Othello blog #2

The beginning of Act I scene 3 starts with the Duke and his senators talking about a possible invasion of the Turks. This is the first time in this play that the characters discuss happenings outside of the basic storyline of the play itself.  Before you know it, Brabantio comes running into the court asking the Duke to arrest Othello for stealing his daughter.  He then finds out that Desdemona has been sleeping with Othello and this just puts him over the top mad.  He cannot believe that Othello, once his great friend, has spoiled his maiden daughter.  Brabantio accuses Othello of using some sort of witch craft in order to make Desdemona fall in love with him.  However, Othello is so certain that he did nothing of the sort that he is willing to stake his life on the fact that Desdemona shares the same unforced love for him as he does for her.  “If you do find me foul in her report, The trust, the office, I do hold of you Not only take away, but let your sentence Even fall upon my life.” (I.iii.117-120)

Granted that Othello never did such a thing the Duke still wants proof of his innocence. So Othello goes about telling the Duke how Brabantio had invited him over on several occasions to tell the stories of his dangerous youth.  Othello says that these stories are the sole cause of the love between him and Desdemona.  Othello goes on saying that Desdemona pitied the hardships that Othello had to struggle through.  

Brabantio still cannot believe it so he wants to hear it from Desdemona herself. Honestly, who can blame him?  If I were her dad and just found out that my little girl was messing around with a black man that wasn’t from the same religion I would want her word too. 

Anyways, Desdemona goes about telling her father that she married Othello and truly does love him.  She tells her dad that she is only letting Othello take her from him because he did the same thing to her mother.  “And so much duty as my mother showed To you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord.” (I.iii.184-187) Brabantio is so let down he cannot even stand the thought of thinking of her, “For your sake, jewel, I am glad at soul I have no other child, For thy escape would teach me tyranny, To hang clogs on them. I have done, my lord.” (I.iii.193-196)

When you continue reading, Othello goes on to protect Cyprus from the Turks.  Meanwhile, Desdemona begins talking to Cassio and asks him to compliment her.  Now Iago hears the whole conversation and believes that she is now falling in love with Cassio!  Act 2 scene 1 begins the fight between Montano and Cassio.  I am not quite sure what the fight was pertaining to, all I know is that Othello helped to end it.

In conclusion, I believe that Iago is going to drive Othello crazy about the fact that Desdemona loves him and possibly loves Cassio as well.  I also believe that Iago is becoming more partial to Roderigo than he is to Othello and in the end might use this to his benefit.  We will just have to keep reading to find out.

Othello: Act 1 {scenes 1 & 2}

Shakespeare began this play with a basic teenage love story.  A girl loves a boy who she is not allowed to love.  The girl, Desdemona, is head over heels for the Moor Othello.  However, her father it seems has set up a marriage for her with another man, Roderigo. Now Roderigo is bribing Iago, an old captain in the army, to give wonderful gifts and sums of money to Desdemona to win her over.  When they hear that Desdemona and Othello have run off, the two men race to her father’s house to tell him of the news. Upon hearing this, Brabantio, goes a little crazy and asks all the neighbors to help find Desdemona.  “Give me a taper! Call up all my people!” (Line 139)

Once Brabantio gathers all his neighbors, Iago fears that he will do anything to get back at Othello for taking away his daughter. However, Othello believes that what he has done for his country will protect him from whatever Brabantio has to say. “Let him do his spite. My services which I have done the Signiory Shall out-tongue his complaints.” (Lines 17-19) When Othello is confronted by Brabantio he stays calm as to show off the poise character Shakespeare wrote him to be.  His character is very confident as that he believe that nothing can get in his way and with everything that he has accomplished he is invincible to these commoners (Brabantio and his neighbors).

In my opinion, Shakespeare’s beginning to this tragedy is one to not be forgotten.  It sets the tone for the rest of the play and foreshadows what is to come.  I do not quite understand how and why Othello came about to his duties of general.  I thought that at this time in history, people of African American heritage were looked down upon as slaves or indentured servants.  Any thoughts?? 

As for the main theme of what I have read so far, I believe it is that you cannot limit yourself because of who you were born as.  That sounds like a stretch for only reading the first two scenes of this play but that is how I see it.

If you look deeper into the chemistry between the characters you can identify the tensions between a few of them.  I believe that Iago is under major influence of Roderigo and Othello to only better himself, and to be seen as the best man for the job. However, he does seem to botch all the chores that are given to him which I think will eventually get back to him.  I can see this happening because Roderigo is already thinking that having Iago bribe Desdemona was obviously a bad choice on his part, “Tush! Never tell me? I take it much unkindly That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.”  

                To conclude, that is what I believe is going on so far in the tragedy of Othello. :)