Othello

CONFLICT BETWEEN HERO AND VILLAIN

• Impact on audience
• Voice & movement
• Proxemics
• Focus warmups/ acting techniques
• Themes
• Performance space

CONFLICT HEIGHTENED BY PROPS AND SOUND

• Themes & symbolism
• Materials
• Set
• Contextualization

SHIFTING DYNAMICS TO AN AUDIENCE 

• Exit changes 
• Voice - pitch, tone, range, volume
• Proxemics
• Design elements
• Themes
• Rehearsal techniques - emotion memory (Stanislavski)

LIGHTING AND SOUND

• Acting
• Atmosphere
• Theme
• Style
• Language
• Period & genre
• Contextualization
• Status

OTHELLO - 'Valiant Othello' 'My title shall manifest me rightly' 'Moor'

• The tragic hero in a Renaissance tragedy
• Virtues carried to excess
• Loves - "too well"
• Trusts - "too much"
• A sense of moral virtue - punishes sins
• Sensitive nature - vivid fantasies

IAGO - 'Honest Iago' 

• Villian without conscience 
• Tempting & controlling
• Intelligent & cunning
• Diabolically evil whilst appearing to be honest
• Reduces human nature to its least attractive traits 
• Locates weakness within others

• Self-centered nature and gullibility - allows himself to be manipulated by Iago instead of his heart
• The term 'honest' is repeated fifty-two times in the description of the villain, leaving the audience fearful of what danger such a misconception could cause
• The dramatic irony of the play derives largely from the audience's knowledge of the villain's duplicity and Othello's lack of it

• Social impact - racism
• Cultural - 'Moor'
• Historical 
• Contrast renaissance with the modern day 
  • Catholics controlled art & science over EU, it weakened as Renaissance broke through
  • Used greek theatre - Aristotle
  • Catharsis - emotions developed on stage
  • Do not show the act of violence - only the consequence 
• Fate - jealousy is enhanced  
• Dramatic irony
• Foreshadowing
• Pathetic fallacy

• Racism - the contemporary audience 
• Gender
• Manipulation
• Love

MAIN THEME is JEALOUSY

• Jealousy - the audience at that time - fear & ignorance is a factor
• Leads to Desdemona's death
• Takes the form of sexual suspicion (Othello & Desdemona)
• Takes the form of professional competition (Iago & Cassio)
• 'GREEN EYED MONSTER'  - jealousy 

RENAISSANCE THEATRE

• Trapdoors
• The 1600s
• Inner/ upper stage
• 2,500 capacity
• 3 galleries of seats
• Groundlings
• Intimate atmosphere
• In the round 
• The connection between audience & actor - view of Iago's on stage deception

MODERN DAY

• Minimalistic - emotional connection
• Influence from Peter Brook
• No distraction with props

IAGO

• switches between verse & prose - shows that there are two sides to him

OTHELLO

• opening speeches in Act I Scenes 2 and 3 it is clear that Othello’s characteristic idiom is dignified, measured blank verse.
• This is appropriate, given his status in the play. His use of blank verse also helps establish his heroism
• 'Well tun'd' with Desdemona - uses rhyme & meter
  
• Changes when he starts seeing things through Iago's eyes - begins speaking in prose

IAGO

• Tries to deprive Othello of happiness
• Seeks worst in people
• Jealous of Othello

OTHELLO

• First 3 scenes - trying to be a good husband with a good job
• Hear rumours about his wife and Cassio - fed from Iago
• Kills Desdemona 
• Kills himself - guilt 

The Magic 'If'

• 'What would I do if I found myself in the character's circumstances?' 
• STANISLAVSKI 
• 7 stages

COSTUME

• Rehearse with the period costume on as they will not be distracted

LIGHTING

• MODERN                                               
  • GOBOS - SQUARE
  • GELS - GREEN
  • BIRDIES
  • FRESNEL
  • FLOOD
• RENAISSANCE 
  • CANDELS 
  • FIRE
  • DAYLIGHT

COSTUME

DESIGN

PROXEMICS