1a) "The transformation of Othello, the 'Moor of Venice,' from a virtuous lover and Christian soldier to an enraged murderer may be read in the context of early modern conversion, or 'turning'....." (154)
b) "That handkerchief, which I so loved and gave thee, thous gav'st to Cassio." (105)
2. Is Desdemona's alleged infidelity a symbol of something larger at hand that was taking place?
3. During this period, religious wars between the Muslims and Christians were going on, specifically between Ottoman Turks and Venetian Christians, thus making religious purity a hotly debated topic. Thus when Desdemona, a Venetian, allegedly cheated on Othello, a foreigner, it was a question of impurity. Similarly, Christianity was considered to be pure whereas Islam was considered impure. Thus it was the illogical idea of turning to the "darkside," if you will, of the time that I believe this scenario in Othello was getting at.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
September 18 Post
1. A) This novel is not the story of a mean, vindictive mistress; it is the story of a desperate one. It concerns a troubled, disappointed woman confined to the prison of her defeated flesh. (Morrison, 1014)
B) Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus. (Othello, 116)
2. How does this Othello's struggles and problems compare to that of a racially oppressed person as described in Morrison's Playing in the Dark?
3. I feel that these quotes connect with each other at two different levels. The first level concerns the villainy of the mistress and Othello. Neither mistreat others as a result of an inherent evil side to themselves, it simply stems from a misunderstanding and the villainy of others around them. The discussed mistress mistreats minorities poorly out of desperation and misunderstanding, just like Othello kills his wife out of pure lament because she has allegedly cheated on him. Both are evil acts committed without truly evil intentions but more from feelings of loss. The second level concerns a feeling of exclusion due to racial differences. Othello compares the Venetians and the Turks and discusses items of a foreign nature, such as Arabian trees and how he misses them, establishing how he still feels to be very much an outsider. The quote from the Literary theory also discusses how the "disappointed woman" feels like she is trapped in her skin because she is black and how this also leads to a feeling of isolation. With this being said I find Othello and Playing in the Dark to be similar in several aspects.
B) Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus. (Othello, 116)
2. How does this Othello's struggles and problems compare to that of a racially oppressed person as described in Morrison's Playing in the Dark?
3. I feel that these quotes connect with each other at two different levels. The first level concerns the villainy of the mistress and Othello. Neither mistreat others as a result of an inherent evil side to themselves, it simply stems from a misunderstanding and the villainy of others around them. The discussed mistress mistreats minorities poorly out of desperation and misunderstanding, just like Othello kills his wife out of pure lament because she has allegedly cheated on him. Both are evil acts committed without truly evil intentions but more from feelings of loss. The second level concerns a feeling of exclusion due to racial differences. Othello compares the Venetians and the Turks and discusses items of a foreign nature, such as Arabian trees and how he misses them, establishing how he still feels to be very much an outsider. The quote from the Literary theory also discusses how the "disappointed woman" feels like she is trapped in her skin because she is black and how this also leads to a feeling of isolation. With this being said I find Othello and Playing in the Dark to be similar in several aspects.
Monday, September 10, 2012
September 10th Post
"Therefore, as I am bound, Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof. Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; wear your eyes thus..." (Othello, 59).
"To degrade is to bury, to sow, and to kill simultaneously, in order to bring forth something more and better...This is the reason why medieval parody is unique, quite unlike the purely formalist literary parody of modern times, which has a solely negative character and is deprived of regenerating ambivalance" (Bakhtin, 688).
...............................................
The question that these two quotes raises is, "Why do so many people attempt to bring about a beneficial end result by degrading the something or someone they seek to improve?"
In Shakespeare's Othello, both Iago and Othello long for Desdemona, making her an object of desire for both parties. Othello cares for her in a wholesome way, whereas Iago only cares about her in a self-serving negative way. Iago feels that by degrading Desdemona, he can defeat Othello by destroying that which he loves, thus destroying Othello, his enemy and making personal gain for himself. I find this particular concept of degrading women for personal benefit oddly interesting. Keep in mind when I say degrading I don't mean physically abusing or humiliating them in any way, but rather talking down to/about them. It goes back to the idea that the more uninterested a male acts about a woman, the more said woman tends to seek their approval. I learned from my older brother that if I am interested in a girl, act like I couldn't care less about her, and she will oddly be attracted to me. This has proven true more than once although it makes absolutely no sense. I guess in summation, although the Othello situation regarding degrading women differs slightly than the one I described above, I do recognize there is a similarity between the two, albeit a small one. In regards to the question, I think it is human nature to seek approval from those that disapprove of us, and mistreat that which we already have.
"To degrade is to bury, to sow, and to kill simultaneously, in order to bring forth something more and better...This is the reason why medieval parody is unique, quite unlike the purely formalist literary parody of modern times, which has a solely negative character and is deprived of regenerating ambivalance" (Bakhtin, 688).
...............................................
The question that these two quotes raises is, "Why do so many people attempt to bring about a beneficial end result by degrading the something or someone they seek to improve?"
In Shakespeare's Othello, both Iago and Othello long for Desdemona, making her an object of desire for both parties. Othello cares for her in a wholesome way, whereas Iago only cares about her in a self-serving negative way. Iago feels that by degrading Desdemona, he can defeat Othello by destroying that which he loves, thus destroying Othello, his enemy and making personal gain for himself. I find this particular concept of degrading women for personal benefit oddly interesting. Keep in mind when I say degrading I don't mean physically abusing or humiliating them in any way, but rather talking down to/about them. It goes back to the idea that the more uninterested a male acts about a woman, the more said woman tends to seek their approval. I learned from my older brother that if I am interested in a girl, act like I couldn't care less about her, and she will oddly be attracted to me. This has proven true more than once although it makes absolutely no sense. I guess in summation, although the Othello situation regarding degrading women differs slightly than the one I described above, I do recognize there is a similarity between the two, albeit a small one. In regards to the question, I think it is human nature to seek approval from those that disapprove of us, and mistreat that which we already have.
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