Text Rationale for Othello by William Shakespeare
Rationale: Using the overarching theme for the year, “Misconceptions,” the study of Othello
will be part of the Minority and Economic Rhetoric unit, combining understanding American
systemic oppression and shifts in the rhetoric describing the American economy. We will also
study The Great Gatsby in this unit, addressing classism, racism, and misogyny.
Summary: From the Signet Classic Teacher’s Guide to Othello: “The play is set primarily in
Cyprus. However, the opening act takes place in Venice, providing us with an understanding of
the authoritarian government controlled by the Venetian senators. Also, we begin to understand
Othello’s tenuous standing in Venice, as well as Desdemona’s privileged background. The first
scenes introduce the primary plot, beginning outside Brabantio’s house with Iago already intent
upon manipulation and trouble-making. He encourages Roderigo to rouse Brabantio,
Desdamona’s father, and tell him of her elopement with Othello. Iago makes the announcement
as alarming and disruptive as possible. Both Iago and Roderigo reveal their motivation:
Roderigo’s passion for Desdemona and Iago’s appetite for revenge on Othello for choosing
Michael Cassio over him as his second in command. Although Brabantio and Othello had been
friends, or at least amiable acquaintances, Brabantio’s first thought is that his daughter would
never have done this of her own free will—Othello must have used witchcraft and potions.
The secondary plot, introduced in the following scene, is that the Turks have taken a fleet to
Cyprus, and the senators want to send Othello as the best and most experienced general to defend
it. The Turks’ threat to Venetian civilization echoes Brabantio’s concerns about what he
interprets as Othello’s barbarian threat to his civilized daughter; he wants the powerful senators
to condemn Othello for wooing her. However, Desdemona declares that her love for the Moor is
free of any external influence.
After Desdemona’s declaration all attention is returned to the attack on Cyprus. Othello is
ordered to leave Venice immediately. Ironically, he commends Desdemona into Iago’s keeping
and requests that she be allowed to come to him in Cyprus. Brabantio warns Othello that if
Desdemona deceived her father she could also be false to her husband. At the end of the act, Iago
persuades Roderigo to abandon his plans to kill himself over Desdemona and come to Cypress
disguised and ready seek revenge on Cassio and Othello.
The next act opens with a conversation that tells of the Turks’ drowning in a storm, thus ending
their threat to Cyprus. Cassio arrives, and we learn that Othello’s ship is still at sea. Desdemona
and her entourage, including Iago, appear shortly thereafter; all await news of Othello. Othello
appears and a tender moment of reunion with Desdemona ensues. Iago is ordered to take over the
watch of the city. He seeks Roderigo’s help in his plot to undo Cassio. The plan works
smoothly— Cassio gets drunk and fights with Roderigo and one of the Cypriot leaders. The fight
arouses Othello. Based on Iago’s explanation, Othello dismisses Cassio and names Iago his
replacement. Iago, encouraging Cassio to seek Desdemona’s assistance in returning to Othello’s
favor, begins slowly poisoning Othello’s mind by making him think that Desdemona is illicitly
involved with Cassio.
In Act III Iago’s plot progresses. Cassio asks Desdemona to plead his case to Othello. She freely
and happily accepts his suit and pledges herself to urge his case relentlessly. In the meantime
Iago continues to poison Othello’s mind. Othello demands visual proof: ‘Villain, be sure thou
prove my love a whore Be sure of it; give me ocular proof; Or, by the worth of mine eternal soul,
Thou hadst been better have been born a dog Than answer my naked wrath’ (III, iii, 356-360).
Iago quickly seizes the opportunity. Othello has given Desdemona a special handkerchief, a
family heirloom passed down from his mother to his bride. Iago gets the handkerchief from
Emilia, his wife and Desdemona’s attendant. Emilia is unaware of her husband’s intent. Iago
plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s rooms. At Iago’s urging Othello asks Desdemona for it.
Worried because it seems to mean so much to her husband, Desdemona lies and says she doesn’t
have it at the moment. This arouses Othello’s doubt and distrust.
The next act opens with Iago plotting with Roderigo to kill Cassio. Iago continues to manipulate
both Othello and Roderigo, pushing each of them to murder—even persuading Othello to
strangle rather than poison Desdemona. An overwrought Othello has a seizure that Cassio
witnesses. Iago uses this as an opportunity to call Othello’s reason into question with visitors
from Venice, one of whom is Desdemona’s relative. Othello can no longer contain his passionate
anger towards Desdemona and publicly chides her and strikes her. Unable to get an admission of
guilt from his wife, he turns to her attendant. When Othello questions Emilia about her mistress’s
habits, she staunchly defends Desdemona’s virtue, but Othello will not accept her testimony.
The final act climaxes in the revelation of Iago’s multi-faceted scheme. Emilia, Roderigo, and
Desdemona are its early casualties. Cassio, though intended to die, survives. Othello finally
confronts the truth about Iago’s manipulation and Desdemona’s innocence and kills himself. The
story ends with the witnesses contemplating the tragic tale they must tell the Venetian court”
(Ellis and Reed).
Merit: Classic Shakespearean play
Benefit to Students: This unit will serve as a bridge from the literary focus of English II, PreAP-TaG to the compositional focus of AP English Language and Composition. Together with
our study of The Great Gatsby and several short texts about the rhetoric of oppression, we will
analyze texts typically approached through a literary lens rhetorically, employing techniques
from one of the summer reading texts: Thank You for Arguing.
Brief description of proposed classroom activities generated by text: Using the overarching
theme for the year, “Misconceptions,” the study of Othello will be part of the Minority and
Economic Rhetoric unit, combining understanding American systemic oppression and shifts in
the rhetoric describing the American economy. We will also study The Great Gatsby in this unit,
addressing classism, racism, and misogyny.
List of the TEKS/STAAR/HPISD curricular objectives the proposed text supports:
(1) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when
reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level technical academic English words in multiple
content areas (e.g., science, mathematics, social studies, the arts) derived from Latin,
Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes;
(B) analyze textual context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to draw
conclusions about the nuance in word meanings;
(D) recognize and use knowledge of cognates in different languages and of word origins
to determine the meaning of words; and
(E) use general and specialized dictionaries, thesauri, glossaries, histories of language,
books of quotations, and other related references (printed or electronic) as needed.
(2) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make
inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to:
(A) analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or
comment on the human condition;
(B) relate the characters and text structures of mythic, traditional, and classical literature
to 20th and 21st century American novels, plays, or films; and
(C) relate the main ideas found in a literary work to primary source documents from its
historical and cultural setting.
(3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and
draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the effects of metrics, rhyme
schemes (e.g., end, internal, slant, eye), and other conventions in American poetry.
(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and
draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the themes and characteristics in
different periods of modern American drama.
(5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and
draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(A) evaluate how different literary elements (e.g., figurative language, point of view)
shape the author's portrayal of the plot and setting in works of fiction;
(B) analyze the internal and external development of characters through a range of
literary devices;
(C) analyze the impact of narration when the narrator's point of view shifts from one
character to another; and
(D) demonstrate familiarity with works by authors in American fiction from each major
literary period.
(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates imagery in
literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected
to analyze the meaning of classical, mythological, and biblical allusions in words, phrases,
passages, and literary works.
(8) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to analyze how the style, tone, and diction of a text advance the author's
purpose and perspective or stance.
(12) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images,
graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue
to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. Students are
expected to:
(A) evaluate how messages presented in media reflect social and cultural views in ways
different from traditional texts;
(B) evaluate the interactions of different techniques (e.g., layout, pictures, typeface in
print media, images, text, sound in electronic journalism) used in multi-layered media;
(C) evaluate the objectivity of coverage of the same event in various types of media; and
(D) evaluate changes in formality and tone across various media for different audiences
and purposes.
Clarification of any potentially controversial segments and why the text remains a suitable
choice, despite being potentially controversial: As in any Shakespearean play, Othello is rife
with puns and innuendo. However, as most are written in Elizabethan English, students will not
see them in the same bawdy light as did audiences in the Globe Theatre. The truly objectionable
aspects of the play: racism, misogyny, and classism are exactly the reasons this work needs to be
a part of the English III, AP-TaG curriculum. We will study these historically and linguistically,
making comparisons to our world today.
Similar Works: None that would work in the context of AP English III