To What Extent Does Shakespeare Challenge the Aristotelian Views on the Unities in Othello?
The unities were part of Aristotle’s dramatic theory, Poetics, which was interpreted by neoclassical playwrights to give structure to a tragedy. The first rule, the unity of action, was that the plot must consist of one main action, and only subplots that are necessary. The second rule, the unity of place, meant a play should cover only a single space, and the stage should not represent more than one place. The unity of time was the last rule, and it said that the action in a play should take place over no more than twenty four hours.
In Shakespeare’s Othello, arguments as to how far the unities have been broken are often discussed.
These arguments have been shown in the unity of time, and critics – such as A.C. Bradley – have doubted the faithfulness of Shakespeare. This argument is shown in the time period of Act I, on Othello's wedding night where they leave for Cyprus, and when Act II starts they have landed, and on the night of the arrival the marriage is consummated and Cassio is demoted. Although the ship journey was not given a specific time, the actual action takes place in roughly twenty four hours, which is already the suggested time a tragedy should take. Acts III, IV and V seem linked by events such as Lodovico’s arrival and how Othello requests them to ‘sup together’[1], presumably on the same night. These acts could be construed as all being done in a day, because there is no time indication given between scenes. For example, in the morning, Iago has poisoned Othello's mind using the handkerchief, and then it is presumed later in the same day Othello witnesses Iago and Cassio talk about Bianca. As Lodovico’s arrival and the attempted assassination on Cassio, and finally Othello's suicide all clearly happen one after another on the same day, it suggests that as long as Iago's conversations with Othello and then Cassio happen on the same day, then overall the last three Acts happen on the same day. If these acts are all assumed to have happened
In Shakespeare’s Othello, arguments as to how far the unities have been broken are often discussed.
These arguments have been shown in the unity of time, and critics – such as A.C. Bradley – have doubted the faithfulness of Shakespeare. This argument is shown in the time period of Act I, on Othello's wedding night where they leave for Cyprus, and when Act II starts they have landed, and on the night of the arrival the marriage is consummated and Cassio is demoted. Although the ship journey was not given a specific time, the actual action takes place in roughly twenty four hours, which is already the suggested time a tragedy should take. Acts III, IV and V seem linked by events such as Lodovico’s arrival and how Othello requests them to ‘sup together’[1], presumably on the same night. These acts could be construed as all being done in a day, because there is no time indication given between scenes. For example, in the morning, Iago has poisoned Othello's mind using the handkerchief, and then it is presumed later in the same day Othello witnesses Iago and Cassio talk about Bianca. As Lodovico’s arrival and the attempted assassination on Cassio, and finally Othello's suicide all clearly happen one after another on the same day, it suggests that as long as Iago's conversations with Othello and then Cassio happen on the same day, then overall the last three Acts happen on the same day. If these acts are all assumed to have happened