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Post by Mr. Thomas on May 12, 2014 14:28:44 GMT -5
"Put money in thy purse!"
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Post by johnmarano on May 12, 2014 18:13:01 GMT -5
John Marano
Mr. Thomas
English 11
May 12 2014
B. I would like to point out the significance of today’s reading which was the persuasive manipulation of Iago to his “friend.” I thought the discussion between Rodrigo and Iago was so important because it truly shows that Iago isn’t that innocent man that everyone believes him to be. He literally uses Rodrigo’s weakness, which is his upmost love and desire for Desdemona, and makes him sell his land for profit, which Iago will later use for his personal revenge on Othello. I thought this was a vital scene in the play as we read in class because it reveals what is later to come and also reveals more about Iago and his character. At first, I thought Rodrigo and Brabantio had bigger intentions of destroying Othello, but now I realized that Iago makes this whole thing happen under his vision.
C. I questioned some of the discoveries in Act 1 Scene 3. Why doesn’t anyone say anything to Brabantio after it is revealed that he is completely wrong about his beliefs on the marriage? I mean he literally causes a huge fuss involving really important people during a time of possible warfare yet no one says anything when Desdemona embarrasses him. Secondly, does Iago want revenge on Othello for the rumor that he had slept with his wife? I initially thought that he wanted his position in the military but could this be a factor as well?
D. I would like to point out a quote said by the Duke, which may not be too important, but it still jumped out to me. As Brabantio is absorbing the “tragic” news of his daughter’s situation, the Duke tries cheering him up almost and says “more fair than black.” I thought this was intriguing because as we have learned prior, a lot of the people are racist but the Duke doesn’t seem to be. He is saying that Othello, even though he is black, isn’t just a typical type of guy. In a way, he is actually taking a liking to Othello and trying to ease the situation for him. This quote also leads to Brabantio talking negatively about his daughter as he now tells Othello she is completely untrustworthy.
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Post by bourdonm15 on May 12, 2014 18:53:26 GMT -5
Matthew Bourdon
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5/12/14
C. Iago really deeply abhors and despises Othello for not giving him the position of lieutenant and instead giving it to Michael Cassio. “I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets has done my office.” (Page 55) Is it safe to say that Iago is a racist? The hate that he has for Othello is very evil and deep and he always throws jabs at Othello with racist remarks. Something else has to play a part in Iago’s dislike for Othello because there is no way you can express this much hate for a person just because you did not get the position. It seems almost too exaggerated.
F. Roderigo is a very gullible person and just reading how pathetic he is, is quite amusing. “What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so fond, but it is not in my virtue to amend it.” (Page 51) Roderigo is crying and whimpering because he is not able to have Desdemona? That is honestly sad and what is even sadder is that he believes everything Iago tells him. Iago tells him that if he becomes wealthy that Desdemona will fall for him and get rid of Othello. This is something that I doubt will happen and with how much of a snake Iago is, I doubt he really cares about Roderigo. Once Iago gets what he wants, it is a “forget everyone” type of mentality.
I. I agree with John’s comment on the questionable Duke comment. Is the Duke racist? It seems that everyone except Desdemona cares about race.
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Post by georgebaroudos on May 12, 2014 18:58:12 GMT -5
George Baroudos
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12 May 2014
A- Othello genuinely trusts Iago and that is where he goes wrong. I think Othello is too quick to trust. I feel like he does not know Iago enough to give him that much trust. I understand that he may trust his wife with his life, but a stranger essentially should not watch over your wife in my opinion. I have not seen a connection between Othello and Iago. It is very odd that Othello would give Iago such responsibility and this will haunt Othello. I think this reflects the saying the nice guy finishes last. Othello looks at the good in people and this allows him to trust Iago, but he will see this is the wrong decision.
D- “It is silliness to live, when to live is torment, and then have we a prescription to die when death is our physician” (350-352). This shows Roderigo’s claim for suicide. Luckily he is talked out of it, but embarks on a whole new problem. Little does Roderigo know but Iago is manipulating him. Roderigo becomes a pawn within Iago’s plan for revenge on Othello. We learn of Iago’s deep-seated resentment for Othello. This ultimately overwhelms Iago and he will do anything to destroy Othello in any way that he can. This involves manipulating an innocent moron.
I – Iago is able to manipulate Roderigo into believing that the more money he has the more of a chance he has with Desdemona. This is the same trap that Gatsby falls into. Gatsby realizes that with all the money in the world you cannot buy true love. In many ways it is appealing, but by no means is it everything. Women know this and we are certainly there is the fair share of gold diggers, but they are not truly happy. These greedy people who are only concerned with money will never be rich and will always lose because they will never be happy.
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Post by eointunney on May 12, 2014 19:09:37 GMT -5
Eoin Tunney
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12 May 2014
C. In the last few pages of scene three many interesting things happen. One notable event was when Othello wants Desdemona to join him as he goes to Cyprus. Obviously he doesn’t want her to stay in Venice because he is sacred that her father will make her leave Othello. But I was confused because earlier in the scene he said he would die for her if she didn’t tell them she loved him. I’m surprised he doesn’t have the same level of trust for her now.
E. In the end of scene three we see that Othello trusts Iago a lot. He has a lot of respect for Iago, but that doesn’t really matter to him. Even though Othello shows all this respect to Iago, Iago still hates Othello. He even makes a plan with Rodrigo to make Desdemona leave Othello and go for Rodrigo. (Which I doubt will work.)
I. I never really noticed the Duke’s racism until John pointed it out. There is no way to escape racism in this play because it involves a black male and it takes place hundreds of years ago. To the characters in this play racism is just another part of life, it’s not really looked at anything that can cause problems. So I don’t know if I would exactly call these characters in the play racists because racism wasn’t addressed back then like it is in today’s world.
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Post by Sgarlato on May 12, 2014 20:42:37 GMT -5
Stephen Sgarlato
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5/12/14
D. I would just like to point out the creepiness of Iago’s lines before Act 1 ended. I may be just feeling like this because of the way the guy in the audio script said it. But even if, the script itself was extremely scary and weird. The audio actor wouldn’t have said it like that if the script wasn’t meant to be said like that.
I. To answer Eoin’s question I wouldn’t say that he doesn’t have as much trust in her but he may not feel comfortable with her and her father’s influence. He may be nervous that he will badger her and keep annoying her about it and Othello doesn’t want her to have to go through that.
C. What I don’t understand and what George kind of made a little more clear was why Roderigo lets himself get convinced that money is everything. Like obviously money can buy you a lot but love is not one. I can already see though that this might cause problems with Othello and Desdemona because like George said, “There a share of gold diggers”. So I can already see that Desdemona may get influenced by the money but if her love is strong enough then it shouldn’t.
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Post by danokeefe15 on May 12, 2014 21:32:06 GMT -5
Danny O'Keefe
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12 May 2014
B. At the end of Scene 3 with Iago and Roderigo's conversation and with Iago's soliloque we see a shift in power. What I mean by this is that in the begining Roderigo is the leader and Iago is listening to him and doing what he is told, but now he is reassuring Roderigo he isnt giving up on getting back at Othello and he is kind of in control. I feel like he wants to get back at Othello the most because at the end of scene 3 he seems the most eager to continue with his plans to ruin Othello and his relationship with Desdemona.
C. What I found confusing was some of the things that Iago said during his conversation with Roderigo and during his soliloque. Is he now going against Roderigo as well or is it part of his plan for Othello and I am also confused by what Othello did to Iago's wife and how long ago this stuff happened and why he thinks this.
E. I find it interesting that everyone trusts Iago yet he should be the last person anyone should trust. From what I thought I read Iago plans on taking money from Roderigo and plans on taking down Othello, but the both of them trust Iago and are unaware of what he plans on doing.
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Post by scanley73 on May 12, 2014 22:27:30 GMT -5
I. In response to Eoin’s confusion about Othello trusting Desdemona, he does trust her. He doesn’t trust Brabantio. He doesn’t trust him because he knows that he will do whatever he can to keep his daughter away from Othello. Othello thinks that he may try to get her out of Venice and marry her off to some guy. If this does happen she can’t do anything about it. Women at this time held very little power so even if she protested this would still happen. Also, if Brobantio forces her to leave he won’t just tell her to he would probably physically move her because we’ve already seen how racist he is and we know he would do anything to keep her from Othello.
C. One thing that confuses me is exactly what Iago’s pan is. Some of his intentions were revealed at the end of scene three but his exact plan wasn’t revealed. We know that he is only in it for himself and is only using Roderigo but to what extent. The main confusion is what he will do to hurt Othello. He mentioned driving a wedge between him and Desdemona but how is he going to do it. I imagine it will involve Roderigo but she wants nothing to do with him.
A. Roderigo’s reaction to Desdemona staying with Othello reminds me of Stanley and Stella’s codependent relationship except Desdemona doesn’t reciprocate his feelings so all he can do is overreact and throw a temper tantrum like saying he’s going to kill himself.
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