Essay you will complete DURING class on 6/4
(1), 6/5 (3, 4), 6/6 (6, 7)
(you may your Othello book).
Choose one of these prompts to discuss. Requirements:
- Use at least two quotations from Othello.
- Write 3-4 paragraphs
- Introduction paragraph including a thesis
- Body paragraphs with evidence
- Conclusion paragraph summarizing the ideas in the essay.
a) Is Othello's downfall a consequence of his own weakness or circumstances beyond his control? How
responsible is Othello for the play’s tragic outcome? Explain your answer.
b) Do you think Desdemona is too passive, or do you think
her obedience to Othello is justified? Do you think she could have prevented her own death and restored her relationship with
Othello? Explain your answer.
c) In a
story by Salman Rushdie (The New Yorker, July 2001), a character makes the following remarks about Othello:
“Othello doesn't love Desdemona. . . . He says he does, but it can't be true. Because if he loves her,
the murder makes no sense. For me, Desdemona is Othello's trophy wife, his most valuable and status-giving possession, the
physical proof of his risen standing in a white man's world. You see? He loves that about her, but not her. . . . Desdemona's
death is an ‘honor killing.’ She didn't have to be guilty; the accusation was enough. The attack on her virtue
was incompatible with Othello's honor. She's not even a person to him. He has (depersonalized/ dehumanized) her. She's his
Oscar-Barbie statuette. His doll.”
think this is a valuable commentary on the character? Why or why not?
the character flaw(s) (weaknesses) Othello has that make it easy for Iago to make him crazy with jealousy. What other circumstances
contribute to the success of Iago’s plan?