Hello everyone.

Welcome to today's lesson on exploring the theme of appearances and reality in the play "Othello." I'm Ms. Sutherland, and I'm so glad you've joined me for today's lesson.

Our learning outcome for today is to be able to identify a variety of evidence to support an explorative study of a theme.

And as we've said, our theme today is the theme of appearances and reality.

Our four key words for today's lesson are deceit.

Deceit means the act of causing someone to believe something that is not true.

So Iago is a very deceitful character in the play "Othello." He makes a lot of characters believe things that aren't true, and we'll explore that in today's lesson.

Our next word is treacherous.

Treacherous means involving deception or betrayal.

We could say Iago is treacherous in the play too.

He deceives and betrays Othello because Othello believes that Iago is a loyal soldier and friend.

Conceal is our next word.

Conceal means to prevent something from being seen.

So you might conceal the truth if you do not want the truth to be seen.

And lastly, aside.

An aside is a remark intended to be heard by the audience, but not other characters.

So if someone speaks in asides in the play, we might wonder whether they are trying to conceal something from the other characters.

I'll give you a moment to jot down any keywords that you wish to.

Excellent.

Let's get started with today's lesson.

So in our first learning cycle today, we'll be exploring appearances versus reality and thinking about where exactly that theme occurs across the play and which characters are involved in that theme.

We'll then be looking at how Shakespeare uses literary devices to present the theme of appearances and reality.

So let's start off with an exploration of appearances and reality.

I want you to discuss what moments are there in Othello where things appeared to be different to reality? Pause video and discuss that question.

I heard some really interesting answers there.

Our theme of appearances versus reality occurs at the very beginning of the play.

Brabantio falsely believes his daughter is a maiden never bold of spirit.

Now, this links to the appearances versus reality theme because Brabantio is, you could say, deceived about who Desdemona is.

He doesn't believe that she's someone who would elope and hide their marriage from her father, but Desdemona does do that which does prove she's indeed bold.

Appearances versus reality comes up again when other characters judge Othello's appearance negatively at the beginning of the play, and we see that when Iago and Brabantio speak of Othello in a derogatory way.

We know after reading a bit more of the play that, in reality, Othello is virtuous.

Another example of appearances versus reality is when Iago deceives Emelia into giving him the handkerchief.

She doesn't actually know what Iago wants it for, and Emelia is actually very loyal to Desdemona, so Iago very much deceives his own wife when he takes that handkerchief with bad intentions.

Another example of this theme is when Iago convinces Othello, Roderigo, and Cassio that he's trustworthy.

So Iago manages to manipulate all of those characters and hide the truth from them all.

So Iago convinces Othello that his wife is cheating on him.

Iago convinces Roderigo that he's helping him to win Desdemona, and Iago convinces Cassio that he will help him get his job back.

Lastly, the main example of appearances versus reality is when Othello, the tragic hero of the play, is led to believe Desdemona is unfaithful.

In reality, she is a very faithful wife.

Now, Iago, as we've seen there is undoubtedly the character that leads the theme of appearances and reality.

His deceit is delivered via a constant manipulation of reality.

Now, I want you to discuss, how does Iago manipulate reality throughout the play? Pause video and answer that question.

Let's look at all the examples of how Iago manipulates reality.

Firstly, he introduces himself as having a clear intent to be treacherous towards Othello.

So he knows he is willing to manipulate reality from the very first moment he appears on stage.

Next, he convinces Roderigo that he is helping him to win Desdemona.

In reality, Iago only wants Roderigo's money and isn't actually doing anything to help him.

Next, Iago manipulates Othello into believing Cassio is a man of poor conduct.

Remember how Iago gets Cassio drunk, and then Othello witnesses this, and immediately fires Cassio.

In reality, Cassio is not someone who gets drunk regularly, and Cassio is actually a virtuous character.

Next, Iago also manipulates Othello to believe Desdemona has been unfaithful, again, perhaps the most obvious and extreme example of the manipulation of reality in the play.

It is the moment that leads to the tragic end of a lot of characters.

And lastly, Iago deceives his own wife, Emelia.

Emelia has no idea about the wicked intentions of Iago throughout the play.

Let's check your understanding of what we've just discussed.

How does Iago make Cassio seem like a man of poor conduct? Pause the video and answer that question.

Well done if you said, Iago makes Cassio seem like a man of poor conduct because he firstly frames him as having an affair with Desdemona.

So he suggests that Cassio is a man capable of corrupting a marriage, but also remember how he gets Cassio fired because Othello witnesses him getting drunk.

Remember, in reality, Cassio is a virtuous character, and Iago twists the truth and conceals the truth to make Cassio appear otherwise.

Now, I want you to complete the table to show how Iago manipulates reality.

On the left, you have how Iago makes things appear.

And on the right, you have how they really are.

So what you need to do for each example is say what the reality is and then say how Iago makes it appear to be, how he twists that reality.

So let's start off with the first one together.

So the reality is, in the beginning of the play, Iago says, "I ever make my fool my purse." meaning he wants Roderigo's money.

That's the reality.

What does Iago make Roderigo believe? What appearance does Iago put on? So pause the video and complete the table with Iago's manipulation of reality.

Let's go through some possible answers.

So the reality is, at the beginning of the play, Iago wants Roderigo's money, and he's not willing to help him win Desdemona over.

He says, "I ever make my fool my purse." However, he makes Roderigo think otherwise.

He makes Roderigo think that he's a faithful and doting friend, and he makes Roderigo believe that he really is helping him to win Desdemona.

Next, the appearance that Iago creates is that Othello is an animalistic evil character.

What is the reality? The reality is Othello is revealed to be a noble, eloquent, and a respectful character.

Next, the reality is Iago manipulates Cassio into getting drunk and wants to tarnish his reputation.

But how does Iago make it seem to be to all the outsiders watching? Well, Iago makes Cassio appear as a drunkard lacking professionalism, and that makes Cassio stripped of lieutenancy.

Next, Iago gives Othello ocular proof that Desdemona and Cassio were having an affair.

Remember, this is through the presentation of the handkerchief, which was found in Cassio's room.

However, reality is Iago planted the handkerchief in Cassio's room after convincing his wife to give it to him.

The handkerchief isn't actually proof of Desdemona and Cassio having an affair.

It's just proof of Iago's manipulation.

Let's now move on to exploring the literary devices that are involved in the theme of appearances and reality.

Shakespeare carefully constructs the theme of appearance and reality through literary devices.

What symbols are there in "Othello" which help to construct the theme of appearances and reality? Pause the video and discuss that question.

You may have said that the concept of dreaming helps to construct the theme of appearances and reality, also the symbol of the handkerchief and the trance that Othello falls under.

These three things symbolise the theme of appearances versus reality.

Let's explore exactly how.

Interestingly, all of the symbols of appearances and reality link back to the character of Iago.

I want you to discuss how do all the symbols below link to Iago? Pause the video and answer that question.

Let's go through what you may have said.

Now, the dream.

Iago has no proof of the affair between Cassio and Desdemona, so he tells Othello that Cassio dreamt of kissing Desdemona.

A dream is a very intangible piece of evidence.

So we could say Iago's use of the dream is a very clever way of providing some sort of proof that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.

It's something that Othello can't really argue with or validate, meaning that the dream, being this intangible piece of evidence of an affair, actually helps Iago to construct a false reality.

Next, the handkerchief, perhaps the most important symbol in the whole play.

Iago uses what was once an object of love and fidelity as a tool of deception to, again, prove Cassio and Desdemona's affair.

Again, this helps Iago manipulate reality because, on the surface, finding your wife's handkerchief in a man's room would probably seem very suspicious.

So this works as a very clever tool, again, to manipulate reality.

Lastly, the trance.

Iago not only acts as a catalyst for Othello's deteriorating mental health, but also exploits Othello's impaired state of mind in act four, scene one, as he convinces Othello that he's talking to Cassio about Desdemona, but in fact, they're talking about Bianca.

Remember, in act four, scene one, Iago continues with the narrative that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.

This makes Othello fall under a trance because he's overwhelmed with emotion.

Iago, though doesn't just leave it there.

He then makes Othello hide whilst he talks to Cassio about Bianca, making Othello believe that he is talking about Desdemona.

So in this way, Iago continues to take advantage of Othello's deteriorating mental health, perhaps distorting Othello's thoughts even more severely.

Shakespeare also uses literary devices, such as staging, asides, and soliloquies, to show how Iago masterfully manipulates reality.

So Iago performs soliloquies.

He also has a asides, and he also manipulates staging of Othello's position in act four, scene one.

How does each literary device below contribute to the theme of appearances and reality? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Let's start off with Iago's soliloquies.

Iago's soliloquies show that Iago is hiding the truth from the other characters as he always reveals his true intentions alone.

Remember, a soliloquy is a speech that a character makes on their own.

There is no dialogue involved in a soliloquy.

Now, Iago's asides.

Iago addresses the audience as if he is showing off the chaos he has created.

Only the audience know of his true intentions, and this helps to build tension in the play as all the other characters are naive to Iago's work, but the audience know exactly what he's scheming.

And lastly, Iago manipulates Othello's position in act four, scene one via staging.

Iago crafts the scene to stage a fabricated conversation, and Othello is forced to lurk on the periphery.

So again, we see Iago concealing the truth through very careful crafting of staging.

After exploring the theme of appearances and reality, Aisha came up with the following idea.

She said, "The theme of appearances versus reality is inseparable from Iago's character.

His language itself reflects this theme as well as the literary devices that Shakespeare uses to characterise him.

Altogether, he comes across as a director of the play, constructing his own realities that the characters are forced to buy into." I want to now discuss, to what extent do you agree with Aisha's answer? Pause the video and discuss.

I like how Aisha has summarised what we've just learned.

She said that, together, Iago's language and the literary devices that Shakespeare uses to characterise him make him appear as a character that is completely tied up with the theme of appearances versus reality.

In fact, it's as if the appearances and reality theme relies on Iago.

Well done, Aisha.

I now want you to answer this question to check your understanding.

Iago speaking in soliloquy reveals that he is honest with his fellow characters, he's shy and insecure, or he conceals the truth from other characters.

Pause the video and answer that question.

Well done If you said Iago speaking in soliloquies reveals that he conceals the truth from other characters.

And this is because, by speaking in a soliloquy, he ensures he's alone and that no one else can hear him.

In that sense, he can reveal his true intentions away from everyone else.

Now I want you to answer the following questions.

First, gather some quick thoughts about how Iago could be seen as a director in the play.

I next want you to use the discussion grid to formalise your ideas.

Here is the discussion grid.

The first thing you're going to do is compare how Iago constructs appearances versus reality.

So you might start with the word although, whereas, whilst, or despite.

Your answer might look a little bit like: Despite Desdemona being a loyal wife to Othello, Iago constructs the falsehood that she's unfaithful.

So in that section, you're juxtaposing the appearance that Iago creates versus the reality of the situation.

Next, you're going to develop your ideas.

You're going to use examples to justify what your point was.

So you might say more specifically, in particular, indeed, and that might look a little bit like: More specifically, Iago plants Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's room to frame the two as having an affair.

And lastly, you're going to draw conclusions to your arguments.

You're going to start off by saying, therefore, or ultimately, as a result, or consequently, and this is how we draw conclusions.

We may say: Consequently, Iago can be seen as a director in the play as he artificially and masterfully taints both Desdemona and Cassio's virtue.

So pause the video, think quickly about how Iago could be seen as a director in the play, and then use the discussion grid to formalise your ideas.

Pause the video and get discussing.

Very well done on your discussions.

Now let's look at how we can improve our discussion.

I'm going to go through an example of what you may have said.

Despite being only interested in Roderigo's money, Iago makes him believe that he is a loyal and helpful friend.

More specifically, Iago says he will help Roderigo win over Desdemona using inclusive pronouns.

And that example is, "Let us be conjunctive in our revenge," to make Roderigo believe they're an alliance in ruining Othello and Desdemona's relationship.

Consequently, Iago can be seen as a director in the play as he appears to be people's friends, having their best interests at heart.

This makes Roderigo feel indebted to Iago, enabling Iago to control and direct Roderigo.

This example is particularly good because it uses a piece of evidence to justify the person's idea.

Did you use a specific piece of evidence to justify your idea? Try and use a quote in your discussion if you did not manage to.

So pause video and see if you can alter your discussion and include a quote when talking to your partner in order to justify your ideas.

Pause the video and off you go.

Excellent.

Remember, quotes don't have to be long.

They can be one or two words, but that really elevates your responses.

Well done.

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

Iago's deceit is delivered by manipulation of reality.

Iago defines his role as deceiver in act one, scene one, "I'm not what I am." The play uses symbols to explore the theme of appearance versus reality.

And Iago performs the role of a director addressing the audience and staging scenes, suggesting how reality can be manipulated.

I really enjoyed today's lesson with you, and I hope to see you in another one soon.