I know a took a long break there, but I have done a lot since I last wrote- went out of town and then I've been swamped transitioning into my new job and working box office for/closing Midsummer. Oh, and writing a play that my husband and I will perform in October. Plus our car was totaled so that's been its own adventure. So the blog fell by the wayside, consider the break preparation for the 2 week break I'll be taking in September!! (which is why i figured i'd better write again now or it will just never. happen.) But aside from a lengthy intro, i will probably be brief with this opening act.
INTRO:
SO: Othello. So I knew a lot about this play in high school, the basic storyline, literary references, etc. Actually I watched the movie "O" several times with one of my dear Brophy friends who was a little obsessed with it, but I first read it in full when i was assigned a scene from it in my Period Styles class at Pepperdine. I was assigned Emilia and instantly fell in love with her. Later, I saw the brilliant Allie Glenzer perform her role at the ASC and the way she and let's just say my peers and I agreed that in that production, as strong as ALL of the performers were (It was one of my favorite shows while I was there but it was hard to watch more than a few times because it was PAINFUL to watch that much passion and suffering too often. That's how good it was.) anyway, in spite of strong performances across the board, that that production could have been titled the tragedy of Emilia. I just started loving the character more after that. And then, in a strange twist of grad school fate, thanks to a particularly controversial/ frustrating MFA show pick, two women in the year above me asked me to join them for their "rebel" MFA show- the girls had broken off of a production of Taming of the Shrew and wanted to do a different play. Well, lucky for me, my strong feelings about Shrew had kept me from auditioning for the original MFA production meaning I was free to accept a role in this "rebel" production. They wanted to do Paula Vogel's Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief which is a feminist response to Othello and they asked if I would come on as Bianca. We were lucky enough to have Mary Coy direct us, a designated Linklater instructor who furthered my obsession with/ love of this voice work (more about this when we get to Pericles.) but after the first read through, my friend Laurie asked if we could switch roles as she felt I was more suited to Emilia and she to Bianca. I was THRILLED.
(photo by Woods Pierce)
since again, I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS CHARACTER and even though she is DEFINITELY different in Vogel's retelling, there are root things that are the same and beautiful. All that to say, the majority of pictures in my posts about Othello will probably come from the production I did of Desdemona and expect more moments and stories to come relating the two plays. I'd love the chance to run them in rep one day!!
1.1
Right away we get to the theme of jealousy. Iago admits to Roderigo within the first minute of the play that he is jealous of Othello's rising fortunes (though we'll find out later that's not all he's jealous about) and we also find out he's been using Roderigo's purse. Side note: I think Roderigo is one of the great underrated roles. Of course, the other theme that comes up right away is racism. A central component of the show, we hear people refer to Othello as - thicklips, his Moorship, etc.
There are a plethora of incredible sayings even in just the first act:
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow'd.
Or, if you want to be much more existential:
It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago:
then the attention goes to waking up Brabantio- Desdemona's father. Notice the way she's listed in this series:
Look to your house, your daughter and your bags!
Thieves! thieves!
So the daughter is more or less just another possession in the list. super. now let's get to more racism:
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is topping your white ewe. Arise, arise;
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you:
Oh, and with the racism, we have some special sexual innuendos too. Did you like that one? Get ready for a more famous one:
BRABANTIO
What profane wretch art thou?
IAGO
I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter
and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.
Beast with two backs. nice. Add that to our etsy shop... for bachelorette gifts and whatnot... and now that his daughter might be sleeping with a black man, suddenly Brabantio cares:
BRABANTIO
O she deceives me
Past thought! What said she to you? Get more tapers:
Raise all my kindred. Are they married, think you?
RODERIGO
Truly, I think they are.
BRABANTIO
BRABANTIO
O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!
Just note the question- how got she out. Is desdemona usually under guard? I don't understand. But I know it's a helluva way to start a play. And now that we've heard so much about Othello, let's move to a scene with him:
1.2
So Othello's view of marriage is actually fairly similar to mine:
for know, Iago,
But that I love the gentle Desdemona,
I would not my unhoused free condition
Put into circumscription and confine
For the sea's worth.
In other words, unless you are in love like crazy, it seems really stupid to give up the single life. A messenger comes in to break up the party to tell him that the duke wants to see Othello:
And he requires your haste-post-haste appearance,
Even on the instant.
I just love that turn of phrase. Haste-post-haste. Must start using that. of course, Othello is then confronted about his choice of bride with crazy accusations:
Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;
Because any time things don't go your way the clear answer is witchcraft. Othello has a beautiful response to his fellows drawing their swords:
Hold your hands,
Both you of my inclining, and the rest:
Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it
Without a prompter.
Do you like that meta reference to a prompter? OK, on to the next...
1.3
We find out that the Duke is concerned about war. Soldiers and plans and whatnots:
The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes;
ah the Turks. always good to throw that conflict in.
Write from us to him; post-post-haste dispatch.
They are really into their terms for doing things fast in this play... that's all I'm saying...
BRABANTIO
My daughter! O, my daughter!
DUKE OF VENICE
Dead?
BRABANTIO
Ay, to me;
She is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks;
I love that even supposing this crazy story about witchcraft and spells is correct, and it was by no will of her own, Brabantio is STILL considering his daughter dead to him. And by love I mean hey look, another example of how daughters are just what their fathers want them to be or else what their husbands want or else worth nothing. super. CAN WE GET TO THE ROMANCES PLEASE?!
A maiden never bold;
Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion
Blush'd at herself; and she, in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on!
I actually think there's a lot in that passage for the actress playing Des to think about- the consequences of if she was always shy and then by love made bold or if this is how she acted for her father until now or if this is just not true? And what is kind of awesome is Othello's reaction:
I do beseech you,
Send for the lady to the Sagittary,
And let her speak of me before her father:
He wants to give Desdemona a voice. Something that I wish he'd consider later... but having a voice and being silenced are HUGE themes in this play. And part of why it's so hard for me to watch and yet still so wonderfully fascinating.
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:
So Othello tells us in the meantime that he bewitched her with storytelling. Desdemona then comes in and tells her father that now she has to obey her husband, not him. The Duke then talks to Othello about what he brought him there for in the first place- problems with the Turks and that he needs to leave and fight them. Desdemona insists she go with Othello and travel away from her home. quite brave really. and showing us that he is not jealous to begin with, this is what he decides to do with her:
So please your grace, my ancient;
A man he is of honest and trust:
To his conveyance I assign my wife,
With what else needful your good grace shall think
To be sent after me.
So he wants Desdemona to chill with Iago in the meantime. Not the kind of thing a jealous man would say so easily right? I just think its a far more interesting choice to see him break down than have him naturally unsure from the start. LIke the murder in Macbeth I think it's a much more terrifying story if we can see what happens to him as something that is possible to happen to us. But just to start planting the jealous seeds, we have Brabantio's parting shot:
BRABANTIO
Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:
She has deceived her father, and may thee.
OTHELLO
My life upon her faith!
Everyone else leaves and we close out the act the way we started it- with Iago and Roderigo
Roderigo decides he will drown himself to which Iago replies:
Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown cats and blind puppies.
Amazing line. and then he goes on for a long speech to Roderigo that emphasizes over and over to put money in his purse and make more money for the two of them to spend. Then the second Roderigo is gone we get:
Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:
And then he goes on to have what I think has the potential to be the most chilling and brilliant bit of audience interaction:
let me see now:
To get his place and to plume up my will
In double knavery--How, how? Let's see:--
OK, imagine all that is said to different audience members, and after the last line, whoever that was taken too Iago reacts as if it inspires his whole plan. now that audience member is in a way even more implicit in Iago's actions than the rest of the audience, and responsible for all the death that is to follow. Since they "inspired" this:
After some time, to abuse Othello's earThat he (Cassio) is too familiar with his wife.
CREEPY. FABULOUS.
and with that I leave you.
But that I love the gentle Desdemona,
I would not my unhoused free condition
Put into circumscription and confine
For the sea's worth.
In other words, unless you are in love like crazy, it seems really stupid to give up the single life. A messenger comes in to break up the party to tell him that the duke wants to see Othello:
And he requires your haste-post-haste appearance,
Even on the instant.
I just love that turn of phrase. Haste-post-haste. Must start using that. of course, Othello is then confronted about his choice of bride with crazy accusations:
Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;
Because any time things don't go your way the clear answer is witchcraft. Othello has a beautiful response to his fellows drawing their swords:
Hold your hands,
Both you of my inclining, and the rest:
Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it
Without a prompter.
Do you like that meta reference to a prompter? OK, on to the next...
1.3
We find out that the Duke is concerned about war. Soldiers and plans and whatnots:
The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes;
ah the Turks. always good to throw that conflict in.
Write from us to him; post-post-haste dispatch.
They are really into their terms for doing things fast in this play... that's all I'm saying...
BRABANTIO
My daughter! O, my daughter!
DUKE OF VENICE
Dead?
BRABANTIO
Ay, to me;
She is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks;
I love that even supposing this crazy story about witchcraft and spells is correct, and it was by no will of her own, Brabantio is STILL considering his daughter dead to him. And by love I mean hey look, another example of how daughters are just what their fathers want them to be or else what their husbands want or else worth nothing. super. CAN WE GET TO THE ROMANCES PLEASE?!
A maiden never bold;
Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion
Blush'd at herself; and she, in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on!
I actually think there's a lot in that passage for the actress playing Des to think about- the consequences of if she was always shy and then by love made bold or if this is how she acted for her father until now or if this is just not true? And what is kind of awesome is Othello's reaction:
I do beseech you,
Send for the lady to the Sagittary,
And let her speak of me before her father:
He wants to give Desdemona a voice. Something that I wish he'd consider later... but having a voice and being silenced are HUGE themes in this play. And part of why it's so hard for me to watch and yet still so wonderfully fascinating.
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:
So Othello tells us in the meantime that he bewitched her with storytelling. Desdemona then comes in and tells her father that now she has to obey her husband, not him. The Duke then talks to Othello about what he brought him there for in the first place- problems with the Turks and that he needs to leave and fight them. Desdemona insists she go with Othello and travel away from her home. quite brave really. and showing us that he is not jealous to begin with, this is what he decides to do with her:
So please your grace, my ancient;
A man he is of honest and trust:
To his conveyance I assign my wife,
With what else needful your good grace shall think
To be sent after me.
So he wants Desdemona to chill with Iago in the meantime. Not the kind of thing a jealous man would say so easily right? I just think its a far more interesting choice to see him break down than have him naturally unsure from the start. LIke the murder in Macbeth I think it's a much more terrifying story if we can see what happens to him as something that is possible to happen to us. But just to start planting the jealous seeds, we have Brabantio's parting shot:
BRABANTIO
Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:
She has deceived her father, and may thee.
OTHELLO
My life upon her faith!
Everyone else leaves and we close out the act the way we started it- with Iago and Roderigo
Roderigo decides he will drown himself to which Iago replies:
Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown cats and blind puppies.
Amazing line. and then he goes on for a long speech to Roderigo that emphasizes over and over to put money in his purse and make more money for the two of them to spend. Then the second Roderigo is gone we get:
Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:
And then he goes on to have what I think has the potential to be the most chilling and brilliant bit of audience interaction:
let me see now:
To get his place and to plume up my will
In double knavery--How, how? Let's see:--
OK, imagine all that is said to different audience members, and after the last line, whoever that was taken too Iago reacts as if it inspires his whole plan. now that audience member is in a way even more implicit in Iago's actions than the rest of the audience, and responsible for all the death that is to follow. Since they "inspired" this:
After some time, to abuse Othello's earThat he (Cassio) is too familiar with his wife.
CREEPY. FABULOUS.
and with that I leave you.
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