Hi there.

Thanks for joining me in today's lesson on Motifs in "Othello." I'm Miss Sutherland and I'll be teaching you today.

Your learning outcome for today is to understand how a motif conveys key messages in the play, "Othello." We'll be learning about what a motif is and what they can indicate throughout the play.

We have four key words today.

Let's go through them together.

A motif is a recurring image that helps to develop the story's theme.

So a motif will appear again and again throughout a play or story, to reinforce a message that the writer has.

The next word is taint.

Taint means to contaminate or pollute something.

Next we have primal.

Primal means relating to an early stage in development.

If a human acts in a less intelligent or sophisticated way, they might be said to be acting on their primal instincts.

And lastly, permeate.

Permeate means to spread through something and be present in every part of it.

So if an idea permeates a play, that means that idea is present throughout the whole play.

I'll give you a moment to pause the video and note down any of those keywords that you weren't familiar with.

Great.

In today's lesson, we'll first zoom in to the motif of plants and gardening.

Which is a very important motif in "Othello." And in the second part of the lesson, we'll be mapping and analysing other motifs.

So let's begin with the motif of plants and gardening.

I'm going to display some quotes on the screen and I want you to discuss what connects each quote.

So we have, "Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are our gardeners," said by Iago in act one, scene three.

Next we have, "Though other things grow fair against the sun, yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe," again, said by Iago in act two, scene three.

The next one, "I'll pour this pestilence into his ear," from act two, scene three, again.

"As if he plucked kisses up by the roots that grew upon my lips," act three, scene three.

And finally, "Not poppy nor mandragora, shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep," from act three, scene three.

Pause the video and discuss what connects each quote.

Notice how all quotes are said by Iago but not only this, all quotes link to gardening or plants.

Gardening and plants is a motif in "Othello." And as we can see, Iago leads this motif.

His character is permeated by the motif of gardening and plants.

When we analyse each motif, we need to consider the meaning of individual examples and the overall purpose of all examples together.

So I want you to take each quote in isolation.

What does each of these gardening or plant quotes suggest? Pause video and discuss that now.

Let's start with, "Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are our gardeners." So when Iago says this in act one, scene three, he's basically saying that we can control our animal instincts, our will controls our bodies, much like the gardener controls the garden.

And this quote, interestingly, actually foreshadows his racist notion that Othello cannot exert the same control.

Iago is convinced that Othello will succumb to his manipulations, will not be able to control his jealousy, when it comes to Desdemona.

The next quote, "Though other things grow fair against the sun, yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe." In this quote, Iago is telling Roderigo to be patient and that they will soon bear the fruits of their labour.

Iago uses plant imagery to subdue Roderigo.

So in this sense, Iago uses his gardening and plant imagery to manipulate other characters.

Because remember, Roderigo really wants Iago to help him win Desdemona over.

And Iago is saying, "Be patient, don't worry." Which stops Roderigo from asking too many questions.

The next quote, "I'll pour this pestilence into his ear." Iago now interweaves poison imagery into his gardening imagery.

He's saying he will plant poisonous seeds in Othello.

The next quote, "As if he plucked kisses up by the roots, that grew upon my lips." So in this quote in act three, scene three, Iago is telling Othello that Cassio had a dream about Desdemona.

And he's saying, that whilst Cassio dreamt of Desdemona, he was acting as if he plucked kisses up by the roots, that grew upon Iago's lips.

Here Iago is manipulating Othello into thinking Desdemona has been having an affair with Cassio, the poisonous seed, which is jealousy, grows.

And lastly, Iago claims, no exotic plant will ever cure Othello into peace again.

He is forever tainted, thus his poison was successful.

So that is what each quote, each example of gardening and plant imagery, might suggest alone.

"Which characters' lines are permeated by the motif of gardening and plants?" Answer that question to check your understanding.

Well done if you said Iago's lines are permeated by the motif of gardening and plants.

In fact, all of those quotes related to gardening and plants, are said by Iago.

The next question to check your understanding is, "What concept permeates the motif of plants and gardening?" Pause the video and answer that question.

Well done if you said, "The concept of poison permeates the motif of plants and gardening." And we see that when Iago tries to plant poisonous seeds of jealousy into Othello.

The last question now.

"Iago's gardening and plant imagery suggests he is, helpful, tainting, frail or lonely?" Pause the video and have a think about that.

Well done if you said, "Iago's gardening and plant imagery suggests he is tainting." Because he uses poisonous imagery in his gardening and plant imagery, we can see how he wants to corrupt and damage and destroy other characters.

Now, we've talked about what each example of gardening and plants imagery suggest.

But what does the motif of gardening and plants suggest overall? So what do all of those examples together suggest? What does that recurring image of gardening and plants suggest? I want you to use the discussion grid to formalise your ideas.

I've given you two sentence starters there.

"Altogether, the motif of gardening and plants reflects that Iago is." And, "Furthermore, he is skilled at planting seeds in other characters' minds." I want you to use those two sentence starters to start off your discussion and use the phrases, "more specifically, more precisely, in particular, indeed and it is as if," to develop ideas and add emphasis.

Pause the video and discuss that question now.

"What does the motif of gardening and plants suggest overall?" Great discussions.

I loved hearing the use of the keywords in your discussion.

For example, a lot of you mentioned how the character of Iago is tainting and that is shown throughout most of the motif.

Let's go through what you may have said.

"Altogether, the motif of gardening and plants reflects that Iago is a good gardener.

He is in control and his gardening seems to drive the whole plot.

It is as if he is a Godly figure.

Furthermore, he is skilled at planting seeds in other characters' minds, as he knows just the right conditions and sustenance to make his seedlings thrive.

Indeed, other characters' minds provide fertile soil for his poisonous machinations.

Thus, he is naturally able to taint the minds of other characters, especially Othello, whose jealousy grows, much like plants naturally thrive." Well done if you said anything along the same lines, either about Iago being tainting, either about him being a good gardener or a Godly figure or someone that's in control.

Now let's move on to the second part of our lesson, where we'll be mapping and analysing other motifs in the play.

I want you now to discuss, "What other motifs are there in Othello?" So what other recurring images are there in the play "Othello?" Pause the video and discuss that question.

Let's go through what you may have said.

Sight and blindness is one.

Animals is another.

Light and dark.

And finally, hells demons and monsters.

Sight and blindness is referred to quite a lot in the play because this reflects one of the play's themes of deception.

Animals is used a lot in the play and this often is linked to racism.

Hell's demon and monsters relates to morality.

And light and dark, again, both refers to deception and morality.

Now, I want you to discuss what motif is being discussed in the paragraph below.

Let's read it.

"Shakespeare uses the motif to subvert the racist stereotypes of the era as the villain of the story is fair skinned and the tragic hero is a noble Moor.

Shakespeare also uses this motif to further characterise the villain of the story as this motif reflects his scheming in secrecy." Now, pause the video and discuss.

what motif do you think is being discussed in that paragraph below? Well done if you said, "This paragraph describes the motif of light and darkness." Light and darkness could be used to subvert the racist stereotypes of the era.

Iago, the villain, is the fairer skinned character.

And the tragic hero, the noble protagonist, is the dark skinned Moor.

And that goes against potentially what the audience may have been expecting.

Furthermore, Shakespeare uses the motif of light and darkness, to characterise Iago because he often operates in the darkness which reflects his devious character and how he schemes in secrecy.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, "What motif is being described here?" "Shakespeare uses this motif to expose the racist stereotypes of the era and reflect how many of the characters are controlled by primal instincts.

Othello's suicide at the end shows how he has rid himself of his beastly instinct." Pause the video and discuss what motif is being described in that paragraph.

Well done if you said, "The motif of animals is being described here." Shakespeare uses the motif of animals to expose the racist stereotypes of the era.

This is because Brabantio and Iago have a conversation at the beginning of the play, in which Iago refers to Othello as an animal.

Also, the use of animalistic imagery in the play, reflects how many of the characters are controlled by their primal, less sophisticated, less intelligent instincts.

By the end, Othello has rid himself of his primal instincts, such as jealousy, by committing suicide.

Now, I want you to match the quote to the motif being referenced, to check your understanding of each of those main motifs of Othello.

Pause the video and match the quote to the motif being referenced.

Let's go through the answers now.

"Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!" Links to hell, demons and monsters.

That is because, Othello in that quote, is saying that he thinks he deserves to go to hell.

He wants to be punished for his sins.

"Villain, be sure thou prove my lover, be sure of it, give me the ocular proof." That refers to the motif of sight and appearances because Othello needs to see proof of Desdemona's infidelity before believing Iago.

The next quote, "You'll have your daughter covered with a barbary horse.

You'll have your nephew's neigh to you," is referencing the motif of animals.

That's when Iago is being very prejudiced against Othello at the beginning of the play.

And lastly, "Her name, that was as fresh as Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black as my own face." That refers to the motif of light and dark.

Othello is saying that Desdemona, once pure, is now, impure and tainted.

Now, I want you to choose a motif.

It can be one of the motifs we've discussed in the lesson today.

Complete the diagram with examples of this motif.

That's your first task.

So map out all the examples of where that motif occurs.

I then want you to annotate analysis for each example of the motif.

Your last task is, Write a few sentences conveying the message of the overall motif.

Pause the video and complete those three tasks now.

Great job.

That was a really complex task and you persevered excellently.

Let's go through an example for the motif of hell, demons and monsters.

So, the first quote I have for this motif is, "Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light." Said by Iago, in act one, scene three, when he's scheming about how to take revenge on Othello.

The next quote I have is when Iago again says, "When devils will their blackest sins put on." In that quote, he's basically saying how he will appear heavenly but inside he will have the most sinful intentions.

The next quote from act three, scene three, "As if there were some monster in thy thought.

Too hideous to be shown." Othello says this to Iago in act three, scene three, when Iago is not willing to tell Othello straight away that Desdemona is supposedly having an affair.

It's when he keeps a lot to himself, as part of his plan.

The next quote, Iago says, "It is the monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." Of course, he's talking about jealousy here.

The next quote is, "The devils themselves should fear to seize thee." This is when Othello is accusing Desdemona of infidelity.

He's saying that the devils should fear to take you to hell with them.

The next one, "That demi-devil hath ensnared my soul and body." Othello says this when he realises he's been manipulated by Iago.

And lastly, Othello says at the end, "Wash me steep-down in gulfs of liquid fire!" Showing how he wants to go to hell for the sins he's committed.

So there we have seven quotes for the motif of hell, demons and monsters.

The next task was to annotate each of the quotes.

Let's begin that now.

"Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light." Iago's introduced to us as a satanic figure through his machinations and the motif follows him throughout the play.

"When devils will their blackest sins put on." Iago's duplicity links him firmly to the devil.

"As if there was some monster in thy thought.

Too hideous to be shown." Dramatic irony is present in that quote here as Iago's thoughts of corruption are quite literally monstrous.

So Othello is basically saying to Iago, "It seems as if your thoughts are really, really monstrous, if you're too scared to tell me." But actually, Iago's whole plan is monstrous.

Iago's monstrosity goes deeper than what he's planning to tell Othello.

"It is the monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." This shows Iago begin to plant the monstrous concept of jealousy in Othello.

"The devils themselves should fear to seize thee." Othello then projects monstrosity onto Desdemona and her alleged sins, Monstrosity seems to spread like a virus.

"That demi-devil hath ensnared my soul and body." Othello's anagnorisis is at this moment.

He realises Iago's demonic nature had taken over him throughout the latter part of the play.

And finally, "Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!" Othello wants to be punished for his sins.

It shows that he ultimately has goodness within him, unlike Iago, who does not repent for his sins.

Now, we've mapped out the motif.

We've annotated each example.

We're now going to talk about the overall message.

Here is an idea for the overall purpose of the motif of hell, demons and monsters.

"The motif of hell, demons and monsters is used whenever morality is in question.

This motif permeates Iago's character and so helps to characterise him as the anti-hero of the play.

The motif also helps us to track how monstrous feelings take over Othello and begin to take to his mind and character.

Demonic presence of Iago lurking on the periphery of all of Othello's heinous acts shows how the tragic hero's fate is intertwined with the evil machinations of Iago, ultimately making Othello's end seem more tragic." So that's my summary for the motif of demons, hells and monsters.

Of course, you could have chosen any motif to talk about.

Well done.

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

"Motif analysis should address both the overall purpose of the motif and the meaning of individual examples.

The motif of plants and gardening surrounds Iago, suggesting that he is in control.

Many of Iago's quotes about plants are focused on poison, suggesting that he taints those around him.

The motif of animals and light and dark, allows racist stereotypes to be exposed and subverted, respectively." And finally, "The motif of demons, hell and monsters, is concerned with characters' morality." Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope to see you in another one soon.