Introduction to Tragedy & Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ -
Year 12 English

Summary of topic:

• Greek Tragedy
• Roman Tragedy
• Shakesperean Tragedy
• Revenge Tragedy
• The Tragic Hero
• Modern Tragedy
• Aspects of Tragedy
• ‘Othello’ extract exam question
• ‘Othello’ debate exam question

Newspaper articles:

Overview opinions: The Tragedy of Othello
Race in Shakespeare’s time:
Production review Othello: The green-ey’d monster never quite lets loose
Production review: Adrian Lester's Othello at National Theatre is worth the wait

Video clips and documentaries:

A contemporary approach
Actor discusses the play
Youtube clips of different scene
Aristotle on Tragedy
Define ‘catharsis’

Further reading:

‘Othello’ on screen
Shakespeare’s Tragedy
Aristotle on Tragedy
The relationship between comedy and tragedy

Other:

Shmoop:  https://www.shmoop.com/othello/
Cliffnotes: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/othello/play-summary
Sparknotes: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/summary.html
Scene by scene synopsis: http://hudsonshakespeare.org/Shakespeare%20Library/Synopsis/synopsis_othello.htm

Assessment timings:

The ‘Othello’ extract question is allowed 50 minutes in the exam. This is the same time allowed for the ‘Othello’ debate question.

Assessment objectives:

• AO1 Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression
• AO2 Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts
• AO3 Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received
• AO4 Explore connections across literary texts
• AO5 Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations

Guidance for parent/carer support:

This is a closed book exam, so please test your son/daughter on quotations they have memorised (they will need 100+ for ‘Othello’, but some can be single words). Often students think that they need to write in a sophisticated style to do well – this is not a helpful priority, and often leads to confusingly written essays. They need to write simply and clearly, and they ALWAYS need to be answering the question. Please check their work for these aspects.