Thursday, November 18, 2010

Othello Part I

In the first Act of Othello, I like how the play opens with not the main character speaking which is usually the case. I like the conversation that Iago and Roderigo have because it lets us know that Iago isn’t much of a fan of Othello’s and that he isn’t loyal to him. This introduction reminds me of the dramatic irony we talked about in class because right off the bat we find out that instead of being a loyal servant and a friend, Iago hates Othello because he didn’t promote him. Although we know this, Othello doesn’t know what is going on which shows that this conversation will play a major part in the future of the play.
I love how ironic Iago’s character is, because after he just told Brabantio about his daughter and Othello sleeping together, he met up with Othello and stated how he thinks he isn’t cruel enough for the job that he is doing. I find that very ironic, because him snitching on Othello showed his cruelty.  He also continues talking and asking about Othello’s marriage, and warning him that Brabantio will soon come after Othello. By warning him this way I think that he is trying to make himself seem like he is a good friend and that he is looking out for him, even though he is the one that snitched on him in the first place. What a sneaky little guy!
It is so obvious how hurt Brabantio is that this marriage was a secret and that it happened behind his back. I can’t believe that he said he would have rather adopted a child than have his own, which shows how disappointed and hurt he really is. Another cruel thing he said was that he is glad she is his only child because if he had more, he would have to keep them locked up. Although these are cruel words, I don’t really blame him because any father would be appalled and disappointed to find out that his daughter got married secretly, especially to the last person that he would expect. As much as he hated Roderigo, I am sure he likes him now way more than Othello, and I wonder if in future of the play he will try and help Roderigo get his daughter. I also can’t believe that Othello actually wanted to bring Desdemona to the battle against Turks. What man in his right mind would even think about putting his wife in danger, as much as she wanted to be a part of it?
One quote that caught my eye was when Brabantio told Othello to watch out and be careful because if she deceived her own father she might deceive him too. Since I’ve never read Othello before,  I am wondering if this is some kind of foreshadowing in the play, and if she really will deceive him later in the play.

4 comments:

  1. In class Mr. B brought up a possible motive for Iago's actions that I agree with, we think that Iago does what he does just because. When he tells Barbantio about the newly weds doin the nasty i think its just to stir up evil. I think he never really gets around to deciding why he does what he does, Iago just goes with the flow to make things evil. Warning Othello that Barbantio would soon come after him was when he probably began to form a plan to use his evil to benefit himself.

    Darius Smith

    ReplyDelete
  2. His use of cruel words towards his own daughter shows how angry he is. I mean if I were a mother and my daughter/son got married out of the blue than I would be upset. I think Desdemona liked Othello for his "reputation." I think that if they got married so quickly after that, probably Othello's "stories" wooed Desdemona in her bed, which dun dun dun they had to get married. Other than that, Iago is a selfish fool. He has nothing better to do, but use his wit and manipulative skills to screw things up with everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Iago is the last person I would want to call my friend. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to trust someone with everything, only to find out they have been plotting against you the whole time. I am also not a big fan of the was Othello and Desdemona showed their love for one another towards the end of the play. I am sorry but if my husband killed me for a reason that I knew was not true, I wouldn't blame myself for the death when I woke up again just to protect him. I don't believe in that kind of love.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the discussion going on here. I would have been as upset as Brabantio too.

    ReplyDelete