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Othello- Revision

Reply 40

ChrissyBoy5

Aww no, there were lots of points and quotations you mentioned that i hadn't thought of/learnt and if the question starts focusing on specific parts of the play or characters like Cassio, Bianca and Roderigo I'm screwed

meh, i'll be screwed too. If they're going to ask questions about them, its likely they'll put Roderigo and Cassio together, thats what they did a few years ago. *please give us a nice question* :confused:

Reply 41

polkadot

Looking through the thread didn't see any notes on tragedy or Context so thought I would have a go at some

Tradgedy

In all Shakespearean Tragedy’s, the initial conflict is caused by mistaken identity. Act III is usually the climax of the conflict, then a sense of impeding doom is created and that time is speeding out of control. There are similarities between his Great tragedies for example Iago is an inverted version of Hamlet as the amoral instead of the moral philosopher

Context

:suith:

First performed in the Jacobean ear (1604), it was written during Shakespeare's tragic era compromising of Hamlet, King Lea and Macbeth, which are all name after the eponymous hero.

:suith:

Believed in the hierarchal chain of being; God through angel, king, man, woman, animal, vegetable and mineral. Moral sensibility was believed to be a product of social class e.g. nobility is for the upper class and 'villain' which is used to describe Iago, derives from medieval times and means peasant.

:suith:

In Shakespearean time appearance was men to indicate was lay within e.g. good/evil. A physical deformity was considered to be the mark of the devil! Appearance’s can be deceptive and this torments many tragic heroes. Because Iago looks honesty, Othello assumes he is 'Iago is most honest'.

:suith:

The 7 deadly sins were the foundation of morality in Shakespeare's time. The believed to send ones soul to hell.

:suith:

Black; traditionally the colour of evil and of the devil according to both biblical and mythological sources. AT the time interracial marriages, would have been shocking and on par with cannibalism.

:suith:

Telling lies was considered to be a much worse offence than nowadays. Satan told lies to Eve at the Garden of Eden

Women were viewed as possessions, financially dependent on their Fathers until they were 'handed over' to the rule of their husband's.

Reply 42

cullmac

ChrissyBoy5

Aww no, there were lots of points and quotations you mentioned that i hadn't thought of/learnt and if the question starts focusing on specific parts of the play or characters like Cassio, Bianca and Roderigo I'm screwed

Thankfully there are two questions (in AQA anyway), chances are you will be fine with one :smile:

Reply 43

Jessicarrr

ChrissyBoy5

Quite often the questions seem to be about the credibility of the characters so I thought that maybe we could share ideas about how credible the characters seem.

Othello
Not credible

-It doesn't seem credible that he would so easily be manipulated by Iago, that he would change his opinion of Desdemona so quickly. In Act 3 Scene 3he states he needs "ocular proof" and that I'll see before I doubt however only 100 lines later he is accusing her of being a "lewd minx"

-If he does place such trust in and hold such a high regard of Iago then we are left wondering as to why he was not made Lieutenant initially

-It could be said that it doesn't seem credible that there is such a marked difference in his language, from his eloquent speech to his rantings

Credible

-He is an outsider to Venetian society- therefore he is insecure and relies on Iago, a man whom knows with a Leaned spirit of human of dealings Therefore it IS plausible he would be so easily manipulated by Iago. Iago takes advantage of Othello's inability to see characters clearly, saying how he "thinks men honest that seem to be"

-Iago is able to manipulate the other characters, why not Othello
He also uses clever insinuations and never directly accuses anyone- it is plausible therefore that Othello would be taken in.

-Othello's language changing directly reflects his state of mind, he even states "my mind misgives" and in his rantings says "farewell content". It also mirrors Iago's animalistic, bestial langauag shwoing his influence. His deterioting language could be seen as plausible therefore.

-When the Turks are drowned Othello's use as a warrior diminishes and although he still has authority, war, the only concept he is comfortable with has been removed- allows for descent into paranoia, jealousy

Nice points! :smile:

Cheers.

The thing about him being so easily manipulated by Iago could be explained by society at the time; even though Othello does love Desdemona, women were of a markedly lower status and presumed to be easily dishonest (There's a lot of quotes about dishonest women in the play...a little worrying that I can't think of a single one...) so it was natural for a man to be believed over a woman? so that could explain it?

Reply 44

Jessicarrr

Any ideas on a sensible number of quotes to learn? Me and my friend have been making notes and we've got like 5 pages of quotes of Iago and Othello. Are the ones that you've typed up the only ones you're learning? X

Reply 45

*starry_eyed_*

14

polkadot

Looking through the thread didn't see any notes on tragedy or Context so thought I would have a go at some

Tradgedy

In all Shakespearean Tragedy’s, the initial conflict is caused by mistaken identity. Act III is usually the climax of the conflict, then a sense of impeding doom is created and that time is speeding out of control. There are similarities between his Great tragedies for example Iago is an inverted version of Hamlet as the amoral instead of the moral philosopher

Another idea is that Othello is a domestic tragedy as opposed to a revence tragedy. Can't find my notes right now, I'm tired, but i will! :p:

Reply 46

sonya_p

1

Hi guys!

i am in a really desperate situation!
i have had so many exams in a row that i could not fit othello into my timetable so the only day i have left is today!
can some1 tell me what is the best way to get the revision done ...

panic panic :frown:

Reply 47

Featherflare

Don't worry, i'm in the exact same position as you. Im gona start revising when I get back from my exam today :p:

. I'd say read the book if you can and make about 3-5 quotes on each character and theme, then read a few synopses on the characters and themes too and you're good to go

Reply 48

sonya_p

1

Featherflare

Don't worry, i'm in the exact same position as you. Im gona start revising when I get back from my exam today :p:

. I'd say read the book if you can and make about 3-5 quotes on each character and theme, then read a few synopses on the characters and themes too and you're good to go

yehhh!! i have an exam 2...im just revising for it now! so stressedd :frown:

are you doing blake?

Reply 49

*~vicki~*

OP

2

I'm doing Blake tomorrow as well... I think it's far too much to expect us to study both texts in the amount of detail needed for a good mark... :rolleyes:

I've learnt my quotes for Othello by character and theme, and then for Blake i've done them by theme. How much social/cultural/historical context do you think is necessary for Othello? I knwo its not as important as for Blake, but what sort of things do you think are necessary?

Reply 50

Manalishi

11

I'd say knowing how certain issues (like race, gender, religion) were seen in them days and how the different classes were treated. Perhaps also mention some of the world event thats were influencing the playwrights at the time.

Thanks for the stuff in this thread - very useful! My teacher was useless and basically all she did was read through the play with us (no detail). I'm actually laughing at how bad I will fail this exam :biggrin:

Reply 51

*~vicki~*

OP

2

I'm sure you'll be fine :biggrin:

... just read the stuff on here and get some ideas. I think its a bit harsh really considering that not all teachers seem to be teaching the right stuff, that the stuff needed for this exam needs to be quite specific. There isnt really enough time to do each text throughly enough either in my opinion, although that may just be my school and how they have chosen to allocate the time. :smile:

Reply 52

kay123

2

hey, in agreement with the others, ive got to say this is a fab thread, very very helpful! :smile:

ive got a question that someone will hopefully be able to clarify- in the exam in all of the questions they end by asking what your opinion or interpretation is...how do you answer that without using 'my opinion' or 'i think' blah blah because that tends to sound quite unsophisticated (if that makes any sense) :confused:

thanks
oh and good luck in advance to everyone doing the exam!

Reply 53

koolgal01

3

How important are quotes for this exam? I know a few but would struggle if we didn't get a question about Othello or Iago! x

Reply 54

sonya_p

1

thanks for the advice guys!
ok i am actually going to start my revision now!
im soooo behindd!!!

Reply 55

kyle50

Hi this is a first time post for me, only stumbled across this site a week ago, just want to say thanks for everyones really useful comments on Othello, they have really helped me organise my revision better!
Good luck for everyone in the exam tomorrow!!

Reply 56

kyle50

Hi this is a first time post for me, only stumbled across this site a week ago, just want to say thanks for everyones really useful comments on Othello, they have really helped me organise my revision better!
Good luck for everyone in the exam tomorrow!!

Reply 57

kyle50

as you can probably tell it was the first post because i posted it twice by accident! sorry guys

Reply 58

Fraction Man

It happens mate, don't worry. Yesss the time is almost up friends, it's time to enter the jaws of death and see if we get eaten alive of we can amazingly fly away, good luck to all and I really mean that. Keep focused!!

Reply 59

*~vicki~*

OP

2

I know- its a bit scary really lol :smile:

Good luck everyone- i'm sure we'll be fine, we'll get brilliant questions and we'll all ace it :rolleyes:

... well we can hope can't we? :biggrin:

Othello- Revision

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