Week 3 Homework 1

The character, Othello, is missing from much of the early part of the play. We hear about him and what he has done from discussions among/between other characters - Iago and Roderigo; Brabantio, Iago and Roderigo; Brabantio and the Senator). When he is discussed or referred to, it is using language that we would consider quite racist in modern terms. For example, he is variously referred to as; “the Moor” (1.1.57), “the thick-lips” (1.1.66), “an old black ram” (1.1.88), and “a Barbary horse” (1.1.113). Although Othello appears at the beginning of the second scene, we do not hear his name until well into Act 1, Scene 3 (1.3.48). Why has Shakespeare chosen to introduce the main character in this way? How is the audience being positioned to see Othello and to see other characters? Write a well-structured paragraph in response, using evidence from the play, including at least one quotation and evaluating the use of aesthetic features. Post to your blog (or email to me) by 8.20 Friday morning.