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1. Freedom of Choice:Your first step will be thinking up a strong, clear thesis statement. However, if you would like to choose a thesis from among the topics below that's great too. Feel free to re-word and rethink the below topics if you need to in order to better express your views (which may be related, and yet different).
2. Human Nature: Each character in the play Othello, by
William Shakespeare, displays a distinct facet of human
nature. Specifically, the characters of ______ showcase
the qualities of _____.
3. Appearance Vs. Reality: In William Shakespeare's Othello,
there is an on going conflict between what characters
seem to be initially and who they actually turn out to be at the play's
end. Iago, Othello's "trusty" Ancient, and Othello, "the
noble Moor," turn out to be quite the opposite. Even Desdemona, Othello's
faithful and constant wife, sometimes deceives
others or herself.
4. Iago as Puppet Master: Iago in the tragic play,
Othello
by William Shakespeare, could be defined as a
character with a malignant heart-or no heart at all. He seems to act
with no motive other than the desire to cause others to
suffer.
5. Race in Othello: The race of Othello is a critical
aspect of the play Othello, by William Shakespeare. Othello is a
dark-skinned outsider living in Elizabethan England, a highly xenophobic
culture. Within the play, Iago also functions as an
"outsider," in a way.
6. Shakespeare's Language: Part of William Shakespeare's gift
as a playwright was his ability to illustrate various
characters through their dialogue and language patterns. In Othello,
Iago speaks in a vulgar way while Othello charms
people with his noble speech. The audience is also informed about characteristics
of Desdemona and Cassio through their
use of language.
7. Love Stinks: The deterioration of Othello and Desdemona's
relationship is used by Shakespeare to display the central
themes in the play Othello. Specifically, Shakespeare uses their
relationship to discuss the themes of loyalty, [duplicity, jealousy, passion
and/or choose these themes or your own. . .]
8. Women in Othello: Desdemona and Emilia are perhaps the two most important female characters in the play, but you might also be interested in Bianca. How are these women treated in the play? How much influence do they have over the events that occur?