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Post by Mr. Thomas on May 5, 2014 12:06:38 GMT -5
"I am not what I am."
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Post by emmanuelluna on May 5, 2014 17:31:51 GMT -5
Emmanuel Luna
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5/5/14
D. Iago is really good at deceiving others and getting his way. As we saw in act 1, scene 1 he clearly hates Othello and wants to cause trouble for him without actually getting rid of him. He tells Brabantio that he married his daughter Desdemona in order for him to get mad at Othello and go look for him. On the other hand he then goes to Othello telling him that Brabantio is looking for him in order to gain his trust. Iago really is an interesting character since he is so easily able to deceive those he needs to in order to get what he wants.
E. Even though I find Iago as very interesting, I still think he is a person who is capable of anything. I think that his relationship with Roderigo isn’t one of partnership but rather one where Iago pulls all the strings and Roderigo does all his dirty work. He clearly only trusts himself and uses anyone one he has to in order to achieve his goals. He is only loyal to himself, which is not in itself completely bad because one should look out for oneself first to begin with anyways. This is why I can’t completely hate Iago since we should all look oout for ourselves first even though he takes it to another level.
I. When Iago says’ “he tonight hath boarded a land carrack. If it prove lawful prize, he’s made forever.” (lines 60-61) I think he was trying to say that if he successfully convinces Brabantio to let him stayed marry to Desdemona, then he is set financially. He is essentially saying that Othello only married her for the money and not because he loves or. Maybe not entirely but I do get the sense that he did not marry Desdemona out of love only.
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Post by johnmarano on May 5, 2014 17:42:16 GMT -5
John Marano
Mr. Thomas
English 11
May 5 2014
B. So far Othello by Shakespeare seems tremendously interesting solely based on the fact that there is great conflict to come so early on in the play. In class, I felt that the most significant part of our reading was when Rodrigo interrupts Brabantio and eventually persuades him to address innocent Othello just because of the clandestine relationship evolving between Othello and his daughter, Desdemona. I thought this was so crucial to the play because it could create foreshadow in the readers eyes. I was also staggered by how quickly Brabantio was cooperating with the remarks made by Iago and Rodrigo. At first, Brabantio wouldn’t even take Rodrigo’s remarks as anything but foolish and now, so early on in the story, he considers what Rodrigo is saying. This discussion is remarkably important because it leads the rest of the story.
C. Obviously reading Shakespeare’s novel, one will have great trouble understanding some situations or scenes. Why does Brabantio call for his brother to stir up a mob to attack Othello? He is literally going to make a huge commotion for absolutely no reason. What will happen next? Will Othello be ostracized? Also, why would Brabantio, not fully trusting Rodrigo, comply with his outbursts? It just seems so fake that at first he believes him as a loser and drunk but now he is completely trusting. It doesn’t make sense. Who grows trust over a man that they barely know or actually don’t prefer?
D. One quote that stood out was in scene 1 when Brabantio and Rodrigo are chatting. He says to Rodrigo “O that you had had her!” This little quote is SO important. It reveals how racist Brabantio is because he literally is saying that he would rather anyone else but Othello, who is a black man, with his daughter. It is quite ironic that a government official doesn’t like black people isn’t it? I feel like the whole racism issue will now be so apparent in each scene of the book. Aside this, the quote also reveals how Brabantio is leaning towards the persuasion of Rodrigo.
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Post by frankclarke on May 5, 2014 18:01:35 GMT -5
Francis Paul Clarke Junior
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 May 2014
E. First off, it’s important to state that Iago really, really hates Othello. He’s quite the deceptive person, two faced some would say, and Shakespeare compares him to Janus. Which actually doesn’t make sense, because Janus is the God of beginnings and endings, so I don’t actually see the connection there. However, he deceives Othello into thinking that he is on his side, when in reality I don’t think he’s on anyone’s side. He tells Roderigo that he would tell lies to Othello, but who can trust a guy like that?
D. “Oh heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!” (191) This line was said by Brabantio, when Roderigo tells him of his daughter, Desdemona’s, business. This line may show some insight to racism. However one could argue that he is being an over-protective father, or maybe he’s just a blatant racist. It’s hard to tell at this point, but Othello is definitely a well-versed general with a lot of respect behind him.
C. There are certainly a lot of questions you can ask at a point this early in a book. Is Brabantio a racist or over-protective? Will Iago and his two-faced identity come to life, or will this charade of jealously continue? How will Othello respond to the empty threats against him, which Iago brought to life (the one’s Roderigo said to him) in the long run? Boy oh boy we’re in for a treat!
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Post by georgebaroudos on May 5, 2014 18:25:27 GMT -5
George Baroudos
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 May 2014
A- I really admire Othello’s confidence. Othello is not worried about what people have to say about him. Othello rather will let his achievements speak for himself. Othello essentially is acting in a respectful matter and isn’t really worried. I believe Othello is very noble. Othello has a lot of respect that he will use to his advantage. I think Othello is grateful for his blessings and he will continue to be the person he is. Othello is not concerned with people’s opinions, he will let his work speak for him and that is respectful.
D- “O, would you had had her!” (Line 198 pg. 19). Brabantio has a total reverse of views. Roderigo comes to him and he is immediately seen as a villain. Roderigo is seen as the creep that stalks his daughter. Brabantio ultimately chastises Roderigo and tells him to leave. When Brabantio finds that Roderigo is telling the truth. His totally view changed because he is helping him. This shows the two-facedness of the book so far. This seems to be a motif as we said in class. We have seen it with Iago and Brabantio and it is only the second scene.
I – Iago in many ways reminds me of Stanley. I think they are both very intelligent and are lying manipulators. I think they’re both two faced people. I believe that they lead to the downfall of the main character who is not nearly as harmful as the rest. I think they are selfish and only out for themselves. I think that it will come back to haunt both of them hopefully.
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Post by Sgarlato on May 5, 2014 18:40:54 GMT -5
Stephen Sgarlato
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5/5/14
A. In the beginning of the play it shows one of the main characters Iago talking about how he wants Desdemona for himself but finds out that Othello just married her. Iago hates Othello. To add to his hatred for Othello, he is also upset that Othello didn’t give him the Lieutenant job. He is mad at this because the person Othello assigned to Lieutenant, Michael Cassio, has no experience whatsoever. While Iago has much experience and many high class recommendations. This sucks because I have been in Iago’s position where I haven’t gotten the title I wanted or the girl I desired. So this decision is extremely relatable.
C. A question that probably will be revealed soon as we read on is, “How will Iago design his assault on Othello?” I can feel that this scene will be either the climax of the story or at the very end.
I. To answer Frank’s question about whether Brabantio is a racist or just over-protective. I would just say over-protective. However, Brabantio seems like he has another side. I feel like his “evil side” or “ dark side” will be revealed later on as we read.
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Post by eointunney on May 5, 2014 19:28:39 GMT -5
Eoin Tunney
Mr. Thomas
Enlgish 11
5 May 2014
D. Through the first two scenes we see that Iago is one of the more interesting characters in this play. He is very good at getting what he wants, and he is also extremely well at tricking people. Iago is a very two-faced character, and he even points that out on line 38 of scene 2 when he swears to Janus. Janus is the two-faced god. Honestly, anything that Iago does would not surprise me.
E. Othello is also another very interesting character, but he is also the complete opposite of Iago. Othello is very proud of himself, and of all of his accomplishments. He seems to be a very loyal man, even though he married Brabantio’s daughter. He seems likes a man that doesn’t like to mess around, unlike Iago. Othellos seems more worried about completing his assigned job than he is about Brabantio being angry that he took his daughter away.
I. I see Frank asked “Is Brabantio a racist or over-protective?” My answer to this would be Brabantio is racist. This play would have taken place hundreds of years ago, which means blacks did not have racial equality. They were heavily discriminated against. The only reason why Othello is hired is because he is so good at what he does. Like we discussed in class, Othello probably crossed the line when he married Desdemona.
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Post by bourdonm15 on May 5, 2014 19:55:24 GMT -5
Matthew Bourdon
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5/5/14
B. We can see that Iago is clearly a sarcastic person and hates Othello for not hiring him. He says an interesting quote to Othello that was important but also sarcastic. “By Janus, I think no.” (Page 23) This is significant because Janus is a two-faced god and Iago is swearing by him. He has basically given away, directly to Othello in his face, that he is a two-faced person. He did tell us in the first scene about how he was only going to act nice and friendly towards Othello to get to his downfall. This is an important part in Iago revealing his true colors.
C. I clearly do not understand Brabantio at all. When he first comes out he says that Roderigo is drunk and that he is not going to marry his daughter and that Roderigo is a stalker. But then he tells Roderigo, “O, would you had had her! Some one way, some another.” (Page 19) What? How do you condemn him in one instance and then in the next tell him that he should have had his daughter? Is Brabantio doing this just to brainwash Roderigo into finding out about Othello and Desdemona? What is the reasoning behind him changing his mind so quickly?
I. I agree with Frank’s point on Brabantio being a racist. It is clear that he has some sort of hate towards Othello and from the language he has used, it is inevitable to think that he is a racist. Either way, Othello does have a lot of respect from the people of Venice.
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Post by fotia15 on May 5, 2014 19:59:12 GMT -5
A. So far im not to impressed with the book so far. It's been quite difficult to follow and is very slow. Shakespeare's ways of describing characters in the book are extremely subtle. Also the setting and moods behind things making its very strange to read. The only part that helped me understand was the powerpoint. That background informations given to us helps us.
E. The racism in this book is really obvious. I feel bad for Othello because he really has no idea how much people are hating him. His wifes father is out to practically kill him and/or get him out of his job. everyones is planing creepy stuff out behind his back. The country isnt really open to him being there, he's lucky he has an awesome resume.
c. I look forward to seeing whats going to go down in this book ive never heard anything about it till last week.
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Post by danokeefe15 on May 5, 2014 20:09:08 GMT -5
Danny O’Keefe
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 May 2014
C. what I’m kind of confused by after these two scenes is if Iago is being truthful and loyal to Roderigo. Why would he go to Othello to warn him after telling on him with Roderigo to Brabanzio. I don’t know if I’m reading it incorrectly, but I just don’t understand why he went to see Othello
D. After Brabanzio is told that Othello is with his daughter we get to see how he feels about it. To me he was being protective of his daughter, but it was mainly because of who Othello is. He doesn’t refer to him as just another person we see that he refers to him by different names and they blame all of what is happening on Othello meanwhile Desdemona also married him.
E. Part of the scenes that stood out to me was after he finds out that Brabanzio is on his way Othello decides to stand his ground and not leave. It shows the type of person and leader that he is and why he was given the position that he has, and it also gives us some expectations for him as the play continues.
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djmat
New Member
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Post by djmat on May 5, 2014 20:49:08 GMT -5
Osman Mat
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5/5/14
A. the story is actually very intriguing because we can guess what the story may be about but we do not actually know what will happen. When Foti says the story is moving kind of slowly I would have to agree but I think that is mostly because we do not actually have an idea as to what is going to happen. But I also think that that the main characters are interesting in general and have interesting backgrounds.
I. I can not say that I feel bad for Othello like Foti does because he is not very liked by his father in law probably because he is black but as a black man he has a achieved a lot. It does not really seem like he is examined for his skin in his job. In fact he does well in his job and is one of the reasons why he has a high position.
C. Shakespeare's language is very confusing at times but in this play I am finding a bit simpler or easier to understand than reading something like Macbeth. I was wondering if there was something different about Othello when when Shakespeare wrote it. it may just be me but i was wondering if anyone else was feeling the same way.
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Post by epoccia on May 5, 2014 22:13:03 GMT -5
Eddie Poccia
English 11
Mr. Thomas
5/5/14
Othello Act 1
I agree with DJ that this play seems much easier to understand than the other Shakespeare plays we've read like Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. It is still difficult to understand at times, but I'm finding this one to be much easier to follow. I think the recording we use in class definitely helps me to understand it better.
Someone in class today asked a good question and I was wondering the same thing. Why would Othello be placed in such a powerful position if everyone in Venice seems to be racist? You would think that they wouldn't want him to be leading them but I guess they overlook his skin color and consider his military experience.
Iago seems to be the smartest character in the play so far. He is able to outsmart everyone and make people believe he is something that he is not. If I were Roderigo, I would not trust him because you never know if he'll turn on you. He is also obsessed with Othello's wife, Desdemona. He is going through a lot of trouble to carry out his plan but in the end he will probably not end up with Desdemona.
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Post by scanley73 on May 5, 2014 22:29:56 GMT -5
A. As I mentioned in class, Iago reminds me of Little Finger from Game of Thrones. He makes those in charge feel like he is loyal to him but in reality he is really just trying to help himself. Also, the people who follow him, Roderigo, feel like they are on his side but he is just using them. So they both have allies on both sides who think that they are on their side but in the end he is only on one side, his side.
C. Iago mentioned Cassio being an “arithmetician”. Does this mean that Cassio was just some guy who knows a lot about math? If so why would he end up in the army? It just doesn’t make sense. If he was a scholar in like military school or something it would make sense but if he is just a mathematician it doesn’t make sense for him not only to be a lieutenant but even a soldier all together. I am not defending Iago in trying to burn Othello and him for giving Cassio the promotion but it just doesn’t make sense for Cassio to be even in the military if that is the case.
I. To answer Danny’s confusion about Iago, he went to Othello as a ploy to make it seem like he is one Othello’s side. But, in reality he is working behind the scenes with Roderigo. However, whether or not Iago is totally loyal to Roderigo is yet to be seen. It seems like he would be willing to turn him in at the drop of a hat.
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Post by rodriguezj15 on May 5, 2014 23:53:09 GMT -5
Joel Rodriguez Mr. Thomas English 11 May 5, 2014 Othello E. Before the bell rang I was going to say that Othello seems very educated and aware of what to do at the moment. I got this from his diction and his very well mannered voice. He was very calm and prepared to deal with Brabantio. This is expected from his resume, but is crazy because everyone still hated him. This might be due to the fact that he is a Moor, but this is also ironic. If you think about it Iago is sort of immature compared to Othello. So is Roderigo, who is a drunk and a stalker. D. My favorite line was when Iago swears, “By Janus (I. 2 Ln.38).” This is a perfect example of verbal irony or dramatic irony. Janus is a two-headed god who Iago swears to when talking straight to Othello! This made me want to go into the book and scream at Othello to kill Iago on the spot. Iago is basically telling him that he’s a two-faced backstabber. I. To answer Stanley’s question, yes Cassio, an arithmetician, is very good at math. Othello might’ve picked him instead of Iago because arithmetic did come flourish under the Ottoman Empire which and since Othello is from North Africa, he might’ve thought math was very important. But also he probably chose Cassio because his weapon is his intelligence. I think Othello believes the pen is stronger than the sword. Look at how he responded to Brabantio, non-violently even though he had a whole mob. |
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