Your Loyal Lieutenant Speaking

First day as lieutenant

My recent promotion to Lieutenant has increased my responsibilities and influence immensely.  This promotion makes me proud to have the opportunity to serve my Venetians in out perilous, war torn times and help our great leader Othello.  Since being Lieutenant will provide access to privileged knowledge that I feel should be made known to everyone, I have created Cassio’s Corner.  I hope many people will view my entries that will address Venetian political issues. 

To begin, my master, Othello, has recently eloped with the lovely Desdemona.  This has created great outrage in Desdemona’s father, Brabantio.  This irrational rage was seen when he explained to Othello and our crew, “That thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, / Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals / That weaken motion” (1. 2. 73-75).  Brabantio seems to be fixated on racist views and cannot come to view the great Othello as a military hero who has done amazing things to protect this nation and its colonies.    The thought that Othello used magical spells or drugs to force Desdemona to fall in love with him is absurd.  Brabantio forcefully confronted Othello, Iago, Roderigo, some officers, and me demanding answers regarding the whereabouts of his daughter.  We were appalled by his fury and curious as to how he knew his daughter had eloped with Othello.             

Othello later spoke to me about the incident where Desdemona courageously professed her love for Othello to her devastated father.  Othello was ecstatic to have such strong support from her and to see her have the courage to stand up to her father.  I am happy to see my master and his lady share true love and not worry what others may think.  This will be my last entry to Cassio’s Corner before I leave for the island of Cyprus with the Moor.  I will provide an update as soon as I become settled in Cyprus.  Good day.  

Calamity in Cyprus




My first beer. Big mistake.

 

     Greetings.  I write this entry with great confusion and a large amount of stress due to the current situation in Cyprus.  I arrived here at a time of potential conflict because a Turkish fleet appeared to be heading toward our island.  Coincidentally, a huge storm stirred up at sea and destroyed the fleet, meanwhile, almost sinking Othello’s boat as well.  Luckily, he made it through the storm to join us on the island of Cyprus.  At this time, my road to confusion began.  Last night, we had a party throughout the island to celebrate the sinking of the Turkish fleet.  I decided to join in the festivities and have a few drinks, and the last moment I remember clearly was when I heard a catchy tune being sung.  I think it was recited by Iago if I remember correctly:

And let me the canakin clink, clink;

And let me the canakin clink.

A soldier’s a man;

A life’s but a span,

Why then, let a soldier drink.  (2. 3. 60-64) 

At this point, I was coaxed into drinking more alcohol than I can sanely handle.  As a result, my memory of the rest of the celebration is fuzzy.  I faintly recall a duel between Roderigo, Montano, and myself.  I believe I ended up stabbing the former Governor of Cyprus.  I woke up early this morning distraught because my actions resulted in the loss of my position as Lieutenant.  This leaves me frazzled and at a loss because I feel out of place.  Lieutenancy has been the focal point of my life since I received the role and I hoped to continue to serve Othello well in this position.   I feel as if I have lost my spot in this world and struggle to find my true self and my calling.  It does not help that I do not fully understand the cause for Othello’s rage against me.  I will attempt to uncover the mystery behind my dismissal as soon as possible.  I intend to try and rebuild trust with Othello and obtain my former job.  I will set out right away to the castle to try and speak with someone who understands the events of last night.  Goodbye. 

Fixing My Error




The handkerchief. Where did it come from??

  The recent events in Cyprus have been

Unusual and of concern to me.

By following Iago’s suggestion,

I pursued Desdemona's assistance.

Generously, Iago had his wife,

Emilia, to call Desdemona

And to relay my pleas to the lady.

I was pleasantly reassured with news

From Emilia, who told me that she,

Desdemona, being so virtuous,

Already spoke to noble Othello

To convince him I deserve redemption.

Thus, I did follow my plan to see her.

In our brief meeting in the garden,

Desdemona was no less than saintly

In her speech, promising to offer me

All the help she could provide to sway him.

She was even bold enough to pledge this:

“I give thee warrant of thy place. Assure thee,

If I do vow a friendship, I’ll perform it

To the last article. My lord shall never rest;”           (3.3.20-22)

She’d rather die than abandon my case!

Desdemona mentioned that Othello

Was so harsh for political reasons,

And did regret his hasty punishment.

I too, am confident that my service

To Othello in the past will suffice

In being enough for him to forgive.

Our meeting was quickly interrupted

Upon the arrival of Iago

And Othello from outside the garden.

Still unable to muster the courage,

I fled from the scene out of cowardice.

Upon reflection, I should have stayed there

To quickly plea my case to Othello

With Desdemona and Iago’s aid.

Nonetheless, I am rather certain that

Desdemona did adamantly speak

To Othello, and that as a result,

He began to sympathize with my pain

After hearing his lady’s tender voice.

I did, however, receive shocking news

From dear Desdemona when she told me:

“My advocation is not now in tune.

My lord is not my lord; nor should I know him,

Were he in favour as in humour alter’d.

So help me every spirit sanctified

For I have spoken for you all my best

And stood within the blank of his displeasure

For my free speech!”                                                  (3.4.118-214)

I do not think it is in his nature

To be so uncontrollably angry.

His duties must have been testing his wits,

Or else he is quite furious with me!

To make one miserable week worse still,

Bianca had located me, whining,

Complaining, miserable, oh women!

Not all are as fair as Desdemona!

I could not even calm her with the gift

Of that strange, mysterious handkerchief

I found in my chamber the night before.

She then accused me of unfaithfulness;

Me! I, being a man of loyalty,

Does not know what ‘infidelity’ is!

After these passing events I am left

In a wary and concerned state of mind.

Where on earth did that handkerchief come from?

Perhaps it is best I not dwell on it

And focus on Iago’s advice to

Plead my case to valiant Othello.

Bianca's Persistence



Bianca an I.

 The events of the recent past have been,

Simply put, unorthodox and quite strange.

First, I did witness the bold Othello

Fall into a sudden epilepsy.

This is most unlike his calm character

And is certainly a cause for concern.

My feelings of grief over my actions

Are still lingering and sting my conscience.

Honest Iago, meaning all the best,

Reminded me of my lost position,

And I felt both strong desire and remorse:

“The worser that you give me the addition

Whose want even kills me.”                                       (4.1.103-104)

I felt pain over my past disgraces;

Yet I felt the drive to plead to Othello.

Happily, Iago lifted my mood,

Joking with me about that Bianca.

He had the wit to suggest we marry!

Ha Ha! Iago sure can crack a joke.

I would never associate myself

With a filthy prostitute through marriage.

It’s not my fault she deluded herself

Into believing I wanted marriage.

I swear, she is mad, she’s everywhere

That I am, all the time; I need my space!

Funny enough at that very instant,

Bianca, to no one’s surprise, arrived.

She, of course, had a fit about that gift-

The handkerchief- I gave her earlier.

At the end of some rant I hardly heard,

Bianca assertively demanded:

“An you’ll come to supper to-night, you may: an you will

not, come when you are next prepared for.”        (4.1.151-152)

Of course then, as Iago suggested,

I followed her to calm her rioting.

I am distraught, and rather distracted.

I am beginning to wonder and think

About what is happening to of myself.

I am not that proud, valiant soldier

Who I once was, but have now been reduced

To a desperate man, begging for his job.

A man pestered by a viral strumpet

Who will never permanently leave me.

Presently, I am very occupied.

 I have other matters to attend to;

That is, dinner at a certain whore’s house.

I hope that I can change this dilemma

Into a good situation somehow.

I hardly know how, but I’m not worried.

Honestly, how could things get worse from here?

Explanation

Title – “Cassio’s Corner”: This title is simply a creative play on words, employing alliteration to produce a catchy blog name. It evokes the reader to imagine that they are entering a dimension in Cassio’s life (his corner) and experiencing it the way that he did. The gold colour of the title is complimentary of the blue background and reflects the good qualities that Cassio possesses.

Template Design: Blue is often associated with loyalty, which is an attribute often given to Cassio. Cassio is loyal to his general, Othello, and his friend Iago. Blue is also associated with masculinity, which is descriptive of Cassio’s nature, since he is often depicted as handsome, charming and chivalrous. The watermark appearing on the background is a map, which is suitable to Cassio. He is a man of travel, since he is a Florentine in the Venetian army, serving in Cyprus.

Font: Georgia is the font of choice; it is modest, not too bold and not too discrete. The font is italicized to bring out Cassio’s romantic personality.

Images: The first picture of Michael Cassio goes along with the Act One blog entry because it shows Cassio as a proud, young soldier.  He has a look of determination in his eyes, which suits him because he is a heroic character who gains Othello’s complete trust as Lieutenant in the beginning of the play.  This picture shows him as a young soldier prepared for battle and ready to defeat any troubles that may come his way.

The image of Iago handing Cassio a drink represents an important scene because it shows Iago’s manipulation of Cassio, which leads to Cassio’s drunken fight.  As a result, he loses his position as Lieutenant and must work to regain himself as a trustworthy and loyal character.

The image associated with Cassio in Act 3 is Desdemona’s handkerchief. It represents Iago’s scheme to use Cassio as an unknowing pawn in his plot to destroy Cassio and Othello.

The picture of Cassio and Bianca reflects their superficial, lustful relationship. Cassio is not truly in love with her, but this image shows Bianca interpreting his charms as his true love for her.

Gadgets: Our blog has a variety of gadgets that give the feel of a true social blog site. A small ‘about me’ section is near the top to give quick insight into Cassio’s personality. There are typical gadgets, such as a ‘pageview counter’, a list of followers (if Cassio had any), and the fishtank gadget at the foot of the blog adds some colour and movement to the otherwise static blog.

Music: The music chosen for this blog was marching music of an upbeat tempo. This corresponds to Cassio’s charisma, and also associates him with battle and war since he is of high rank in the Venetian army.