AO2 - Structure of Othello

  1. Exposition: Describes the mood conditions existing at the beginning of the play. Time, place and setting will be identified as well as the main characters.
  2. Exciting Force: “Gets things going” The conflict can begin and will continue throughout the play
  3. Rising Action: Series of events leading to the climax. Progressive intensity of interest for the audience. Will involve more than one act.
  4. Climax: Turning point of the story. From this point onwards, the Shakespearean hero moves to his inevitable end
  5. Falling Action: Includes the events occurring from the time of climax up to the hero’s death. Will show both advances and declines in the various forces acting upon the hero
  6. Catastrophe: Concerns the necessary consequences of the hero’s action (death). Should be brief and simple.
In Othello:
  • Act 1: Exposition, exciting force and rising action
  • Act 2: Rising action
  • Act 3: Rising action, climax and falling action
  • Act 4: Falling action
  • Act 5: Falling action and catastrophe.
Types of Conflict:
Internal Conflict:
External Conflict:
Man vs Self: Main character is torn between two or more ideas/courses of action
Man vs Man: Main character finds themselves in conflict with another character. Can be psychological, physical or even philosophical.
Man vs Society: Main character has a conflict with a larger group – a community, society or culture
Man vs Nature: Main character finds themselves in conflict with nature which serves as the antagonist
Structure in Othello:
  • Othello is universally recognised as the best constructed Shakespeare tragedy.
  • Action starts no less than 10 lines into the play.
  • 3 part structure:

    1. Marriage of Othello
    2. Poisoning of Othello’s mind by Iago
    3. Othello’s murder of Desdemona and his discovery of being duped by Iago
  • Each party rises naturally from the last and carries forward the themes relevant to it’s conclusion
  • Within these three mentioned above, Shakespeare puts the exposition, rising & falling action as well as the climax and catastrophe.
Exposition:
  • Reveals the general situation from which the plot arises.
  • Opens with a conversation which is seen to already be in progress.
  • Shakespeare’s authorial intent is to delay the appearance of Othello whilst making the audience focus their thoughts on Othello himself.
  • Instead we are introduced to Iago who we will learn about throughout the play but learn initial factors about first.
  • Brabantio is introduced to present the elopement of Desdemona through a hostile point of view whilst Iago is able to keep up a façade of liking Othello by is “the green eyed monster”
  • Shakespeare authorial intents is to this because so when they silence their enemies, their triumph seems to be greater
  • As Brabantio warns Othello, he seeds doubt into his mind that only the audience notes because we’ve seen how others treat him when he is not present.
Rising Action:
  • Often the longest part of a play
  • Unusual in Othello because Othello is weak before Iago maintains his position. The conflict is seemingly coming to an end when the Duke allows Desdemona to go to Cyprus.
  • The conflict and climax are superficial because the real action does not lie with Othello and Desdemona but with Iago poisoning Othello’s mind.
Climax:
  • Is Act 3, scene 3. Has 3 phases

    1. Cassio meets Desdemona, she accepts his proposals and will ask Othello.
    2. Desdemona is as good as her word. She is unmindful of Othello and just asks him
    3. Iago’s duplicity is seen as he does not claim that Cassio does not part with Desdemona.

      • Iago uses Brabantio’s previous words to systematically poison Othello’s mind. This works so much that Othello thinks Iago not revealing everything he knows.

        • Now Desdemona drops her handkerchief and Emilia picks it up.
      • Othello is as helpless as a fish caught in a net and Iago is for once open and forthright in his accusations and agrees to bring about Desdemona’s death.
Falling Action:
  • Othello’s tragic murder of Desdemona and the discovery that he has been duped by Iago.
  • Othello’s retributive justice is rushed which makes the structure in Othello unique across tragedy and Shakespearean tragedy
Iago’s Soliloquies:
  • Contribute to structure as they bring clarity and consistency of the motivation linking the various events of the play.
  • Links the various events of the play in a coherent chain of cause and effect.

    • If Iago was “motiveless”, as Coleridge claimed, the structure of Othello would be weaker.
    • The soliloquies of Iago express his motivation
    • The soliloquies of Othello reveal the varying states of minds
Double Time:
  • Shakespeare’s structure extends to a device which is a problem as there is no physical possibility in terms of time for Desdemona and Cassio to elope.
  • Shakespeare has done so by resorting to ‘double time’, that is, by constructing the plot as though the links in time are managed by two different clocks, one indicating ‘long time’, and the other showing the normal passage of time.
Economy and Harmony:
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