At the heart of Act Three is Othello doing all of the work to create the illusions of deception. He only needs subtle hints from Iago. Othello does all the rest, driving himself to madness. The audience witnesses the events, but it is the interpretation of these events that causes the trouble. Iago forces Othello to see what Iago wants him to see. This is a warning that throughout life we are constantly viewing the world through interpretation. We must be certain of our guides, our sources. And the only source of order and proper interpretation in life is in the setting of a patriarchy to teach us the truth. Othello is the story of order dissolving into disorder. The proper place for Desdemona is in the home. She is at a battlefield. Disorder. Othello’s suspicion of her infidelity causes him to give up the battle. Why? She has no virtue, hence, nothing to defend. More disorder. At the heart of civilization is the virtuous woman. Through her virtue she can rule over her realm, the home. Her virtue gives men the reason to defend, the home, and if necessary, the country. The realm of the man is outside the home, defending the home.
Dr. White discusses sentimentality and its characteristics, explaining that it focuses on emotions and wallows in them for their own sake, and pointing out that true artistry allows one to respond on one’s own, without manipulation. Dickens’ work was touched by sentimentality, he explains, particularly in some of his death scenes. Dr. White discusses some of the episodes of his own life that Dickens put into this work, which was partly autobiographical. David’s influences and hero-figures are examined with their respective influences upon him. Dr. White also gives some time to the character of Mr. Micawber, whom he ranks as one of the three great comic characters of literature. Finally, Dr. White touches upon the effect that Dickens had in changing child labor laws and school conditions, the state of which he dramatized in his novels, thus raising awareness of them.
The story now moves away from Venice, never to return. The characters arrive one by one at Cyprus by sea, having weathered a heavy storm. Nature itself is confused. They assemble here to prepare for battle with the Turks. In Act One, Iago only talks about his plans, but now, in Act Two, away from home, he puts his plans into action. Iago gets Cassio drunk and into a fight, disrupting the wedding night of Othello and Desdemona. Othello breaks up the fight. Cassio is dishonored. To help put him right again with Othello, Iago suggests that he talk with Desdemona to have her plead his case with her husband. He agrees. Iago uses this meeting to plant doubts about Desdemona’s fidelity. Iago has several roles in this play. He is first and foremost, the villain. A purely evil man: evil for the sake of evil. He appears as a fellow well met, but his words hide his real intent. Iago provides the comic relief in the play. He is funny, witty, clever. Audiences for centuries love this character. They recognize him. He reminds us all that we are human. But behind his jokes is a sinister plan of destruction and disorder.
This is a question and answer session, with a wide range of topics. Shakespeare had an eighth grade education, equivalent to a Harvard doctoral degree of today. Shakespeare was raised in a good Catholic family with good Catholic ancestry who heroically professed their Faith. He possessed a vivid imagination that was fed the best that theater could offer in the form of the Corpus Christi plays that he witnessed as a child. By the end of his career he was able to recover the lost prominence of the family name by purchasing a title of Gentleman. Shakespeare is credited as being the most creative writer in the English language, perhaps in all of literature. It is said that between him and Dante, they share the world. Dante was a religious writer and Shakespeare was a secular writer. They both wrote about the same things but from different perspectives. Dante was firmly rooted in the medieval world while Shakespeare had one foot in the medieval world and one foot in the modern. This is the central conflict in all of his work. But Shakespeare is far more creative, having created thousands of characters. It is said that after God, Shakespeare created most.
This superb lecture by Dr. White opens with a discussion of the definition and nature of tragedy and what precisely separates it from comedy. The fact is emphasized that the destruction taking place in tragedy must not be meaningless, but must serve a purpose. Dr. White discusses King Lear’s tragic flaw, the prominent theme of fallen man, and the unusual format Shakespeare chose, giving the play five acts of falling action instead of having the climax near the end of the play, as is customary. Also covered is the double plot of King Lear, the play’s presentation of the destruction of language by overuse and twisting of meanings, and the parallel between the situation in King Lear and the situation in the Church today: in both conditions, those who are disobedient (Kent and Cordelia in the play) are the ones who are truly caring and trying to preserve what is good.
Act One of Othello shows the whole world in disorder, and it all begins with a single decision. Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of Brabantio, falls in love with the black Moor Othello. They elope and marry. They do not seek the permission of the father, knowing that he will not allow it. This is the first critical mistake. This decision disrupts a household. This disruption spills onto the streets with near bloodshed, to the senate where the Duke is in need of the services of the mercenary Othello, and thus refuses to admit much less help solve the problem, and the disorder moves to the outside world. The second critical mistake of Othello and Desdemona is their denial of their physical bond to one another and thus deny the fact that they have now become one flesh. This is the very heart of this tragedy. This is a story of fragmentation, of not being whole, and the destruction it causes on individuals and the world. While the love of Othello and Desdemona is pure, it is flawed because of their decisions. Brabantio warns Othello that if his daughter can deceive her own father, she can certainly deceive her husband.
