In the play, Othello written by William Shakespeare in 1602, the protagonist Othello has three distinct personalities that abide through the conflicts in the play and define his personality more and more through each page turn. Throughout the play the reader witnesses many different personalities carried out by Othello, the most prominent being; doubtfulness, rationality, and his being a “jealous monster”. Even though on the surface, his personalities may seem very contradictive of one another, they are not. Through his rationality he becomes doubtful, unfortunately making him a jealous monster in regard to Desdemona leading to his psychological weakness of inferiority.
There are many instances in the play when Othello’s personality can be described as doubtful. One of the utmost occurrences of Othello’s doubt can be seen when he was questioning his wife, Desdemona about where her handkerchief was. He and Iago saw it at Cassio’s house earlier that day, so he jumped to the conclusion that he she left it at Cassio’s house when she “slept” with him. The handkerchief has important significance to Othello because it was his first gift to Desdemona and a symbol of his love for her. The fact that she has misplaced it leads Othello to believe she doesn’t care about their relationship anymore thus creating massive amounts of doubt within his heart. However, Othello is partially creating the doubt on his own because he isn’t certain that Desdemona slept with Cassio, he is just relying on what he saw and heard from Iago. Othello also displays doubt in his servant, Iago. This is seen when Othello keeps questioning him about what he is thinking in regard to Desdemona and Cassio, asking him what he’s trying to imply after Iago has stated sev...
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...e of less stature and it was breaking the rules of society to break the color barrier in regard to marriage. Through his suffering came jealousy which has a direct effect on Othello’s actions, such as threatening to kill the lovely Desdemona. His inferiority has also lead Othello to be skeptical of his marriage, wondering why Desdemona married him, and if she plans on leaving him anytime soon due to societal pressures and Cassio’s “love.”
Through Othello’s three distinct personalities the reader gets a taste of the play that they wouldn’t have otherwise. His actions speak loudly, and the audience is never left in confusion as to why Othello is doubtful, rational, and a jealous monster. Through clear characterization in regard to the character, Othello, Shakespeare does a nice job of showing his psychological weakness without writing it word for word in the text.
1.) In the play “The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice” written by Williams Shakespeare, he reveals the main themes in Othello’s final speech. The two main themes Othello illustrates in his final speech are reputation and jealousy. In Othello’s speech he says, “When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am.” (Shakespeare 355), showing the importance of his reputation. He is unable to cope with criticism due to his low-self-esteem and therefore, cares what other individuals have to say about him. Othello’s dark skin is the reason why he does not have high-self-esteem and becomes jealous when Iago tells him about his wife having an affair with Cassio. Othello loves Desdemona but he feels that he is not good enough for her
In the beginning Othello is seen as a calm collected man when put into an awkward situation, such as being ridiculed by his wife’s father in thinking that Othello has used some sort of magic to gain Desdemona 's infection. Othello’s calm collected ways start to deteriorate after he is convinced by Iago, a deceiving evil man that Desdemona has slept with Cassio. Othello’s self control no longer exist once he is fully convinced that it is in fact true that Desdemona has been unfaithful. His sense of what is real and what is not real is thrown out the window. Othello starts to become extremely jealous of his used to be beloved Cassio, and after considering giving back his spot as liternuanat he denies him that. He starts to become cold and distant towards his wife, and starts to call her out of her name. As Othello continues to lose control the people around him start to doubt his abilities of being able to protect Cyprus, and even his wife starts to doubt him, and agree with her father. No one knows who this man is anymore, he has started to act in an insanely matter. He can longer be his true self and take on the responsibilities of being general as he starts to crack. With Othello being faced with evil, him being calm is no longer an option for him because he can’t face the fact that the person he loves so dearly is cheating on him. Going back the they handkerchief, the symbol of his love for her. Othello seeing Cassio with Desdemona’s handkerchief sets him over the edge becoming truly convinced that his wife has betrayed him. Even when Desdemona and her maid Emila, Iago’s wife, has told him countless times that she has not been unfaithful, he is so far gone from reality that he does not believe either one of them. With the state of mind he’s in he cannot bear the thought of another man touching his wife. Othello and Iago plan to kill Cassio and Desdemona. After he
In Shakespeare’s Othello, the character of Othello is seen as an unfit man due to his propensity to jealous and his weak character. Leavis’ evaluation of Othello’s character can be seen to be true to a very high extent because during the course of the play, Othello evolves into a weak, jealous character who is easily manipulated and made jealous by the scheming of Iago. We can see this change in his character through the use of a number of techniques such as stage directions, soliloquies, dialogue and stage action. This makes it easier for the audience to follow and plot exactly where during the play Othello begins to show jealous and a weak character.
After reading Othello by Shakespeare over about 3 times, I came to feel sorry for a man that I can easily say was gulled into tragedy by his own purity. I can see Othello as a man that could sit at the ‘Round Table” with King Arthur and rank among those wonderous knights of chivalry. At his end, he had nothing. The Duke calls Othello ‘Valiant Othello’ (1057) Othello also stands ready to face Brabantio, Iago tells him to run. Othello - ‘Not I; I must be found. My parts, my title and my perfect soul Shall manifest me rightly. (1054) As grand as his internal characteristics are, he also stumbles with his own susceptibility to become betrayed.
Othello is without a doubt obsessively in love with Desdemona that the preconcieved idea of her cheating on him will throw him into an uncontrollable fits of rage that could be seen as slight symptoms of excessive jealousy responses in the brain. As a soldier Othello is supposed to hold himself to a higher standard. However Iago has made it a point to mention Othello’s epileptic tantrums as “passion unfitting such a man” (Act IV,scene 1). Othello a man of such noble standard and solidarity is witnessed as revealing weakness and vulnerability by the uncertainty of marriage with Desdemona.
Othello is not judged for his race in his professional life, and Othello eventually opens up to Desdemona who doesn’t see him as a general, nor does he feel like one ar...
Within the drama, “The Tragedy of Othello”, Othello maintains a vital role in the plot within Shakespeare’s writing. Othello held a prominent role in society as a general for Venice and was both physically and psychologically respected in his community. However, during the drama Othello makes an important decision by choosing to murder Desdemona even with no clear proof; this action would affect Othello greatly as the drama transpired. Throughout Shakespeare’s script, Othello is continuously manipulated by Iago which ultimately results in not only the death of Desdemona but also the death of Othello himself. All of his actions would play a part in the overall analyzation of Othello; a tragic hero.
At the beginning of the play, the audience is made aware that Othello is a Moor working in the service of Venice. During the time the play was written, racism was strong. Despite Othello’s carefully built up life in which he managed to rise from being very poor to a powerful general, he still experienced racism from characters such as Roderigo and Brabantio. In Act One Scene One, Brabantio is appalled at the idea of his delicate daughter Desdemona secretly marrying a black man without his consent. He openly insults Othello, oblivious to Othello’s power: “That thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals.” Brabantio is accusing Othello of witchcraft and trickery, and suggesting that no one could ever love him without the influence of his evil witchcraft. The audience feels pity for Othello because they know that Othello loves Desdemona and that he is a kind man, and is receiving these insults because of his race. The audience realises that he is already at a ...
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, but too well", this is an honest reflection of himself as his love was true and pure but also foolish. His lack of wisdom is because of his little experience in personal relationship and his role as a noble solider. Othello did love too well and it is shown right through the play as he displays his love for Desdemona but also his ignorant trust and love for Iago, his Ancient. Only knowing a soldier's life, Othello was unwise in relationships and love.
In the first act of scene 4, we see Othello and Iago discussing Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. Othello still doesn't want to believe that Desdemona is capable, or would cheat on him. They're discussing the handkerchief, it's a very significant in the play, it's one of the first signs for Othello to believe that Desdemona is cheating on him. We usually see Othello defending Desdemona and Iago accusing her, but the roles have reversed and Iago seems to be defending Desdemona, while producing more "evidence" to condemn her. When Iago simply just says “Lie-” (Page 169, Line 33) without any further elaboration, Othello immediately assumes 'Lie with her”, which gives him more proof to condemn Desdemona and Cassio. Othello almost seems to be persuading himself that Desdemona did cheat on him when he says “Lie with her? Lie on her? We say lie on her when they belie her. Lie with her -Zounds, that's fulsome” (Page 169, lines 35-37). Right after that he falls in a trance, and Iago takes this opportunity, to make his accusation more believable. He calls in Cassio and tells him to come back again...
The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.
In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare creates a mood that challenges the way a person sees his or her self and the world. Subjects like racism, sexism, love, hate, jealously, pride, and trickery are thoroughly developed in the play of Othello to enable the audience to view the characters and also themselves. The Shakespearean tragedy of Othello was written in a time of great racial tensions in England. According to Eldred Jones, in 1600 just three years before Othello was written, Queen Elizabeth proclaimed an Edict for the Transportation of all "negars and blackmoores" out of the country ("Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays 39). It is in this atmosphere that Shakespeare began the masterpiece of Othello, a drama about a noble black Arab general, Othello, who falls in love with and marries, Desdemona, a young white daughter of a senator. From the above knowledge one may conclude that Shakespeare wrote Othello to express that all people, of all ethnicity, are basically the same in human nature. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of Othello from an Italian love story by Giraldi Cinthio. However, Shakespeare focuses more on the differences in color and age between Othello and Desdemona than Cinthio. Shakespeare does this to escalate Othello’s isolation from the rest of Venetian society and to display Othello’s vulnerability due to his color. In the tragedy not only is Othello susceptible to weaknesses but so is every major character . The tragedy reminds humans that even one’s good nature can be taken advantage of for the worse. The drama Othello expresses, through relationships and emotional attitudes, a theme that all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they are in positions of power and glory.
Internal and external struggles influence people to action, be it swift and daring or cunning and low. In Shakespeare's plays, the events around and within a character often combine to cause a character to act in a manner that would be considered out of character or unnatural for the person. Shakespeare uses these characters to provide the audience with a lesson or theme; to give them something they can apply to life and see learn from. In Othello, the character he uses as an example is, in fact, Othello. Shakespeare informs his readers of how doubts caused by rumors and lies can lead to the breakdown of even a once noble person.
Conclusively, it is evident that in this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello’s downfall comes to be due weakness in his character, which comes into existence due to his major character flaws. Through his poor judgement, Othello can not figure out who is trustworthy and who he should find as not being loyal. Furthermore, jealousy overpowers Othello and his mindset, which fills him with thoughts of anger and hate. Likewise, Othello’s insecurity is a major flaw that bewilders him and causes him to be very distraught. Thus, with these points, it is unmistakeable that Othello faces a set of character flaws, that when found alongside each other, are almost impossible to overcome, which in the end lead to the tragic downfall and death of Othello in the end of this play.
Othello and Desdemona are both very loyal and noble people, but their vulnerability makes it easy for predators fall prey on them. Othello is a combination of greatness and weakness, in his own words "an honorable murderer. He is a general in the Venetian defense forces, and, although a foreigner from Africa, he has won this post by excellence in the field of war. He has courage, intelligence, the skill of command, and the respect of his troops. Under pressure, he makes an inspiring speech. Othello is very vulnerable in many cases, such as he naive when it comes to Venetian women, doesn't question the information he has been given, he is socially insecure, he is an outsider and he is black but his biggest vulnerability is jealousy and his unableness to think.