Critical Interpretations

What are Critical Interpretations?

From the exam board: "As part of their study of their selected Shakespeare play, students should engage with different interpretations."

How should Critical Interpretations be used?

• Grasp the interpretation being presented regarding the literary text(s).
• Contrast the critic's viewpoint with your reading of the text (or that of another critic or classmate). Note any similarities or differences.
• Agree with the critic's point and find further evidence in Shakespeare's text to support and expand it.
• Disagree with the critic's stance and identify evidence in Shakespeare's text that might bolster your counterargument.
• Adjust the critic's position by finding one aspect you can endorse and another that you wish to refine and clarify with evidence from the text.
• Choose specific quotations that either support or challenge your interpretation of the text to enhance your discussion or literary essay.
• Make sure to reference critical quotations in your essay by using quotation marks and writing down the critic's last name!

Critical Interpretations with Analysis

David Scott Kastan - Shakespearean Tragedy

"Are there reasons for the intolerable suffering? Is the tragic motor human error or capricious fate? Is the catastrophe a just, if appalling, retribution, or an arbitrary destiny reflecting the indifference, or, worse, the malignity of the heavens?"

(Page 7, Essay: Shakespearean Tragedy)

• Kastan emphasizes the uncertainty and lack of clear answers regarding the causes of suffering in Shakespearean tragedy.
• This ambiguity is central to the tragic experience, highlighting the interplay between human actions and seemingly arbitrary forces of fate.
• In Othello, this is evident as Othello faces immense suffering and downfall, influenced by both his actions and Iago's manipulation.

Supporting Evidence

"O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial." (Act 2, Scene 3)

• Othello's despair over his tarnished reputation illustrates the tragic interplay of human error and external forces.

"Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's final request reflects his struggle to understand his actions and the role of fate in his downfall.

Opposing Evidence

"I follow him to serve my turn upon him." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Iago's clear and deliberate malice suggests a human rather than an arbitrary source of Othello's suffering.

A. D. Nuttall - The Pleasure of Tragedy

In the tragic theatre suffering and death are perceived as matter for grief and fear, after which it seems that grief and fear become in their turn matter for enjoyment."

(Page 9, Essay: The Pleasure of Tragedy)

• Nuttall discusses the paradoxical pleasure derived from the emotional experiences of tragedy.
• The intense emotions of grief and fear are transformed into a form of aesthetic enjoyment for the audience.
• In Othello, the audience experiences this transformation through the profound and tragic downfall of the characters.

Supporting Evidence

"Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely but too well; Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, Perplexed in the extreme." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's final speech evokes deep emotional responses, which can be cathartic for the audience.

"My heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand." (Act 4, Scene 1)

• Othello's expression of his emotional numbness highlights the profound grief that can evoke an aesthetic pleasure.

Opposing Evidence

"I will chop her into messes! Cuckold me!" (Act 4, Scene 1)

• Othello's intense anger and violence might evoke pure distress without the transformative pleasure Nuttall describes.

A. C. Bradley - The Shakespearean Tragic Hero

"The story, next, leads up to, and includes, the death of the hero. On the one hand (whatever may be true of tragedy elsewhere), no play at the end of which the hero remains alive is, in the full Shakespearean sense, a tragedy."

(Page 11, Essay: The Shakespearean Tragic Hero)

• Bradley asserts that the death of the hero is essential to Shakespearean tragedy.
• The hero's demise is necessary to complete the tragic arc and evoke the full emotional impact.
• In Othello, the deaths of Othello and Desdemona fulfil this criterion, cementing the play's status as a tragedy.

Supporting Evidence

"I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this; Killing myself, to die upon a kiss." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's final act of killing himself after kissing Desdemona underscores the tragic culmination of his story.

"I have done the state some service, and they know" (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's reflection on his past service to the state highlights the high stakes and the profound fall from greatness.

Opposing Evidence

"O, the more angel she, And you the blacker devil!" (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Emilia's denunciation of Othello after killing Desdemona introduces a moral complexity that complicates the straightforward tragic arc.

Maynard Mack - Tragedy and Madness

"Madness often seems to be a form of divine punishment, but also brings with it special insight and freedom to speak the truth."

(Page 13, Essay: Tragedy and Madness)

• Mack explores the role of madness in Shakespeare's tragedies, noting its dual nature as both punishment and insight.

• Madness allows characters to express truths and emotions that might otherwise be censored or restrained.

• In Othello, Othello's descent into a kind of madness provides a deeper understanding of his character and the play's themes.

Supporting Evidence

"It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's obsessive repetition and justification for killing Desdemona reflect a kind of madness.

"Her name, that was as fresh As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face." (Act 3, Scene 3)

• Othello's fixation on Desdemona's supposed infidelity drives him to irrational and destructive behaviour.

Opposing Evidence

"Put out the light, and then put out the light." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's calm and deliberate language here contrasts with the idea of madness, suggesting a tragic clarity in his final moments.

E. A. J. Honigmann - Introduction to Othello

"Liar, betrayer, mental torturer of Othello and Desdemona, murderer: if Iago were a straightforward villain he would arouse little fellow feeling in audiences, yet of course he is anything but straightforward and audiences have responded to him in different ways, depending on the actor."

(Page 33, Essay: Othello: The Portrayal of Iago)

• Honigmann discusses the complexity of Iago's character, which makes him more than just a straightforward villain.
• Iago's multifaceted nature and the varied audience responses highlight the depth Shakespeare imbues in his antagonist.
• This interpretation underscores Iago's role as a manipulative and cunning figure whose evil is nuanced and layered.

Supporting Evidence

"I am not what I am." (Act 1, Scene 1)

• Iago's declaration of his deceptive nature supports Honigmann's view of his complexity and duplicity.

"Demand me nothing: what you know, you know: From this time forth I never will speak a word." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Iago's refusal to explain his actions adds to his enigmatic and multifaceted villainy.

Opposing Evidence

"If thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport." (Act 1, Scene 3)

• Iago's straightforward enjoyment of causing harm could be seen as simple villainy, challenging Honigmann's emphasis on his complexity.

F. R. Leavis - Diabolical Intellect and the Noble Hero

"Othello dies belonging to the world of action in which his true part lay."

(Page 36, Essay: Diabolical Intellect and the Noble Hero)

• Leavis suggests that Othello's identity is deeply tied to his role as a man of action.
• His tragic end reaffirms his place within the world of military and heroic deeds, rather than introspective self-discovery.
• This interpretation focuses on Othello's adherence to his ideal role, even in death.

Supporting Evidence

"I have done the state some service, and they know't." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's final speech reaffirms his identity and pride in his service, aligning with Leavis's view of his dedication to action.

"Set you down this; And say besides, that in Aleppo once, Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk Beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by the throat the circumcised dog, And smote him, thus." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• Othello's recounting of past deeds and his final act of violence support his role as a man of action.

Opposing Evidence

"Of one that loved not wisely but too well." (Act 5, Scene 2)

• This introspective reflection on his love and jealousy introduces a layer of self-awareness and tragic realization, challenging Leavis's view of Othello as solely a man of action.

Ania Loomba - Othello and the Radical Question

"Othello is both a fantasy of interracial love and social tolerance, and a nightmare of racial hatred and male violence."

(Page 37, Essay: Othello, Race, and Society)

• Loomba highlights the dual nature of the play, presenting it as both a celebration and a critique of interracial relationships and societal prejudices.
• The play examines the complexities of race, identity, and societal norms through Othello's character and his interactions.
• This interpretation emphasizes the conflicting themes of love and violence, tolerance, and prejudice.

Supporting Evidence

"Haply, for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have; or for I am declined Into the vale of years,—yet that's not much—She's gone." (Act 3, Scene 3)

• Othello's insecurity about his race and age reflects the societal prejudices he internalizes.

"Her name, that was as fresh As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face." (Act 3, Scene 3)

• Othello's language here ties Desdemona's perceived infidelity to racial imagery, supporting Loomba's view of racial dynamics in the play.

Opposing Evidence

"My parts, my title, and my perfect soul Shall manifest me rightly." (Act 1, Scene 2)

• Othello's confidence in his worth and status challenges the idea that the play is solely a nightmare of racial hatred.