Othello is a play that follows the story of a general in the service of Venice, and his perceived close friend Iago, who manipulates the characters and actions of the play to his will and desire, to betray Othello out of spite and revenge. There are many themes in this play, and being Shakespeare, naturally multifaceted and ambiguous. In this discussion, we will be focusing on the characteristic of certainty, and use examples in the play to fortify this point. Certainty is defined as “firm conviction that something is the case, the quality of being reliably true.” Reading of ‘Othello” is not mandatory, applicable plot points will be summarized and explained.
Questions for the breakout group;
1) In which areas of your life do you feel the most certain or composed? In which the least?
2) How do we know when to trust somebody / or if they are helping us out of empathy or self-interest?
3) How can we ensure we don’t succumb to negative or exploitative influences from the world?