MACHIAVELLIAN

Help Sheet for Individual Oral Commentary: Generic Sheet for all tet!
Openin" of commentary: name/candidate number:
1. My name is Kevin Cheung and my candidate number is
2. Locate it in the text
I have been given an extract from the play Othello. This is at the beginning of the play
where Shakespeare establishes Iagos character as
And smmarise the extract.
3. Aso consider !hat has "ust ha##ened in the text and/or !hat is about to occur. $ou
coud consider #arae scenes !ithin your text too.
Shakespeare has bilt p a sense of expectation and tension at this point in the play by...
This scene reminds of ! prepares s for
%. &ive an ex#anation o' the !riter(s intention/#ur#ose
Shakespeare is attempting to show the trmoil and indecision in Othellos mind
). Consider ho! the #iece has moved bet!een the 'irst and ast ine and !hy this is
signi'icant to the text/extract as a !hoe.
At the beginning of this extract Iago appears genine and loyal. "et by the end the
adience has become aware of his malevolent intentions to ..

Section # of your commentary
*' you have not aready done so address one o' the guiding +uestions. $ou coud ex#ain
your a##roach:
SIGNPOSTING # tell the examiner!teacher where yo are going or how yo will
strctre yor talk.
$y commentary will firstly explore how Shakespeare shows the development of Iagos
character within this scene

,. $ou can a##roach this in a variety o' di''erent !ays but may students 'ee
com'ortabe !or-ing through the etract chronolo"ically. ..g. 'rom the 'irst ine
unti the end o' the #assage/extract. $ou must dea !ith the 'irst and ast ines o'
the #assage.
As you !or- through the extract try to reate your #oints to the +uestions and sho! your
-no!edge o' the #ay / e.g.
0ext
Characters
0hemes
1riting stye
$et %
&ou mu!t 'no( the tet etremely (ell.
2ave a sound a!areness o' the !ocial) hi!torical and "eo"raphical !ettin" and events
!ithin the text.
1hat !ere the socia norms o' the time and !hat !ere .i3abethan attitudes
to!ards race4
1hat is the signi'icance o' the di''erent settings o' Cy#rus and 5enice4
Character!
A!' your!elf *ue!tion! in the prep time
6oes the character deveo# in the extract4
7r does the audience become a!are o' an as#ect o' the character that they had not
!itnessed be'ore4
Consider too character interaction4
1ho is dominant/subservient #erha#s4
1ho is controing/mani#uative4 *ago o'ten 'atters 7theo
2o! is the dialo"ue structured to highight this4
Consider obvious #oints i-e !ho ta-s more.
Consider care'uy choice o' anguage / es#eciay !ith someone i-e *ago. *ago.
Consider use o' #auses/+uestion mar-s/excamation mar-s etc
Consider !hy 8ha-es#eare has given a character a soio+uy
6oes their s#eech sho! their status/se' image4
Consider use o' 'orma and in'orma anguage4 2o! does 8ha-es#eare sho! *ago
is eo+uent4
.motiona Content
9rosodic :eatures / e''ect on audience
Comment % The pace of the dialoge shows how tense the characters are ..

$heme!
Loo- care'uy at the extract is there a theme or reoccurring symbo/image that a##ears
either in the #iece or ese!here in the text4
;evie! your notes be'ore the #ractice commentaries and the actua assessment.
Comment < 0he theme of a characters mental state affecting the physical appears in this
extract.
Style
+elo( are additional idea! to help (ith the commentarie!, If you comment on
literary !tyle never do it in i!olation,
Sentence !tructure %
Consider / ength
Causes
1ord order
%esdemona ses the term &noble before &father to show respect and to diplomatically
flatter 'rabantio before she states her new loyalty to her hsband. -Importance of (ord
order.
Atmo!phere % creation of
Consider
8us#ense
0ension
Cimax
At the end of this scene tension is heightened as Othello seems determined to kill his new
bride.
/!e of diction
Consider
Lexis / romantic/eaborate/gra#hic/vivid
=se o' coour /
>ibica/mythica / ausions
0i"ure! of Speech
Meta#hors/simies/#ersoni'ication etc
8ymbos
1ord Sound
Aiteration/assonance/rhythm etc / im#ortant in a texts.
2lan' ver!e3!peeche! / monoogues/soio+uies
Consider ength o' #aragra#hs 'or exam#e.
Consider !hen 8ha-es#eare uses ban- verse or #rose.