In each of the following scenarios, you will be given a particular scene from one of the
plays. You are to imagine yourself as the director of a stage adaptation of the play in
question. As the director, you will have a specific decision to make about staging. You will
then write an essay using textual evidence to defend your decision. Remember: a
successful essay will argue for a staging decision based on the text and not simply on the
artistic whims of the director. Your essay should explain precisely what the effects are of
staging the scene in the way you have chosen to do so; how does staging the scene one
way over the other affect the meaning of the scene, the meaning of the themes of the play,
and the meaning of the play in general.
1. The play: Othello by William Shakespeare
The scene: Othello fires Cassio
The specifics: Act 2, Scene 3, lines 172 (“Enter Othello and Attendants”) to 265
(pgs. 93-97)
As the director of this play, you must choose one of the following two ways of staging this
scene and then explain your decision:
a. Direct the actor playing Othello to deliver his lines with genuine bewilderment in
his voice – he has no idea what’s going on, his questions are genuine, and his
confusion is real. He will speak slowly and carefully, and he will enunciate every
syllable and obey every punctuation mark.
b. Direct the actor playing Othello to deliver his lines with a knowing suspicion in
his voice – he has some idea what’s going on, his questions are careful and pointed
ones meant to draw out the truth, and he shows self-assurance in his leadership and
disciplinary abilities. He will speak quickly and confidently.
Suggestion
Keep in mind that the staging decision you make will not only have a significant effect on
the meaning of the scene for the audience watching your hypothetical production, but it
will also reflect your interpretation of the scene. For this reason, you need to be able to
support why you make the decision you do with closely analyzed textual evidence. Good
directors make such decisions based on careful study of the text and not on vague
assertions about “artistic license.”
The following is one possible way to structure this essay: (1) your introduction explains
what staging decision you have made and offers a thesis statement where you identify the
textual evidence you will use to defend your decision; (2) the body of your essay provides
a close reading of your textual evidence that shows how the text supports your decision;
(3) you conclude your essay with a summary of your position. There are, of course, other
ways to structure your essay; be sure to talk to your tutorial leader about other approaches
or about any questions you might have.
