Othello was a story about relationships and trust, to be quite simplistic. Some of these friendships were very close and were sprinkled with undertones that some readers have picked up on. In article by Robert Matz called ‘Slander Renaissance and Discourses of Sodomy, and Othello” he looks into the ways that Othello supports the regulation of desire between men and women and also men and men. In this article he argues how the relationships between the men can be seen as homoerotic and the power that these relationships give the men in the political field.
Matz uses another article called “Homosexuality and the Signs of Male Friendship in Elizabethan England” by Alan Bray as parallel support to his argument. He uses Bray’s article to help support the way in which the word sodomy is used at the time. He goes on to say that opponents can use sodomy as a political attack. It can be used as an accusation without much evidence. This was effective in the days of Renaissance England. The friendships between men were much closer and affectionate than they are today. It was not uncommon for two men to sleep in the same bed together. With these visions in mind, it wasn’t a long shot for men to accuse another men of committing sodomy. Matz also compares the relationships between Othello, Desdemona, and other men of the play. He explains how the closeness of Cassio and Othello can easily be seen as homoerotic. The relationship between Othello Cassio and Desdemonia can be seen as a love triangle in which Cassio and Desdemon are sexually involved with Othello. But it could also look as if their relationships were strictly heterosexual. Matz makes a great point when he brings up the fact that Cassio was the go-between when Othello was trying to get close to Desdemonia then later the role was reversed when Desdemona was the go-between when she was trying to help vindicate Cassio. Matz believes that this could be seen as a underlying romance between Cassio and Othello. He thinks that Othello could have really been upset because Cassio, who was his lover, made love to Desdemona theirfore Cassio was the infidel as well as Desdemona.
This article gave me a more in depth analysis of the homoerotic nature of the play. I could definitely notice some of the homoerotic undertones, but this article does a good job of explaining it in depth. The author ties the history of male-male relationships in the Renaissance era and analyses the characters relationships. I found this helpful because I didn’t go all the way with the belief that there was something more between Othello and Cassio besides a heterosexual friendship. I find how this new point of view can add what might not necessarily be portrayed as a comment on the acts of a homosexual man in the following passage:
Iago: Will you think so?
Othello: Think so, Iago?
Iago: What, To kiss in private?
Othello: An unauthoriz'd kiss!
Iago: Or to be naked with her friend in bed
An hour, or more, not meaning any harm? (4.1. 1-5)
I can definitely agree with the author on this topic. But I think a critical eye can create things that weren’t meant to be portrayed. His use of quotes in the play to support his judgment is good and it adds much credence to his argument. While his point of view is interesting and the evidence is solid, I think it his logic that can be a little flawed. I don’t necessarily feel that Cassio and Othello had a homosexual relationship happening. Although I can not really prove it because Shakespeare is dead and the characters are fictitious I still believe that they weren’t homosexuals simply because it isn’t glaringly obvious to me. Some men have very close relationships, and it seems in those times, the men were able to have much closer heterosexual relationships.
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Shakespeare, Second Ed. New York, London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008.
Matz, Robert. "Slander, Renaissance Discourses of Sodomy, and Othello." (1999)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Blog 7
I’ve had a good time so far this semester. I was always somewhat intimidated by Shakespeare but I have a pretty good handle on the readings now. Although I read slow, I can still finish a play and understand what happened. I am interested in the times of Shakespeare. I find it very pleasing that the humor back then is still very funny today. Shakespeare has his own style of humor that never ceases to please me.
From what I have learned, Shakespeare was so popular because he was able to make commentary on current affairs. Doing that has helped to make him the most influential artist of his time. It has really helped me to understand the concerns of the people of that time. I think what is most interesting is that Dr. Hand said she didn’t believe he was the best playwright to ever touch a pen, but the most influential. This reminds me of the famous rapper Tupac. He wasn’t the best lyricist to grab a microphone but I believe he was one of the most influential. It’s interesting how the amount of influence an artist has on a person dictates what they think about the quality of their craft. It seems that to most people, the influence an artist has on them is worth more than the quality of their craft. This idea has come to mind a few times throughout our readings. As I read I wonder whether I would call Shakes the best playwright that ever lived. It makes me want to read the works of other great playwrights to compare their craft. I guess the quality of a playwright is up to the reader. Some people might believe a great artist will have a profound impact on their life or some might think a great artist is the most technically sound.
When it comes to the readings, I haven’t finished all of them on time. I am a good reader but I read slow due to my lack of concentration and some trouble reading Shakes quickly. I will sometimes break my reading up to a series of acts or scenes. If I can’t finish the text or if I have trouble understanding what was going on, I will check Sparknotes to brush up on parts I misunderstood.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blog 5
The passage by Hic Mulier had a lot of negative things to say about cross-dressing in plays. He obviously does not like the idea of cross-dressing. The author claims it looks deformed and ugly. He compliments in long drawn out poetic rhetoric that women are beautiful, true, and glorious.
The author’s tone is very disagreeing of cross-dressing. But the crowd that went to see Shakes plays were probably open to it since it was the norm. Since the play was a comedy it would only add to the comedic tone of the play. In the play they used cross-dressing as a comedic theme. There were cases of mistaken identity in the play in which Viola was caught up in a love triangle. She was a large part of the play and I’m sure if people did not largely accept the idea of a cross-dressing man or woman this play would have not become so popular.
It seems that the author could have been speaking for a smaller group of progressive yet prejudice people of the time. The author made clear his negative stance on the issue but there was an undertone of hate in his writing “you that have made Admiration an ass and fooled him with a deformity never before dreamed of.” While he makes a point that women should be playing the part of women in the plays, he seems upset at the fact that they are so unattractive. I believe maybe he was scarred at an accidental attraction he had to one of these burly broads. Of course eventually everyone felt that is was right for women to participate in plays but in this case, the idea of cross-dressing in a play is just funny. This mindset was progressive for its time but it wasn’t yet refined enough to really touch a cord with the commonfolk
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