Designed for D. Mitchell's English A1 HL International Baccalaureate class at Socastee High School, this blog offers students key information, blog questions, assignments, and homework related to Part IV and Oral/Written Commentaries. Useful and fun links, as well as other resources, will also be included as time permits.
Be sure to note that all work you complete on this page must adhere to the county's Acceptable Use Policy for computers.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe secondary characters in the play add credibility to the plot and act as evidence to show that Iago is the brilliant, conniving villain he wants to be seen as by the readers. The only people that know about Iago’s manipulative plan are we, the readers, and Iago himself. The secondary characters know nothing about the setup, which only makes controlling his lies easier and more effective. If the minor characters were to be in on Iago’s plan, the plan would no longer be effective. A character would accidently slip the truth or mess up the details Iago has strategically placed in order to make innocent people seem like cheaters.
ReplyDeleteThe secondary characters also add to the plot in that Iago can mislead these characters as well without the characters knowing they are being misled. Deceiving the secondary characters along with the primary characters only strengthens the lie he is building as the play progresses. These misinformed characters make it easier for the reader to see what is true and what is made true by way of Iago. Characters such as Bianca, who unknowingly is given the handkerchief which symbolized Othello and Desdemona’s bond of love by Cassio, gives Othello more reason to believe that his wife is cheating. Seeing the handkerchief in the hands of a woman who is known for spending time with Cassio makes Othello go crazy. These minor characters make Iago’s lie come alive, as well as add emotion to the situation.
Because of the use of secondary characters, Shakespeare uses them as pawns to further the evil thoughts of Iago. In Shakespearean texts, especially Othello, the women are often disrespected and taken advantage of by men. For example, Emilia stole the handkerchief after Desdemonia left it to give to Iago to express her gratitude toward him. Because Emilia was hopelessly clueless to Iago’s plan, her actions actually made his lie easier. The handkerchief is a motif representing love between a man and a woman. Therefore, Cassio gave his mysterious handkerchief to Bianca. Also, Iago makes it out that Cassio is his dear friend. As a result, Emilia is willing “to bring [him] in again,” (III, i) referring to Cassio. Iago is smart in not letting any secondary characters know about his plans to destroy many relationships, things are going more smoothly for him because of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. The use of secondary characters makes Iago seem even more powerful and cunning. Iago manipulates all the characters, using them like puppets. Like Sara said, Bianca's role is important because she gives credibility to Iago's story of Desdemona's unfaithfulness. And like Kelley said, Emilia is very important because she too is manipulated by her husband Iago, reeling her into the plot he's made. Also, it is important to note that Desdemona herself is considered a secondary character. She ultimately contributes to Iago's plan by bringing up Cassio; Iago had earlier convinced Cassio for help from Desdemona to get his job back. Every time Desdemona brings Cassio up to Othello, he doesn't see this as a act of friendship, but an act of love. This also adds credibility to Iago's plan. Without knowing it, each secondary character is a part of the scheme to bring Othello down.
ReplyDelete- Taylor!
Shakespeare uses the secondary character in Othello to help drive the plot of the story. The secondary characters are deceived by Iago in the play and cause Iago to appear more wise and cunning. They are deceived by Iago and carry out his villainous deeds without being aware of how they are helping Iago carry through his plan. We can see this through the secondary character Emilia. Emilia is asked to steal the handkerchief which Iago puts in Cassio’s room. This helps Iago bring down Othello by making him jealous thinking that Desdemona is cheating on him. Iago deceives Cassio into asking Desdemona to help him get back on Othello’s good side. Desdemona then tries to help Cassio by asking Othello if he would talk to Cassio and give him back his position. Othello, deceived by Iago, sees this act of kindness as an act of love towards Cassio. His jealousy explodes to the point where he drives himself mad in the end. The secondary characters help lead to the downfall of Othello without knowing it. Iago uses the secondary characters such as Cassio and Roderigo to help cover up his treachery. He does this playing the secondary characters against each other so that it appears that Iago had nothing to do with the downfall of Othello throughout the plot, although the reader know that Iago is behind the whole scheme.
ReplyDelete-Forrest
Shakespeare utilizes secondary characters to exploit Othello’s gullibility through Iago’s manipulation of not only Othello, but other characters as well. Iago is the mastermind behind the story and advances his cause by manipulating characters throughout the novel. Shakespeare's ability to implement secondary characters catalyzes Iago’s manipulation of primary characters, such as Othello. Roderigo, the secondary character who seeks Desdemona's, love, is manipulated by Iago to the point of attempted murder. Iago reveals his plans through malignant soliloquies, which allows for only the reader to understand Iago’s plan, leaving characters such as Roderigo naive about Iago’s plans. Iago tells Roderigo “none can be so determinate as the removing of Cassio” (102). Through manipulation of Roderigo, Iago fuels Roderigo’s desire to kill Cassio, which aids to his plan. Iago is out for revenge on Othello and through secondary characters, such as Roderigo, Iago is able to “put money in thy purse” and seek revenge on Othello simultaneously (26). Secondary characters are pawns to Iago’s plan and without them there would be no way for Iago to conduct his malevolent plan.
ReplyDeleteI concur that Shakespeare uses the secondary characters to add depth to Iago's villainous plot. Characters such as Cassio, Roderigo, and Emilia are used by Iago as Instruments of destruction. The secondary characters are manipulated into committing actions that influence the plot in many ways. By themselves these actions seem to be harmless but as Iago orchestrates his plan the pieces come together to reach a tragic conclusion.
ReplyDeleteAll of the secondary characters throughout Othello are at one point used as pawns in the elaborate chess game Iago has constructed, However I find it important to note that the women especially are used not only as pawns, but scapegoats for all of the troubles encountered. Iago suggests that Bianca had a role in the stabbing of Cassio when he dined at her house that night, Emilia is used for obtaining the scarf, and Desdemona becomes the biggest scapegoat of all as she is accused of infidelity, when all she did was try and help Cassio regain his position as lieutenant. Emilia I find a bit of an anomaly as a secondary character however, especially as a woman, because she is the only woman to stand up for herself throughout the play. She is the one who actually outs Iago in the end for the villain that he is. Breaking all bounds of women’s subservience, she declares “’tis proper I obey him, but not now. Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home” (303). Contradictory to Shakespearean tradition of inferior and weak women’s roles, Emilia refuses to be silent and respectful to her husband, and Othello as well when she finds that he has killed Desdemona, which is why I consider her to be so significant as a secondary character. And though Desdemona was more prevalent throughout the tragedy, Emilia had a much stronger character towards the end, whereas Desdemona never broke the common mold of the inferior woman.
ReplyDeleteI agree with these statements. Secondary characters fuel the fire to Iago's madness, thus impacting the plot greatly. Although he reveals himself as being inferior to others, the usage of secondary characters falling for his game internally makes him feel superior and hungers him for more manipulation. The role of Emilia’s relation to Iago is also significant to the plot. Iago persists to the audience that he must make revenge on Othello for supposedly having a “fling” with his wife, but ironically Iago has always treated her like she is worthless. This reflects back to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s statement on Iago’s motive-hunting of motiveless malignity.
ReplyDelete-Caitlin
Secondary characters in the play Othello are deemed important in their role of impacting the plot. Othello the protagonist, and Iago the villain are shown powerful, through the use of the secondary characters. Without the secondary characters the unfaithfulness of Iago, would be hard to differentiate, and the audience would fall into his trap, like Othello. Without the secondary characters Iago would be characterized as just an evil villain without his two-sided personality, we would only be able to have our own opinions, not the characters. Along with being able to tell Iago’s motives, without the secondary characters, Othello’s heroic personality would hard to deceive. He would look as if he was the villain, killing his wife without proof, as to that she was having an affair. With the secondary characters, the audience is able to know that Iago, deceived Othello through his plotting and manipulative moves ,with the blind assistance of the secondary characters, which led Othello to believe that Desdemona had and affair. I believe that the secondary characters we’re exceptionally essential to the role of impacting the plot.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare uses secondary characters as pawns for Iago’s scheming. Secondary characters such as Emilia and Roderigo are used to support Iago because they are clueless to his actual intentions. Although Emilia is Iago’s wife, he sees her as dispensable item in his overall plan. Emilia, trying to show her faithful, undying love for her husband, fails to see his intentions and does whatever he asks of her. Roderigo thinks that by following Iago’s plan, hi will get what he wants: Desdemona. Roderigo, however, fails to see that Iago is using Roderigo to his own benefit. Iago is tricking Roderigo into believing that he is his friend and that he wants to actually help him. If Iago can successfully follow through with his plan, he can dispose of his pawns, as he does in Act V, by killing Emilia and Roderigo.
ReplyDelete