Monday, January 30, 2006

Reading

• The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (2100–2172), Acts 1–3
• “Tragedy” (BC, 85–90)
• Giovanni Battista Girardi Cinthio, “From Gli Hecatommithi” (BC, 169–170)

Notes

Reading

Notes

For today we should think especially about what tragedy is. What are the conventions of the genre? How are tragedy and comedy related; in what ways do they operate differently?

Note that Othello has overt similarities to Much Ado About Nothing. Part of this, of course, is the mutual theme of deception, which is developed in Othello not only by playing off of trust issues, but also various stereotypes and expectations.

Also, bring your schedules with you to class: we should schedule a time to view Much Ado About Nothing before our discussion has become too temporally distant.