1. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation? (cont…)
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AS Paper 1: Othello
Lesson 15
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation? (cont…)

2. Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences B4
Outstanding Progress: you will confidently explore through detailed and sophisticated critical analysis how writers use these aspects to create meaning B3
Excellent Progress: you will explore structure, form, language, themes and contexts, commenting on specific aspects with reference to how they shape meaning B2
Good Progress: you will show awareness of structure, form, language, themes and contexts, commenting on specific aspects with reference to how they shape meaning
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of the events of and consider their impact on the play as a whole?

3. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
Class reading of Act 4 scene 1.
As we read consider the following questions:
Why is this scene particularly upsetting?
What are the specific ways that Othello’s character has transformed
Can you develop your understanding of the way women are presented throughout?
What can you say about the importance of proof?
To what extent do we blame Othello for his own downfall?
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

4. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
1. Why is this scene particularly upsetting?
Witnessing Othello’s downward spiral
Hits Desdemona
The audience watches as Iago stands over him, refers to his game as ‘medicine’
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

5. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
2. What are the specific ways that Othello’s character has transformed
Loses the power of speech
Loses control of physicality
Othello once has the eyes and ears of the Venetian Court, he now hides so that he can eavesdrop a conversation in his quest to get ‘proof’
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

6. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
3. Can you develop your understanding of the way women are presented throughout?
Misogyny is shown in the way that Cassio refers to Bianca
Bianca only ever seen in relation to men
Cassio laughs as the suggestion that he might marry her
Her jealousy mirrors Othello’s, but as she has no rights, she is unable to assert herself as the wronged party
"I will chop her into messes! Cuckold me!"
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

7. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
4. What can you say about the importance of proof?
Othello insists on proof. To Iago, says ‘woe upon thy life’ should he not be able to get proof
Heavy reference to ocular proof, Othello is happy to wait while Iago lures the information out of Cassio and assumes a great deal despite not being able to hear anything
Props were often seen as cheap and were rarely used within Shakespeare plays yet in Othello we have seen two. What do they symbolise?
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

8. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
5. To what extent do we blame Othello for his own downfall?
What is Othello’s greatest fear at this point? Is it that his wife is sleeping with another man or is it that he is being cuckolded?
Othello reacts angrily thinking he is mocking him as a cuckold (often portrayed as a horned man), saying "Dost though mock me", and his next line is "A horned man's a monster and a beast". Again the dehumanising animalistic imagery demonstrates perhaps his greatest fear to be mocked as a cuckold.
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

9. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
Look at the following extract from Act IV. How does it evidence that Othello is losing the power of thought?
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)
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer to the play as a whole in your response?
Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences, character analysis

10. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
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.
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation

11. LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse the effect of foreshadowing in Act 1 Scene 3?
LQ: Can I further my understanding of the plot and begin to look closely at language?
LQ: Can I develop my understanding of characterisation?
LQ: Can I analyse structure, form, language, themes and contexts in Othello?
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?
LQ: Can I identify the changing traits of characters?
Essay feedback. How to ensure that essays are structured appropriately
What is the importance of Act IV, scene 1?
1. Choose three important ideas, each significant enough to write a detailed paragraph on
What it reveals about Othello’s character (not concerned as much with infidelity as he is with idea of being ‘cuckolded’)
Audience witness Othello’s significant downward spiral (loss of speech, loss of physical function)
Representation of women (Othello strikes Des, relationship between Bianca and Cass)
2. Choose two quotations (at least one of which contains a relevant technique to comment on) that best support your answer
Othello – spiral, hits Des, Iago watching over him, Iago suggestion that he
Speech
Violence
Physical ‘savage madness’
Nobility – had the eyes and ears of the Venetian court, now hides so that he can eavesdrop on a conversation
Ext: Can you refer each of your ideas to earlier points in the play?
3. Source relevant context to which you can link each your ideas.

12. Key words: Play, drama, genre, contexts, historical, social, cultural, race, religion, gender, Venice, Cyprus, attitude, audiences B4
Outstanding Progress: you will confidently explore through detailed and sophisticated critical analysis how writers use these aspects to create meaning B3
Excellent Progress: you will explore structure, form, language, themes and contexts, commenting on specific aspects with reference to how they shape meaning B2
Good Progress: you will show awareness of structure, form, language, themes and contexts, commenting on specific aspects with reference to how they shape meaning
LQ: Can I further develop my understanding of characterisation in Act 1?