Hello, everyone.

Welcome to your lesson today on Act 5, Scene 2, of "Othello".

I'm Miss Sutherland, and I'll be teaching you today.

By the end of today's lesson, you would've explored the key messages at the end of the play.

So, we are going to finish reading the play "Othello" today, and I'm very excited to explore the ending with you.

Our first keyword for today is impetuous.

Impetuous means acting quickly without thought or care.

Next is incredulous, unwilling to believe something.

So, if you are told a shocking fact, you might be incredulous.

Clarity.

Clarity means being able to think clearly and not be confused; and delusion.

Delusion is being in a state where one has false beliefs about reality.

Pause the video and jot down any of those keywords that you're unfamiliar with.

Great.

In today's lesson, we have two learning cycles.

We'll start off by reading Act 5, Scene 2, of "Othello" together, and making sure we understand the events of the play, and then we'll look at Othello's change.

So, let's start off by reading Act 5, Scene 2, of "Othello".

Let's begin the reading.

This scene takes place in a bedchamber in the castle.

Desdemona is in bed asleep.

Enter Othello with light.

"It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul, Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars! It is the cause.

Yet I'll not shed her blood; Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, And smooth as monumental alabaster.

Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.

Put out the light, and then put out the light: If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore, Should I repent me: but once put out thy light, Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat." First question I want you to consider is why do you think Othello repeats "it is the cause"? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Now, Othello repeats "it is the cause" because he is trying to justify the reason he has for killing Desdemona.

He keeps repeating "it is the cause".

In other words, "Her infidelity is the reason I'm doing this, is the reason I must do this." So, he's convincing himself that he's doing the right thing here.

Now, what does the imagery here suggest? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner.

So, Othello says that he'll not shed Desdemona's blood or scar her whiter skin than snow.

So, here, the imagery shows Othello describing Desdemona as pure and heavenly, which is ironic considering he thinks that she has been unfaithful.

So, it could begin to show his conflicting mind here as he remarks on her beauty and purity, but, at the same time, is convinced that he must kill her.

"I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume.

When I have pluck'd the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again.

It must needs wither: I'll smell it on the tree." Kissing her.

"Ah balmy breath, that dost almost persuade Justice to break her sword! One more, one more.

Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee, and love thee after.

One more, and this the last: So sweet was ne'er so fatal.

I must weep, But they are cruel tears: this sorrow's heavenly; It strikes where it doth love.

She wakes." "Who's there? Othello?" "Ay, Desdemona." "Will you come to bed, my lord?" "Have you pray'd to-night, Desdemona?" Let's answer this question before moving on.

What evidence is there here of Othello's mind being in conflict? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Here, Othello remarks that kissing Desdemona persuades Justice to break her sword, meaning kissing Desdemona would persuade him to not kill her.

He also calls her so sweet, but so deadly at the same time.

So, you can see here, again, how, on one hand, he loves her dearly and doesn't want to kill her, but on the other hand, he feels like he must.

He feels like it is his duty to kill her.

Let's continue the reading.

So, Othello's asked Desdemona if she's prayed tonight, and she replies, "Ay, my lord." "If you bethink yourself of any crime Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace, Solicit for it straight." "Alas, my lord, what do you mean by that?" "Well, do it, and be brief; I will walk by: I would not kill thy unprepared spirit; No; heaven forfend! I would not kill thy soul." "Talk you of killing?" "Ay, I do." "Then heaven have mercy on me!" "Amen, with all my heart!" "If you say so, I hope you will not kill me." "Hum!" Now, what is Othello telling Desdemona to do here and why? Pause the video and discuss it with your partner.

In these lines, Othello is telling Desdemona to repent for her sins, to admit to her sins, and ask for forgiveness if she has done anything wrong.

He may be telling her to do that, firstly, so he can hear her confess and confirm her infidelity because, of course, at the moment, he has not heard her admit it herself, but also to make him feel better about killing her.

"And yet I fear you; for you are fatal then When your eyes roll so: why I should fear I know not, Since guiltiness I know not; but yet I feel I fear." "Think on thy sins." "They are loves I bear to you." "Ay, and for that thou diest." "That death's unnatural that kills for loving.

Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip.

Some bloody passion shakes your very frame: These are portents; but yet I hope, I hope, They do not point on me." "Peace, and be still!" "I will so.

What's the matter?" "That handkerchief which I so loved and gave thee Thou gavest to Cassio." "No, by my life and soul! Send for the man, and ask him." "Sweet soul, take heed, Take heed of perjury; thou art on thy deathbed." "Ay, but not yet to die." "Yes, presently: Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin; For to deny each article with oath Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception That I do groan withal.

Thou art to die." "Then Lord have mercy on me!" "I say, amen." "And have you mercy too! I never did offend you in my life; never loved Cassio But with such general warranty of heaven." Now, think about who is in control here, and how is it shown? Pause the video and discuss.

Othello is clearly in control here.

He does not listen to Desdemona trying to defend herself, and he maintains his position of wanting to kill her no matter what she says.

So, Desdemona continues talking of Cassio now.

"I never did offend you in my life; never loved Cassio But with such general warranty of heaven As I might love: I never gave him token." "By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in's hand.

O perjured woman! thou dost stone my heart, And makest me call what I intend to do A murder, which I thought a sacrifice: I saw the handkerchief." "He found it then; I never gave it him; send for him hither; Let him confess a truth." "He hath confess'd." "What, my lord?" "That he hath used thee." "How? Unlawfully?" "Ay." "He will not say so." "No, his mouth is stopp'd; Honest Iago hath ta'en order for't." O! my fear interprets: what, is he dead?" "Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge Had stomach for them all." "Alas! he is betray'd and I undone." "Out, strumpet! weep'st thou for him to my face?" "O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not!" "Down, trumpet!" "Kill me to-morrow: let me live to-night!" "Nay, if you strive-" "But half an hour!" "Being done, there is no pause." "But while I say one prayer!" "It is too late." How does Othello's speech here remind the audience that he is not solely to blame for Desdemona's death? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Notice at the top of this page here, we see that Othello says, "Honest Iago hath ta'en order for't." By mentioning Iago as Othello is about to kill Desdemona, the audience remembers who is at fault for all of this catastrophe.

Indeed, it is Iago's manipulations that are at fault for all of this chaos.

Then, Othello stifles Desdemona.

That means he suffocates her with a pillow.

Emelia, within, "My lord, my lord! What, ho! my lord, my lord!" "What noise is this? Not dead? not yet quite dead? I that am cruel am yet merciful; I would not have thee linger in thy pain." "What, ho! my Lord, my lord." "Who's there?" "O good, my lord, I would speak a word with you!" "Yes: 'tis Emelia.

By and by.

She's dead.

'Tis like she comes to speak of Cassio's death.

The noise was here.

Ha! no more moving? Still as the grave.

Shall she come in? were't good? I think she stirs again: no.

What's best to do? If she come in, she'll sure speak to my wife: My wife! my wife! what wife? I have no wife.

O insupportable! O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe Should yawn at alteration." "I do beseech you That I may speak with you, O, good my lord! "I had forgot thee: O, come in, Emelia; Soft; by and by.

Let me the curtains draw.

Where art thou?" Unlocks the door.

Enter Emelia.

"What's the matter with thee now?" "O, my good lord, yonder's foul murders done!" "What, now?" "But now, my lord." How is Othello's tormented state of mind shown at the beginning of this section? Pause the video and discuss.

At the beginning of this section, Othello says, "O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe should yawn at alteration." Othello is clearly in distress and thinks the world should end because of what has happened, because he's killed his wife.

He's clearly feeling, he's clearly tormented over this murder.

"It is the very error of the moon; She comes more nearer earth than she was wont, And makes men mad." "Cassio, my lord, hath kill'd a young Venetian Call'd Roderigo." "Roderigo kill'd!" And Cassio kill'd!" "No, Cassio is not kill'd." "Not Cassio kill'd! then murder's out of tune, And sweet revenge grows harsh." "O, falsely, falsely murder'd!" "Alas, what cry is that?" "That! What?" "Out, and alas! that was my lady's voice.

Help! help, ho! help! O lady, speak again! Sweet Desdemona! O sweet mistress, speak!" "A guiltless death I die." "O, who hath done this deed?" "Nobody; I myself.

Farewell.

Commend me to my kind lord: O, farewell!" Dies.

Does Desdemona tell Emelia the truth about how she dies? Why or why not? Pause the video and discuss.

We see here that Desdemona says that nobody is to blame but herself for her death.

So, therefore, she does not tell the truth.

She does not tell Emelia that Othello is responsible for her death.

Perhaps this is to protect Othello since she perhaps may still have love for him upon her deathbed.

Let's check your understanding of what we've read so far.

How does Othello show his opposing emotions before killing Desdemona? Pause the video and answer that question.

"Yet I'll not shed her blood; Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow," this quote shows Othello's opposing emotions before killing Desdemona because it shows he thinks of her as beautiful, as pure, as angelic.

And he says, "I'll not shed her blood," so he seems to be conflicted in damaging her beauty and killing her, yet he kills her anyway.

So, you can see here how there's two trains of thought in Othello's mind at this moment.

I now want you to take over the reading.

You're going to read from, "Why, how should she be murdered," to the end of the play, so you're going to witness how Othello's murderous act unfolds and what's everyone's consequences and tragic ends are in the play.

As you read, I want you to answer the following questions.

They're on the screen there for you now.

Pause the video and enjoy the reading.

I hope you enjoyed learning about what happens at the end of the play "Othello".

I really can't believe that we don't find out Iago's consequence.

I found myself really wanting to know what happens to Iago at the end of the play.

Let's go through the answers to the questions.

Number one, Othello says Desdemona was "false as water" and Emelia replies that Othello is "rash as fire".

What did the similes suggest? The simile "false as water" suggests that Othello views Desdemona as unstable, unpredictable as water is able to take any form or shape.

"Rash as fire" suggests that Othello is too passionate, impetuous.

So, that means he doesn't think before he acts.

Ultimately, the juxtaposition of these two similes may reinforce Othello and Desdemona's differences.

So, it brings us back to the idea of how their marriage was opposed at the beginning of the play, and it brings us back to how maybe that foreshadowed their tragic end.

How does Emelia show she is incredulous when realising Iago was part to blame in Desdemona's death? Emelia shows she is incredulous when realising Iago had a part to play in Desdemona's death as she repeats, "My husband!" It seems she is in denial that the man she married would do something so cruel.

Remember, Emelia and Desdemona are very close in the play.

In fact, it was Emelia who gave Iago Desdemona's handkerchief, knowing how much it meant to Desdemona.

Of course, she did not know what Iago was planning to do with it.

Number three, who does Iago kill in this scene and why? Iago kills Emelia in this scene because she exposes his villainy and the "damned lie" he told Othello.

Iago may feel threatened or angry because he thinks his wife has ruined his reputation.

We really see the extent of Iago's villainy as he kills his own wife.

Number four, how does Othello die? Othello dies after killing himself in this scene as he seems to be in deep regret for his actions.

So, Othello kills himself, and he does this to punish himself for what he's done to Desdemona and relieve him of that guilt.

Number five, how does Othello describe himself in his final soliloquy? Do you agree with his representation of himself? In his final soliloquy, Othello describes himself as one who "loved too well", one who's manipulated into jealousy and who "threw away a pearl richer than all his tribe".

Also, he describes himself as a savage warrior.

Number six, how might Othello's behaviour show him as fulfilling the other characters' racist perception of him? In the final scene of the play, Othello acts "rash as fire", showing how his passions govern him in the end.

This reflects the racist notion of Othello as animalistic.

It shows how Othello's fate may have been in inescapable perhaps due to these prejudices.

We're now going to move on to looking at Othello's change.

We're going to be exploring Othello's change across Act 5, Scene 2.

Othello starts Act 5, Scene 2, in delusion and ends the play with clarity.

What evidence can you find of Othello's delusion at the beginning of the scene and clarity at the end? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Othello begins the scene deluded about his wife's fidelity, Iago's character and his own status.

He thinks that Desdemona has been unfaithful when she has not.

He thinks that Iago is honest when he is not.

And he thinks that he is making the right decision as he kills her and is fulfilling justice, but he is not.

He ends the scene with clarity regarding all three.

I now want you to discuss, is Othello more secure in his state of delusion or clarity? Pause the video and discuss.

Othello begins the scene in a state of calm and power.

So, in his state of delusion, he is calm and powerful, more secure, and when he has his clarity, he is insecure and tormented.

This suggests that he was more secure in his state of delusion; learning of Iago's deception ruins Othello's mental health.

Let's answer this question to check our understanding.

How does the audience know that Othello has clarity by the end of the play? Pause the video and answer.

The audience knows that Othello has clarity by the end of the play because he says of Iago, "demand that demi-devil Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?" This shows that Othello recognises that Iago has manipulated him.

We also know that Othello has clarity because he says, "Ill-starr'd wench! Pale as thy smock!" So, he acknowledges Desdemona's ill fate an unfortunate situation, and he says that she was pale as her dress, so that she was actually pure and faithful.

So, he recognises that he was wrong in the way that he judged her.

I now want you to complete the table to show how Othello changes throughout Act 5, Scene 2, and how he reaches his tragic end.

So, we have several ideas on the left here.

You need to explore how he changes as he speaks of Desdemona, how his perception of the Iago changes, how his perception of himself changes, and how his mental stability changes.

Make sure you have quotes from the beginning of the scene, from the end of the scene, and also a brief commentary on the change that Othello has undergone.

Pause the video and complete that task.

Let's go through some ideas.

So, Othello changes how he talks of Desdemona from the beginning to the end of the scene.

At the beginning, he is rude to Desdemona and uses derogatory terms. He says, "Strumpet," "Thou art to die." He's very harsh and callous towards her.

By the end, he is in complete grief over her death.

So, first, he slanders her, and later, he grieves for her and recognises her purity.

Next, how does Othello's perception of Iago change? At the beginning of the play, he calls Iago honest, twice, in fact, and by the end, he says of Iago, "demand that demi-devil Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?" So, first, Othello believes Iago is his friend and he has complete trust in Iago, but later, he recognises Iago's treachery and diabolical nature.

We next see Othello's perception of himself change.

At the beginning, he says, "Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men," and I "am yet merciful", and then, by the end, Othello says about himself, I was a man "not easily jealous, but, being wrought, Perplex'd in the extreme," and that he threw a pearl away.

So, first, Othello sees himself as an agent of justice and one that is in complete control of his faculties.

Later, he realises how foolish he was.

And lastly, how does Othello's mental stability change from beginning to end? At the beginning, Othello says, "Thou art on thy deathbed." By the end, he says, "Wash me in steepdown gulfs of liquid fire!" So, at the beginning of the play, Othello seems calm.

He knows exactly what he's doing, and he is very dedicated to the cause, but by the end, he's deeply troubled and consumed by guilt.

So, we see here how Othello reaches his tragic end with clarity, but also finds himself in a very vulnerable and tormented position as he gains that clarity.

Let's go through what we've learned today.

Othello begins the scene in delusion and ends with clarity, demonstrating the impact of Iago's deceit; Othello appears conflicted when deciding as he prepares to kill Desdemona; and Othello's behaviour in the end perhaps demonstrates the fulfilment of the racist ideas of Venice.

Thank you for joining me in today's lesson.

I look forward to seeing you in another one soon.