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Othello: Gender, Race, and the Student A Curriculum Unit An introduction to a gender and racial reading of Othello by William Shakespeare Upper/Advanced Students in High School
General Overview of the Curriculum In the light of preparing students to enter into a multifaceted world, students will explore Shakespeare’s Othello by traditional literary methods (symbolism, character development, etc.) with a focus on a gender and racial reading of the text. Background to the Project This is a curriculum established for upper secondary students (preferably eleventh and twelfth grade literature classes). Ideally, the unit would be part of a yearlong exploration of classical and contemporary literary products. Additionally, the class would ideally have focused on previous dramatic works (Ibsen, Moličre, Marlowe) and will read at least one contemporary dramatic work (Miller, Larson, Frayn). In any class, and because of the general challenge of the unit, the writer of this curriculum advises that this unit fall in the middle of a school year after some literary techniques have been established. Michigan Benchmarks and Standards Content standard 5: Literature Ÿ Benchmark 1: Students will display proficiency in listening, reading, viewing, and responding “thoughtfully to classical text” via homework and class discussion. Ÿ Benchmark 3: Students will create a portfolio that will “analyze tensions among characters, communities, themes, and issues in literature and other texts reflecting the substance of the human experience.” Ÿ Benchmark 5: Students will create a portfolio that will reflect analysis and evaluation of “the authenticity of the portrayal of various societies and cultures in literature and other texts.” Content Standard 9: Depth of Understanding Ÿ Benchmark 2: Students will explore various methods of analyzing literature by “synthesizing from multiple texts [that] represent varied perspectives, and apply the principles and generalizations needed to investigate and confront complex issues and problems” (mainly through gender and racial readings). Content Standard 10: Ideas in Action Ÿ Benchmark 1: Students will create a portfolio that “uses themes and central ideas in literature and other texts to generate solutions to problems and formulate perspectives on issues in their own lives.” Content Standard 12: Critical Standards Ÿ Benchmark 3: Students will write, read, and think about varying literary theories (centered on a gender and racial reading) that uses “literary history, tradition, theory, terminology, and other critical standards to develop and justify judgments about the craft and significance of ... written texts.” Ÿ Benchmark 4: Students will create a portfolio (“create a collection of personal work based on individual, shared, and academic standards, justifying judgments about the craft and significance of each selection”). Interdisciplinary Connections The writer of this curriculum has made an honest effort to make connections to other classes. However, it is impossible to connect to all other areas of study. Other recommendations include: Ÿ an Internet study of various historical portrayals of Othello by actors Ÿ an artistic study of representations of Other in art Ÿ a musical study of Othello’s representation in Verdi’s classic opera Otello Objectives Ÿ Students will read and comprehend Shakespeare’s Othello. Ÿ Students will explore various learning styles as chosen by themselves for a portfolio project. Ÿ Students will appreciate literary elements, such as characterization, plot, symbolism, etc. Ÿ Students will synthesize a product that reflects an understanding of a gender reading of Othello. Ÿ Students will synthesize a product that reflects an understand of a racial reading of Othello. Ÿ Students will synthesize a portfolio that relates theme(s) of Othello to contemporary audiences. Ÿ Students will present a key structural element of the play to the class (preferably in some oral/visual form). Expectations of the Student To meet the aforementioned objectives, the students will: Ÿ Read and be tested (daily quizzes, oral questioning, group activities, homework) on the text. Ÿ Students will create a portfolio that explores the topic of a gender reading, a racial reading, and contemporary significance of the text. Ÿ Students will work in small groups to explore structural elements in the text, presenting the structural elements’ importance after reading the text. Ÿ Student appreciation will reflect an excitement about exploring the text, whether in body language or verbal recognition. Ÿ Students will work with the teacher to develop an introductory packet of material that will relate the expectations,. (Author’s Recommendation: Start with some personal goals that you, the teacher, would like the students to attain in the course of this unit. However, also allow the students to present ideas that they would like to focus on as they explore this work.) General Overview of the Material Below is a provisional schedule. Tentatively, the schedule is established to fit within a larger curriculum; therefore, the need for speed may be essential. Ideally, the teacher should be willing to stretch the time length and double the discussion times (if possible). For example, day one would really be day one and day two; day two would be days three and four; etc. Day one: Introductions Ÿ Discuss teacher and student objectives Ÿ Introduce the portfolio project Ÿ Assign students to read 1.1, 1.2 Day two: 1.1, 1.2 Ÿ Introduce the race of Othello Ÿ Discuss first impressions (as created by rhetoric, characterization, etc.) Ÿ Display the general order of a Shakespearean text (exposition, development, suspense, changing point, climax, and denouement). Ÿ Assign students to read 1.3 Day three: 1.3 Ÿ Introduce a feminine reading of the text Ÿ Debate how the racial and feminine characteristics mix in this scene Ÿ Discuss the historical element of the black Ÿ Assign 2.1 Day four: 2.1 Ÿ Introduce the major structural elements of our discussion (light, sex, relationships, speech/silence, monsters) Ÿ Assign 2.2, 2.3 Day five: 2.2, 2.3 Ÿ Discuss the history of Shakespeare plays/the Globe theatre (i.e., the importance of 2.2) Ÿ Debate the importance of music - why is it in the text? Ÿ Reflect on the character of Iago Ÿ Assign 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 Day six: 3.1, 3.2., 3.3 Ÿ Present structural images of monster Ÿ Debate the importance of deception Ÿ Discuss the further mixing of race and gender Day seven: 3.3 Ÿ Class discussion/debate: Why does Othello believe Iago? Ÿ Relate the importance of relationships Ÿ Assign 3.4 Day eight: 3.4 Ÿ Relate the historical element of the woman Ÿ Discuss feminine submissiveness Ÿ Debate: Is Othello justified in his actions? Ÿ Assign 4.1 Day nine: 4.1 Ÿ Explore the sexual images presented in text so far. Ÿ Look at the tightness of characters (i.e., explore the history of Shakespeare’s writings) Ÿ Assign 4.2 Day ten: 4.2 Ÿ Debate: How do female view men? How do men view women? Ÿ Assign 4.3 Day eleven: 4.3 Ÿ Discuss the importance of speech and silence in the play. Ÿ Relate this importance to feminism within the historical context and literary context of play Ÿ Assign 5.1 Day twelve: 5.1 Ÿ Class presentation of key structural elements: Ÿ Light Ÿ Sexual images Ÿ Relationships Ÿ Speech/silence Ÿ Monsters Ÿ Assign 5.2 Day thirteen: 5.2 Ÿ Discuss the importance of images of light Ÿ Othello as tragic hero Ÿ The historicity of Othello (on stage and as a larger part of dramatic texts) Day fourteen-sixteen: Visual representations Ÿ Suggested viewing of play/movie representation of Othello. Day seventeen: Ÿ Tie up loose ends. Ÿ Discussion of characterization. Ÿ Presentation of ideas about the production seen. Day eighteen: Ÿ Presentation of portfolios Assessment Since the aim of this curriculum is rather untraditional, the author suggests assessment in an untraditional fashion. Too often students are required to memorize and recite facts about Shakespeare’s works and history. The author would like to offer an alternative product that brings the world of Shakespeare and his works to life. Below is a description of various possible projects to be included in a portfolio that will be used as final assessment of the learning process. The important aspect of this assessment is to let the students be creative. Therefore, it is recommended that the teacher offer the student the general requirements and then let the students bask in the creative juices. However, as some students wrongly feel they are “uncreative,” some suggestions for various projects to meet the assessment guidelines are included. Note: The general requirements may be combined; for example, the written element could discuss a structural element (i.e., a paper written about Shakespeare’s use of speech versus silence). Portfolio requirements: Ÿ Written Ÿ Visual Ÿ Oral Ÿ Creative Ÿ Group Ÿ Individual Ÿ Response Ÿ Structural element Ÿ Gender discussion Ÿ Racial discussion Ÿ Personal reflection Ÿ Importance to contemporary society Examples under categories: Ÿ Written: Research paper, creative writing, written response, reading journals/diaries Ÿ Visual: Posters, artwork, dioramas, video Ÿ Oral: Video, presentation, skit, modern-day retelling, student-lead discussions Ÿ Creative: Fifteen-minute Othello, Othello: the Musical, Behind the Story: Othello (like VH1’s Behind the Music), talk show with Othello, jury case against Iago, giving women a voice in the production Ÿ Group: Video, any of the creative projects, designing a production (with set, costume designs included) Ÿ Individual: Paper, poster, diorama, compose a musical piece, response to viewing movie Ÿ Response: Response to -- character, element, production Ÿ Structural element: Discussion of one structural element presented in class or that the student discovers Ÿ Gender discussion: Writing extra words for the women; rewriting the play in view of the woman; discussion of women versus men in the play Ÿ Racial discussion: Creatively writing what would happen to the play if Othello was not a Moor/African; responding to Othello’s race; discussing race’s importance in structural elements Ÿ Personal reflection: Reading journals/diaries; response to a production Ÿ Importance to contemporary society: Reflection on why read Othello; campaign (using Othello as example) to stop spousal abuse; lessons learned from Othello Suggested approaches - or - Ideas for Approaching the Text 1.) Start with the text and insert appropriate material based on the text. Bertrand Evans, although from a past era, offers the advice that teachers too often bombard students with too much pre-information on plays, histories, biographies and the like; instead, he insists that the students begin with the text and work outwards from there (63-65). In the course of outlining of the material, the author of this text has attempted to incorporate various ideas that would work well within the words of the text. For example, during the short scene of 2.2, the teacher could discuss the history of the Globe because the scene seems almost superfluous in an age of digital movies, excessive scenery, and panoramic camera angles. However, in Elizabethan England, the Globe (or theatres like it) presented the plays in the middle of the day. How else can Shakespeare set the scene without the power of the spoken word (once again alluding to the power of rhetoric within the context of human existence)? Look for various other ways to insert appropriate background information as you approach a text instead of laboring the students with “boring” material before the excitement begins. 2.) Permit the students take control of the text. One of the easiest means to approach a student-centered discussion of the play would be the previously mentioned structural image groups. Group students (fairly, non-biasly, and heterogeneously) so that scaffolding will occur. Then, the students are responsible for highlighting and focusing on one structural image (light, sexual images, relationships, speech/silence, monsters). On any day that a group finds one of these elements, the students should acknowledge them and offer to provide their educational insight. Perhaps, to even make the atmosphere more playful and exude an ambiance of enjoyment as well as entertainment, turn the “work” into a game. Have the students race to find as many structural elements as they can in any one scene. Remember, Shakespeare is not boring; it is fun! 3.) Teach to the five senses. The author learned this trick during a seminar and it is most useful. Make sure in the lessons that you include some item that appeals to the students five senses (taste, touch, sound, sight, smell). An easy way to include this would be to make each sense part of the portfolio project. Or else, another successful student-centered approach, would be to provide discovery centers that would let students experience the food, the music, and the clothing (or any other creative alternatives) of Othello as well as Elizabethan England. 4.) ACT! Shakespeare’s texts are not meant to be read but acted. Excite the students with the possibility of performing the scenes on days when the class will discuss that particular moment (perhaps involve the structural groups and have them focus on a structural element in their production). Shakespeare comes to life even when an amateur performer enacts the texts. If the students are not willing, there are at least two worthwhile productions available on video. Sir Laurence Olivier has a production as well as the Lauren Fishburn and Kenneth Branaugh video (the latter is my recommendation for exploring structural elements of the movie). 5.) Have fun! No one wants to learn if the teacher’s not enjoying himself/herself. No teacher wants to educate if the students are not enjoying themselves. Make this experience the best possible adventure for the students. Learn with them; help them to grow as educated readers; and, excite them about the world of Shakespeare. Appendix A: Reflective Essay As teachers, it is important to explore our ideas before presenting the material to students. However, it is also important to permit students enough room to develop their own ideas (and we, as educators, must be accepting of these ideas). Below is a short presentation of the author’s views of how the idea of feminism/gender reading and race unit in Othello. It is not meant to be definitive, but a starting place to explore the world of Othello. Powerful Rhetoric Destroys Married Bliss: Shedding Light on the Union of Race, Gender, and Rhetoric in Othello Critics consider Shakespeare’s oeuvre reflective of the metatheatricality of life, especially with the power of the spoken word. One of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, Othello, combines the power of rhetoric with the challenge of the ideas about race and gender. Othello provokes the audience to rethink concepts about blackness and femininity by combining the two major themes of Shakespeare’s works. In Othello, Shakespeare explores an ideal world where the underprivileged, repressed race and gender unite to overcome an oppressive society; however, the power of the spoken and unspoken word destroys the ideal and implodes the hopes of the future. Shakespeare’s first underprivileged is the most obvious: Othello must face the difficulty of being black. Throughout the play, Othello’s color causes difficulties. In 1.1, Iago attacks Othello, belittling him as a “black ram” (1.1.90). Othello is a Moor, a second connotation of the meaning black (Adler 248). Othello must fight the connotations of black as being “morally foul,” especially as used by Iago (2.3.345; Adler 249). However, Othello must also face the black of the night that establishes the scene and the ambiance of a majority of the play. All in all, Othello fights against a society that represses him because of his skin color. In Othello’s words, Othello is the unwelcome foreigner in Venetian society. To overcome this difficulty, Othello marries a fair, white Venetian, Desdemona. Through their union, Shakespeare establishes a union between the foreign and native, but, more importantly, he creates a marriage between black and white. However, gender enters center stage to command the duration of the play. The moving element of the plot occurs because of the jealousy of the male gender as represented by Othello. Shakespeare quickly changes the focus of the play from the foreigner in color to the foreigner of gender, almost with the first appearance of Desdemona. In the court scene of 1.3, the gentlemen speak for the repressed woman, even going so far as to deny the woman a chance to speak. Only the previous repressed, Othello, grants the woman a chance to speak (1.3.116-17). Then, when Desdemona appears at court, she must defend herself against the barrage of her father, the Duke, and Othello (three controlling and dominant male figures, especially in the context of the city of Venice). The female in this instance must fight against the repressive society of the male. And this is only one instance: Othello denies Desdemona a chance to defend herself; Desdemona must fight against her father’s words that she is deceitful and untrustworthy (1.3.295-6); Iago forces his wife into submission to retrieve the handkerchief to fulfill his ploy (3.3.308-12); and, the list goes on. Another important symbol of the woman’s repressiveness is her silence in comparison to the male’s role in the play. In general, Shakespeare wrote a play that focuses on the male and pushes the woman to the side. The audience listens more to a male character speak than a women; in fact, the only time a woman is alone on stage is during two occurrences: Emilia’s soliloquy after finding the handkerchief and the willow scene (3.3 and 4.3 respectively). In fact, the first time we see a woman she is surrounded by the patriarchy of Venetian society at court (1.3) and the last time the audience views a woman is surrounded by the male observers of Othello’s carnage (5.2). Furthermore, as Eamon Grennan explains, the females share a sense of unity despite differing opinions (279); yet, males must argue and destroy to conquer each other over varying opinions (for instance, the fight between Cassio and Roderigo -- 2.3.139ff). The audience must recognize the fact that woman has limited speech and when she does speak, her most famous “aria” is a musical speech. The willow scene, the primal scene of an engendered reading, focuses on Desdemona and Emilia as they prepare for bed, relating the “calm before the storm” of Othello’s rage. Even Desdemona’s speech in this scene is limited; she is only able to relate her feelings through song (4.3.32-3). Sadly, even this great scene of the vociferous woman forebodes the destructive death of Desdemona by Othello’s hands. Desdemona’s death symbolizes the only outcome for a repressed woman, silenced by a patriarchal society. Desdemona challenges Othello’s judgment (5.2.53-4). However, man’s ultimate repressiveness is to silence the already voiceless by “putting out the light.” Even Emilia faces the oppressive attitudes of her husband, who silences her by death, hoping to keep his plans silent (5.2.243). Clearly, Shakespeare discusses the tragic element of the repressed voice that must succumb to the threats of the patriarchal society.
By exploring the race and gender of his characters, Shakespeare explores the
repression of the female and the black by the male and white society; however,
union and bliss are possible. Desdemona and Othello’s marriage reflects a
bliss akin to a honeymoon. Before the seeds of jealousy and revenge and planted
in Othello’s bosom, the happy couple are the epitome of a traditional married
couple. They consummate their relationship in traditional style, despite
the fact that Othello only has an hour before leaving for The problem with their union is not either Othello or Desdemona’s fault, but the fault of Shakespeare, who wishes to display the power the spoken and unspoken word. The key element to the tragic destruction of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is Iago, representative of the vice of rhetoric. First, Brabantio warns Othello of his daughter’s deceitfulness (1.3.295-6). Then, Iago is able to manipulate the situation to destroy the union. In the same manner, the words Iago does not say also help feed the “green-eyed monster” of jealousy (3.3.179). Iago is able to simply hint at the possibility of the infidelity of Desdemona and then let actions control Othello. Iago simply plants Othello’s handkerchief on Cassio, knowing that the handkerchief will reappear and provide concrete proof of Desdemona’s infidelity (4.1.159). Iago then permits Othello to be the mastermind behind the downfall of Cassio and Desdemona. Iago’s abuse of the spoken and unspoken spoils the perfect marriage of Othello and Desdemona. All in all, Shakespeare creates a play that explores the union of race and gender while displaying the power of the spoken and unspoken word. Othello is a testament to the possibilities of the repressed to overcome the suppressers. However, the play also attests to the ability of rhetoric to control and destroy. These two conflicting ideas raise an important question: What does Shakespeare wish for the audience to learn? After a racial and gender reading of the play, the reader appears to discover the difficulties of rhetoric and jealousy. Or, in other words, beware the welcome guest who speaks well and, instead, rejoice in blissful unions; further, be cautious of jealousy, but also do not overlook the unheard or repressed of society. Appendix B: Works Cited Adler, Doris. “The Rhetoric of Black and White in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly 25 (1974): 248-57. Evans, Bertrand. Teaching Shakespeare in the High School. New York: Macmillan, 1966. Grennan, Eamon. “The Women’s Voices in Othello: Speech, Song, Silence.” Shakespeare Quarterly 38 (1987): 275-92. Appendix C: Works Referenced - or - Great Reads to Help the Teacher Begin a Study of Othello Bradley, A.C. “The Noble Othello.” A Casebook on Othello. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co, 1961. 139-46. Byles, Joan Montgomery. “The Problem of the Self and Othello in the Language of Ophelia, Desdemona and Cordelia.” American Imago: Studies in Psychoanalysis and Culture 46 (Spring 1989): 37-59. Cowhig, Ruth. “The Importance of Othello’s Race.” Journal of Commonwealth Literature 12 (1977): 153-61. Delgado de Torres, Olivia. “Reflections on Patriarchy and the Rebellion of Daughters in Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ and ‘Othello.’” Interpretations: A Journal of Political Philosophy 21 (Spring 1994): 333-51. Nowottny, Winifred M.T. “Justice and Love in Othello.” A Casebook on Othello. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. Thomas Y. Crowell Co: New York, 1961.169-84. Papp, Joseph and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare Alive! New York: Bantam, 1988. Vaughan,
Virginia Mason. “Race Mattered: Othello in Late Eighteenth Century Shakespeare Survey 51 (1998): 57-66. Veidemanis, Gladys. “Shakespeare in the High School Classroom.” Shakespeare in School and College. Champaign: National Council of Teachers of English, 1964. 55-62. Appendix D: Specific Citations [1] for Structural Elements [2]
1 [1] This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a beginner’s reference. 2 [2] The idea of relationships and speech are more to aid the students in visualizing how the characters unite and the power of rhetoric. Therefore, there are no specific citations relating specifically to these two items. © 2002
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