homework questions

How does Greene present Brighton to the reader? Does it seem, already, to have any close or necessary association with the events narrated? (We know the novel is called Brighton Rock but do not yet know if this has any significance other than what is obvious, i.e. that Brighton, as a famous seaside resort, is associated with sticks of rock in the popular imagination.)

What have we learned about the characters of Pinkie and of Ida in this part of the novel?

So far in the novel we have learnt that Ida is secular and has loose morals. She doesn’t believe in god and sleeps around with lots of different men. It is evident that Ida has an optimistic view of life, this could be due to the fact that she isn’t catholic and is likely to sin and cant ask for forgiveness.

The novel is narrated in the third person but the narrative viewpoint is not neutral or objective; we see things usually as they appear to Pinkie or Ida, although the first chapter is narrated very much as events appear to Hale. In what ways does Greene achieve this?

I have attempted to answer these questions however i didn't understand how some of the were worded 

Misunderstanding in Othello

According to the article, where does the texts tragedy spring from?
acts of misunderstanding.


How does Iago manipulate Othello?
Iago manipulates Othello’s latent insecurities about his new marriage to Desdemona, 

The handkerchief

What two things does the article believe the handkerchief represents?

truth and pure intention or faithful duplication

What does the pattern on the handkerchief represent?

implies the loss of virginity.

The Venetian ‘state of mind’

How does the play Othello characterise Venice?

as an immensely sensationalist society

What did the Venetians have an appetite for?

for the scandalous as opposed to more nuanced thought 

How did John Leo view Africans and why is this a significant difference to Venetian's?

most honest’ and ‘high minded’.

War

Why does this section believe misunderstanding is inevitable?

Gender

In the play, what do Venetian men have little grasp of?

What is Emilia's function?

Summarise this section from a feminist perspective.

critical approaches to Othello

What does Cinthio's collection of short stories explore?
Explores the pros and cons of different kinds of love, especially within marriage.

How does Shakespeare adapt Cinthio's tale in Othello?

• Shakespeare’s Ensign, Iago is not driven by lust for Desdemona, so his motives are more ambiguous.
• Shakespeare introduces new characters, the credulous Roderigo and Desdemona’s father Brabantio.
• He also refers directly to the war between the Muslim Turks and the Christian Venetians, giving the play more political resonance for an early modern audience.

Post colonialism

What is post colonialism?

Postcolonialism or postcolonial studies is an academic discipline that analyzes, explains, and responds to the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism. Postcolonialism speaks about the human consequences of external control and economic exploitation of a native people and its lands.

What do post colonial readings focus on in the play?

Postcolonial readings focus on the play’s representation of Ottoman Turks.

What real life event was the inspiration for the plays rising action?

the context of Venice’s struggle during the 1570s with the Ottoman Empire for control of Cyprus

How does the play undercut the Christian/Turkish binary?

by making the play’s most villainous character a Venetian and its hero an outsider.

What are Brabantio and Desdemona fascinated by and why?
by his strange stories of cannibals and anthropophagi



New historicist reading: ‘far more fair than black’

What debate are new historicist critics currently having?
whether or not race was a factor in early modern representations of non-English peoples.


What evidence is there that Othello was held in high esteem by other characters?

‘far more fair than black’ and Montano’s claim that ‘the man commands / Like a full soldier’ (2.1.36–37)

What references establish his liminal position in society?
references to Othello as black and a Moor, as well as his lack of understanding of Venetian customs, establish his liminal position in Venetian society.


Feminist reading: ‘a maiden never bold’


What is endogamous marriage?
the practice of marrying within a local community or ethnic group


What has changed in the audiences reading of the character of Desdemona since the plays original performances and the 20th century?

From the play’s earliest performances, audiences responded sympathetically to Desdemona’s plight. After a 1610 production at Oxford, Henry Jackson recalled that Desdemona ‘entreated the pity of the spectators by her very countenance’. That changed in the late 20th century 

What is the current feminist perspective on the play?
early modern England’s preoccupation with cuckoldry demonstrates a basic male insecurity about women’s sexuality.


Marxist reading: ‘’Tis the curse of service’

what are the marxist critics concerned with?
Marxist critics are concerned with the economic and psychological impact of early modern England’s hierarchical social system. 

What is the hierarchy in the play?
The Duke and aristocratic members of the Venetian Senate give orders to Othello, who in turn commands his Lieutenant Cassio. Ensign Iago is subordinate to both. All three ostensibly serve out of loyalty to the state and for the status their military position brings, but they can be dismissed at the pleasure of their superiors. Iago resents Cassio, a man with ‘a daily beauty in his life’ (5.1.19), hates being tied to Othello’s service and yearns for preferment.

what have feudal obligations of service been replaced with?
a new economic model