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\centerline{MONT 106Q -- Mathematical Thinking}
\centerline{Study/Discussion Questions on {\it Othello}}
\centerline{October, 2016}
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Testing your comprehension and recall of the plot:
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\item{a.} What is a ``Moor''?  What does the word mean?  When
does the action of the play take place and what is happening in
the affairs of state of Venice, Cyprus, and Turkey?  
\item{b.} Why does Desdemona love Othello as much as she does?  Why
does Othello feel worthy of that love?
\item{c.} What does Iago say about why he is so bent on harming Cassio and
Othello?  How does he manipulate Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello himself
to achieve his ends?  How does he create doubt and jealousy in Othello?
What literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, etc. does Shakespeare
have him use for this?
\item{d.} In Act I, how does Brabantio react to the news that Desdemona 
and Othello have married?  How does Othello's blackness (his race)
feature in this?  How is race discussed in the play with respect to 
Othello?
\item{e.} What is the role of Desdemona's handkerchief in the action?  What
does it look like and how is it so easy to recognize?
Where did she get it and what happens to it?  Why is Othello so enraged
by these happenings?
\item{f.}  Compare and contrast Desdemona's and Emilia's thoughts
about women and fidelity.  What is Desdemona's ``Willow Song'' and how
does it foreshadow the ending of the play?
\item{g.}  How does Othello approach the murder of Desdemona, and
how does he justify it to himself?  What symbols/images does Shakespeare
employ?  Why do you think Desdemona implies that she committed suicide?
Why is she still protecting Othello?  How does Emilia expose the truth?
\item{h.}  Othello says he ``loved not wisely but too well.''  What
does this mean?  What happens to Othello and Iago at the very end?
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Some larger themes:
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\item{a.}  In the ancient Greek tragic plays that defined the genre, a hero
with the capacity for greatness but doomed by fate causes his own downfall through 
a tragic error (or perhaps a ``flaw'' -- beware that this is a major point of 
disagreement between English literature specialists and Classics people who study
the Greek plays(!)), while achieving some sort of moral victory at the end.  
Is {\it Othello} a tragedy in that sense?
Are any of the defining characteristics from Greek drama true in {\it Othello}?  
If so, who is the tragic hero?  What is his error or flaw?  
\item{b.}  Iago is probably the ``meatiest'' character in this play
and famous male actors often chose to (or are selected to) play that part.  What
makes Iago such a challenging and attractive role to play?  How are his speeches a mixture
of verse and prose?  Why do you think Shakespeare does that?  
\item{c.}  Why is it seemingly so easy for Iago to maneuver Othello from
being a loving husband to being a jealous murderer (and in a remarkably short
time too)?  Is that quick change 
realistic or believable?  Does social status and 
reputation have a role here?  Are all the characters so dependent on their
status and reputation for their happiness that they can be easily threatened?
On the other hand, what makes Desdemona so steadfast in her love for her husband?
Does the fact that she is a woman make a difference there?
\item{d.}  Are Othello and Iago similar in some ways?  If so, how?  If not, 
why not?  
\item{e.}  Are there parallels between this story and race relations
in today's society?  
\item{f.}  What are some of the {\it boundaries/borders} that Shakespeare uses
to structure his plot and characters?  Who has transcended those borders and how?
Does transcending those borders end well or result in tragedy?  What conclusions
can we draw here?  
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Relating this with {\it Othello in the Seraglio}:
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\item{a.}  How does the opera {\it Othello in the Seraglio} draw on the {\it Othello} story?
\item{b.}  Does the Turkish musical setting add any new elements?  What are they?

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