ENG100H1 Lecture Notes - Jealous Guy, Anagnorisis, Cognitive Dissonance
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June 11, 2012
Drama: Tragedy
Othello
➢Shakespeare based many of his ideas on Aristotle
➢Shakespeare probably didn't read Aristotle in Greek
➢Johnson: a critic; says a lot about Shakespeare; says he probably didn't edit his work
➢Shakespeare was an actor; did a lot of workshopping of plays
➢Ben Johnson
Contemporary of Shakespeare
Published Shakespeare's works
Authority on Shakespeare's
According to him, Shakespeare wasn't very well educated
➢How Aristotle Affects Shakespeare
When we think of Othello as being a tragic figure, we see influences of Aristotle
Notion that Shakespeare is writing plays that are a response to Greek tragedy
Signs, Symbols, & Signifiers
Shakespeare's playing with signs, symbols, and signifiers
Oedipus
•a prediction based on a sign - “The Omen”
•Examples of signs: scars, his name, *riddle of sphinx (creature that's hald woman,
half lion)
Shakespeare creates a problem about how these symbols and significance relates
We get an indepth analysis of Shakespeare's characters – we know what's going on in
their minds – as opposed to Medea
Othello – signs & symbols
•Handkerchief becomes the symbol of Desdemona's chastity – belonged to Othello's
mother so it has personal significance
•But when Iago manipulates this, it comes to represent Desdemona's faithfulness
•For Iago, handkerchief becomes the tool to manipulate – so it's something different
for Iago
•Desdemona doesn't really know what the handkerchief has come to symbolize
•Shakespeare is trying to get us to see that we could misread signs & symbols, the
same way Othello misreads
•*Cognitive Dissonance
•A misreading of one's reality
•Ex: You can't believe what you see if there is an unexpected event. So what
you see vs what you expect to see – cognitive dissonance is what occurs
when unanticipated things happen.
•Thsi concept is related to Aristotle's concept of Anagnorisis
•Othello's suffering from a sort of cognitive dissonance
•Catharsis for the audience – we too like the characters, have to confront what is real
•As an audience, we want to correct Othello's cognitive dissonance
Moment of Recognition
Othello's moment of recognition – this is when the tragedy has actually been fulfilled
(even before the suicide)
•Is there a coincidence of anagnorisis and climax
Recognition propels his own demise – after understanding reality, he can't live with
himself
Aristotle's Ideal Ending to A Tragedy
Why doesn't Iago get punished
Aristotle's notion of tragedy – bad guys don't get punished – then we wouldn't
experience catharis
If Iago were caught and executed then perhaps we wouldnt feel the need to intervene in
real life situations - It would inspire a different feeling inside us.
The fact that Iago can do that and then get away gives us the idea of a lack of karma –
gives us a sense of uncertainty and insecurity.
Characters: Heroic Figure/Villain
Aristotle may not agree on Othello as the heroic figure/tragic figure – he's a bit too
complex
According to Aristotle, Iago is not really a character – Why?
•We have no background
•Personfication of vice – he's just greedy, tries to get what he wants
•We don't get insight into this emotional complexity
First Impression of Othello
Before reading the play you might here that he's somebody who's eaten up by jealousy –
this leads to misreading
Othello is reduced to this single description
Jealousy as sort of an infection – Iago as the contagion.
Othello is not a naturally jealous guy though, it takes 5 scenes to make him jealous
➢Work period for presentations