Carter, Othello Journal

Journal#1 

“Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,

A huswife that by selling her desires

Buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature

That dotes on Cassio, as ’tis the strumpet’s plague

To beguile many and be beguiled by one.

He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain

From the excess of laughter. Here he comes.” 

In this soliloquy, Iago can be talking to a matter of two different audiences. He could actually be talking directly to the audience, since it is a play. Shakespeare could’ve made it almost like where Iago knows he is in play, and is able to actually have some sort of contact with the audience, but then again that is a new play concept and might not have been around during that time. A more reasonable person(s) he could’ve been talking to is himself. Iago is very deceitful and could have just been devising the whole plan aloud. Othello was still present in the room (although he was in hiding) so he could have been whispering to himself. He was smart enough not to  let Othello hear. Therefore, I’ll stick with my response that his audience was himself as well as the readers of the book.

Journal #2 

Cassio is an obvious character of importance in Shakepeare's Othello, considering the fact that Iago uses him as the scapegoat. In Act 2, Scene 3, Cassio realizes that he was fired by Othello (after being drunk)  and goes to Iago in hope that he will help him get to the Moor to get his job back. Cassio observes Iago being supportive of him getting his job back. Iago is telling him that wine isn't bad for him but is in fact good for him and that he just went a little overboard. Iago also tells him  that he's not a drunk and Othello knows that. Cassio eats up everything that Iago says and believes that the Moor will be forgiving to him, but he didn’t realize that he had just fell into Iago’s trap. Iago told him that he must go to Desdemona since she is a woman and has an open heart, and he does just as he was told .He knows that his reputation (or at least the one that Othello knows) is ruined, but he also knows that Othello is crazy about Desdemona and that he’d listen to her over him. I believe this scene proves that Cassio is gullible, because through out the whole booked he was fooled.

Journal #3 

Cassio has been in love with Bianca for two years and counting, or so we thought? Cassio had a journal under his bed that absolutely no one knew about until Desdemona found it one day while in his room looking for him. In it, she read words that she’d never thought she would. “The Moor is questioned by her, being my heart. Are’t he belongings of Desdemona, or shall my heart want him to be mine?” (translation: My heart questions my feelings for the Moor. I know he’s Desdemona’s man, but I think I want him to be mine.) Desdemona was stunned at what she saw, but at the same time she wasn’t too surprised. Now she understood why he loved Othello so much and why he was such a kiss up but she didn’t tell because she knew what would happen to a man who was gay at this time.She didn’t see Cassio as a threat to her, so she kept her little secret to herself.

Journal #4 

In my previous journal, I said that Cassio was homosexual but the only person who knew was Desdemona. I will be portraying him as slightly feminine and crying when Bianca leave him because she suspects him cheating. Also I will portray him as gullible, because in journal 1 stated that I believed he was gullible since Iago was against him the whole time. I will do this by laughing and seeming to take Iago as a joke when he jokingly asks me about what I do with Bianca, although Othello believe I’m talking about his Desdemona. As for my costume, I plan to take a beard and mustache to my face. In case you didn’t realize,I’m a female. I want it to be clear that I’m playing a male and for some reason it’s just the way I picture Cassio. I think I will do a pretty good job portraying Cassio, but overall I think my group will do well too. Bianca’s prop is really a sight to see! (she has money coming out of all of her clothing.) Also, i think Cassio (My) reaction to Bianca leaving him will be slightly amusing to the class. I’m pretty sure that my group will nail it!

Journal #5

Cassio: How now my sweet Bianca! How now? How now?

I wasn’t sure as to how Cassio was feeling when he said this line and although he isn’t too much stated in this quote, the emotion behind it is what matters. When accuses Bianca accuses him of cheating (indirectly) then this quote follows  it. He was in a state of confusion when she accused him of it. His state of confusion seems like it should’ve negatively effected Iago’s plan but it didn’t. Othello didn’t notice the confusion because of his anger, but if he would’ve I believe it would’ve made him realize even sooner that he was being deceived. 

Since I was playing Cassio, I acted as if I was in a confused state as I thought it should be portrayed. My group’s performance overall went exactly how it was planned. My group had difficulties working together and getting everyone to cooperate, but I’m proud because at the end EVERYONE cooperated and got their lines down packed as well as brought in the props or costumes needed. If I could re-do my scene I would delete all of my laughter on stage. I get slightly awkward when in front of an audience so I think I should’ve just practiced more in front of people. As for my group members, I believe they did a wonderful job and I would not change anything about their performances.

After performing the play, I felt like I had just got out of the book. I had a first person understanding of the book rather than just reading it in third person. I understood the characters actions, emotions, and motives much more than I did. We (my group) spend plenty of time analyzing each part of our scene and with the help of Ms. Pahomov and Aaron, I believe we captured the exact image of each character (well at least the exact image we wanted to portray.) Overall, I just feel that I got a first hand understanding of the book because I truly felt like  I was apart of the book for that short period of time.