Shakespeare's Tragedy of Othello (Star-Crossed Lovers II) (Patreon)

This is our post-play analysis for The Tragedy of Othello.

You may wish to listen after your first reading of the play, using the lecture as an opportunity to reread. Or you may wish to listen as you make your way through the play in real time.

We have timestamps indicating the topics, with acts and scenes referenced throughout the video, so feel free to digest our discussion in the way that best serves you.

Timestamps

• Act One
• 0:00 the history of Othello
• 3:00 Iago as Satan scorned
• 6:00 the motif of ‘proof’
• 9:00 who do we know?
• 11:30 “I am not what I am”
• 17:58 objectification of Desdemona
• 18:58 “the beast with two backs”
• 20:00 staging prejudice
• 23:00 the poetry of Othello
• 27:12 “keep up your bright swords”
• 30:00 a sign of thinking rationally
• 32:00 how Othello charmed Desdemona
• 41:58: “she has deceived her father”
• 43:00 “put money in thy purse”
• 49:00 the genres of comedy and tragedy
• 58:00 “I hate the Moor”
• Act Two
• 1:01:00 Iago ensnaring flies
• 1:05:00 how Othello sees Desdemona
• 1:08:00 questioning what we’re told
• 1:10:00 “cannot speak any beginning”
• 1:14:00 the rhythm of Othello
• Act Three
• 1:21:00 the high point of tragedy
• 1:23:00 Iago deceives Othello
• 1:29:00 when thoughts become proof
• 1:34:00 Iago as poisoning playwright
• 1:37:00 “give me the ocular proof”
• 1:40:00 Desdemona’s handkerchief
• 1:42:00 acting out of character
• 1:44:00 the irrationality of jealousy
• Acts Four & Five
• 1:46:00 Othello’s fits of jealousy
• 1:48:00 what Othello teaches us
• 1:51:00 Othello strikes Desdemona
• 1:54:00 motiveless motive-hunting
• 1:56:00 Satan the accuser
• 1:57:00 “it is the cause”
• 2:00:00 the tragic finale of Othello
• 2:04:00 Othello’s final speech

Questions to Consider:

1) Can we ever truly, fully know another person? Can we ever fully know ourselves?

2) Which of Shakespeare's characters feel the most real to you so far? (e.g. Iago vs Hamlet, King Lear vs the Macbeths)

3) What lines/scenes would you like us to focus on and appreciate together? Our next Othello video is the third piece in our “three reads” approach, and will involve comparing different productions.

Bonus - Let us know what your reading experience looked like. If this is a reread, did you experience the play differently this time around? If this is your first read, did the play shatter expectations?

Happy reading, everybody!