Reading Guide: Othello, Acts IV and V Story found in PDF book the Norton
1. Is Othello a racist play? Why/why not?
3. Othello is our protagonist. What is his hamartia? His peripeteia? His anagnorisis?
4. How do you think we are meant to interpret Othello’s fate? Is he to be pitied, or is he justly punished for his hamartia?
5. Do you think Iago is remorseful at the end of the play? Based on what evidence?
Reading Guide Antigone: Story found in PDF book the Norton
- What would you say is the moral of this play? Based on what evidence?
- If Antigone represents the position valuing god’s law over all else, and Kreon and Ismene represent the position of valuing secular/state law over all else, what position does Haimon represent (see his speeches beginning on page 1669 and following)?
- The chorus represents the voice of the people. How do each of the choral odes (the long speeches beginning on lines 368, 637, 842, and 994) demonstrate the “pulse of the people” at that moment? Does it change as the play progresses?
- What specifically leads Kreon to change his mind about executing Antigone?
- At the end of the play, are we supposed to feel sympathy for Kreon (he was well-intentioned but misguided and has been unfairly punished), or are we supposed to feel that he gets what he deserves (he was full of hubris [overconfident pride] and was justly punished)? Try to come up with arguments for both sides.
- Why do you think this play was called Antigone instead of Kreon?
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9-W66xB-fM&list=PLJgBmjHpqgs7TVOYAmrHu1JaAcf6sA_rd&index=8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRA0auYwBFU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quLkooLxsO4&list=PLJgBmjHpqgs7TVOYAmrHu1JaAcf6sA_rd&index=9
Reading Guide: “Othello: Stranger in a Strange Land” PDF attached named Othello
Read “Othello: Stranger in a Strange Land Download Othello: Stranger in a Strange Land” and then answer the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the introduction section — what is Cacicedo trying to do or get readers to understand?
- What is the main point of the section titled Race and Culture?
- What is the main point of the section titled The Moor for Venice?
- What is the main point of the section titled Venice for the Moor?
- What is the main point of the final section titled Turning Turk?
- What is Cacicedo doing in his conclusion (final paragraph)? Is this a “summing up” conclusion, a conclusion that tells us “so what?,” or a conclusion that tells us “what now?” Based on what evidence?
- Is this article a legitimate scholarly source? Why/why not?