Othello,my fellow,you should have been more mellow

     So Othello is getting more and more ridiculous.He uses the handkerchief and his witnessing of Cassio's laughter as his "last straw" to kill Desdemona.He doesn't believe her because he is already set in his ways,stubborn in the worst kind of way.It's interesting how something so simple like a handkerchief can create such problems.What's even more interesting is how important circumstances and timing are and how they affect us.Bianca giving Cassio the handkerchief just as Othello was looking was a stroke of luck for Iago and the breaking point for Othello.As for Othello,he shows truly how the ones you love most are the ones you sometimes hurt the most.He is consumed by many things(jealousy,revenge for honor) and while he doesn't forget that he loves her,he forgets why.Sometimes,we find all these small reasons and put them together to form our opinion or to justify our actions.As seen by the conversation between Emilia and Desdemona,you can see how good and faithful Desdemona is,as compared to Emilia(who isn't bad,she just rationalizes cheating).Desdemona is also really ironically smart;she says her sheets are her deathbed and her statement becomes true!
     After all the commotion of everybody killing each other(just an everyday occurrence for the world of Shakespeare) it is Emilia who saves the day.Through her perseverance and honesty, everyone find out the truth about Iago and his scheme.Funny how such an originally small character would end up having such an important part in the end.It really shows the way life is;sometimes the people and things that you would least expect to matter,do.In the end,Othello says that he loved not wisely but too much.That means that he was using his heart but not his brain.There is no doubt that he loved Desdemona because if he didn't he might not have cared so much that she was supposedly cheating.The problem was that he didn't use his intelligence to figure out that not only was he being played,but that that relationships are hard and you have to work at them.I can't hate my job and decide to kill my boss.That won't fix anything.His speech at the end didn't fix my opinion of him.People who are noble and dignified don't do the stuff that he did;that's why they're considered noble!If we forgive him then why don't we forgive all murders and evildoers?After all, they must have had good qualities at some point.Othello just shows us that no matter how people view others of nobility,high class,and in the media, they're just like us.Or in the case of Othello,worse.

Shakespeare is great!(Do I get an A now?)

     I'm going to skip the beginning of the second act because it is hella-boring. "Where are they?" "Oh here they are!" "Where is Othello?" "Oh here he is" End scene. We now know more about Iago's real intentions. He despises Othello because he thinks he's sleeping with his wife and he secretly lusts after Desdemona. He makes fun of women and Desdemona happily goes along. Either she's fallen into the trap of thinking that women are inferior, or she's trying to lighten the mood with some sort of defense mechanism. I’m hoping it's the latter. It's sad becasue she is such a great female character,but she has to end up with someone with low self esteem and a temper like Othello.Later, Iago plans to disgrace Cassio by convincing people that he's a drunk. He then tries to make Cassio appeal to Desdemona which will help Iago with his cheating accusation. And so starts the downfall of Othello.
     I am not sad in the least to admit that I love Iago.I think in all of us there is a fondness for bad people (Simon Cowell, House M.D etc.) partly because not only are we intrigued by their character that is so different from ours, but they are often the smartest people. Although Othello is kind, Desdemona saucy, and Roderigo silly, people are always attracted to smart people. As of right now, Iago is the only smart one, in my opinion. His downplaying of Cassio's fight with Montano is amazing and his plan to use everyone's flaws for his own use is horrible, but genius. I like Iago because like me, he sees the silly character traits of characters in drama and showcases them to the world. His plan in condemning Cassio wouldn't have worked if he wasn’t so dumb; his plan in using Roderigo won't work if he wasn’t so gullible; his plan in convincing Othello won’t work if he isn't so jealous. All he is doing is mixing his intelligence and other's stupidity for his advantage. Not that everyone is that extreme, but don't lawyers, politicians, and big businesses do that? In fact, at some point, doesn’t everyone do that? "Oh officer, I didn’t know I was going over the speed limit. My wife's in labor!” Characters like Iago are great because they aren’t just characters, they’re representations of people and life. Get smart, or you will get outsmarted.

This is fo serious

     As the wonderful and responsible student that I am,I forgot my book at school.So I am looking sideways at a picture of the text so bear with me if this doesn't make too much sense.No seriously,I want you to act like a bear.I'm looking at the perspective of Defining Tragedy by  Aristotle.I liked this perspective because it reminds me of my own.I make fun of tragedy and depending on the way you look at it,Aristotle could be too.Tragedy is supposed to reflect humans and life yet often times it becomes predictable.Aristotle lists the things tragedy has to do to be acceptable which I greatly agree with.In that sense,it becomes predictable!He says that the good guy has to go down because of error not because they chose to do the bad thing,that way the reader will feel pity for him.The characters have to be in the middle of the goodness spectrum so the reader can identify with him.And that tragedy is imitation of people above the normal which I totally see.This all relates to Oedipus who has the case of all three.Aristotle says that dues ex machina should not be used,but maybe outside the tragedy,once again relating to Oedipus.He also talks about how tragedies usually surround families as seen in Oedipus ans then in his daughter's play,Antigone.This is interesting for the fault of a parent usually ends up creating problems for the people around them,especially their children.He also states that for a tragedy to be a great tragedy,one must hear the facts and grimace.This is true for Oedipus;when the reader finds out everything they cant help but feel pity and sadness from the events.Who would have thought that a wonderful,super famous philosopher and a silly,lazy student would have so much in common?By the way,the famous philosopher I'm talking about is me.

Dis play is too deep fo me

     Oedipus Rex, to me, can only be enjoyed as a fable.It is an over exaggeration,much like The Boy who Cried Wolf, that shows an extreme fault and shows the consequences that arise from it.Readers are supposed to read the play and come with an understanding that we all have flaws(some more tragic than others), but the most important thing is to not let them ruin your life.And that sometimes,no matter how hard we go against it,fate will rule all of us. Keeping the idea of it being a fable in mind,I don't quite mind the play as much anymore.Oedipus,although he's very blah to me,represents a lot of what humans are.Many times in literature we are inclined to put in our heads that there's a good guy and a bad guy.Oedipus is neither.I personally don't hate him nor like him and that's what makes the story the teeniest bit good.We are shown a man that although prideful,is sincere and and earnest and are left to wonder if he is good or bad.By not showing us the actual violence and tragedy,we are more focused on the characters and their reaction to the evils around them.
     Oedipus,the best momma's boy there is, reflects many human errors and bad judgment.His refusal to realize his true self is like many of us;we all don't want to admit our faults and sometimes we push ideas out of head because we don't want to think about it(starving children in third world countries,anyone?).He is prideful as seen in the scene where he is told about the degeneration of his people and replies,"As sick as you are,not one is as sick as I".Is he really sad for his people or because this reflects poorly on him as a leader?I think it's the latter.It is said that Oedipus is brought down not because of his faults,but because of his ignorance.I agree with that in the sense that his fault is his ignorance.We cant use the excuse that we didn't know for everything," Well,I didn't your name on this jar of Nutella before I ate it.Sorry" is not a good excuse.I wills shank you.Ignorence wont always save you.Sometimes,in a lucky fashion,Oedipus isn't ignorant.He cries that Creon want to kill him and take over.Now this is the rumblings of a man who has just heard bad news,but the reader of Antigone knows it's the truth.In the end,he gouges his eyes because he doesn't want to see the world now because he knows he truth.It's interesting because everything that has happened to him now has been because of ignorance and fate;this is the first act that he truly,knowingly did to himself.Not that I'd recommend that,but its good to see a character who has a flaw,take control and in any way,get rid of that flaw.He is now blind like the prophet and will hopefully gain the wisdom that the prophet has.But it sucks because now he cant watch t.v.As the play ends,I still feel like I cant relate to him but maybe that's not the point.I am shown a character that although at times unrealistic, grows and changes.That's what we like to see in people so it's nice to see it in a character.
    Now for the other playas. Jocasta is a pretty flat character  because she doesn't change during the play,she just finds out information and then kills herself.Not that that is her fault, the play is really about Oedipus and his internal struggles.Considering that she's not the evil Creon or the harbinger of doom,she surprisingly has a good number of lines,so that's something.Yay women!The gods in the play bring justice and teach people in an unconventional way.Although they bring some good,a lot of people suffer through that good,just like in real life.Sometimes messages are not strong enough so you have to do something that will  make people listen.That's why I always carry a gun so people wont cut me in line.In the end,this play does end on a sad note.However,its not dismal,at least for me.I have learned a lesson and so has Oedipus.Often times we learn lessons through unfortunate circumstances like when I realized that you will be sent to juvie even if you pretend cry....long story.

Momma dont lie!

     So we're reading this greeeaaat play about what else,a ruler who has issues. So Oedipus has been handed  with a horrible name and a curse on his land.Peeps are dying everywhere but he "feels" more pain because he's...well.. alive and that..sucks. Turns out that Oedipus is the murderer and has brought the curse to his land.Can you imagine a leader bringing pain to his people?Never been done before.He not only killed his dad but had sexual relations with his mom.I love me some drama.Then he calls Creon out for trying to murder him. Oedipus displays Hubris because he is prideful to the max.He wants to know the truth even though he is warned by Tiresias that he wont like it.He doesn't listen and then gets upset.His wife, Jacosta, comes in and tells him the truth and he Gasp! listens her.What kind of fool listens to a woman?His hamartia is that not only did he kill his dad,he didn't listen when Creon asked him to hear about the curse in front of everybody.I don't think he's had a catharsis moment yet;he's probably going to feel that towards the end of the play.How original.Pathos is supposedly used because although he's prideful and killed his daddy,you should have a miniscule soft spot for him.I,however, don't care what happens to him because the character lacks anything that I like.I don't want him to rule or die,I just want him to get some therapy stat.
   I'm not really enjoying this play so far,because as many know, I hate tragedies and drama. I have made mistakes and have a couple of personal flaws,like many others.It is those flaws here and there mixed together that bring me down(laziness,procrastination,judging others).However,in these dramas, the characters aren't realistic.They're all stereotyped versions of humans.One is really evil,one is really dumb,one is really prideful.Not saying that there aren't people like that,but why cant we read about a character that has mild cases of all three?That way, I'd be able to relate to those better.I get tired of seeing the same characters make the same mistakes.Life isn't predictable and neither are humans,so why should drama and tragedies that are based on both be predictable?I hate watching a movie and yelling in my mind,"Don't do that!That's so dumb!Your half naked in the woods and you hear a noise so you decide to investigate?Stop".We've all done that before.For me,its usually with bad films so why am I doing that with these supposedly great plays?Humans are difficult to figure out yet I've already figured out Oedipus in the first couple of pages.Is it because originally the plays were based on gods that had one trait(god of war,god of water)and when the Greeks incorporated humans into it, they just kept that one trait mentality?All I know is that without even finishing the play,I can already put Oedipus with Romeo and Juliet:characters that are silly,one-note,and not relatable.And thus,making the story line unenjoyable for me.
*The character talk non stop.Brevity is key guys!Another way these plays aren't realistic for they feature impossibly long conversations.At this time,Greeks didn't have technology, which means that they took forever just to do simple things.So why are they wasting their time having two hour conversations?Get to making hummus people!


P.S. Jacosta,really?Sounds like a Tyler Perry character.