#2 Is the play a tragedy or comedy, a melodrama or farce? Does it mingle aspects of these types of drama? How important to experencing the drama is the audience's awareness of the classification of the play?
"O Spartan dog, / More fell than anguish, hungar, or the sea! / look on the tragic loading of this bed: / This is thy work. The object poisons sight, / Let it be hid." V.ii.360-364
Othello is both a tragedy and a melodrama. It is tragedy because multiple characters die in the end. Roderigo, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello all end up dead in the final scene. It is also a melodrama because strong emotions are expressed throughout the play. I don't think the play would be as clear if the emotions were not expressed so strongly. All the action takes place because of emotions such as hatred, jealously, and deceit. Iago drives the action of the play through his lies and tricks while the other characters also help drive the action by easily falling for Iago's lies.
The play does not really mix the aspects of a drama because it is not humerious. This is a serious play with a tragic ending for multiple characters. I also think it is not that important to know classification of the play to experience it. If the audience does not know the classification beforehand, the audience would find out pretty quickly into the play.
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