Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

Constance sits in her office and writes her dissertation; she reads aloud as she writes. Constance nibbles on Velveeta cheese and sips warm beer from a can as she develops the idea that Shakespeare's 'Othello' and 'Romeo' are not truly tragic figures, because their plights could so easily have been avoided. She ponders the notable lack of the character of a Fool in the plays 'Othello' and 'Romeo and Juliet', and speculates that were a Fool present the tragedies might have been banal comedies. She is interrupted by the Student, a young woman who delivers a late assignment and makes a few brief and casual comments.

Constance returns to her dissertation and wonders if Desdemona's murder at the hands of Othello was truly inevitable. Constance turns to a complete works of Shakespeare, flips through some pages, and begins to read. As...