1. Othello, Acts II-IV
“The complications”

2. Terms Freytag’s pyramid Rising action Complication(s) Irony
Hamartia vs. ‘tragic flaw’

3. The action of a tragedy (Freytag’s Pyramid)

4. What are the sources of conflict in Othello?
How do self-government and self-fashioning figure into the complications?
How does Iago cause complications?
How do the main plot and the sub-plot work together?

5. What’s the deal with the handkerchief?

6. How are women portrayed?
Evidence for how Desdemona is portrayed
Evidence for how Emilia is portrayed
Bianca
Vives, “Education of a Christian Woman”

7. What will bring about Othello’s downfall?
“Tragic flaw”—theory that there is something in the hero that brings about her/his downfall. Implication is that it’s in her/his control to change this.
“Hamartia”– Aristotelian term—the weakness, error, misstep, bad judgment, or whatever that brings the hero down. Integral to his/her character—may not necessarily be a bad thing but has a tragic result