Silkroad Online Forums

Anyone here taking AP or IB courses in high school and know wat a commentary is? Yea well I have to write one on this random passage from Othello by Shakespeare. To write a commentary I pretty much have to first understand wtf the passage says. I dont even understand half this crap.. im even using "no fear shakespeare" from sparknotes, and yet I dont really know what to write about. Ive never really had trouble writing a commentary before, yet im drawing blanks on this. Ive been struggling to even come up with a dam thesis for this.

Any help is appreciated! Does anyone know how the hell I should approach this commentary.

Btw this is the passage:

"IAGO
Lay thy finger thus, and let thy soul be instructed. Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor, but for bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for prating? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed, and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? When the blood is made dull with the act of sport, there should be a game to inflame it and to give satiety a fresh appetite, loveliness in favor, sympathy in years, manners and beauties. All which the Moor is defective in. Now for want of these required conveniences, her delicate tenderness will find itself abused, begin to heave the gorge, disrelish and abhor the Moor. Very nature will instruct her in it and compel her to some second choice. Now sir, this granted—as it is a most pregnant and unforced position—who stands so eminent in the degree of this fortune as Cassio does? A knave very voluble, no further conscionable than in putting on the mere form of civil and humane seeming, for the better compassing of his salt and most hidden loose affection. Why, none, why, none! A slipper and subtle knave, a finder of occasions that has an eye, can stamp and counterfeit advantages, though true advantage never present itself. A devilish knave. Besides, the knave is handsome, young, and hath all those requisites in him that folly and green minds look after. A pestilent complete knave, and the woman hath found him already."

Have you gotten to Iago represents the devil yet? lol, remember my class would not let that go for a week.

Is that a monologue or is he talking to someone?


Easiest way is to read that quote and analyze how the rest of the passage supports that. You can even extend it to Cassio about how much nature compels people to actions rather than reason.

Since you're already reading sparknotes, just read the themes page for Othello and see if this passage can support any of them.

The moor is a stereotypical rich person with no personality or looks but all the riches. Knave is a lower/middle class person lacking money but blessed with looks and personality. The trick finally realizes what she really wants deep down inside is the personality and youth over the money.

Sounds right I guess.

If I had a penny for every time I said "FUCK SHAKESPEARE" in high school...


A more...modern approach to this section.

Iago: YO! Rod-E-Rigo, my man! Whaddup! I can't believe that shawty, Dez De'Monah still be having that old fool, Othello as her boo. That shit's whack! He's like old and ugly and shit! Come on yo! She be bullshittin man! I know for a fact that she be actin' like a ho around Cassio. If she had the chance and shit, she be all over dat nigga! Othello might have them G's but Cassio got the big D...oh shit I know she be wanting that!



His soliloquy was much more interesting.
I named our French bulldog Iago. =)

ok so.. I kind of know what the book is about now and got an idea down of themes and stuff. But the hard part is that usually like I take the easy path when I make my thesis for commentarys.

for example lets say im doing a commentary on The Great Gatsby...

My thesis would be: "Fitzgerald uses symbolism of color to protray a theme of bla bla"


I dont know how to do that with shakespeare because I dont really see any literary devices/ figurative language like symbolism, similies, metaphors and crap in that passage..

so my thesis would be something like "Shakespeare uses *blank* to portray a theme of isolation in Othello."

What could I put in that blank that I could pretty much talk about in the commentary.

"negative depiction of..."
"a various array of..."
"Rodrigo's deeply metaphoric confession to..."

Be creative.

lol im done with it now. its the biggest bs i ever did.

my thesis was just:

"In Othello, by the English poet William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses figurative language to portray archetypal themes."

then i talked about Good vs. evil, I.e. Iago(evil), Othello(good), and "the temptress" which is a beautiful girl who leads to the protagonists downfall (Desdemona is the reason for Othello's downfall),etc..

Sounds like a rough thesis statement but whatever. As long as you have something to submit.

yea anyways thanks for all the help guys, really appreciate it.