In case folk get confused when looking up the character, "Graziano" in this upload is spelled "Gratiano" in the play. "Graziano" is a character in Othello.
Thanks for your comments. The spelling of this name depends upon the edition of the play you are using. The spelling Graziano is the one adopted by modern editors in both the latest edition of the Norton Shakespeare and in the Oxford edition: this is the spelling that I have followed in this video. Some other editions may still spell it Gratiano, and in fact this is how it was spelled in the First Folio (1623). As an indication of this variation, the First Folio of Othello actually spells Graziano as Gratiano! It's always worth having an eye out for such textual variations and I'm pleased that you drew attention to it. Thank you and I hope this information is useful.
Dearest Dr Aidan. I'm a big literature fan and I have immense gratitude for you explaining the text. Sharing your time and insight like this is incredibly helpful to us, and also very sweet of you. I have a question - Portia's future is being dictated from the grave. At that time in history, sexual equality was unheard of. However - that implies that Antonio's sexuality was also unheard of. Even though it might have existed for thousands of years, it was socially unacceptable then. Which brings me to my other question on mental illness? Even to the day - depending on your level of education and your culture - many groups still deny that it exists and that one should simply shrug it off. If it was the case that Antonio suffered severe depression, then it could very well explain why he felt sad but did not know the cause. It could also explain why he would go through such lengths to make his friend happy. I believed he did sincerely love him as a friend, and that the love, appreciation and acceptance would give him a kick in his spirit to lift him out of his dark hole. I'm curious as to your view on this?
Liza. Thank you for your very kind comments: much appreciated. In answer to the Portia question, the property was owned by men and handed down to men. Even in King Lear the power is actually handed over to the husbands of Lear's daughters. So you are right to say that Portia's future is being dictated from beyond the grave, although what is of interest to me is the way in which she still finds a way to manipulate the outcome to make the best of the situation. On Antonio: In modern productions his love for Bassanio is often (but not always) portrayed as overtly homosexual: it is worth noting, however, that strong male-male friendships were valued in the Elizabethan/Jacobean period, partly because there was a meeting of minds without sex becoming a consideration. This is not to say there wasn't any homo-erotic element involved, just that this is not necessarily the case. Lastly, on depression, it was called melancholy at the time, as you probably know: this is not my area of expertise, but there is a very famous contemporary book called 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' by Robert Burton. This analyses the reasons people experience melancholy. In essence it's about an imbalance in the body. You can read a bit about it from this PDF facsimile here if you are interested: www.exclassics.com/anatomy/anatomy1.pdf Whatever you call it, it is often difficult to know the actual cause of either depression or melancholy and so, with Antonio, it could be something he doesn't understand Orit could be the thought of losing his very dear friend/lover Bassanio. Clearly it is dramatically more interesting to pursue the latter route because it's easier to stage and it does add tension to the final scene - where Portia and Bassanio are together, but Antonio hovers in the background. Will his presence disturb the happy marriage, or will Portia manage to keep him at a distance? These are just two of several questions one could ask. I hope that's useful and thanks again for getting in touch.
I just want to tell you that your work is greatly appreciated . Thank u so much for your hard work
Thank you for saying that: I'm pleased you are finding the videos helpful.
I have my exam tomorrow, hopefully this helps
Same 🙏
In case folk get confused when looking up the character, "Graziano" in this upload is spelled "Gratiano" in the play. "Graziano" is a character in Othello.
Thanks for your comments. The spelling of this name depends upon the edition of the play you are using. The spelling Graziano is the one adopted by modern editors in both the latest edition of the Norton Shakespeare and in the Oxford edition: this is the spelling that I have followed in this video. Some other editions may still spell it Gratiano, and in fact this is how it was spelled in the First Folio (1623). As an indication of this variation, the First Folio of Othello actually spells Graziano as Gratiano! It's always worth having an eye out for such textual variations and I'm pleased that you drew attention to it. Thank you and I hope this information is useful.
These videos explain key passages well and provide my students helpful commentary. I use them each year. Thank you!
I’m very pleased to hear that you find them useful and thanks very much for your kind words.
I don't have a exam to study for, I was just curious about this story and you helped me a lot!! Thank you Dr. :D
That's great to hear: thanks for letting me know.
thank you so much for all of the merchant videos
Thank you. I'm glad you liked them.
Very helpful! Thank you so much
So helpful and informative. Thanks a lot!
Thank you. I'm glad you found it useful.
Dearest Dr Aidan. I'm a big literature fan and I have immense gratitude for you explaining the text. Sharing your time and insight like this is incredibly helpful to us, and also very sweet of you. I have a question - Portia's future is being dictated from the grave. At that time in history, sexual equality was unheard of.
However - that implies that Antonio's sexuality was also unheard of. Even though it might have existed for thousands of years, it was socially unacceptable then.
Which brings me to my other question on mental illness? Even to the day - depending on your level of education and your culture - many groups still deny that it exists and that one should simply shrug it off. If it was the case that Antonio suffered severe depression, then it could very well explain why he felt sad but did not know the cause. It could also explain why he would go through such lengths to make his friend happy. I believed he did sincerely love him as a friend, and that the love, appreciation and acceptance would give him a kick in his spirit to lift him out of his dark hole.
I'm curious as to your view on this?
Liza.
Thank you for your very kind comments: much appreciated.
In answer to the Portia question, the property was owned by men and handed down to men. Even in King Lear the power is actually handed over to the husbands of Lear's daughters. So you are right to say that Portia's future is being dictated from beyond the grave, although what is of interest to me is the way in which she still finds a way to manipulate the outcome to make the best of the situation.
On Antonio: In modern productions his love for Bassanio is often (but not always) portrayed as overtly homosexual: it is worth noting, however, that strong male-male friendships were valued in the Elizabethan/Jacobean period, partly because there was a meeting of minds without sex becoming a consideration. This is not to say there wasn't any homo-erotic element involved, just that this is not necessarily the case.
Lastly, on depression, it was called melancholy at the time, as you probably know: this is not my area of expertise, but there is a very famous contemporary book called 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' by Robert Burton. This analyses the reasons people experience melancholy. In essence it's about an imbalance in the body. You can read a bit about it from this PDF facsimile here if you are interested: www.exclassics.com/anatomy/anatomy1.pdf
Whatever you call it, it is often difficult to know the actual cause of either depression or melancholy and so, with Antonio, it could be something he doesn't understand Orit could be the thought of losing his very dear friend/lover Bassanio. Clearly it is dramatically more interesting to pursue the latter route because it's easier to stage and it does add tension to the final scene - where Portia and Bassanio are together, but Antonio hovers in the background. Will his presence disturb the happy marriage, or will Portia manage to keep him at a distance? These are just two of several questions one could ask.
I hope that's useful and thanks again for getting in touch.
Thx man........ good job keep 😀😀
Melvin Abraham thank you. Glad you found it useful.
Very helpful. Thank you
That's very kind of you to say. Thank you.
this saved me from failing advanced english omfg
I’m very pleased to hear that it helped and thank you for taking the trouble to let me know.
Thnx man good job tomorrow is my exam 10th icse board exam INDIA
Thank you for your kind words: I hope the exam went well.
Interesting
Cheers mate
Thank you.
Thanks
Interesting
Thanks
No problem. Hope it was useful.