In the following guides, we'll walk you through a speech of Iago, bringing out discoveries we made in our analysis. As you work with the text, you may find others and you may disagree with what we present. Remember that in all analyses of Shakespeare, you should play with the text as much as possible, and base that play not only in the text but in the way you react to it (or not).

Also, remember, everything you discover will be useful when you go to create a performance. Discoveries resonate differently with different actors, for different audiences, in different settings. There are no "right" answers; there is only what works for you and for them where you are.

The text we are using is from the First Folio edition of Othello. You can find the Folio text at this link. This speech appears on pages 315 and 316 in the Folio and on pages 6 and 7 of the pdf.

The work of John Barton and others has made clear that many of scripts used as the basis of the Folio texts used capitalization, spelling and punctuation to help actors make sense of the texts for performance. These elements of grammar are not used in the same way in modern editions, where editors use them to help a reader make sense of the text.

You may find it useful as you work through the speech to have a modern edition at hand, and compare the discoveries you find with how others have interpreted the text.

When Chicspeare produces the plays, we start with the Folio text, and then edit the script in a way to help our actors and audiences understand the play. The analysis we will walk you through is just what we would do in rehearsal. It will demonstrate how much Shakespeare is a "playwright". "Wright" means "one who constructs".

In these guides, you’ll play with rhythm, repeated words, alliteration (repetition of consonants), assonance (repetition of vowels), as well as punctuation and spelling, layer onto the speech. Think of these elements and how they interact like they were the different components (measurements, notations on material, wiring, plumbing, etc) in a blueprint which guide the construction of a building.

Guides are available by email in us at chicspeare1996@gmail.com