Othello Act 1 Scene 1

1. Venice is presented in the first act as a society orientated around conflict whether its the Venice Vs Cyprus conflict or the conflict between the characters themselves. The interactions change dependent on the person because Othello is a black man living in a racist society he is treated differently but he is also treated differently because of his status as a general. Although Iagos status is lower than Othellos he is often treated better by his counterparts because he is white.The society is also patriarchal so therefore Desdemona is treated differently when compared to male characters.

2. In Act 1 scene 1 Iago appears quite trustworthy and honest and he seems to be rightfully angry at Othello as far as the audience know Iago has always been loyal to Othello and he has had more experience than Cassio but yet Cassio is chosen to fulfil a more important role. However the audience starts to see how disloyal Iago really is when he goes behind Othellos back and the audience begins to question Iagos opinions when they see how honourable Othello is. Iago and Roderigo are friends but Iago manipulates him and its implied there could be something more between them.

3. Othellos speaks gently whereas Iagos speaks more aggressively as he is more manipulative. Iago often speaks vaguely so he doesn't look as manipulative as he really is

Othello DVD

Basic plot




Why do Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio?
They wake him up to tell him that his daughter Desdemona has married Othello.




How does Brabantio believe Othello ‘won’ his daughter, Desdemona?
Charms/enchantment/witchcraft.


How does Othello believe he ‘won’ Desdemona?
He wooed her and told her stories of his life. He gets her to defend this statement.


What two reasons are there for Othello appearing before the senate?
His job '(he is a general)- going to Cyprus - Turkish invasion.
To defend his relationship with Desdemona that is being scrutinised.


What do we learn about Othello’s past?
That he was a slave.


What terms are used to describe Othello whilst in front of the senate?
'Black ram' 'the moor'


What is significant about Brabantio’s rhyming couplet “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to
see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.”?
It makes it easier for Othello to believe she is deceitful later in the play as she has deceived her father already.


Can you find an example of dramatic irony in Othello’s retort?
He calls Iago 'honest Iago' this is dramatic irony as he is betraying Othello and the audience is aware of this but Othello is not.


What does Iago persuade Roderigo to do?
Follow them to Cyprus


What do we learn from Iago’s soliloquy?
That he dislikes Othello strongly and is plotting his downfall.

Classical tragedy

A classical tragedy is a serious drama in which a the protagonist or hero meets with disaster either due to personal flaws or circumstance.

Tragedy originated in ancient Greece. It was influenced by other genres but originated in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Thespis traditionally was the first person to represent a character rather than speaking as himself in a play in 534 BC . Choerilus, wrote approximatley one hundred and sixty tragedies. Pratinas of Philus author of fifty works. Their titles are their only real record., satyr plays were presented alongside tragedies at this time.

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist born circa 384 B.C. He enrolled in Plato's academy at the age of 17 and was taught by Plato. He went on to teach Alexander The Great. His work became basis for western education. He tried to define the way tragedy works as a genre.
Poetics was written by Aristotle in 335 BC. The aim of tragedy, Aristotle writes, is to bring about a "catharsis" of the spectator and to  make them feel sensations of pity and fear, and to purge them of these emotions so that they leave the theater feeling cleansed, with a heightened understanding of  gods and men.

6 components of tragedy according to Aristotle.  1) Plot2) Character 3) Diction - the actual words spoken by the characters.
4)Reasoning - case being staged and opinions being expressed by characters.
5)Spectacle
6) Lyric Poetry (personal response to experience presented on stage)
Aristotle thought tragedies should purge pity and fear - an emotional release.
Aristotle thought can not be either all good or all bad they must be someone who the audience can relate too. Heros are usually the protagonists in tragedies the disastrous result that makes it a tragedy is usually bought about because of the tragic hero making a mistake bought on by a flaw in their character this often also results in their death.

Elements/ingredients of Classical tradgedyHamartia: The tragic hero must make a mistake, the hero must also be someone the audience can identify with. Kings make good subject matter because in a human society they have the top position in society.A flaw in the heros character leads to them making a mistake that in some way leads to their death. 
Tragic Flaw: A flaw/trait that ultimately leads to the downfall of the character . It is often pride (hubris)
Hubris: Over confidence or pride. Which often leads to the hero ignoring significant warnings and breaking moral codes.
Peripeteia: a reversal of circumstances or turning point.
Anagnorisis: The moment in a play when a character makes a critical discovery.(recognition)
Catharisis: The purification of emotions.

The Hollow Men - T.S Eliot

Is doing nothing and remaining neutral worse than actively committing evil? Why or why not?  

Marxists believe it is the peoples duty to change the society they are in and to reject the norms and values that exist due to a capitalist society. The hollow men in the poem are passive and they don't bring any change or progression to their surroundings. They are described as shadows and they are simply 'behaving as the wind behaves' they are empty and unmoved. Because of this they are completely passive and seem to live without thought or purpose. If the hollow men were committing an act even if it was considered an evil one at least they would be doing something significant A Marxist critic would view the hollow men negatively as they have no impact on society as they don't challenge it in any way but if they committed an act of evil they might be viewed differently because they were reacting to society in some way and fulfilling some kind of purpose rather than doing nothing at all. By committing an evil act they would be rejecting the false conciousness of society which would be viewed as better by Marxists than staying passive as they are conditioned too by capitalist ideas.

Possible questions






'The soldiers in poems by Wilfred Owen are conditioned by capitalist ideas and suffer as a result.'




'The bourgeoisie exploit the soldiers in Wilfred Owen's poems. The soldiers labour and death is exploited to benefit the bourgeoisie. '








"Wilfred Owen presents the proletariat as obedient and in a false consciousness'

Larkin's poetry cynically portrays a society in which the proletariat "are deluding themselves" rather than presenting a hopeful picture of a society where "they [go] beyond the limits which society sets for them" To what extent do you agree with this statement? Make close reference to FOUR Larkin poems.

Phillip Larkin was an English novelist, poet and librarian. He usually portrays the lives of the proletariat in his poems as miserable and hopeless. He also presents a society in which the proletariat are in a false consciousness and are manipulated by the upper class. In his different poems the working class are described as victims of consumerism and a capitalist society.

In his poem the large cool store the proletariat are driven by consumerism. The poem is about a clothing store that make affordable clothing for the working class. He represents the proletariat as deluding themselves by buying in to trends at a useless attempt at social mobility. The title the large cool store has a dual meaning 'cool' could mean in fashion but it also sounds heartless and harsh. Popular culture is used to delude and distract the proletariat from the way they are being exploited by the bourgeoisie. Materialism is used by the bourgeoisie to pacify the proletariat.  The proletariat 'leave at dawn' and do hard work in institutions to benefit the bourgeoisie 'factory, yard and site'. The proletariat would have done factory work probably producing the clothing they buy back from the store this makes the proletariat appear to be deluding themselves as by doing this they are continuing a cycle of inequality to which they are the victims. In the weekdays the proletariat wear more dull colours 'Browns, greys, maroons' its likely the working class would have worked in the week and used these clothes to assume that identity to fulfil their dull work. Whereas on the weekend they buy more vibrant clothes to allude themselves into thinking that they can look like the bourgeoisie 'lemon, sapphire'. The proletariat are deluding themselves in this poem as they believe that by purchasing these clothes its giving them a chance at social mobility and that through contributing to a capitalist system they can become more in control of their identity when really they are doing the opposite - providing the upper classes with control over their identity. The lower classes want to look like the upper classes who set the trends that the lower classes follow obediently. By believing that buying these clothes gives them control and improves their social status further identifies that the proletariat are in fact deluding themselves as they are really being exploited further through capitalism.

One of Larkins other poems 'Mr Bleaney' also describes a man who conforms to the limits society has set him, His poems reflect his own life and experiences as a working class man. The poem narrates a working class man's life in which he lives in a bleak room containing on the basics 'bed, upright chair,sixty watt bulb..'  The room is very basic and only adequate but he accepts to live there anyway showing his is desperate and probably threatened by poverty and limited by his social position. Mr Bleaney is also spoken about as if he is property of the bourgeoisie 'they moved him' because they had to the power to move him and control him as if he were an object. But because he accepts his situation it could show the proletariat are happy to conform just like they do in the cool store by buying clothing they seem willing to accept their position. Mr Bleaney remains in the room living a life or routine like the proletariat in the cool store did ,working in the week and shopping at the weekend. Mr Bleaney encourages consumerism ' egged her on to buy' and lives a repetitive life 'I know his habits - what time he came down' most members of the proletariat lived repetitive lives working and contributing in lower culture or consumer culture in their spare time. Mr Bleaney doesn't live a very happy life and wouldn't have much to lose if he rebelled against society but he is obedient anyway because its easier as stated in the communist manifesto 'the proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains'. Mr Bleaneys life is lonely and social interactions sound like he only does them out of obligation and desperation not out of enjoyment 'who put him up for summer holidays, and Christmas at his sisters house in stoke.' When Mr Bleaney dies he leaves nothing but 'one hindered box' this creates the idea the working and lower classes leave nothing useful or important behind - they live the whole lives for the bourgeoisie leaving behind nothing of any significance. It can also be said that the working class don't have many important material possessions and dont leave any kind of legacy and even if Mr Bleaney had children they would have just lived unhappy lives as they were born proletariat  and they would have had no chance at social mobility and would have also suffered a life of poverty. At the end of the poem it says ' He warranted no better' Phillip Larkin suggests the proletariat deserve the quality of life they have and are deluding themselves if they think they deserve more or attempt to gain more.  

His poems all have a similar structure they are told in chronological order and are written like short stories. 'The Whitsun Weddings'  describes a long boring weekend. The description in the poem creates a boring dull atmosphere 'industrial froth' 'reek of buttoned carriage cloth' 'dismantled cars. ' Those sort of things would also be associated with the proletariat creating a negative image of them. The bourgeoisie in the poem are described 'wearing broad belts under their suits'. They would most likely have high status professions.The protagonist was also 'late getting away' showing they weren't looking forward to the event. Like in the cool store he describes the clothes brightly 'lemons,mauves' this contrast with the way he describes other aspects of the wedding 'children frowned at something dull' ' happy funeral'. Phillip Larkin never married in his own life. He describes marriage in the poem as a bad thing a means of distracting and controlling the proletariat and seems to be pessimistic towards marriage. The poem also uses enjambment to make the weekend seem like its dragging on and that It's boring him.Lower class people would marry lower class people and higher class people would marry higher class people. Marriage can be viewed as another institution used to delude the proletariat into excepting their social position.

Days by Phillip Larkin is another poem In 'Whitsun weddings' that doesn't create a hopeful picture of society.  Its simple repetitive and easy to understand. The tone in the poem sounds sarcastic. he says '
 'They come, they wake us Time and time over.' Which could refer to the lived of the proletariat they work long hours and live repetative lives doing the same work over and over again he contrasts this image with 'They are to be happy in'. The proletariat are meant to spend their days being happy in a society they are allowed to thrive in but they are limited by their class. This creates an image of and unfair society with little hope of improvement. But he provided the question 'where can we live but days?' The proletariat live that way because they cant see and alternative. 

Comparing Larkins poems it can be seen the proletariat don't go above the limits that society sets for them and rarely try too they accept their situation as they see no hope in changing it. They are deluded by the bourgeoisie into never challenging the way they are exploited and contribute in a culture designed to manipulate them. Larkin also creates the image of a society that is impossible to change.