Tragedies

Description

Select and answer one of the prompts, below, based on the tragedy that you read, either Hamlet or Othello. Include the following items in your post:
• One passage from the play, with your close reading analysis of key words, images, metaphors, symbols, etc. that support your interpretation.
• At least one relevant quote from either the “General Introduction” or the Norton introduction to one of the tragedies.
• Conclude your post with one discussion question on your play.
Prompt choices:
1. In Hamlet, the Prince worries that the ghost could be a devil, tempting him to commit a mortal sin; ultimately he kills (directly or indirectly) his enemies and the two women he had loved. In Othello, Iago is frequently called a devil; he deceives Othello and leads him to murder his faithful wife. Are Hamlet and Othello each victims of manipulation, cajoled into committing murder? Or do the facts of Claudius’s guilt and Desdemona’s innocence alter the way we interpret these two protagonists and their actions? Here’s another way of phrasing this question: is murder for the sake of revenge ever acceptable? Does the play that you read encourage the audience to condemn or condone the protagonist’s actions?
2. In Hamlet, Ophelia is a pawn of the powerful men who surround her and fill her head with contradictory stories. Neither Polonius nor Hamlet seem concerned about how their words will affect her. Similarly, in Othello, Desdemona becomes the innocent victim of Iago’s malicious fabrications and Othello’s gullibility and self-doubt. Discuss how female characters are used and abused in the play that you read. How much control do women hold over their lives? You might consider Gertrude’s motives for marrying Claudius or Emilia’s speech at the end of Act 4, regarding why wives cheat on husbands.
3. Both plays, Hamlet and Othello, focus on the significance of performance and acting a role: Hamlet stages a play for Claudius and Gertrude; Iago “stages” a conversation between himself and Casio (about Bianca) for Othello to overhear. Do their performances elicit their intended effects? What does the play that you read suggest about appearance and reality, disguise and deception? How can one distinguish between what someone “seems” and what he or she “is”? Why might early modern society have been so fascinated and/or worried by the difficulty of identifying someone’s inner truth?