No Subject

[Unregistered]

i believe that Othello was a good play but it is so hard to comprehend what is going on during it. it makes you to really have to pay attention. i am in the tenth grade and i have to do a big project on it. i have to write about a theme, i have to compare the two settings, i have to write whether each of the six main characters are flat or round and all that, then i have to write whether or not i liked the play. this is just so much work. i need some help.

[SkizaWWE]

Wow! It sounds like you had quite a task on your shoulders. Although its nearly a year later, i thought i would just post this for any other people who were looking for the same info.

With the six main characters, what you need to do is assess their impact on the play and whether or not they play an integral part within the play. Just to help you along a bit - Desdemona, Iago and Othello would all be rounded characters because Iago is the protagonist, Othello is the antagonist and Desdemona is the key female in the play.

With the two settings, Cyprus and Venice, i would do a little research on what both places were like in the seventeenth century. Venice is quite a well-developed, cultural centre for example.

With the theme i would choose one where there are a lot of references within the play that you feel confident you good explain. Some examples of themes within the play are: a tragedy of misunderstanding; love and jealousy;and a tragedy of pride.

[Aurelian]

I think for the flat/round character question, you might have to take a look at motives, actions and all that jazz - and also at the genre. I'm prolly looking at it from an actor's/drama student's point of view, but Elizabethan era characters generally are fairly flat and one dimensional- to get an idea of whether a character is round or flat, try to see whether you get a look at more than one aspect of their personality, etc.

By 'the two settings' do you mean Venice and Cyprus? In that case, I would look at the events that take palce in each place, and contrast them.

Can't help you with the theme too much, Skiza seems to have that under control!

And with whether or not you liked the play...never ever forget to give reasons. Don't just say 'I liked it" or "I hated it". Give reasons. As out Lit teacher says, examiners always love hearing about your personal context. Did you like the play because you have experienced some of the issues, and you could relate to it? Talk about WHY you like it, not just IF you like it.

[Minx]

lol i love my lit class!! goodluck with the assignment dude! we dont even get stuff lik that and we're seniors..... oh god now i feel old saying that... *goes to the corner and cries*

as the great Aurelian said remember to say why you liked it, if you can extend your ideas on this point your deffinately going to do well - showing the teacher/examiner etc why you liked/disliked the play shows that you have a good understanding of what happend through the plot, and it also shows that your capable of conceiving ideas that were presented in a text 100's of years ago...

in short, being about to understand Shakey makes the teacher think you've got a brain inside that nutshell!

[tomatoes]

With the flat or round characters part, you could compare and contrast the round characters to the flat characters. You could say how Othello is a round character becuase we can see the different aspects of him, he wants to kill Dezza but he doesn't.
You could compare him to Dezza who is presented only as the dutiful wife who believes she is doing the best for the country by pleading on Cassio's behalf. She has no other aspect.

Compare the setting of Venice to that of Cyprus. Venice seemed to be more calm, it was away from the chaos of war. Cyprus was where the storm occured and it was busy and full of action. Venice was only seen while the city was alseep.

Themes: misunderstanding, jealousy, love, pride, manipulation, trust.

Hope this helps