ADVICE FOR COURSEWORK. March 2012. Critical heritage AO3. Key critical commentary. S.T.

Coleridge : In 1818/19 Coleridge described Iago as a motiveless malignity. This is an important comment if viewing Iago as the embodiment of evil. Does his lack of motive make his character more terrifying? A.C.Bradley: In 1904 Bradley perceived the character of Othello as the most romantic figure among Shakespeares heroes. Emotion excites his imagination, but it confuses and dulls his intellect..Hesitation is almost impossible to himLove, if he loves, must be to him the heaven where either he must live or bear no life. Bradley views Othello as a good man deceived by the wicked influence of Iago. His attitude serves him well on the battlefield but not when dealing with a more emotionally complicated world. F.R.Leavis: In 1952 Leavis also commented upon Othellos character but was less sympathetic. He stated that He has been well provided by nature to meet all the trials a life of action has exposed him to. The trials facing him now.are of a different order. Othello is egotistic. Leavis perceives Othello as an arrogant character and views his lack of humility as being more responsible for his demise than the influence of Iago. Norman Sanders: In 1984 Sanders offered the comment that the conclusion to this play is very different form other tragedies. He states that there is no emphatic reestablishment of public order and this chaotic conclusion perhaps adds to the terrifying power of the play. There is a sense at the end of the play that Iago has not received a just punishment. Does this allow Shakespeare to amplify the sense of tragedy? Anthony Brennan: In 1986 Brennan offered the view that the use of soliloquy and the creation of dramatic irony means that the tension experienced by the audience can be tuned to an almost unbearable level when the audience feels that the characters are ensnared in a trick of plot which simple information could dispel. the audience are placed in a state of helpless frustration. The dramatic irony is the key dramatic device that drives the tragedy. Iago almost mocks the audience when offering his soliloquies. In some productions the crowd have been known to attempt to warn Othello of Iagos duplicity. Brennan also described Iago as a man who is an amoral rag-bag of confused motivations invested with a cynicism so profound that he must pervert or destroy any sign of virtue. T.S.Eliot: In 1927 Eliot stated that Othello turns himself into a pathetic figure in the final scene of the play. What do you think? Is the final speech of Othello the words of a pathetic or tragic figure? Eliot believes that Othellos final speech is an attempt by Othello to [cheer] himself up! Clearly Eliot does not view Othello as a tragic figure. It is important that students refer to the critical heritage of this play when constructing coursework. AO3 is the assessment objective that demands that.