How are disturbed characters presented in Shakespeare and Browning?

Structuring your essay

Structuring your essay

• How are disturbed characters presented in Shakespeare and Browning?

• Break this massive title up: For the most of the essay, you will be able to split it into four mini-essays: Except that after you’ve finished each character, you will be considering similarities and differences between the others you have studied. Eg.

Example paragraph

• Part of the disturbed mind of Porphyria’s lover is presented through the character’s possessive nature. The repetition of “Mine, mine” tells us that possessing Porphyria is vitally important to him. Owning her gives him the control he craves. This is similar to the Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’ who feels the need to control the feelings of the Duchess who “smiles” for people other than him.

So, breaking it down…

• So How are disturbed characters presented in Shakespeare and Browning? Becomes….

• 1. How does Shakespeare show us that Iago is disturbed?

• 2. How does Shakespeare show us that Othello is disturbed?

• 3. How does Browning show us the Duke is disturbed?

• 4. How does Browning show us that Porphyria’s lover is disturbed?

Iago• 1. How does Shakespeare show us that Iago is disturbed?• Unwarranted amount of hatred “I hate the Moor” – does

he even have a motive? Or is he “motiveless”?• Scheming and planning “I follow him to serve my turn

upon him” – Is Iago a Machiavellian villain?• Two-faced by nature – Swears “by Janus” … “I am not

what I am”• Uses animal imagery (often when talking about sex) to

show his depraved mind “black ram” “beast with two backs” etc

• Uses heaven and hell imagery (and monsters) to show his lack of morals – and helps us to see him as emotionally grotesque and deformed. “green eyed monster” … “monstrous birth” etc

Iago• 1. How does Shakespeare show us that Iago

is disturbed?• Links to other characters – Can do at the end

of the Iago section or as you go along: Up to you!

• Are the others schemers & plotters like Iago or are they more spontaneous?

• Is heaven and hell imagery present elsewhere? Porphyria’s lover maybe…

2. How does Shakespeare show us that Othello is disturbed?

• Start off by giving the main difference between Othello and Iago – that Othello does not start depraved and twisted. This will be your first comparison for Othello! Remember how strong and calm he starts out “Keep up your bright swords…”

• Then you need to document how he changes.• Act 3 Scene 3 is the “pivot” scene when he says when he stops

loving Desdemona, there will be “chaos” – by the end of the scene he is already plotting her demise

• When does Othello start using animal imagery? And hell images? Like who? What does this show?

• Killing his wife – this counts as disturbing behaviour! Maybe use this moment to compare the other killings in the other text.

• Is Othello’s drastic change realistic? Many critics considered the character to be a Elizabethan racist stereotype of the “savage” and “passionate” Moors who loved and hate in extremes!

Othello• 2. How does Shakespeare show us that

Othello is disturbed?• Links to other characters – Can do at the end

of the Othello section or as you go along: Up to you!

• Othello and jealousy – What other characters are jealous? Iago, Duke and Porphyria’s lover are all shown to be jealous at some points in the texts

3. How does Browning show us that The Duke is disturbed?

• Why is the Duke disturbed?• His jealousy• His controlling nature – dream of “taming” the

Duchess• His extreme arrogance and narcissism (vanity)• Murder – did he kill the Duchess?• Keeping the painting – what does this show about

him?• Links• Male authority – Where else do males feel the need

to exert this?

4. How does Browning show us that Porphyria’s lover is disturbed?

• Why is Porphyria’s lover disturbed• His jealousy• His controlling nature and possessiveness• Links to God• Murder – Why did he do it? What does the

method show about him?• What the murder planned?• Sitting with the body – is this revealing?• Links

• Answering to a higher power• Need to control “his” woman

Conclusion

• Mention keywords from the title in your conclusion: “disturbed characters”

• As I have shown, these four characters are all shown to be disturbed in their own ways. The common traits I have found between them are… The most disturbed character by the definition I gave in the introduction is… because…