In Act V of Othello, all the tensions of the play finally come to a head and plans unfold in spectacularly tragic fashion. The effort to kill Michael Cassio fails as his “coat” is thick enough to protect him from Roderigo’s blow. Cassio is then able to strike Roderigo. Iago does his best to salvage the situation by killing Roderigo. Othello, still convinced Desdemona was unfaithful to him with Michael Cassio, decides to carry out his plan to kill his wife. Desdemona begs Othello, trying to convince him of her faithfulness. Blinded by passion and anger, he ignores her cries and suffocates her. Othello later learns of Iago’s lies and deceit, and as Iago sees his master plan being completely ruined, he chooses to kill his own wife for attempting to share the truth. Othello tries to kill the captured Iago but is unsuccessful, and when faced with the realization that he will be punished for his actions, decides to take his own life. Iago is set to be tortured for his role, and the tragedy concludes.

Othello begins with the plans of Iago and Roderigo to deal with Cassio, and it is their actions that drive a wedge between all characters involved. Through lies and deceit, they shroud the truth and selfishly play characters against one another. Love fueled Othello’s passion, and the stereotypes associated with moors appear to apply. Iago’s desire to oust Cassio, mixed with his underlying dissatisfaction with Othello himself lead him to take unfathomable action. The inability to see consequences for their actions, solely focused on reducing another man’s power and status in hopes of increasing their own, resulted in utter disaster.

Questions:

1. Why do you think Iago refused to accept defeat, instead choosing to kill his own wife?
2. What does the repeated use of the word “whore” say about the character accusing and accused of the claim?
3. Are there any benefactors from these terrible events?
4. How can we relate this story to our own lives and learn from the character’s misfortune?

I currently went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and it was a very eye seeing experience. This was my first time going and I didn’t know what to expect but I was also excited to see the many exhibits that they had to offer. One of the main exhibits that grasped my attention was old European century palace decor. I was so intrigued of how different houses looked in the inside especially the interior texture. I was able to see the living interiors of kings and queens and how they decorated. It was amazing because each wall of the living rooms and even master rooms were designed to have the highest quality of luxury including gold texture around the beds, and chandeliers hanging above the bed. It was so beautiful because you can really see that kings and queens were the tipping point of lavish in their time. This exhibit interested me a lot because I was able to compare it to the houses that we have now and our own interior texture. Now a days you don’t see rooms or houses made out of gold or extravagant objects laying across the floor. I truly was amazed and learned a lot about old European texture.

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this past week to see an exhibit that I was really looking forward too. I really do not enjoy going to museums because I feel that they are boring. I only went to see a special exhibit called the Psychobarn on the roof top garden. Cornelia Parker created it and she based it off the red barn in the 1960 film Psycho. After viewing the movie you might think it is the exact house but that is what she wants. She wants you to decide what it is so you can be the judge to what it is. It has a beautiful view of the city and going there with a significant other is a great thing to do. You will have a great time and it is a very cheap exhibit to pay for. The house itself is very creepy and old looking it really does remind you of a haunted house. The way the Manhattan skyline is in the back of the barn provides a contrast like some sort of illusion. I believe that is why the pieces name is called the Transitional Object. I recommend that people should go visit this exhibit because it was a great experience. I had a problem trying to relate this to a topic in class because it was literally just a house. Many people came out that day to see it and seems to be a popular spot for people in the city.

This past weekend I attended the final performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Otello” at the Metropolitan Opera.  I had to attend an opera as a requirement for my opera class, which fortunately lined up perfectly with our readings of Othello in class.  Though the story was lacking a few details that I have already read in Shakespeare’s Othello, the overall story was the same.  It was very interesting to see the changes that were made, such as Verdi’s decision to completely taking out Act 1 where we see Desdemona’s father learning about her eloping. I wondered why Verdi decided to make these changes, but I think it could be because he wanted to condense the story and make sure that the grand, emotional scenes took precedence over scenes that he felt maybe weren’t as important to the overall story. It was really great to see this story performed on stage with such beautiful music, sets and costumes. It helped give me a better understanding of the overall story that I may have missed from just reading the play.  It was sung in Italian and they had “Met titles” or subtitles that were on the back of the chair so that I could read the translation throughout the performance.  I thought that this may detract from the experience by having to read and try to see the action of stage, but it wasn’t a problem.  This was my first time at the Met and it was an amazing experience.  I definitely will be going back to see another opera when I have a chance.

During Act III of Othello, Iago brings his plan to fruition by leading Othello to believe that there is something going on between Cassio and Desdemona. He plays on Othello’s insecurities about Desdemona and gets him to believe she cannot be trusted. Othello’s doubt transitions into a firm belief that his wife is betraying him when Iago presents the handkerchief Othello gave Desdemona on their honeymoon. Iago knows how important this handkerchief is to Othello, and this was all he needed to convince Othello that Desdemona is guilty. This handkerchief can be viewed as a symbol of Othello’s relationship with Desdemona. It was the first gift he gave her, and is therefore the most crucial symbol of their love. To Othello, the handkerchief is Desdemona’s love; and when she loses it, so has she forsaken his love.

Iago says, “Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ. This may do something.” (Ac. 3, Sc. 3, 370-372) Iago realizes that real proof is not necessary because mere doubt is enough to fuel Othello’s jealousy. He does not need to plant emotions, he simply preys on the weaknesses that already exist in each character. Even though the handkerchief itself is insignificant, the fact that it is in another man’s possession is enough to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness.

1. Why does Iago delay in offering Othello visual proof of the claimed affair between Desdemona and Cassio?
2. Cassio denies Desdemona’s request to stay and hear her plead his case.  Iago uses Cassio’s exit to make him seem guiltier.  What do you think would’ve happened if Cassio had agreed to stay as Desdemona requested?
3. It is clear that Othello is a doubtful in his thinking. Why would he believe Iago more than the woman he married?

Act III of Othello is where we see Iago’s devious plan to hurt Othello finally taking place and we see that the major themes of this play are jealousy and deception. At first, Iago insinuates that there is a relationship between Desdemona and Cassio, but wont offer Othello any proof. Iago tells Othello, “It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on.” (Act 3, Sc. 3, 196-197) In this instance Iago is referring to Othello’s jealousy towards Cassio, and is comparing Othello to an animal that is playing with his victim. I found this line to have a double meaning as Iago could also be seen as the green-eyed monster that is toying with Othello’s emotions by slyly planting this idea of Desdemona’s infidelity in his head.

The handkerchief seems to be symbolic of Desdemona and Othello’s love as it was the first gift that he had given her. This handkerchief is then stolen and becomes the evidence that Iago needs to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. At this point I feel that this gift becomes representative of Othello’s feelings that Desdemona has lost her love for him. When it ends up in Cassio’s hands, he asks Bianca to replicate the pattern, to which she immediately feels jealousy towards the owner of the handkerchief and demands to know who gave it to Cassio. This symbol seems to be what brings all of the characters of the story together, but what will eventually end up tearing Othello and Desdemona apart.

1. Why do you think Iago kept stringing Othello along before actually giving him the proof (the dream and the handkerchief) of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair?
2. As we have seen already, Iago treats his wife Emilia poorly, so why would she be so willing to help her husband steal Desdemona’s handkerchief without knowing what it will be used for?
3. Towards the end of this act we see that Iago finally gets the promotion he wants, so why doesn’t he put an end to his plan after that and try to convince Othello not to kill Desdemona?

In Act II of Othello and I we come away with one thing that is for certain; Iago is without a doubt the villain and antagonist of this story. He manipulates all characters of the play for his need of revenge. We first believe that he is just jealous that Othello appointed Cassio as lieutenant but later we learn the real reason he is going through all of this trouble. He is doing this because he has suspicions of Othello to have slept with his wife. The other conflict that is taking place in this play is that Othello has married a senator’s daughter. You may ask yourself why that is such a problem right? The only reason why this is an issue is because Othello is black. He is a warrior that is in power but he will not accept that due to the color of his skin. This shows that racism has been around a very long time. Iago manipulates Rodrigo to make it seem like he is trying to help him get Desdemona but in reality he has a whole different plan. You see his plan in his soliloquy where he says he wants it to seem like Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio and he wants to steal money from Rodrigo. He also manipulates his wife to speak on behalf of Cassio to persuade her to become closer to Cassio.

It was interesting to see that Othello was accused of using “charms” on Desdemona to make her fall in love with him. She shoots that down and says she married him under her own free will. Brabantio has such a problem with Othello due to his skin color but he just disregards the work he does on the battlefield, which he should get a lot of respect for. He drowned the Turks and that is a cause for celebration. He is valued as a great warrior but it seems that is just not enough in the eyes of the senator. He does not want his daughter to love a man that is black. You are able to see that blacks are viewed a certain way, even Iago says that Desdemona is “making the beast with two backs.” He convinces the senator to search for the daughter and really convinced him that it was a problem due to the vulgar way he spoke about Othello and his daughter.

We see the direction that Iago plan is going in and the more I read this play the more I dislike Iago. He is ruining the lives of all in the play based strictly on his own jealousy. He has no prove of the other accusation of that Othello slept with his wife either. He tries to shame Cassio by getting him very drunk causing him to do an act that he would not normally do and he is doing this all to take down Othello. While reading this it made me think of a few questions:

1)Why do you think that Brabantio has such a problem with Othello marrying his daughter who claims she loves him, when he doesn’t have an issue with him being a powerful member of society? It is very different from what we have read in the past because warriors are very well respected.

2)Do you believe Iago main motive to destroy Othello is because of the promotion he gave to Cassio or because he believes he slept with his wife, Emilia?

3)Why do you believe Iago always talks about women in a negative, derogatory way? Do you believe the play agrees with the way he speaks about women?

4)What do you predict will happen at the end of the play when everyone finds out about Iago’s plan? Do you believe Iago will be punished and put to justice for his lies?

While I reading from the beginning of “Sir Gawain”to part of the end was interesting because the story went from Gawain the nephew of King Arthur and one of his loyal knights to wanting to defeat the green knight to show that he could beat him and move up. Then it goes to Gawain preparing for the three agreements with the green knight to Gawain sleeping with the lord’s wife. Fitt 3 was the most interesting part in the book because the way the structure was parallel to each other and the way the scene was. This fitt caught my attention more because when the lord goes out to hunt for his prey his wife would go in Sir Gawain’s bed and try to seduce him. At first, I said to myself like wow she is really fail for trying seduce another man and she marry while her husband go out to catch his prey for them to eat. But as I read more I seen that the lord was failing with catching his prey but he didn’t stop and the wife didn’t stop trying to get more than kisses from Gawain until the end. But at the end, I was shocked that the lord knew what his wife and Gawain was doing while he was hunting because he is the one that ordered it.

1. Why would the lord put his wife into a situation where she have to sleep with another man so Gawain could prove he is strong and can take anything?
2. If Gawain would of slept with the lord’s wife, would that have prove himself to everyone that he was strong or disloyal?

In the end of Fitt 2 of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there is a clear understanding of the bargain in which Sir Gawain and the Sir Bertilak agreed to take part in, as a “game”. This brought my attention to relate it back to the “game” Sir Gawain and the Green Knight agreed on. Do these “games” have an importance, which is why they keep repeating or is there a particular reason to drive the character Sir Bertilak and the Green Knight to come up with them? In a way it makes me feel as if Sir Bertilak knows or could relate to the Green Knight. The way Sir Bertilak “laughed” at Sir Gawain’s explanation as to why he cannot stay seemed to be an odd way to respond to the type of “game” he is participating in. Does it seem odd to laugh at this situation, could he be connected to the Green Knight based on what we are seeing towards the end of Fitt 2 and not want to inform Sir Gawain of this? This thought stays with me as I read into Fitt 3. This third part of the story illustrates the three days Gawain and the master take part in their game, concluding every night with a trade. Gawain delivers a kiss, two kisses, and finally three kisses on the following nights as Sir Bertilak delivers venison, boar, and a fox. On the third night, Gawain leaves out the importance of the gift he receives from Sir Bertilak’s wife, which would be a green girdle. This is said to have the power to protect anyone who wears it from death. Sir Bertilak’s wife asks him to keep it a secret from her husband, “…she pressed him to take the present, / and he granted her wish, and she gave with good grace, / though went on to beg him not to whisper a word / of this gift to her husband, and Gawain agreed…” (Lines 1860-1863)

This also brings my attention again to the thought that maybe possibly there is a relation to Sir Bertilak and the Green Knight. By keeping this a secret, it will keep the secret of the wife and Sir Gawain having this friendship/relationship, and if Sir Bertilak find out, he will find out the kisses that were received were from his wife.

1. Does it seem odd to laugh at the explanation of this game Sir Gawain is taking part in with the Green Knight—could he be connected to the Green Knight based on what we are seeing towards the end of Fitt 2?
2. Is there a reason for these games to be so similar?
3. What is the importance of the secret gift? Why can she not inform her husband that she gifted Sir Gawain with this?