The Foolish Othello

857 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Comparison and contrast between Hamlet and Othello

In the tragedy Othello by Shakespeare there are three characters. Shakespeare used many character traits in this tragedy. There are many character traits in Othello evil, foolish, and pure good. Shakespeare made Othello a naïve fool but a virtuous man.

Othello has always been in love with Desdemona; but he let everything get in the way. Othello says "Rude am I in my speech, And little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace: For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used Their dearest action in the tented field, And little of this great world can I speak, More than pertains to feats of broil and battle, And therefore little shall I grace my cause In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience, I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver Of my whole course of love" (1.3.81-91). In this quote Othello describes his love for Desdemona; and tells his life story to explain himself. This quote took place in the very beginning when he and Desdemona just got married. Then he let Iago into the picture; and then Othello’s and Desdemona’s pure love was diminished. When Iago comes to tell Othello that Desdemona is being unfaithful he states, “Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof” (3.3.3360). Even though Iago has come and told him that his wife is cheating he wants proof that she is doing that. The reason why is because he loves her so much, and he does not want to just assume that she is being unfaithful. Now Iago kept coming back feeding the fire that he created; by talking to Othello about the “love triangle” between Cassio, Desdemona, and himself. Othello states “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, Chaos is come again”(3.3.90-2)...

... middle of paper ...

...t Desdemona. Othello dismisses Iago from the room because this is where you can start to see that Iago’s plan is plan is working. After all of this Othello tells Iago to kill Cassio and he would take care of his wife. When the plan is completed and Iago has got caught he states “Demand me nothing: what you know, you know: From this time forth I never will speak word”. (5.2.11) Othello has ruined his name for good with his people, and his country. Once he realizes this he kills himself because he was not virtuous at this point he was foolish.

One would say that Othello has been played like a fool. But another could say that Othello has done it to himself; because after all he did trust a liar. Othello is a naïve fool but he is a virtuous man.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, and Jane Coles. Othello. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Insecurity In Othello

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even before Iago exerts his influence over Othello, we can observe the inklings of Othello’s insecurity and the doubt he has regarding his relationship with Desdemona. During his audience with the Duke, Othello describes the circumstances by which he became acquainted with Desdemona. He says on the occasions that he told Brabantio of his life stories, he would also tell Desdemona the same stories. Then, Othello self-consciously proposes that the sole reason why Desdemona loves him is because she pitied his misfortunes: “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them” (I.iii.193-194). Othello feels way because as

    Read More

  • The Dual Nature of Characters in Shakespeare's Othello

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    honest man to deceive Othello and other characters in the play. The perception of the public

    Read More

  • Othello's Transformation: A Journey into Jealousy and Weakness

    1994 Words  | 4 Pages

    The hero’s, Othello, tragic flaw could be seen to be his lack of self-knowledge which brings about his downfall. It can be argued that Othello has a number of problems such as a propensity to jealousy, poor judgement of character and a violent nature, however this could all be resolved through self-knowledge. In addition to this, throughout the play Othello proves that he is self-centred and lacks self-knowledge because he gives in to his propensity to jealous which makes him lose sight of what is happening around him. He is so blinded by jealousy that he is unable to balance emotion with logic and becomes stubborn when he hears Iago’s lies. This suggests that his lack of self-knowledge and reason sets him up for his own demise due to the fact that he possesses a weak character and has a propensity to

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Othello - The Motivations of Iago in Othello

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    As early as the first scene of the play Iago shows us strong motives for his actions. In this first scene we see Othello, a general of Venice, has made Cassio his new lieutant. Iago feels he truly deserves his promotion as he says "I know my price, I am worth more no worse a place."(l.i.12) Iago over here is confused why Othello has made such a stupid decision. Iago is a man with a tremendous ego who knows, sometimes overestimates, his worth. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman, understands Iago when Iago said that he is "affined to love the Moor."(l.i.41-42) What Iago really means is "I follow him to serve my term upon him."(l.i.45) Iago wants to use Othello for his personal goals. We also must put ourselves into Iago's shoes. He is a man whose self-esteem and professional carrier have just been torn apart. Iago makes his actions of revenge toward Othello almost immediately by informing Brabantio, a Venetian senator and father of Desdemona, that "an old black ram (Othello) is tupping (his) white ewe (Desdemona)."(l.i.97)

    Read More

  • Othello's Honor

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare tells the tale of the “noble Moor” whose honor and innocence bring about his downfall. Shakespeare writes of the power of jealousy, and the art of masterful deception and trickery. The story primarily takes place in Cyprus, during a war between the people of Venice and the invading Turks. In this play Shakespeare shows the feelings of Othello’s embittered right-hand man of, Iago, who feels he is passed over for a promotion and swears his revenge. He proceeds to manipulate his friends, enemies, and family into doing his bidding without any of them ever realizing his ultimate goal. He makes Othello believe that his new wife, the innocent Desdemona, is committing adultery with his newly promoted officer Michael Cassio. After this seed of jealousy has been planted, Othello’s mind takes its course in determining the true outcome, with a little more nudging from Iago. The course of action he proceeds to follow is one that not only ends his own life, but also the life of his wife and others. In Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, Othello is a man who is still truly honorable, despite the course of action he takes to resolve his perceived problem.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Othello

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    “I asked her to wear something revealing, so she showed up in a prophet's toga.”(CITE) Jarod Kintz’s words are an example of miscommunication, or failure to comprehend meaning. In this case, it is implied that one person misunderstood the message of another, but incomprehension also applies to problems other than falsely interpreted requests. Incomprehension can occur when people misinterpret another’s words or intentions, or when a person misreads situations or events. The outcome described in Kintz’s quote is unexpected and unintended, but there are instances of incomprehension that have consequences of greater severity. Perhaps a classic tragedy with a high body count falls under these parameters.

    Read More

  • othello

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Act 1. Desdemona admits that she fell in love with Othello's eloquence and harrowing adventures; 'I saw Othello's visage in his mind'. This outlines his sense of nobility in language,which empahsis how much of an experienced warrior ans revered noble man he is. Moreover Desdemona reveals Othello's nobility of love, 'She loved me for the dangers I had passed/ I loved her that she did pity them'. She succeeds in unveiling a side in Othello's nature which show him as a loving, respectful husband. He is clearly trustful of Desdemona and is not by any means jealous of him, as he allows her to travel to Cyprus with Iago,' To his conveyance I assign my wife'.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Othello

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each character makes their own decisions and has their own flaws, which is very humanistic. Shakespeare’s use of tragedy shows, “…in a universe in which order and disorder coexist, human choices play a vital and potentially destructive part. ”(3:100) Shakespeare develops the character Iago into an instigator and evil man. Iago attempts and succeeds to convince Othello that his wife has had an affair with his friend Cassio.

    Read More

  • How Does Iago Change In Othello

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Othello's Tragic Flaw

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of Shakespeare’s five greatest tragedies, Othello is by far the most passionate and gripping. It is a tale of love, deception, evil, honesty, and virtue. Othello himself is set apart from other Shakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full hopeful support until the inevitable and unavoidable fall. The evil side of Othello’s tragic flaw came from without, in the form of Iago. The internal flaw exists only in his heartrendingly unshakable goodness and honor.

    Read More

  • Othello Analysis

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    Later, when he is speaking to the duke, Othello says, “Most humbly, therefore, bending to your state, I crave fit disposition for my wife” (I.iii.231). Once again, he continues to stay calm and nonchalant as he explains to the duke that he has done nothing in his life involving witchcraft but that Desdemona and he got married because “She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, And I lov'd her that she did pity them” (I.iii.167), meaning Desdemona fell in love with Othello because of the stories he told her, not be...

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Othello - Essay on Iago as the Hero of Othello

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    Iago was the main character who caused all the destruction at the end of the play, however there was always some worries going along in the play because Othello was a black man and he was married to the young, very much younger than him, Desdemona. Who also is a white lady. Neither the less this essay is not about Othello and Desdemona. Iago had Othello believe that Cassio was having an affair with Desdemona. There isn't really any conclusion or reasoning for Iago's doings, perhaps besides the only reason which he knows. And that reason none of us know of. The only conclusion i can come up with on why Iago has done what he done is because he was looking out for himself. This reminds me of a saying i use to always hear. "Nothing is going to happen for yourself unless you make it happen yourself." I don't know if Iago knew what the outcome of his doings would be, which was death for him, but i do believe he did the things he did because he was looking out for himself.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Iago and Lucifer

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the antagonist and villain who causes all the trouble and disorder. Othello is the protagonist, and is the main person Iago’s destruction and revenge is aimed towards. Othello is naïve and gives everybody his trust even though he may not know them or they haven’t earned his trust yet. He often refers to Iago has “Honest” Iago, which is a direct showing of irony because Iago is not honest at all (Shakespeare, I, iii. 289). Iago is so angry that Othello didn’t give him the promotion that was given to Cassio that he plans to seek revenge against Othello. He seeks his revenge against Othello by manipulating and lying to all of the people around him including his closest friend Roderigo, Cassio, Othello’s wife Desdemona and even his own wife Emilia. In the end, Iago’s lies and manipulation led to the deaths of Roderigo, Emilia, Othello and Desdemona. This isn’t the first time many of these individual characteristics have shown up in one of Shakespeare’s plays.

    Read More

  • Tragic Hero's Downfall In Othello '

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the drama, Othello let Iago control him as if he was a puppet under his master’s hands. When Iago first brought up the idea that Desdemona and Cassio might be having an affair, Othello did not believe him, he had faith in his wife. After many lies that Iago planted in Othello’s ears, Othello started to believe him and he dropped most of the faith that he had in Desdemona. Iago told Othello that in his sleep, Cassio said “Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our love”. Cursed fate that gave thee the Moor” (III.iii.416-417).

    Read More

  • Othello, by William Shakespeare

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play Othello was littered with accusations and errors of many people. Some hurt one another for self benefit, some did for revenge, but some others were just plain stupid. Nobody stuck up for themselves as normal human beings should do in times of need, instead just sitting and taking it, letting the antagonist win the battles and eventually the war. All of this is true, but the primary example of stupidity in this book is the main character, Othello. Othello is hands down the dumbest character in the book, clearly not having the ability to use his head and get his facts straight in any shape or form. He is solely to blame for his own actions in the book because he lets Iago control his beliefs, he is overcome by jealousy, his love for Desdemona, and his goodness to people.

    Read More

More about The Foolish Othello

Open Document