Mind the Gap: Teaching Othello through Creative Responses

Today's college student sees traditional classroom learning much differently from previous generations, much to the chagrin of new college instructors. Consequently, teachers in the literature classroom encounter problems in breaking through the language barrier in older works written in archaic forms of English. I have had particular problems teaching undergraduates the basics of Shakespeare that some believe should be present in any college education. Having attempted various techniques to make Shakespeare's Othello more accessible to my undergraduates, I have developed prompts asking for creative and imaginative responses to the play rather than traditional New Critical close readings. Students have met these assignments with interest and enthusiasm not seen with traditional essay assignments. I give my students the chance to write backstory scenes for Othello, a play beginning in medias res with complicated interpersonal relationships fully formed before the play begins. More ambitious or creative students have the opportunity to write their scenes in sixteenth-century English to fill in gaps in characters' motivations and history important to the development of the narrative. Additionally, I am fortunate enough to teach at a culturally diverse institution that allows for considerably more varied perspectives concerning a play that addresses race centuries ahead of its time. Although Iago possesses the most intriguing and complex backstory, other characters have backstories my students have enjoyed exploring using this untapped creative impulse. Teaching students to see beyond the words on a page, I believe, is one of the most important skills students can learn in any literature classroom, whether they are pursuing humanities degrees or business degrees.