After more than a year of hybrid learning it has been such a joy to have our students back in school and to be almost back to business as usual. Being in physical classrooms makes communication much more natural and seamless in comparison to the hybrid environment. There is an energy in the air. Student confidence appears to be on the up. Vitality and vigour in the classroom are palpable.
One of the many highlights so far this year has been studying Othello with the year 10s. No easy task, but with the momentum of energy created by the positive news of vaccinations, ease of restrictions and general global optimism have, I believe, been pivotal in the encouraging level of student engagement in classes this year. Year 10 have hit the ground running and we have been exploring the key topics in one of Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies: themes of deceit, duplicity, jealousy and love. As plays were designed to be performed, I always do my best to ensure the students are given the opportunities to give their own interpretations of the complex characters we study. So far, we are two acts in, and the tension is rising between Othello and his so-called friend, Iago.
Thankfully, having such a varied bunch of students means that there are always some budding actors and actresses willing to take things a step further. The two latest recruits are Igor and Isabelle, both of whom bravely agreed to record their own takes of two of the most famous speeches from the first two acts of the play. In the videos below, we see Igor acting as Othello, convincing the Venetian senate that he earned the love of Desdemona through his bravery and courage on the battlefield.
Isabelle, on the other hand, expertly plays the role of the duplicitous Iago, revealing to the audience his (Iago’s) cruel intentions of bringing Othello down. I’ll let the students speak for themselves. Enjoy!
