Emilia

Emilia is my absolute favorite character in this play. She does not act like the typical ladies are supposed to act in these olden times. In the beginning, we are introduced to Emilia as being a quiet woman, who attempts to win over her husband's approval. Iago has nothing good to say about her and she has no rebuttal. Throughout the play, she continues to stick my Desdemona's side, while still being loyal to her husband. In my opinion, this shows her dynamic character. In Act 5 when the entire plan is revealed to the cast, she completely stands up for her friend one hundred percent. She blows up on Iago, telling him how evil he is and cursing him to hell. I think this dramatic turn around of Emilia's character shows how women can and will stand up for themselves.

Question #4

Shakespeare has written "Othello" by making every separate act a different aspect of Iago's masterful, evil plan. It is written so that Iago doesn't reveal his complete and total plan right away. He reveals his motivations, but not his plan. The fact that Iago's plan slowly plays out from act to act, ensures that dramatic suspense is created. Also, it is a tragedy. In most of Shakespeare's tragedies, people are dropping like flies all throughtout from beginning to end. As "Othello" drags on, the audience is constantly wondering when someone is going to die. In my opinion, it makes the story much easier and enjoyable to read. The longer it takes for major action to occur, the more and more the audience expects it, the more and more they want to get to the end to find out the outcome.

Question #1

In my personal opinion, the play is one of the more realistic Shakespeare tragedies that I have read. All the themes directly relate to the emotions that every normal person experiences in our world today. Jealousy and envy are the two biggest themes. Iago envies Othello and Cassio, so he makes Othello jealous..which in turn makes him go crazy. These emotions are especially realistic for high school students. I am positive each of us have had doubts about our boyfriends or girlfriends being faithful. I am also correct in assuming that each one of us has envied another for what they posess, like a high office, fame, or money. All of these aspects of the play relate to how each of us feel at one time or another. It is extremely realistic and easy to relate to.

Brabantio vs. Othello

In the beginning, I was surprised at the situation between Brabantio and Othello. I understand that any father would be upset and angry if their daughter ran away and got married without telling anyone or getting permission. But, I thought Othello was the famous protector of the city of Venice? In those times, it seems as though one would be proud and happy if their daughter married the great hero. Everyone seems so power hungry, it's although it would be an honorable thing. Another aspect that I am confused about is Othello's nationality. The background information states that he is of African heritage. My misunderstanding is why he was made "hero" of the city, and how he got that noble position. Especially is those days, the separation between ethnicity was great.. so why is an African protecting the city of Venice?

Question #3

The main protagonist of the play is Othello, which he would be considered to be the "hero" as well. The main antagonist of the play is Iago, Othello's ensign, who is jealous that Othello did not make him his first lieutenant. Iago is the one who is evilly plotting against Othello and his own city. In my opinion, I think Iago and Cassio are foil characters. Cassio plegdes all of his loyalty to Othello, while Iago goes behind his back and plots against him. Some important minor characters in the play are the Duke, Desdemona, Roderigo, and Brabantio. Each of these characters play a significant role. The Duke plays the peacemaker between the minor conflict between Othello and Brabantio, and Roderigo is the "side-kick" for evil Iago.

Question #2

Othello is a tragedy. A tragedy is defined as a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. In my opinion, some points of the play reflect the aspects of a tragedy but some do not. Although I have not reached the end of the play, I do not think Othello has a tragic flaw that most heroes posess in tragedies. One of the aspects that do contribute to the type of play is that of evil Iago. Iago plots against the hero throughout the entire play, which would reflect the "conflict with some overpowering force." I believe that Iago's plan will also cause complete destruction to the city of Venice and it's people. All of these characteristics of tragedies are important for the audience to be aware of. It is essential to know the tragic flaw or the overpowering conflict to understand the themes of the tragedy.

Adaptation of "How I Met My Husband"

PLOT:
The plot of this story is about a young farm girl working for a higher class family. The story begins when Chris Watters (a man with a NEW airplane) lands across the street and sets up flying services. Edie takes interest to him quickly. This simple layout leads the audience to assume that Chris is Edie's future "husband." It turns out that Chris is simply a detour to lead the readers to false assumptions, so the ending would be much more suprising. If I were adapting this story into a movie, I would most definitely leave the structure of the plot the way it is. Audiences always try to guess the outcome of a movie, and LOVE when the ending throws a curveball.

POINT OF VIEW:
The short story is told in first person point of view. Edie, the hired help, is the narrator. She is looking back, recalling how she met her husband. Although Edie does give some insight on how the other characters act, I think it would be more efficient if she was an omniscient narrator. Some of the things that happen are not fully explained. If it were a movie, all these events would be acted out and the people's reactions would be seen. I think making it into a movie would add much more depth to the story.

CHARACTERIZATION:
The characters in the story are all very unique. I would consider them all to be round as well. Edie plays a smart young farm girl who thinks the lives of her host family are unessecary. She also proves to be innocent. Loretta Bird, the nosy neighbor, also helps to progress the story with her gossip..always announcing everything she hears. The parents of Edie's host family are said to be trusting, but very proper, compared to Edie. If I were to make a movie, the characters would for sure have more depth than they do. It is hard to characterize people in a story only 3-4 pages in length.

SETTING:
The story is set in a rural area in the earlier days of "airplanes." Although this family lived in a farm area, they were consider proper city people. Edie suggested the silly stuff they did as this "high-end, high-educated" family. The rural setting is signifcant in that Chris Watters sets up his camp and flying services in the field across the street. I think the setting is essential to the flow and the plot of the short story. Also, the interactions between Edie (farm girl) and the proper family she worked for help to characterize all the characters and their motives.

THEME:
I believe the theme of the work is to never assume life is like a fairytale. In the end, Edie meets her true husband (the mailman) while waiting for a letter from Chris each day. It's easy for the audience to think the ending will be another sappy, unrealistic love story, but it takes a totally different turn. If this were a movie, I think people would appreciate this ending much better. Of course it isn't a romantic love story like most box office hits, but it shows a sense of reality in life. It send the message that life is mostly normal and it's common to be "average."