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Literary essay on how Iago contributes to the eventual downfall of Othello
Critical analysis of othello's character
Critical analysis of othello's character
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The Pride of Othello
In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello's pride prevents him from finding the truth, eventually leading to his demise. Initially, Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love, despite her father's disapproval of their marriage. However, when Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago to Lieutenant, Iago has his revenge by convincing Othello that Desdemona cheats on him with Cassio, destroying the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Othello grows to meet his downfall when his trusted friend Iago causes him to think that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful.
In the beginning of the play, Othello and Desdemona have a strong relationship. When others interfere with their marriage, Othello and Desdemona do not allow themselves to split up. Brabantio, furious that his daughter Desdemona loves Othello, tries to convince the Duke that Desdemona's love of Othello subsists because he cast a spell on her. However, Othello opposes Brabantio's accusation: "I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver / Of my whole course of love: what drugs, what charms, / What conjuration, and what mighty magic, -- / For such proceeding I am charged withal,-- / I won his daughter" (I.iii.102-106). Othello not only proves to the Duke that he won Desdemona because she fell in love with him, but he also proves his loyalty to Desdemona in showing that he will not let anyone come between them. Soon after, Othello and Desdemona prove their love by refusing to leave each other. The Duke informs Othello that the Turks have invaded Cyprus. Othello, not wanting to leave her, asks Desdemona to come along; however, Brabantio does not wish for Desdemona to join Othello. When the Duke suggests that she should sta...
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... Commend me to my kind lord: O, farewell!" then dies (V.ii.149-150). Desdemona lies to Emilia in order to keep Othello from getting hurt, thus proving her unending loyalty to Othello; however, Othello does not speak up and declare that he killed Desdemona which would destroy his reputation, proving that his self-pride stays strong. The marriage between Othello and Desdemona fails to stay together as a result of Othello's growing self-pride.
In conclusion, Othello's and Desdemona's marriage fails to continue as a result of Othello's disloyalty to Desdemona, as well as his inability to prove to himself that he is wrong because such a fact would ruin his self-pride. Shakespeare decides to leave the play's conflict unresolved, proving that one cannot correct many of life's problems where jealousy or a lack of communication exists.
Othello has many positive traits, including being a great leader and loyal. He also has one negative trait that ultimately leads to his death; jealousy. Iago provokes deep, strong emotions in Othello, jealousy being the strongest. Jealousy is a nasty little emotion. It causes people to do terrible things because once it is on a person’s conscience, it stays for quite some time. Because of these effects, jealousy can impact some of the strongest people such as Othello. The love between Desdemona and Othello was portrayed so elevated and pure and was filled with religious words and phrases that just added to the strength and sanctity of their love. Othello has such a strong mind, but jealousy caused by the manipulation of Iago, negatively impacts him. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with his friend Cassio. When Othello asks Iago for proof of Desdemona’s deceit, Iago describes scenes and events in which Othello has a reason to be jealous. In Act III, Scene I Iago is describing to Othello, Desdemona and Cassio’s imagined relationship, “It is impossible you should see this/ were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, as salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross as ignorance made drunk.” These images planted themselves inside Othello’s mind and haunted him until he did something about it. These images led to Othello believing Desdemona really did love
In William Shaspeare play Othello, Iago make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He does by taking advantage of any situation to make of Othello doubt. Iago make Othello thing a lot of crazy thing on his head, Othello got so jelous leading him to kill his own wife, Desdemona, satisfying iago obseccion for revenge.
Love and story of Othello and Desdemona is full of dramatic irony which was caused by differences between reality and appearance, result and expectation, intention and meaning. Their love was beautiful and ugly at the same time. It was beautiful because they seemed to be truly in love with each other. On the other side it was crippled by distrust and jealousy. As it was stated before, Othello was a different person with a totally different outlook on life and reality. Unfortunately Iago was pretty skillful in manipulating Othello and using situations to his advantage. He managed to distort Othello’s reality and made him think Desdemona was not true
The scene in which Othello and Brabantio argue their cases before the Duke is the culmination of the underlying conflict between Desdemona and Brabantio. Desdemona's direct part in the saga is less important than the effects of this conflict on Othello, who emerges an honorable and lawfully wedded man after his appearance before the Senate. However, the dubious nature of the marriage is to cause conflict later in the story, as Brabantio effectively disowns Desdemona and gives fuel to the gossip machine. Several times the fact that Othello stole Desdemona is given as proof that she can be stolen from him.
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.
The situation can be broken down into two parts: one with Iago bringing out all of Othello’s insecurities with his wife and also with Othello acting on his doubts to kill Desdemona. This action, killing Desdemona, makes Othello a tragic figure in this script because he killed the wife he loved so much; without knowing she was innocent. This tragic role of the main character in Shakespeare’s drama is quite common, even in a different drama, “Macbeth”, the original protagonist would succumb to internal conflicts. “the tragic hero—a man (Macbeth) of fundamental goodness whose inherent weakness results from an arrogant sense of self-sufficiency” (Conlin 15). This role of a tragic hero strikes Othello when his inherent weakness, jealousy, overcomes him as he murders
Brabantio also endeavours into placing a seed of doubt in Othello’s mind as a result of his jealousy. Consequentially Brabantio objectifies Desdemona when he states, “Where has thou stow’d my daughter?” exemplifying how he deems her as a possession, which can be stolen like any other. Othello prolongs this objectification through asserting that he “won his daughter” portraying Desdemona as a prize to be won, and a possession to be owned and argued over by husband and father. Desdemona is depicted early on in the play as the “angel” wi... ...
Even on her death bed, Desdemona’s character of an inanimate object belonging to Othello is carried on. It is lead on by Emilia’s question of “who hath done this deed” (5.2.137) referring to Desdemona’s death and her reply, “Nobody. I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. Oh, farewell!”(5.2.138-139), overall putting the responsibility of her death upon herself. Leaving the readers impression of Desdemona as one filled with sympathy and rage against her unwillingness to fight her independence as well as against the men of this time period for not realizing the importance of such a woman.
The most important relationship displayed in the story is between Othello and Desdimona. Shakespeare uses many examples to illustrate how the bond between them shines in the beginning and then fades as the play progresses. At the opening of the play they are being married without Desdimona's father's consent. In this time period a father owned his daughter in a way, and held the right to choose her husband. When her father ( Brabantio) learns of the news he is furious. He claims that Othello "hast enchanted her! / she had/ run from her guardage, to the sooty bosom of such a thing as thou/(1.3.64-73). This shows that Brabrantio thought his daughter to be unacceptable of choosing a husband ...
Othello is a man of romantic nature. He fell in love with the beautiful Desdemona. He was accused of stealing her away from her father. Othello was of a different race and did not fit in with her family. Othello makes a plea for Desdemona and tells his story which wooed her to begin with. Othello tells of the love that her father showed him since his boyish days. This was like a match made in heaven that overcame many obstacles which got in their way. Othello could not understand why he was good enough to work and fight alongside of her father, but was not good enough for his daughter.
Desdemona professed her love for Othello in front of her father and the court. By doing so she reinforced the fact that no magic or mystical powers were used and she explained how she went with Othello freely, by doing so she redefines her own status as Othello’s wife (Calderwood 29). By confessing her love, Desdemona is presenting to Othello her faithfulness to him because she is allowing all of them (those in the court) to know about her love, which should allow Othello to see her love for him is real and that he is able trust her and love her.
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...
The Administrative Dispute Resolution Act (ADRA) of 1996 requires federal agencies to have policies that address the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques and to appoint a Dispute Resolution Specialist. For the purpose of the statute, "alternative means of dispute resolution" include conciliation, mediation, facilitation, fact-finding, minitrials and the use of "ombuds." (Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996.)
In Othello, the main character Othello is newly married to his innocent wife Desdemona. They are a perfect couple, until Othello’s “friend” Iago, starts to
The role of jealousy, love and betrayal play a major role in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. The entire play is based on the human interactions of the characters as related to Othello and Desdemona. The characters’ personalities, their social status, and their relationships to each other control the story line and their fate in the play. Othello is portrayed early in the play as an outsider with animalistic characteristics by Iago and Roderigo because of jealousy. “Your heart is burst; and have lost half of your soul/Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe”.(531) Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, accuses Othello of using witch craft on his daughter. “If she in chains of magic were not bound/ Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy/ So opposite to marriage that she shunned…” (535) This point is important because Othello must defend himself not only to Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, but to the entire Venetian Senate. “And till she come, as truly as to heaven,/ I do confess the vices of my blood./ So justly to your grave ears I’ll present/ How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, / And she in mine.” (539) Othello proves himself to be an intellectual hero early in the play. He has worked hard to gain respectability and power, but because he has a different background, is from another country, is dark-skinned and is older than Desdemona, he becomes jealous very quickly of Cassio. Cassio is from the same social class, is compatible with Desdemona and is a young handsome man. Iago has also convinced Cassio to seek favor with Desdemo...