Othello DVD questions

Othello DVD Venice sequence

 

Thinking Question – Critical audience 0-30 minutes.

 

In classical tragedy a tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. Thomas Rymer did not believe that Othello was a ‘tragic hero’ “We see nothing done by him, nor related concerning him, that comports with the condition of a General, or, indeed, of a Man,” as you watch the film adaptation can you find any evidence to support Rymer’s belief? Be prepared to share your ideas with the class.

 

Basic plot

 

Why do Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio?

To tell him of the marriage between his daughter Desdemona and Othello and by this encourage a conflict between him and Othello.

 

How does Brabantio believe Othello ‘won’ his daughter, Desdemona?

Through sorcery.

 

How does Othello believe he ‘won’ Desdemona?

He believes he won Desdemona through love that developed through the stories he told of adventure and travel.

 

What two reasons are there for Othello appearing before the senate?

About his business in the war in Cyprus and about the new information of the marriage between him and Desdemona- about what should be done because of it due to the accusations set about by Brabantio.

 

What do we learn about Othello’s past?

He was sold into slavery.

 

What terms are used to describe Othello whilst in front of the senate?

Moor,

 

What is significant about Brabantio’s rhyming couplet “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.”?

That as she has deceived her father in marrying him, he is outlining the fact that she may deceive him also, which foreshadows the events that are to come. It is the first case of doubt that is placed in Othello’s mind which would lead him to question Desdemona’s loyalty to him.

 

Can you find an example of dramatic irony in Othello’s retort?

Othello’s response to this remark is “My life upon her faith. Honest Iago.” As the play concludes with Othello dying as a cause of her apparent unfaithfulness, it outlines the irony that Othello’s trust in Desdemona will be his downfall. He also quotes Iago as being honest and as the whole plot is based on Iago’s deceitfulness, it demonstrates the naivety of the protagonist.

 

What does Iago persuade Roderigo to do?

He persuades him to give him money which will in turn mean that Iago will help him get Desdemona.

 

What do we learn from Iago’s soliloquy?

That Iago only has revenge in mind and has no intention of helping Roderigo.

 

Larkin's poetry cynically portrays a society in which the proletariat 'are deluding themselves' rather than presenting a hopeful picture of a society where 'they go beyond the limits which society sets for them'.

When reviewing Larkin's poetry, one statement that can be extracted is the fact that he is portraying a society where the lower classes are being deluded into thinking they can escape the depravity of the life they are living in. This is contrasting to the idea that the working classes are perfectly able to accomplish a better quality of life if they work hard and 'go beyond the limits' set there by society. However, it can also be demonstrated that in some aspects of Larkin's poetry, he does create a situation in which he believes it is sometimes possible to escape the entrapment of a working-class lifestyle...

Mr Bleaney is one of Larkin's earlier poems and concerns the poet himself buying a property once owned by the late Mr Bleaney, acknowledgeable by the use of 'was' to describe the room of interest of the poet. Almost instantaneously, the reader gets an idea of the entrapment that Larkin was trying to convey- seen on the second line in the dialogue of a supposed housekeeper. When the reader is told that Mr Bleaney was at 'the Bodies', a sense of ambiguity can be recognised, as not only could this be referring to the place in which Mr Bleaney worked, but it could also be describing Mr Bleaney in a physical manner. By representing this character as merely a body, it can be said to dehumanise him slightly, almost as if Larkin is saying he is not a person, just a means that can be exploited by the Bourgeoisie. Furthermore, as Mr Bleaney remained in the room until 'they moved him', it further creates an image of him appearing dead and lifeless. However, it is the 'they' in that line that can be said to demonstrate the delusion expressed by the proletariat, as it can be said that the 'they' is referring to the Bourgeoisie and the control they would have had over Mr Bleaney- perhaps a representation of the lower-class. This torpid state of Mr Bleaney could be said to dehumanise him in the sense that he becomes a puppet for the Bourgeoisie, meaning he is no longer in control of his own life due to the extent in which he is dominated by them. As the Bourgeoisie owns Mr Bleaney's possessions and the base in which he is a part of, it can be said that he is therefore owned by the upper classes- also in control of the means of production which Mr Bleaney needs to exist. This overpowered character is used by Larkin to show that, due to proletariat being unable to break free of the ties to the Bourgeoisie, they are undoubtedly going to be unable to break free of the bonds of society.

As ambiguity is used as a tool by Larkin to convey two aspects of his views, this can also be seen in another of his poems, the Large Cool Store. Even the title of the poem contains a sense of ambiguity, as the word cool can be described as something positive, by metaphorically meaning trendy, but can also be described negatively by portraying something that is literally cold. By appearing to be positively representing the proletariat on the surface but in fact looking down on them in reality, it suggests that due to these patronising views towards the lower classes he is not going to present a hopeful society for them. In fact, the central theme of The Large Cool Store is that the lower-class will buy these outdated and cheap but somewhat fashionable clothing in order to escape the depravity they face and appear to be of the status of the Bourgeoisie- by wearing their style of clothing. However the way in which Larkin demonstrates this theme is by saying that they are therefore lazy in doing this, as all they care about is appearing wealthy, instead of working hard and escaping poverty. This in the sense shows how the proletariat are deluded as Larkin is saying that as the lower classes depend on fashion in order to gain mental wealth, they will be unable to accomplish any achievement in life- which to him would be the gaining of wealth. As he believes this was the attitude of the majority of the lower class, it shows how he thought they could never break through the barrier of hierarchy.

As Larkin's ideas began to develop, and because he conveyed these through his poetry, it can be observed how the poets ideologies grew stronger in some of his later poetry. In 'This Be The Verse', it is evident from the strong taboo words how Larkin feels about the subject. The main theme of the poem is about the inevitability of the curse of the lower class, that however much you try to avoid it, unless your parents were wealthy, you will not be either. However, different to the previous poems, Larkin almost seems to be identifying the fact that even though some try and go beyond the limits set there by society, your inherited faults will always get the better of you. This slightly contradicts the statement that says the proletariat are deluding themselves as it is therefore saying that depravity is handed down from man, and that this could be the cause of poverty, even though some do try and counter it. On the other hand, it could be said that this in fact depicts the proletariat as being contrary to this- that they believe it's not their fault that they were faced with these hardships so therefore don't do anything about it. They are content in their poverty knowing that it was someone else that caused it.

The Large Cool Store Analysis

The poem 'The Large Cool Store' was written by Philip Larkin and concerns a description of a Marks and Spencer shop in the time in which it was written (the 1950s), which was then more substantially lower end than it is now- selling cheap, poor quality 'fashionable clothes', similar to the fashion sold in Primark today. A clear theme that can be observed throughout the poem is that of the attitudes towards the fashion of the lower classes: Larkin is looking down on them, saying that regardless of how they dress, they can never become one of the upper classes that they strive to be. He says that they're deluded by the fact that their clothes will never free them from the depravity of a working-class lifestyle.

Another theme that can be demonstrated in the poem is the reoccurrence of ambiguity, firstly seen in that of the title. The word 'cool' in the large cool store can be seen to mean trendy and fashionable, but can also symbolise something that is literally cold. These antithetical definitions of metaphorical and positive, and literal and negative underline that everything is not always as it seems. Something can appear to be one thing on the surface but when examined closer can in fact be something completely different. As is demonstrated in the title, Larkin is giving the reader an idea that the message portrayed in the poem might not be what was originally thought.

The first stanza introduces the setting of the poem- giving the audience an initial thought into what the poem may concern, and to allow them to form an opinion of what they think the poem is about, before revealing the real truth towards the end. Also in the first stanza is a demonstration of Larkin's structure- as it can be seen that he used an ABABA rhyme scheme. This may have been used by Larkin to represent the tedious and mundane lifestyles experienced by the lower-class workers in the poem. This structure used to show this is further seen in the overall layout of the poem as it at no point strays from five lines per stanza, which also can be said to represent how trapped the workers would have felt as they had the inability to stray from the status quo. In this, Larkin could be inferring that the only way to be free is through money, which working-class people would, of course, have been short of.

The reader gets another impression of the lives of the workers as soon as the poem begins- on the first line. The enjambment seen on lines one and two could be said to demonstrate how there is no stopping for the lives of the working-class, as their financial status would mean that they were unable to have control of the length of their working day. An additional idea of Larkin's view towards the lower classes can be seen in his mention of 'cheap clothes'. For the workers, this would normally have positive connotations but in the poem it contrasts this, and it is as if it is from the perspective of someone of a higher status, by saying that cheap clothes represent something that is vulgar and nasty.

In the second line the reader is told that the clothes were laid out in 'simple sizes plainly' which is a further example of ambiguity in the poem. It can be appear that something so practical would be beneficial thing but in this sense it could have been used by Larkin to metaphorically represent the shoppers, by which he is commenting on their simple nature and saying that they are all the same. This means that with the life of a worker, you soon become indistinguishable, less individual and more a part of the society that was owned by the Bourgeoisie- who was part of the superstructure that controlled the base in which the workers were a product of. Consequently, they become nothing more than an object that could be exploited by the Bourgeoisie in order to increase their power and wealth.

The reader is again presented with a negative interpretation of the working-class when Larkin describes their clothes using dull and sombre colours such as 'browns and greys, maroons and navy'. One elucidation that can be made about this is that it's representing the atmosphere of the lower-class society in the sense that they live the same cyclical lifestyle day after day. It can be also said to literally symbolise the clothes that the working-class can afford and can be further said to appear to represent their work clothes. As they are portrayed as having only work-like clothes available to them, it presents the idea that they will always be wearing the clothes they work in, enhancing the idea that the lower classes are never able to escape a working lifestyle.

After giving the reader the focus of the poem, Larkin begins to increase the knowledge of the audience by introducing the style of worker to build up to the climax at the end when the aim of the poem is eventually revealed and the poet's opinions are clearly seen. As the readers are told that the workers are ones that 'leave at dawn', we get the impression of the extent of time in which these people are working in menial, unskilled jobs.

As the poem continues, the ambiguity of words and phrases becomes less common and less equivocal  as the poet is beginning to show that, due to the reader developing a greater knowledge of his intentions, he no longer needs to avoid the subject and present it as something which it is not. This is seen when the workers are described as living in 'low terraced housing' as, even though the word 'low' is ambiguous, it is no longer said in a way which has both positive and negative connotations. It is used to represent the type of housing that the lower class can afford- by low meaning small but also meaning low-cost.

This condescending attitude towards the lower classes may have been the result of Larkin's higher status, as from a child he was from a relatively wealthy family and brought up in a respectable detached home. Due to the fact that he was educated well at home and secured a place at Oxford, it would have meant that he would have had little to do with the lower-classes, therefore may have been the result of his lack of understanding of the harshness of the lives of the working-class. In addition, his father was a self-made man and did very well for himself, regardless of his slightly poorer upbringing, which in turn may have contributed further to the patronising views in which Larkin held. This influence from his father may have resulted in Larkin believing that, with hard work and dedication, one would be able to escape poverty and hardship and create a better life for themselves, consequently turning him against the idea that you could escape it by merely dressing as if you were better off. In addition, Larkin may have inherited attitudes from the epoch in which he was brought up in, as the '20s were rife with strong racist opinions which could have in turn developed a stronger set of class views.

Questions on marxist and literary criticism

How did Marx and Engels view literature?
Marx and Engels both viewed literature as highly significant and Karl Marx viewed it highly in such a way that he wrote poetry and an unfinished novel, amongst many others- rife with literary concepts. He was a well-read, cultural individual.

What is the sociology of literature?
The sociology of literature is simply the means of how literature is produced, distributed and exchanged in a certain society; how books are published; the social status of the author and the audiences; the level of the literature; and the social determinants of 'taste'. It further concerns the examination of texts for their relevance to the analysis of society, in which themes that would be of an interest to a historian examining social class will be picked out.

What did Matisse believe about all art?
The painter Henry Matisse believed that all art contains an impression of the historical era in which it was made, but he further remarked that the greatest art is that which embraces it, contrary to what students of literature are taught- that great art is that which completely disregards its societal influences.

What is original about Marxist literary criticism?
It is original because of its revolutionary understanding of history.

Why is art part of the superstructure? 
Art is part of the superstructure because it is part of a society's ideology. To understand literature means understanding the total society of which it is a part; the beliefs and ideology of an author is affected by the society to which they belong.

What, according to interpretations of Conrad's work, was the crisis facing the Western bourgeoise class? 
Conrad believed that history was futile and cyclical, individuals acted alone and human values were irrational.

Which four elements make up the levels of 'unity' which Marxist criticism focusses on?
The levels of 'unity' that are focussed on in Marxist criticism are made up of four elements, and these include 'text', 'ideology', 'social relations' and productive forces'.

In his letter Joseph Bloc, what did Engels want to deny about the base and the superstructure? 
In Engels' letter, Joseph Bloc, he denied that the base and superstructure had any complete connection.

Why does Marx believe we enjoy classical Greek literature?
He believes we still enjoy Greek literature because it gives us artistic pleasure and an unachievable model.