After a brief review of what “rhetoric” and “persuasion” are, the author describes how Shakespeare’s Othello allows viewers an opportunity to see how “critical communicative thinking” can be both helpful and constructive, yet also sow disaster; the author uses the courtroom defence scene from the play to prove his points, focusing on how persuasive both the characters Iago and Othello are due to their abilities to perceive the beliefs and opinions of others as they try to convince them of something, which, as the author states in his opening paragraph, is the key to effective rhetoric, with the author’s ultimate goal of using this scene to teach rhetoric so that students can apply the methods and skills presented to their own lives. The author discusses the term “commonplaces,” which he defines as a “general sense of a belief that is simply held strongly and widely within a cultural 'place'” (15). This term is crucial as the author uses it often throughout his piece. The author then breaks down the courtroom defence scene in which the audience sees Othello defend himself against Brabantio and cultural views at large; starting with Brabantio’s reaction to finding his daughter married to Othello, which the author describes as matching the commonplace views and beliefs of the time. The second half of the article is about Othello’s defence, where he weaves a perspective of Desdemona and of himself that will match with the senators’ and Brabantio’s prior beliefs, and “repositioning” the term of witchcraft rather than entirely denying it, and eventually convinces them of the truth, all to show that commonplaces can shape and direct the way humans think, and if someone understands those commonplaces and ability to communicate well, the power of rhetoric becomes plain.
- Mathew StephenDerrin, Daniel. “Rhetoric and the Commonplace in the Courtroom Defence Scene of Shakespeare’s Othello.” The Use of English, vol. 66, no. 3, 2015, pp. 13–21. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2015874231.
