During the 1600’s (Elizabethan), in which Othello was published, the philosophies of religion were a dominant feature in literature. Religion was also a highly domineering facet of Elizabethan Literature, due to the influence of the protestant church and reigning monarch at the time. Religion is arguably explored as being painful and harrowing, which is debatably exemplified in Othello during his tribulations. Furthermore “The Monk”, being written in 1796, the ideology of religion was a reoccurring
Are the characters governed by fate or free will? Fate means a power that some people believe causes and controls all events, so that you cannot change or control way things will happen. Free will means the ability to decide what to make independently of any outside influence. The different between the two they justify the causes that are in somebody else’s hands or in your own hands. The reason why I picked the background information that supports my hook because life can be influenced by the outcome
Human Frailty in Othello Tragedy is an intrinsically human concept; tragic heroes are damned by what they themselves do. Othello is not so much felled by the actions of Iago, but by a quality all people possess-- human frailty. Accordingly, Othello is not a victim of consequences, but an active participant in his downfall. He is not merely a vehicle for the machinations of Iago; he had free agency. Othello's deficiencies are: an insecure grasp of Venetian social values; lack of critical intelligence
How Shakespeare Uses Language to Explain Othello's Character in Act III Scene III The purpose of this essay is to discuss the factors that effect Othello's change in attitude towards Desdemona in Act III Scene III. It will also discuss the feelings towards race and marriage in the Shakespearian era. I will focus on Iago's use of language in order to manipulate Othello. In Shakespeare's time the attitudes towards marriage and affairs were very different to rules and regulations nowadays
Pure and Foolish Love in Othello Othello, the central character of William Shakespeare's play is an excellent leader but a poor reasoner and foolish lover. The tragedy of `Othello' is largely due to Othello's personality and life experience. Othello believes himself to be loved and respected by everyone around him as most people refer to him as the "noble General Othello". Othello, after realizing his tragic mistake of murdering his innocent wife, Desdemona, claims he "loved not wisely
In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, we see a black man marrying a wealthy young white woman named Desdemona. The black man named Othello serves the Italian government, as a general, this man is a very a loyal and trusting person. Othello is easily persuaded as stated by Iago, his ancient, who wrights this passage about him ““The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are. (Act 1, 3,405.)“ This shows
Analysis of an Extract from William Shakespeare's Othello In the play 'Othello', four characters are murdered. The character Iago, who manipulated certain characters into wanting to kill them. Desdemona, Emilia, Othello, and Roderigo, are killed. Iago originally did this out of jealousy of Othello and Roderigo. The deaths of these four characters were inevitable. There was justice in this play for all of the characters who were involved in the killing of the four characters. Act V Scene
Gender Bias in Othello Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello is an unfortunate example of gender bias, of sexism which takes advantage of women. The three women characters in the drama are all, in their own ways, victims of men’s skewed attitudes regarding women. Let us delve into this topic in this essay. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine comment in the Introduction to Shakespeare: Othello that sexism is a big factor in the play: At this point in our civilization the play’s fascination
Tragedy of Othello” by Willian Shakespeare, Othello Changes from an intelligent and confident person to a senseless and insecure person. This change in his personality occurs mainly because: Iago plans to ruin his relationship with Desdemona, he was an Outsider, he had bad judgement when it came to trusting people and failed to see reality, his negative thinking about himself and his relationship with Desdemona. Iago is a very strategic and clever person, and he despises Othello because Othello appointed
The Complex Character of Iago of Othello Iago can be clearly characterized as the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello. The notion of the "honest" Iago does at times appear not to be a misnomer. In this essay I shall attempt to explore the complexities contained within the character of Iago. One of the most interesting questions that crops up is the one concerning Iago’s motives. What are his reasons to kill every major Venetian in Cyprus? Shakespeare seemingly sets the stage for Iago’s
and that all things ultimately tend toward evil” and that “evil outweighs the good” (The Free Dictionary). ‘Tragedy’ is generally associated with misery and death, which are considered as the worst occurrences in personal lives. In this essay, using Othello as an example, tragedy is examined as a genre of pessimistic perspectives. First, in accordance with the pessimistic approach, the prevailing themes in Othello were addressed from a negative point of view. Love, the main subject around which the
A Feminist Analysis of Othello In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello there are numerous instances of obvious sexism aimed at the three women in the drama -- Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca – and aimed at womankind generally. Let us delve into this subject in this paper. In the essay “Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello” Robert B. Heilman discusses a scene which occurs late in the play and which is sexist: When Othello summons Desdemona and dismisses Emilia, “Leave procreants
A Feminist Perspective of Othello Throughout the length of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello there is a steady undercurrent of sexism. It is originating from not one, but rather various male characters in the play, who manifest prejudicial, discriminatory attitudes toward women. In the opening scene, while Iago is expressing his hatred for the general Othello for his having chosen Michael Cassio for the lieutenancy, he contrives a plan to partially avenge himself (“I follow him to serve
TWO OTHER CHARACTERS IN ‘OTHELLO’ Iago controls and manipulates many characters in ‘Othello’ including Roderigo, Brabantio, Cassio, Emilia, Desdemona, and even Othello himself. I will only be looking at Cassio and Othello because the fate of Iago’s plans rest in their actions, therefore he controls and manipulates them more than any of the other characters like Roderigo who is also manipulated by Iago for a lot of the play but I found the relationship between Othello, Cassio, and Iago more interesting
Shakespeare’s play Othello is often criticized as being one of the most limited and bland of his great tragedies. This is most often the case because the character of Othello is often seen as flat and one dimensional, not a true tragic hero. We see his actions as predictable, his blind loyalty to Iago as foolish, and his mistrust of Desdemona unwarranted. I feel that it is very easy to fall into this trap as readers because we have the whole picture of what is going on, we see everything and we
Copious Imagery within the Tragedy Othello In the Bard of Avon’s tragic drama Othello there resides imagery of all types, sizes and shapes. Let us look at the playwright’s offering in this area. In the essay “Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello” Robert B. Heilman discusses the significance of imagery within this play: Reiterative language is particularly prone to acquire a continuity of its own and to become “an independent part of the plot” whose effect we can attempt to
Discrimination Against Women in Othello The Shakespearean drama Othello renders less to the female gender than it does to the male gender. All the women characters are victims – unjustly so. Let’s talk about the obvious sexism throughout the play. Susan Snyder in “Othello: A Modern Perspective” expounds on the sexist notions typical of Venice: The pervasive notion of woman as property, prized indeed but more as object than as person, indicates one aspect of a deep-seated sexual
The Character of Othello Shakespeare's Othello is not simply a play which embodies the conflict between insider and outsider. The paradigm of otherness presented in this play is more complicated than the conclusion, "Othello is different; therefore, he is bad." Othello's character is to be revered. He is a champion among warriors; an advisor among councilmen; a Moor among Venetians. Yes, Othello is a Moor, but within the initial configuration of the play, this fact is almost irrelevant. His
The Lost Identitiy of Othello Othello's identity in the Venetian society is his role as "the Moor". Few people use his real name when talking about him. When speaking the given quote, Othello is telling the Venetians how he won Desdemona's heart by telling her the story of his life, and he now retells it to the Venetians. This tale-telling is a way of employing the linguistic system to reshape for himself a new identity with more positive connotations than "the Moor" can offer. "The Moor" is
Obeyed Wifehood and Conceiving Womanhood in Othello and Oroonoko Many readers feel the tendency to compare Aphra Behn's Oroonoko to William Shakespeare's Othello. Indeed they have many features in common, such as wives executed by husbands, conflicts between white and black characters, deceived heroes, the absolute vulnerability of women, etc. Both works stage male characters at both ends of their conflicts. In Othello, the tragic hero is Othello, and the villain is Iago. In Oroonoko, the hero is