The First Two Acts of Othello by William Shakespeare
The play opens with Iago telling Roderigo how much he hates Othello,
the Moor, and his first line foreshadows the bloodshed that is to come
although it is only at the end of the first act that we see the extent
of Iago's hatred. His blasphemy gives an audience some insight into
his character, and shows underlying tensions and corruptions in the
society's religiousness, which also mirrors the way in which human
nature is flawed. He tells Roderigo that he hates Othello because he
promoted Cassio instead of himself, but his last soliloquy also shows
us that he suspects Othello to have slept with his wife, Emilia, and
that he will act on his suspicion "as if for surety". He tells the
audience what he plans to do, and reveals his thoughts about Othello's
nature. The way in which he uses Roderigo shows us his ruthlessness
and cunning, and he manipulates Roderigo into giving him money for his
'advice', which the audience knows to be false. He tells Roderigo that
Desdemona will grow tired of Othello, and that then she will turn to
him, and Roderigo believes him, which shows an audience his
gullibility and Iago's manipulativeness, especially after Desdemona
and Othello's profound declaration of love for each other, which also
will make the audience feel more sympathetic about the way Iago plans
to take revenge on Othello.
Iago is called "honest" by Othello, and Desdemona's care is entrusted
unto him by Othello, but the audience has already seen examples of his
dishonesty in the way he is leading Roderigo on with false hopes and
taking money off him, and when Roderigo leaves, he says "Thus do I
ever make my fool my purse", which again shows the audience the way in
which Roderigo is being manipulated.
Roderigo's love for Desdemona seems mad and irrational, and he does
not think for himself as much as he follows what Iago tells him. Since
the audience already knows of Iago's plan, the way Roderigo blindly
Act One of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare The play Romeo and Juliet is set in "fair Verona" in Italy. Shakespeare based his play on a poem by Brooke and brought it to the theatres in 1595. Although the play is set in Italy many things mentioned could be found in Elizabethan England, for example the Capulet's party. This suggests to me that Shakespeare had little knowledge of Italian life and culture.
In Act I Scene I, the first glimmer of hope is revealed in the play at a
William Shakespeare's The Tempest “The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance” In act five, scene one, I believe that the lines; “the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance“ are pivotal to the text, because the outcome of Prospero’s decision determines how the play concludes. There are many subtle hints in the text which could suggest why Prospero makes the decision that he does. First, we must question the nature of forgiveness in ’The Tempest‘.
black general is the hero. This would have been at a time when much of
One way in which Caliban shows he may be just a savage is through his
The Comedy and Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare The Prologue includes phrases like 'death-marked love' and 'fatal
The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. “A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.”(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit.
referred to as the Moor. a racial comment used to him to make him feel
the play then develops from Act 1 Scene 5 as it shapes the whole plot.
From the beginning of the play we are told of how and why Prospero is
What are some of the first themes that come to mind when thinking of Othello? Perhaps a theme that comes to mind is treachery, exploitation, envy, or even racism. What about love versus war? What about the fact that Othello was a soldier who was not able to balance his war love with his love life? Othello is a military general who has a long experience of war as well as a long experience of victories. He has spent most of his life defending Venice due to his strong will, his love for the city, and for his hate of defeat. His victories in battle and war have brought him Desdemona’s love, but alas, it has also taken her love away from him. The incompatibility of military heroism and love is a battle that Othello loses within himself. As Shakespeare explores this theme of military heroism’s incompatibility with love and the internal struggle between man as soldier and man as lover, its shocking climax erupts on the isolated island of Cyprus.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy… it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. (New International Version, 1 Cor. 13.4-8).
Iago capitalizes on Othello’s naivety and virtue to get revenge on him. In act one, Othello is described as a character that is “far more fair than black” (I.iii.289). He is a man that has only been exposed to the hardship of war as he says, “Till now some nine moons wasted, they have us’d / Their dearest action in the tented fields” (I.iii.84-85). He admits he has little experience with the world as he explains to his audience, “Rude am I in my speech/ And little blses’d with the soft phrases of speech” (I.iii.81-82). Without hesitation Iago makes Othello’s good traits negative. He reassures Rodergio that Othello has no guidance in the world, and with his virtuous nature, he trusts anyone. Iago says, “The Moor is of free and open nature” (I.iii.399). Without further ado Iago points out how such a lovely trait can something awful by explaining that Othello “Thinks men honest that by seem to be/And will as tenderly be led by th’nos/As asses are” (I.iii.400-402). Iago’s acknowledgement of Othello’s naivety proves true when Othello characterizes Iago as “most honest” (II.iii.7). Iago p...
Have you ever seen a play that has a unique cast of characters and clearly shows us how when you love somebody, they can eventually stab you in the back or when you kill somebody they stay alive even though you stab them in the back numerous times and they apologize for something they did to you? I can think of one play that can answer each of these questions and a whole lot more. This play is Shakesphere’s Othello and it is one with an epic war between Love and Evil. While reading Othello, one encounters such diverse and dynamic characters as, Othello, Desdemona, Rodergio, Iago, and Cassio. These characters are all affected, in some way either by jealousy, or manipulated by Iago to feel jealousy. The literary techniques that Shakespeare uses to advance the theme of “Jealousy ultimately destroys those affected by it,” are: characterization and personification. Another theme that also pops up in Othello is “Good vs. Evil” because there are equal amounts of good people and evil people in the story. One critic agreed that Othello was based on the theme of Jealousy.
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.