How does Act 1, Scene 1 of Othello prepare you for the rest of the play

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Othello Essay

GCSE English

How Does Act 1, Scene 1 of Othello prepare the audience for the rest of the play?

The play opens with two characters in mid-conversation, shrouded in darkness, in the middle of the night. They are out in the streets of Venice talking about a betrayal of trust between them. This immediately grabs the audience’s attention and sets the theme for the rest of the play. The characters involved are Iago and Roderigo and this argument lets us know straight away that they are untrustworthy and we should expect to see more of this during the play. Roderigo is complaining to Iago about his behaviour after Roderigo has given him money. We do not know why he has given him money at this point which makes the audience want to find out more. One of the lines in the beginning of this scene is “Thou toldst me thou did hold him in hate” We do not know that it is Othello they are discussing at this point.

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Iago begins to tell Roderigo of his hatred for the Moor (Othello). He has been passed over for promotion and feels betrayed and let down. Othello has given the job of Lieutenant to a Florentine (Michael Cassio) and has given Iago the lesser position of Ancient. Roderigo is infatuated with the beautiful Desdemona and is madly jealous after learning that Othello is secretly marrying Desdemona. Iago is full of spite and jealousy because he has lost the promotion to Cassio who he does not feel is up to the job. Iago describes him as a “bookish theoric” who knows ...

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This essay has a clear chronological order, however I would've liked to have seen a clear introduction and conclusion. I wasn't too keen on seeing "Iago’s first act of falseness is committed straight away…" appear in the middle of the essay. This isn't an English Language piece of creative writing. There is no place for this style in a formal essay! Other than that, spelling, punctuation and grammar are used well.

The analysis in this essay is sound, yet at times it tends to retell the story. For example, the second paragraph adds nothing to the essay other than showing knowledge of the scene. The essay must analyse the audience response to the plot rather than simply retelling it. I would've liked to have seen more reference to Shakespeare's construction throughout, as this allows a natural progression towards analysing why he chooses certain techniques and the effect they have on the audience. In my opinion, when looking at a particular scene you must talk of its significance to the rest of the play. I would've have drawn upon the audience's fear for Othello's position after Iago's plot unravels, building the suspense. An awareness of Othello's tragedy beginning would have been a good discussion point, also. There aren't enough quotes in this essay, meaning there is little analysis on imagery and language.

The essay responds to this question well, showing awareness of the audience's reaction to the first scene. I liked how the essay constantly showed awareness that Othello is a play, and thus focussed on the importance of dramatic effect.