PLOTS

PLAY-IN-PLAY:

•(2420,2555)

Type: Gulling (green)

Title: Othello shall go mad

Although this gulling of Othello of 4.1.93–170 is here recorded as a play-within-the-play, it is (to my mind, at least) not quite as theatrically overt as, for instance, Gloster’s imagined leap over the cliffs of Dover in LEAR. The first is perhaps meta-dramatic in that it subverts (i.e. “frames” and directs) Othello’s understanding of Iago’s actual conversation with Cassio. Whereas the second is meta-theatrical in that it uses the exact rhetorical means of Elizabethan stage-practice (i.e. description) to create a scenic world that isn’t really there (and Gloster “falls” for it because, unlike most of the audience, he cannot see). Furthermore, Othello’s “gulling” is part and parcel of that most meta-theatrical element of the play: IAGO’s “performance” (a performance he, himself, falls in and out of for the benefit of the audience).

(2326,2368) (2531,2546) (3174,3237)

1.1: line 1 (reads “Act 1 scene 1 begins at line 1″)\\

THE TRAGEDIE OF OTHELLO THE MOORE OF VENICE (ca. 1603–04)

OTHELLO first saw publication in 1622 (Q1). This first edition was most likely based on a scribal transcript of Shakespeare’s foul papers. While F, according to Oxford editors, was set — not from a heavily annotated copy of Q1 (as was believed in the past) — but from a revised manuscript “closer to Shakespeare’s final text” (TEXTUAL COMPANION, p. 477). In any case, F has generally been the control-text of most modern and contemporary editions.

X AXIS (abscisses): 3686 lines

The traditional division of ACTS & SCENES is that of the FOLIO.

1.1: line 1 (reads “Act 1 scene 1 begins at line 1″)

1.2: line 202

1.3: line 323

2.1: line 751

2.2: line 1096

3.1: line 1517

3.2: line 1579

3.3: line 1588

3.4: line 2136

4.1: line 2369

4.2: line 2686

4.3: line 2965

5.1: line 3080

5.2: line 3238

_______________

Y AXIS: ENTRANCES & EXITS

Entrances & exits of Characters

According to their order of appearance.

• (2,201) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 201″.

• (3216 [rip 3283] 3302)

reads “enters at line 3216, dies on line 3283, corpse exits on line 3302”. RIP at the end a character’s list indicates (or confirms) his/her decease.

• (2370 [withdraws 2476,2553] 2662)

reads “character enters at line 2370, withdraws (or hides onstage) from lines 2476 to 2553, and exits at line 2662”.

• ([within 3343] 3370, 3685)

reads “character, though unseen, “is heard from line 3343, “appears” on stage at line 3370 and exits at line 3685”.

• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.

RODORIGO

(2,201) (269,322) (380,728) (846,1068) (1250,1252) (1261,1270) (1490,1510) (2887,2964) (3081 [rip 3160] 3209) RIP

IAGO

(2,174) (203,322) (380,466) (516,750) (846,1095) (1223,1516) (1548,1558) (1580,1587) (1621,1888) (1935,2135) (2259,2296) (2370,2685) (2813,2964) (3081 [withdraws 3089,3136] 3237) (3445,3535) (3582,3685)

Brabantio (89,158) (175,201) (269,322) (380,646)

OTHELLO

(203,322) (380,653) (957,996) (1110,1122) (1281,1382) (1580,1587) (1621,1924) (1970,2135) (2172,2350) (2370 [withdraws 2476,2553] 2662) (2687,2794) (2966,2977) (3113,3124) (3239 [rip 3671] 3685) RIP

CASSIO

(233,322) (380,646) (800,996) (1110,1158) (1175,1230) (1261,1459) (1518,1578) (1589,1627) (2259,2368) (2426,2437) (2484,2553) (3105,3209) (3582,3685)

Duke

(324,646)

Senators

(324,646)

Saylor

(339,646)

Messenger

(363,646)

DESDEMONA

(516,653) (846,996) (1110,1122) (1372,1382) (1589,1690) (1909,1924) (2137,2324) (2599,2658) (2713,2886) (2966,3079) (3239 [rip 3342] 3685) RIP

Montano

(752,996) (1175,1378) (3445,3540) (3582,3685)

Gentleman #1

(752,799)

Gentleman #2

(752,819) (826,864) (1175,1382) (1580,1587)

Gentleman #3

(752,799)

AEMILIA

(846,996) (1561,1578) (1589,1690) (1909,1960) (2137,2324) (2687,2708) (2713,2722) (2790,2809) (2813,2886) (2966,3079) (3216,3237) ([within 3343] 3370 [rip 3550] 3685) RIP

Herald

(1097,1109)

Musicians

(1518,1578)

Clowne

(1518,1547) (2137,2159)

BIANCA

(2599,2685) (2966,2977) (3125,3237) (3582,3685)

Lodovico

(2599,2685) (2966,2977) (3125,3237) (3582,3685)

Gratiano

(3125,3237) (3582,3685)

___________

PLOTS & COLOURING

The locations are VENICE for all of Act I; CYPRUS for the remainder of the play. In terms of colouring, the PAIRS of characters that need perhaps be joined are:

IAGO / AEMILIA

OTHELLO / DESDEMONA

CASSIO / BIANCA

METATHEATRE

Although the gulling of Othello at 4.1.93–170 (TLN 2476–2553) might be perceived as some form of play-within-the-play, it is (to my mind, at least) not quite as theatrically overt as, for instance, Gloster’s imagined leap over the cliffs of Dover in LEAR. The first is perhaps meta-dramatic in that it subverts (i.e. “frames” and directs) Othello’s understanding of Iago’s actual conversation with Cassio. Whereas the second is meta-theatrical in that it uses the exact rhetorical means of Elizabethan stage-practice (i.e. description) to create a scenic world that isn’t really there (and Gloster “falls” for it because, unlike most of the audience, he cannot see). Furthermore, Othello’s “gulling” is part and parcel of that most meta-theatrical element of the play: IAGO’s “performance” (a performance he, himself, falls in and out of for the benefit of the audience).