Othello Dramatic Reading Statement of Intent

For this particular assignment, I chose to portray a discussion between Iago and Cassio in Act II scene iii of Othello. In this particular dialogue between the two men, Cassio despairs over losing his job as Othello’s right hand man, and his reputation, while Cassio tries to convince him not to lose hope.

Very distinct, yet different tones were chosen for both Cassio and Iago. I chose a very mournful and self-piteous tone to portray Cassios’s depression towards the events that took place.  Cassio’s life as a prominent military commander to the great Othello had ended, leaving him lost, worried about the future, and above all, sad. For these reasons, I tried to make Cassio sound as if her were wallowing in self-pity, and emphasized words that were causes of his despair. For example, I tried to emphasize the word “reputation” as this was what he feared he had lost. Further, I tried to emphasize the negative words he used to describe himself and his situation, such as drunk, squabble, devil, unperfectness and despise. Such words emphasize Cassio’s opinions of himself and the reasons as to why he is wallowing in self-pity, thus they explain what Cassio is thinking and feeling. Simultaneously, for Iago, I tried to use a very persuasive and sympathetic tone. Iago is attempting to gain the trust of Cassio, and thus sympathized and encouraged Cassio in his time of despair. For Iago, I emphasized words he used to accredit himself, such as when he called himself an “honest man”. Further, I emphasized words that would have worked to persuade Cassio, such as “idle” or “false” in describing reputation, and emphasizing the words “he’s yours” when Iago tells Cassio he can win back Othello’s favor. Such a tone and emphasis methods would have portrayed Iago’s desperation to gain the trust of Cassio so he could later deceive him.

By acting as Cassio and Iago during this dramatic reading, I learned much about the characters and the play as a whole. Forcing myself into the roles of Cassio and Iago helped me realize more about each character. By trying to portray them, I thought more critically about their motivations behind their actions and feelings, and why they would act the way they do. I imagined myself as a fully-grown adult who had lost my job, and reputation, and how such events would affect my attitude and the measures I would take to redeem myself, finding that the way in Cassio behaved was realistic. Further, by “becoming” Iago, I finally understood the extent of his trickery in the play, and how he was effectively able to manipulate those around him for his personal gain. Overall, I learned that Shakespeare’s play was so largely symbolic of human emotions and how they drive individuals to do what they do. The idea of jealousy, the “green-eyed monster” became clearer to me, and I saw the role jealousy and human emotions had in driving the plot of Othello. As a human myself, portraying the emotions of Cassio and Iago made it possible for me to realize that emotions such as jealousy, anger, and vengefulness not only drove actions in Othello but in the real world as well, during Shakespearean, ancient, and modern times.

The dialogue in this particular except played a significant role in shaping Othello, and affected many aspects of dramatic structure. The dialogue between Cassio and Iago reveals the different emotions of the characters, which otherwise, may have remained unknown. More importantly, the dialogue furthered the complications of the plot and contributed to the rising action. This scene shows Iago gaining the trust of Cassio to further himself in his scheme. This further demonstrates the manipulative nature of Iago, which ultimately led to climax, the killing of Desdemona and Othello. This dialogue proved a steppingstone to the larger conflict, and set the stage for Iago to manipulate Cassio into seeking the help of Desdemona, only to further turn Othello against them both. The dialogue also built upon characterization. Cassio was characterized as a loyal man looking to regain his reputation, while Iago’s character continued to be more strongly portrayed as manipulative to all.  In general, dialogue between characters saw the revelations of emotions, rumors and secrets, which set off the human emotions of the characters and caused them to act in the way they did.