian and Shakespearean tragedy:
http://pediaa.com/difference-between-aristotle-and-shakespearean-tragedy/
http://www.shakespeareforalltime.com/arisotlean-tragedy/
Friday 25 November 2016
Misunderstanding in Othello, by Michael Donkor
Please make neat, detailed notes using the link above and the following headings:
Introduction (first three paras)
The Handkerchief
The Venetian State of Mind
War
Gender
Lit charts: Lord of the Flies
http://www.litcharts.com/lit/lord-of-the-flies/
Find your theme/character/symbol. Use the quotes to populate your mindmap.
You will ALSO need to go back through your exercise book AND LotF text to find other notes you have made on the topic.
Due: Thursday 1st December
Find your theme/character/symbol. Use the quotes to populate your mindmap.
You will ALSO need to go back through your exercise book AND LotF text to find other notes you have made on the topic.
Due: Thursday 1st December
Thursday 24 November 2016
Monday 7 November 2016
Farmer's Bride analysis
Please make sure you RE-READ the poem before you watch the video. Then simply watch and make notes!
Beautiful defence of poetry
http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2013/september/what-use-poetry-meena-alexander
Friday 4 November 2016
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