Honest Iago falls silent. How about that for a guy who virtually never stops talking and talking and talking from one scene to next? (Don't believe me? Ask the brilliant & curious Madi Caz...) A famous phrase you ought to know about Shakespeare's most cunning villain is something Samuel Taylor Coleridge called "motiveless malignity." 

We spent some time in class discussing Iago's possible motivation (or lack thereof, pointed out especially by Finnegan in first period and his spot-on Machiavellian connection). We did, of course, suspect killing and murdering, right? It's a Shakespearean tragedy after-all, but what of this motive to do such damaging evil? I'm still thinking on that one, guys...

And I urge you, too, to keep thinking about the complexities of the play and how questions are raised, not necessarily answered. I encourage you, most of all, to continue to build strong habits of mind with literature -- to analyze after the fact and to not stop at what's easy to understand or surface. And to throw it back to your introductory letter to this course, to get your hands dirty with lit. :)

This week, we finished the play. We read, discussed, and plot tracked.

On Friday, we got after the literary 3x3 assignment and put a new spin on it, the 3x3 remix. Check out some of the remixes below. :) 

If you were absent Friday, I'll save you the notecards and ask that you create three different literary 3x3s. HERE is the task sheet. 

So, that's it for Othello. There's no Moor. (sorry, couldn't resist) Up next: Shakespeare Scene Project, the most Lit field trip of all time ever, a Q3 in-class writing, and poetry service project planning! We're gettin' somewhere now. 

Oh, my Othello!

What a great kick-off week we've had to this play. Here's what we tackled this week: 


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​Monday: Anticipation guide, Philosophical Chairs, Act I.i, & Plot tracker

Tuesday: Act I.ii-iii + plenty of discussion and tracking

Wednesday: Othello musical chairs -- HERE are the quotes & HERE is the super awesome playlist 

Thursday: Act II.i, plus a missed opportunity for two dramatic readers in first period ;)

Friday: Act II.i continued + clarifications & catch up

This weekend: 

You're on for your first Poetry Response Journal for Othello. HERE is the task sheet for PRJs. Feel free to choose any moment, speech, or scene from our reading to complete your PRJ. Just like your anthology poetry selections, you'll delve deeper into self-selected poetry; except now, you're analyzing excerpts of Othello. 

Make sense? 

If you still need clarification on the PRJ O edition, feel free to holler at me! 

Finally: I invite you all to tweet reactions and whatever else about Othello using #aplit16.