Othello How effective is this as an opening to a drama?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Eleanor Morris

Othello

* How effective is this as an opening to a drama?

As the play commences, we meet Roderigo, who exclaims; "Tush! never tell me; I take it much unkindly that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse, as if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this"

This opening discloses very little to the audience. We invade upon a conversation taking place on a Venice street late at night. This immediately creates atmosphere. The fact that there is a nocturnal setting and two men arguing builds up tension and suspense in the mind of the audience. It is effective to start a drama because it has such an intriguing opening sentence. It makes the audience want to explore and they become eager to identify with the characters.

Roderigo's speech is powerful, emotional and dramatic. He opens with such a powerful paragraph with "Tush! never tell me." From here we can be led to believe he is a dominant character. Shakespeare's use of language in the opening scene is typical to his many other work's. he makes use of thou which is the less respectful, insulting form of