Emilia

Emilia is an interesting character. She confuses me a little bit in the third scene of the fourth act. I don't know what to think of her. She seemed trustworthy. Up until this point I had given her the benefit of the doubt and decided that she had not slept with Othello. However, in this scene, she tells Desdemona that she can understand why a woman would cheat on her husband. Is this how she admits that she slept with Othello?! Because that's what it seemed like to me.

#2 Pg. 1119

I think this play is definitely a tragedy. If you don't include Iago, it seems as though every one's lives are going horribly. There is war involved, love, both unrequited and mutual, but anything good such as love seems to get messed up. However there is one aspect of tragedies that I have not noticed in Othello. No one is dead yet. This is odd, especially for Shakespearean work. Surely someone will die soon, right?

#3 Pg. 1119

I feel as though the antagonist of the play is definitely Iago. He causes all this action for the rest of the characters through his manipulation and he keeps the story suspenseful. However, identifying the protagonist is a little harder. The options I'm considering are Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello. These three seem to be the ones that are most impacted by his manipulation. Two foil characters are Iago and Cassio. They are opposite in the way that they treat women (II.i.99). Three of the minor characters who help to push the action forward are Bianca, Emilia, and Roderigo. Bianca and Emilia are involved in the handkerchief situation and Roderigo is on a mission to kill Cassio with the help of Iago.

Desdemona

The character of Desdemona intrigues me. As I finish the second act, I'm not sure if I like her or not. This is mainly because I don't know if what Iago says about her is true. He lies to the other characters, why not lie to the audience too? He claims that she is in love with Cassio (II.i.212). I thought she seemed to be true and loyal to Othello but Iago claims differently. It seems like everyone is in love with her; Othello, Rodrigo, Cassio, and maybe even Iago himself. But her father seems reluctant to agree on a suitor (I.i.97-98). I really want her opinion on everything so that I can form an opinion on her.

Question #4 Page 1119

Suspense is created primarily by Iago. I noticed this mainly in the second act. He is constantly scheming and manipulating the other characters. After each manipulation, he explains to the audience what he did and why (II.iii.301-326). The audience knows what is supposed to happen but the other characters' free will could mess everything up. This keeps the audience in a state of suspense over whether or not Iago's scheme will work. The ignorance of the characters adds to the suspense because they all trust honest Iago (II.ii.300). The betrayal and manipulate by Iago makes the story more dramatic and enjoyable for the audience.

Question #5 on Page 1119

The main theme I see in Othello is jealousy. Right off the bat Iago is jealous of Cassio. He wants his position as Othello's right hand man (I.i.11). He manipulates the other characters to try to get revenge on Othello (II.iii.320-325). Jealousy can also be seen in Rodrigo. He is jealous of Othello (I.i.97-98). He has tried many times to seek Desdemona's hand but her father has always refused. But this foreigner Othello is her new husband. He took her without her father's consent which also showed that he had more courage than Rodrigo ever did. These jealous emotions deepen the characters' developments and make the viewing of the play more enjoyable and relate able. Shakespeare does an excellent job of presenting important human concerns. Jealousy is one of the most common human emotions and it is very relate able.