Commentary of William Shakespeare´s Othello

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The play “Othello, The Moor of Venice ” by William Shakespeare, tells the story of the tragic downfall of Othello. In this play, love, loyalty, and honesty are the most important emotions that keep the world in order, and when those are questioned or lost, chaos takes over. Othello has been tricked to believe the worst about his wife, Desdemona. Then Othello becomes damaged by jealousy, and he takes that emotion to the extreme. The truth is revealed too late, and because of Othello’s actions the only way he can restore his honor is by his own death. The revenge and jealousy displayed in “Othello” lead to this tragic ending, but when the truth comes out and Othello realizes he murdered Desdemona for something she didn’t do, He dies to regain his honor. He also kills himself due to the fact that he can’t handle that he just killed his innocent wife. Most of Othello’s honor is redeemed by the play’s end, but Othello still has killed his wife which he cannot undo.
When Lodovico, Desdemona’s cousin, enters the room after Desdemona’s death, He asks, “Where is this rash and most unfortunate man?” (5.2.278-79), and Othello replies, “That’s he that was Othello; Here I am” (5.2.280). This is where the audience sees that Othello has lost all of his dignity. Distrust and assumptions has left Othello with nothing, not even his identity. Othello used to be a respectable man with a beautiful wife, now stands completely corrupted and cannot even identify himself with someone he used to be. Othello is at his lowest point right before he dies. Othello regains most of his honor by killing himself and admitting to his tragic mistakes. Before his suicide, Othello says to the people who have witnessed this tragedy, “I pray you, in your letters...

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...s heard ". . . Each syllable that breath made up between them" (4.2.5), yet Othello cannot believe her. After he has suffocated Desdemona, he explains to Emilia, "But that I did proceed upon just grounds/ To this extremity. Thy husband knew it all" (5.2.143-144). Othello basically admits his only proof of Desdemona’s adultery was what Iago, her husband, had said.
Othello is the one who murders Desdemona, that is a fact, but he has also redeemed most of his dignity by the play’s end by admitting the horror he has done, and killing himself when he realizes how jealous and irrational he was. But, Othello has still killed his own wife, which is something the audience cannot forget nor forgive Othello for. He was too illogical in his judgement and it caused a fatal ending. The play shows the power of mistrust and deception, and many people can still learn from it today.

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