1. How are disturbed characters
presented in Shakespeare and
Browning?
Structuring your essay

2. Structuring your essay
• How are disturbed characters presented in
Shakespeare and Browning?
• Break this massive title up: For the most of the
essay, you will be able to split it into four miniessays: Except that after you’ve finished each
character, you will be considering similarities
and differences between the others you have
studied. Eg.

3. Example paragraph
• Part of the disturbed mind of Porphyria’s lover
is presented through the character’s
possessive nature. The repetition of
“Mine, mine” tells us that possessing
Porphyria is vitally important to him. Owning
her gives him the control he craves. This is
similar to the Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’ who
feels the need to control the feelings of the
Duchess who “smiles” for people other than
him.

4. So, breaking it down…
• So How are disturbed characters presented in
Shakespeare and Browning? Becomes….
• 1. How does Shakespeare show us that Iago is
disturbed?
• 2. How does Shakespeare show us that Othello is
disturbed?
• 3. How does Browning show us the Duke is
disturbed?
• 4. How does Browning show us that Porphyria’s
lover is disturbed?

5. Iago
• 1. How does Shakespeare show us that Iago is
disturbed?
• Unwarranted amount of hatred “I hate the Moor” –
does he even have a motive? Or is he “motiveless”?
• Scheming and planning “I follow him to serve my turn
upon him” – Is Iago a Machiavellian villain?
• Two-faced by nature – Swears “by Janus” … “I am not
what I am”
• Uses animal imagery (often when talking about sex) to
show his depraved mind “black ram” “beast with two
backs” etc
• Uses heaven and hell imagery (and monsters) to show
his lack of morals – and helps us to see him as
emotionally grotesque and deformed. “green eyed
monster” … “monstrous birth” etc

6. Iago
• 1. How does Shakespeare show us that Iago
is disturbed?
• Links to other characters – Can do at the end
of the Iago section or as you go along: Up to
you!
• Are the others schemers & plotters like Iago or
are they more spontaneous?
• Is heaven and hell imagery present
elsewhere? Porphyria’s lover maybe…

7. 2. How does Shakespeare show us that Othello is disturbed?
• Start off by giving the main difference between Othello and Iago –
that Othello does not start depraved and twisted. This will be your
first comparison for Othello! Remember how strong and calm he
starts out “Keep up your bright swords…”
• Then you need to document how he changes.
• Act 3 Scene 3 is the “pivot” scene when he says when he stops
loving Desdemona, there will be “chaos” – by the end of the scene
he is already plotting her demise
• When does Othello start using animal imagery? And hell images?
Like who? What does this show?
• Killing his wife – this counts as disturbing behaviour! Maybe use
this moment to compare the other killings in the other text.
• Is Othello’s drastic change realistic? Many critics considered the
character to be a Elizabethan racist stereotype of the “savage” and
“passionate” Moors who loved and hate in extremes!

8. Othello
• 2. How does Shakespeare show us that
Othello is disturbed?
• Links to other characters – Can do at the end
of the Othello section or as you go along: Up
to you!
• Othello and jealousy – What other characters
are jealous? Iago, Duke and Porphyria’s lover
are all shown to be jealous at some points in
the texts

9. 3. How does Browning show us that
The Duke is disturbed?
• Why is the Duke disturbed?
• His jealousy
• His controlling nature – dream of “taming” the
Duchess
• His extreme arrogance and narcissism (vanity)
• Murder – did he kill the Duchess?
• Keeping the painting – what does this show about
him?
• Links
• Male authority – Where else do males feel the need
to exert this?

10. •
•
•
•
•
4. How does Browning show us that
Porphyria’s lover is disturbed?
Why is Porphyria’s lover disturbed
His jealousy
His controlling nature and possessiveness
Links to God
Murder – Why did he do it? What does the
method show about him?
• What the murder planned?
• Sitting with the body – is this revealing?
• Links
• Answering to a higher power
• Need to control “his” woman

11. Conclusion
• Mention keywords from the title in your
conclusion: “disturbed characters”
• As I have shown, these four characters are all
shown to be disturbed in their own ways. The
common traits I have found between them
are… The most disturbed character by the
definition I gave in the introduction is…
because…