Act+5

Type in the content of your page here. Brief plot outline
 * Act V, Scene 1

** **Summary**

A new character named Gratiano who is a Venetian nobleman and a brother to Brabantio is introduced in this scene. On a street in Cyprus, Iago manipulatesRoderigo in to hiding in the dark and to attacking Cassio upon entry. However Cassio reveals himself to be a more formidable opponent than Roderigo realizes and ends up being wounded by Cassio. Iago stabs Cassio in the leg from behind when he least suspects. Othello over hears the battle and makes the conclusion that Iago must have followed through and actually killed Cassio. Lodovico and Gratiano run together into scene at this stage as they hear the wailing for help coming from the street. Iago pretends to not have even been there and runs in. He finds Roderigo wounded and when noones looking stabs him. When Bianca arrives on the scene Iago insults her to make her look guilty. Read through Act 5 scene 1 without stopping. Key focus questions:[low order] What does Iago do to Roderigo? What has happened to Cassio? Why does Iago accuse Bianca ? What had Iago revealed about his character in this scene? [High order questions] Is Iago acting in alliance with the earlier portrayal of his character and could you have predicted this outcome? How would Iago have acted if he had been caught in the act? Why is Bianca given such a bad reputation and does her character actually deserve this treatment? Key focus questions:[low order] What does Othello decide in his mind and why has he come to this conclusion? What happens to Desdemona? What does this tell us about Emilia?Has she changed her attitude? What has Othello realised and how does he respond? Key focus questions:[high order] Is sympathy or disdain evoked for Othello. Discuss? Is Iago representative of a symbol of jealousy that acts as a filter to test the inner strength of a man? Does Emilia manage to redeem herself? Why would Othello or Iago feel that they have the right to take human life? Do the actions of Othello and Iago place them as characters that mirror each other? Discuss. Is Shakespeare invoking Christian morality in displaying the fruits of jealousy in his play? [The garden of Eden, Cain and Abel] Did Othello consider the consequences of his actions at the time before Desdemonas’ death in the destruction of his life?
 * Act 5 scene 1 **
 * Act 5 scene 2 **

Pre reading activities -A makeshift bed[Some chairs arranged with a sheet thrown over it]. -A handkerchief on the ground[A large ridiculous looking one if possible, pink polkadots] -Some strategically placed quotes left lying around the place. [laminated coloured squares] -A mannequin lying around representing a dead person. [I was always wanted a mannequin in my classroom] The students have to think in groups about what this all means and come to a prediction about what happens in this scene.
 * A montage of pictures of some scenes from stage productions/ Movie adaptions/ posters depicting moments from this scene. Class predictions. Even a power-point display.
 * //Flash Forward// Play a fragment from a film from you-tube and pretend it is a dream that Othello has had recently. Try and interpret the dream and what it might mean.
 * Selecting random quotations from the scene and making predictions about what they could equate to.
 * Having a Agatha Christie type role-play where the classroomis set up with some props around the place. Some laminated quotations from the play strategically located around the room.

Reading strategies Have students read around the classroom each line by standing in the middle of a circle and giving each line emotion.
 * Have the class act the play by standing at the front of the class and reading out the play while the other students watch and listen to the play while trying to concentrate on the focus questions.
 * Have the students watch the BBC version with the screen turned the other way or looking up now and again to see how the characters are visually showing their emotions and where they stand in relation to each other.
 * Act 5 Scene 2 ln 1 -25 Othello Soliloquy

Post reading activities Hot seating -Target the characters to be interrogated by the police in a modern context. The charcters could be any of them around at the scene of the crime. Iago, Othello, Bianca, Lodovico, Gratiano, and even Cassio. They could improvise the scene or given time to write a script and perform it in the class. The goal of the activity is to try and extract motives from the characters and to get inside their mind.[high order] Graphic cartoon -Represent a key moment in the scene by having them draw a cartoon and selecting the key parts of the dialogue. It must be emphasized that they are to **select** fragments of the play and are not to copy out the entire dialogue for that moment.[low order] The goal of the activity is to try and reinforce the plot summary to the students.