I chose to record a passage from Shakespeare’s Othello during Act I, Scene III, Lines 208-218 and I played Desdemona, who is Othello’s beloved wife in the play. I learned that the impact of tone, inflection on specific words, and pacing is very important in appropriately performing this passage. For example, in this passage, Desdemona is in a serious argument with her father about her duty to him and her husband, and she intends to prove her point and win without suffering any consequences or a break in her relationship with her father. Therefore, the tone of the passage must be strong willed but loving, and the inflection needs to be enunciated on important words such as bound, life, and duty. These three words are all significant to Desdemona’s point in the argument, so it is important to orally highlight them. Pacing is also very important because if it is too rushed then Desdemona will appear to be irrationally thinking, therefore the pace must be slow and steady to show that she deeply thought about her point before she presented it to her father. As I was performing, I understood that Desdemona is strong-willed and confident in her actions and beliefs. I understood that she thinks before she speaks, and she makes sure that she has a strong point to make. I also noticed how she is a very emotional and caring women who loves her father and her husband dearly, but she also does understand she must follow her duties as a daughter and a wife.
