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William Shakespeare's Othello as a tragedy
William Shakespeare's Othello as a tragedy
Love in othello
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Recommended: William Shakespeare's Othello as a tragedy
The Theme of Love
In William Shakespeare's Othello the Theme of Love is very important. The main themes conveyed are: Love can be used against you/ love can be manipulated, and love is blinding (unconditional love). The theme of love can be used against you is best shown in Othello and Desdemona, Cassio and Bianca, Roderigo and Desdemona, and Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio. The theme of love is blinding is best shown in Desdemona and Othello, Emilia and Iago, and Brabantio and Desdemona.
Love can be used against you/ Love can be manipulated.
Iago uses Othello's love for Desdemona against him. Iago hints to Othello that she deceived her father so she could deceive him.
"She did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake, and fear your looks, She loved them most." (III,iii, 204-206)
Like human nature is Othello goes through events which now have answers,
"She's gone: I am abused, and my relief must be loathe her. O curse of marriage,
That we can call these delicate creatures ours
And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad
And live upon the vapour of a dungeon
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For other's uses." (III,iii, 264 - 270)
Othello is getting angry:
"Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore;
Be sure of it: give me the ocular proof," (III, iii, 356-357)
Othello hears Iago's predictions:
"All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven:
‘Tis gone.
Arise black vengeance, from the hollow hell!" (III, iii, 442 - 443)
Othello believing Iago:
"Damn her, lewd minx! O damn her, damn her!
Come go with me apart." (III, iii, 472 - 473)
She then tells him she is a virgin.
"No, as I am a Christian.
To preserve this vessel for my lord
From any other foul unlawful touch,
Be not to be a strumpet, I am none." (IV, ii, 82 - 84)
Desdemona then turns to Iago.
"O good Iago,
What shall I do to win my lord again?
Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,
I know not how I lost him." (IV, ii, 148 - 150)
Othello feels guilty because he found out she was innocent.
"Soft you; a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service and they know it:
No more of that. I pray you in your letters
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate
Speak of me as I am: nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak of one that loved not wisely, b...
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...from the Moor./ My wayward husband hath a hundred times/ Wooed me to steal it; ... I'll have the work taken out, / And give't Iago. / What he will do with it, heaven knows, not I: / I nothing, but to please his fantasy."
(III, iii, 287 - 296)
Emilia's love blinds her from Iago's true nature. She disregards his vulgarness towards women. She also disregards how badly he treats her.
"A good wench! Give it me." (III, iii, 311)
"You rise to play and go to bed to work." (II, i, 114)
Brabantio is blinded by love for his daughter. He believes that she is an innocent child and would never marry ‘the Moor'/Othello of her own free will. He is so angered by the imagery that Iago gave him, he wants Othello killed.
"Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her./ For I'll refer me to all things of sense,/ If she in chains of magic were not bound .../ So opposite to marriage that she shunned/ the wealthy curled darlings of our nation, / Would over have .../ Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom? Of such a thing ... to fear not to delight." (I, ii, 63 - 71)
"Lay hold upon him: if he do resist,
Subdue him, at his peril." (I, ii, 80 - 81)
The William Shakespeare tragedy Othello features various types of love, but none compare to the love we find between the protagonist and his wife. In this essay let us examine “love” as found in the play.
...women after her discussion with the soothsayer: “… how weak a thing / The heart of woman is!” (II.iv.1182-1183)
Before coming directly to the forming of the love-theme that differentiates Othello from other Shakespeare plays that utilize the same theme, I turn arbitrarily to Iago to inspect a distinguishing mark of his of which the relevance to thematic form in the play will appear a little later. When Iago with unperceived scoffing reminds Roderigo, who is drawn with merciless attraction to the unreachable Desdemona, that love effects an unwonted nobility in men, he states a doctrine which he “knows” is true but in which he may not “believe.” Ennoblement by love is a real possibility in men, but Iago has to view it with bitterness and to try to undermine it. (333-34)
The love between Othello and Desdemona is a great venture of faith. He is free; she achieves her freedom, and at a great cost. Shakespeare, in creating the figure of her wronged father, who dies of grief at her revolt, sharpened and heightened, as everywhere, the story in the source. Her disobedience and deception of him perhaps cross her mind at Othello’s ominous ‘Think on thy sins.’ If so, she puts the thought aside with ‘They are loves I bear you.’ . . . Othello is a drama of passion and runs to the time of passion; it is also a drama of love which, failing to sustain its height of noon, falls at once to night. (141)
With Roderigo, someone he commands control over, Iago employs pathos, allowing his plan to appeal to Roderigo’s sensitive emotions about Othello. Roderigo and Iago discuss about how each of them despise Othello when Iago says, “If ever I did dream of such a matter, / Abhor me” using pathos to confirm his hatred towards the General (1.2. 5-6). The play commences with Iago employing direct rhetoric and partnering up with Roderigo to enhance a sense of comradery. Harsh language such as “Abhor me”, exemplifies the hateful emotions Iago feels toward Othello as well as enhances the emotions Iago wants to appeal to in Roderigo (1.2. 6). Affecting Roderigo more influentially, Iago uses deeper, more personal pathos, by highlighting the seemingly good qualities in Roderigo. Iago contrasts Roderigo to Othello pointing out, “Let not they discreet heart think it…manners and beauties: all which the/ Moor is defective in” (2.1. 215, 219-220). Firstly, Iago weighs Roderigo’s positive qualities against Othello’s negatives ones, convincing Roderigo to feel more confident with Iago and following along with his scheme. Secondly, Iago alters this rhetoric to include Roderigo’s love interest, Desdemona. By exemplifying a more personal and sensitive side when talking about “manners and beauties”, Iago can create a bigger impact in
Iago gave the impressions to betray Othello as a friend, and his marriage with Desdemona. Othello is given hints that his new wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio and is no longer loyal to Othello anymore. Othello once referred to Iago as “Honest Iago”, because he knew at the time that he co...
Now, when Othello and Desdemona, get the hesitant approval of their marriage by Desdemona’s father by blessing their marriage, the Father of Desdemona says “She has deceived her father, and may thee (Act 1, 3, 294).” This may not at first give Othello concern that his wife might cheat on him, but later with the help of Iago’s lies, this line becomes more relevant to Othello, giving him the idea that Desdemona may not always stay loyal. Now here Othello has some proof, of Desdemona’s betrayal but it is not very strong proof, at least not enough to go to the extreme the Othello went to. Now, Iago also makes himself seem innocent, by warning Othello, of jealousy and acting like a good friend, this shown when Iago warns Othello of the dangers of jealousy.... ...
The distortion of gender roles and the diminishing worth of women causes the power Iago attempts to have over Emilia to be more obvious. Because Iago thirsts for power he attempts to force others into keeping his plans a secret from others. Emilia realizes that this is not going to help anyone other than Iago. At the end of the play Emilia overcomes Iago’s power by saying’ “I will not charm my tongue: I am bound to speak” (5, 2, 181). This means that she will not stay quiet like every other person, she will speak the truth. By saying this, Emilia ends Iago’s overbearing power over her and allows herself to tell the truth about Iago’s plans. Emilia is fed up with Iago’s selfish antics, thus causing her to tell the tr...
At the beginning of the play, Iago and Roderigo imply that Brabantio’s property it’s stolen by “thieves” (1.1.81) when referring to Othello marrying her Daughter. Furthermore, because Brabantio sees her daughter like a possession, she can only have one “lord of duty” (1.3.185) and acts as if he has passes his property to Othello. In addition to this, Othello refers to his marriage with Desdemona as “The purchase made” (2.3.10), implying buying a possession from Brabantio. In Act 5, Scene 2 Othello kills Desdemona, although it 's believed an act of jealousy, it can be considered that is because his “purchase made” (2.3.10) did not serve the purpose of a wife because “she was a whore” (5.2.146). Similar, Iago decides to kill Emilia because she is no good for his purposes anymore and betrays
Othello is a man who is respected as a General in the Army. Brabanzio even considered him a friend. Thanks to Iago planting a seed in Brabanzio ear about his daughter, Desdemona, Brabanzio accused Othello of taking his daughter away from him by means of drugs or poision. Othello has fought on the battle-field and now finds himself on a very different kind of battle-field. He finds himself in a position of being forced to defend his honor, friendship and his love. There has been accusations made against Othello, so in a room filled with signors, masters, the Duke, and Brabanzio, Othello has a strategy of battlement in his own way. He tells the Duke to send for Desdemona, “Send for the lady to the Sagittary, And let her speak of me before her father” (1.3-115-116).
The play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragic play that goes over a variety of topics, from love to death. Othello is a tragic play due to its many aspects of death throughout it. One character that falls to the hands of death is one of the main characters, Othello, and another being his wife Desdemona. Each of these deaths are a direct cause of another character’s actions, Iago. Within the play there are scenes of manipulation, betrayal, jealousy, lust, deceit, and murder. This play, Othello, contains many characters that have important roles to the development of the play and the plots that occur. These characters are the ones that make the play what it is and create the various moods and themes throughout the play. The characters
Iago is a very strategic and clever person, and he despises Othello because Othello appointed Cassio as a lieutenant over Iago. He plans to ruin Othello’s life by ruining his relationship with Desdemona. He starts off by telling Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, of Othello and Desdemona’s secret marriage. Iago goes to
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is written in an entertaining and adventurous spirit, but serves a higher purpose by illustrating the century’s view of courtly love. Hundreds, if not thousands, of other pieces of literature written in the same century prevail to commemorate the coupling of breathtaking princesses with lionhearted knights after going through unimaginable adventures, but only a slight few examine the viability of such courtly love and the related dilemmas that always succeed. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that women desire most their husband’s love, Overall, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that the meaning of true love does not stay consistent, whether between singular or separate communities and remains timeless as the depictions of love from this 14th century tale still hold true today.
Angry over being passed up for a promotion Iago decided to take matters into his own hands. In order to become lieutenant Iago devised a plan that included breaking up Othello’s marriage and eliminating Cassio as competition. Iago enticed Roderigo to be his partner in crime with the promise of attaining Desdemona’s love. Desdemona had many suitors since she was an attractive young woman, yet she “shunned [t]he wealthy,” (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 66-67), which included Roderigo, who owned multiple plots of land. Roderigo, who was naïve for thinking Iago actually had his best interest in mind, was easily persuaded since he was obsessed with Desdemona. The truth of the matter was that