YEARS: 7–8, 9–10
Othello Act 3:3 (edited) 90–247
You'd never want to get into an argument with Shakespeare, who certainly knows how to use words to convince!
A key moment in Othello is in Act 3, scene 3, where Iago plants the seeds of doubt in Othello's mind about his wife's faithfulness.
It is a study in masterful manipulation, as illustrated by Hazem Shammas and Damien Ryan of Bell Shakespeare.
Things to think about
- 1.You probably know someone who is plagued by 'the green-eyed monster'! Did you know that this commonly used idiom was invented by Shakespeare? If you are not sure what it means, use the internet to find out.
- 2.Note the ways Iago stirs anxiety within Othello before actually mentioning Desdemona's supposed infidelity. How does Iago represent himself to Othello? Who first raises the idea of jealousy? What does 'the green-eyed monster' do to a man, according to Iago? What evidence convinces Othello that Desdemona is capable of deception?
- 3.
Describe how Iago manipulates Othello into believing that Desdemona is being unfaithful. Do you believe Othello has a genuinely jealous personality or is he victim to Iago's manipulation? Explain your reasoning.
- 4.
Shakespeare was responsible for creating many idioms that are still used today, such as 'a charmed life', 'as dead as a doornail' and 'mum's the word'. In addition, he coined hundreds of words that continue to enrich the English language. Investigate his impact by creating a slideshow of twenty words and phrases that we owe to Shakespeare.
Teachers
Visit Bell Shakespeare's website
Discover programs, workshops and more performances at one of Australia's great theatre companies.
Download a PDF with the full synopsis for each play.
Full plot summaries of Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet.
Acknowledgements
Created by ABC Splash in collaboration with Bell Shakespeare.
Production Date: 2014
Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).