Othello and William Shakespeare

As one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Othello is a frequently studied text at IBDP. It tells the story of Othello, a “moor” (a black man from North Africa), who is a general in the Venetian army. He falls prey to the envious machinations of Iago, a trusted lieutenant, and this leads to the utter destruction of his life and reputation. Shakespeare’s understanding of human relationships, and his use of inventive and rich language helps to make this text enormously popular for IB students. Of course, it sometimes presents challenges – the language may be unfamiliar to students who are inexperienced with Shakespeare, and the motivations of some characters are famously hard to discern (Iago is notoriously slippery). It is always worth keeping in mind that this is a play about the isolation faced by ‘outsiders’, whether they hold that status because of their race, gender or for other reasons, and the terrible actions that isolation can push them towards. This anchor can help inform any student’s reading of the play.

IB English sample response

Consider the sample response below to an IBDP English exam question:

“Fact versus fantasy; this is a clash that can have comic or tragic results.” Bearing this statement in mind, explore the results of using realism and fantasy in any two or three works you have studied.

Both writers use the lies their characters tell to demonstrate how fantasy can supplant reality in some circumstances, and to disastrous effect. Shakespeare’s use of lies and fantasy through Iago’s machinations against Othello exemplify this idea. In Act III, Scene 3, Iago begins to poison Othello’s mind with suggestive images of Desdemona having an affair with Cassio. Interestingly, Iago lets Othello’s own imagination take control, simply planting suggestions. This makes the fantasy created by Iago all the more powerful. Through this scene, Shakespeare suggests that fantasy is more powerful than fact or reality, as it creates a narrative in Othello’s head that appeals to his own insecurities…

Towards a stronger IB response

There are elements of this response that are good. It contains a clear topic sentence and the examiner can tell that the writer has understood the main ideas of the text. However, there are rather significant weaknesses here. Firstly, there is no real language analysis, or even much depth in the analysis itself. This would heavily impact a student’s Criterion B score. This is especially needless as the scene in question has plenty of quotations that could fit quite nicely into the student’s argument. For example, Iago referring to jealousy as ‘the green-ey’d monster’ that mocks ‘the meat it feeds on’ is a particularly rich metaphor that neatly lays out his plan for the audience: to make Othello appear subhuman, and transform him into a monster in the eyes of Venice and the audience, the character’s jealousy essentially cannibalising himself until he is nothing like he once was. A detailed analysis of these lines could have informed the IB student’s argument about ‘suggestive images’ and the ways that this is even more effective than outright lies.

Teaching Othello to IB students

IB Paper 2 requires a solid and nuanced understanding of both texts studied. Unlike with Paper 1, the focus is on comparisons of theme and character, yet students should still show awareness of how language helps to shape and highlight these ideas. It is also important that students feel prepared to be ‘flexible’ in their writing and analysis. Obviously, no one can predict the questions that will be on a given year’s paper, so understanding how to adapt points of analysis to be effective for many different prompts. This means recognising that ‘key quotations’ involves selecting moments that can be applied in a variety of circumstances, and being prepared for any eventuality on the exam. Ultimately, when it comes to IB English, preparation is absolutely essential.

For help with Othello, Shakespeare, or any other aspect of IB English, get in touch with BartyED today.