There is something about Shakespeare that entices people to feel venomous towards his work. When reading or viewing adaptations of his work, the audience is compulsively drawn into the story. Especially in his early works, Shakespeare is blatant with violence, which is disturbing to the audience. Yet, the audience is entranced even more as they try to find out how Shakespeare creates his plays to be so tyrannical. Shakespeare is an effective playwright because of one simple fact: he is a tyrant. In plays like Othello and Titus Andronicus, by the control of all characters, Shakespeare uses racism and the treatment of women to entreat and entertain the audience through acts of tyranny until the hero and those with the purest of hearts are destroyed. …show more content…
He writes the speech of almost all that show the Moors in a negative aspect. If it was not for the racism Shakespeare wrote towards them, the Moors might not have committed their violent acts. In Othello, the audience is introduced to a fantastic general who has just won a major battle and has received a commission to fight the Turks in Cyprus (Othello,1.2). Normally, a general of that many accolades would be highly regarded and would have the pick of any woman in Venice as his bride. However he is a Moor. This has society look down upon him and view him as brilliant, but inferior. Othello is referred to as “Barbary horse”, “lascivious Moor”, and “foul thief”. (Othello, 1.1.125/141, 1.2.80) What makes the description of these words so appalling is that they are uttered by Barabantio, who welcomed him like a son, and Iago, one of Othello’s most trusted advisors. Shakespeare allows these two characters to verbally tarnish the reputation of Othello so that by the time Desdemona is murdered, Othello is seen as a …show more content…
When Tamora has Aaron’s baby, she delivers it to Aaron to have him killed as the baby is “A joyless, dismal, black, and sorrowful issue!/…,as loathsome as a toad” (Titus Andronicus, 4.2.69-70). Aaron can handle disparaging remarks about himself as that drives him to commit atrocious acts of violence. However, threating the life of his child changes his goals from the annihilation of the Andronicus family, to the annihilation of Tamora. Aaron seeks out the Goths, led by Lucius, just to tell the truth of events that threw the Andronicus family in turmoil just for the protection of his son (Titus Andronicus, 5.1). It is not really tyrannical that Shakespeare wrote the characters to view Aaron negatively, as the audience knew the atrocities that Aaron was committing throughout the play. However, Shakespeare is tyrannical because he invokes racism towards an innocent child, whose only crime was that he was born from an empress and a moor and who’s skin was not light enough to pass as the child of Saturninus. Shakespeare authorized the death of the child who would be dead if it wasn’t for the intervention of Aaron with the nurse and
Shakespeare is known for his eloquent word choice and illusive images, and Titus Andronicus is no exception to that. Titus Andronicus being focused around blood, rape and murder, has to be conveyed in a very specific way to promote the concise narrative Shakespeare imagined. More specifically as shown in act 2 scene 1, Shakespeare makes sure the reader knows the background behind Tamora and Aarons complex relationship. In this monologue Aaron addresses Tamora and his love for her using images, cultural references, and poetic devices to further support his desires. Through specific descriptions and illusive images, Shakespeare sets forth scene 2 by alluding to the reader Aarons true intentions to take advantage of Tamora and her power to seek vengeance on Rome.
The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare is a great work by a great author. Shakespeare was correct in titling it The Tragedy of Othello because Othello lost so much. In the literary sense, a tragedy is the downfall of a character through that character's own flaws. The way most people see a tragedy is a story where there is much suffering and loss, and a not so happy ending. No matter way one looks at it, literary or public sense, this was a correct title. The main character, Othello, brought his own downfall upon him through his flaws, caused the suffering of many people, and he himself loss very much. All of these factors pile up to equal a big tragedy.
Whether you hate your King, your Christian rival or a neighboring foe, if you're in a Shakespeare play then you will be punished. In the first act of each play Shakespeare shows a conflict between two groups of people, one is vengeful the other virtuous. After the conflict is introduced, the malignant characters have important parts of their lives taken away and in the end the ultimate penalties of each are inflicted. All of the antagonists are left desolate in the end of the plays by either lost fortunes or their lives. Shakespeare takes good care to give the protagonists of the plays much reward for being on the right side of the spectrum. As the characters hate increases throughout the play they begin to loose what is precious to them, first in small amounts, but in the end, they are stripped of all they love and value.
Rape. Torture. Murder. These vile deeds are no joke. And yet, to Aaron, they are but small misfortunate events. Aaron the Moor, the diabolical mastermind in Titus Andronicus by legendary playwright William Shakespeare, is depicted as a villain who takes it upon himself to fool and ruin everyone around him. He seeks revenge and rightly so. As the only Moor in the play, Aaron is an outsider in all aspects of society. His dark skin complexion highlights his lowly status as a slave. In addition, as a Moor, he is unable to relate to either of the warring societies, the Romans and the Goths. Strangely enough, Aaron has the wisdom, power, and malicious intent to be able to command respect and manipulate many of the
Picture this- William Harold Shakespeare, the most coveted playwriter in the history of the world, sitting at his desk, perspicaciously pondering over what shall become his most prominant and delicated tragedy of yet. Of course, given what little is known about Shakespeere displays, such deepseated imagery cannot simply be accomplished without first the propriety of haste and vinction.And yet, his very own rhetorical vibe displays allows such a vague pictoration to be concieved. Throughout the whole of Othello, the great Shakespeare remarks through an astounding displays show of pronouns, allitteration, and cacophonous diction his own resentment of both the King of Italy and the poor conditions of the said novelist.
“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.
It's clear that Othello is held in high esteem when, as he enters, one of the senators states "Here comes Barbantio and the valiant Moor"(47). Othello's confidence in himself, another of his positive attributes, is clearly portrayed as he defends himself and his recent marriage to Desdemona, the daughter of the Venetian Senator Barbantio. In his defense, he associates himself with one of the "great ones" of the world. He also demonstrates confidence in himself and his actions when Barbantio, Desdemona's outraged father, accuses the Moor of witchcraft. His stature, that of a tall, dark, African Moor, combined with his personal magnetism, assist him in gaining the respect and allegiance of the Venetian people and its senators. The respect of the people is brought forth in Act 1, Scene 2, when Montano, the Governor of Cyprus, is awaiting the arrival of Othello's ship, following a strong storm at sea, and remarks he has "served him' and the man [Othello] commands/ Like a full soldier" (35-36).
Othello, from the onset, is shown to us a play of love and jealousy. There is however more to this play than just love and jealousy; there is underlying racism, hate, deception, pride, and even sexism between these pages. Othello is a transcendent play, one that will survive the perils of time simply because it is still relevant. Even today, over 400 years later, there are still issues of racism and sexism. Hate is as natural as love in humans and Othello gets right to the root of that. We witness this from the very first scene, “…you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse/ you’ll have your nephews neigh to you” (I.i.112-14); to the very last, “Moor she was chaste. She loved thee, cruel Moor” (V.ii.258). Moor however is used as an insult all throughout the play; not so much the word itself but the feel of the word. Between these pages we see many different ways as to how the cultural differences between Othello and the other characters.
... moor but Shakespeare is instead discussing the, "amalgam of the noble and the jealous, the soldier and the fool and the Christian and the barbarian who is reduced to stammering brutality." A modern audience would not see Othello as the guilty and barbaric moor but as a victim of Iago and his deception. The audience instead would take would take with them a message that colour does not play a part in character. Instead those who discriminate people racially are the truly devious characters and Shakespeare shows this clearly through Iago and Barbantio. Iago himself is clear evidence that Shakespeare is not in any way condoning racism but instead he is attacking racism. The attack on Barbantio's hidden racist views also prove that this is the case. The main message of Othello would be very positive foe a modern audience; that racism in all forms is totally unacceptable.
In William Shakespeare’s Othello, unspoken fears of being an outsider and concerns about his public image contribute to the downfall of a tragic hero named Othello. Othello, a general in the Venetian army’s, final monologue reflects the importance of reputation and the conformity needed to fit his surroundings. He is seen as an outsider of the Venetian culture; he is frequently referred to as “the Moor” and is called an abundance of racial slurs by the Venice born natives. Although Othello never voices his internal struggle to feel accepted by the people around him, his image and physical appearance are some of major issues he faces. Even in the moments before he stabs himself, Othello is more concerned with the legacy he is leaving behind than with the death of his wife, Desdemona. Shakespeare uses Othello’s transformation from a heroic military soldier to a tragic figure to warn of the dangers of obsessing over one’s reputation and the need to feel accepted by society.
As Othello is known in the play as the Moor, he often faces discrimination that his peers did not face. When Brabantio finds out that Othello married his daughter, he claims that Othello must have “enchanted her” (1.2.64) and that his daughter “…t’incur[ed] a general mock,” (1.2.70) by “run[ning] from her guardage to the sooty bosom.” (1.2.71) In other words, Brabantio is saying that he is in disbelief as to why Desdemona would marry a Moor when her socioeconomic status was so much higher. As a result of being treated as an inferior due to skin colour, Othello puts more weight on honour and reputation. Since his high ranking position in the army set him apart from other Moors, he uses it as compensation towards many aspects of his life such as marriage. For example, Othello associates the “…services which [he] has done the seignniory” (1.2.17) to Brabantio’s criticisms about him. Othello knows that his position holds power, and he is able to confidently articulate why he is suitable candidate to marry Desdemona. Unfortunately, Othello’s confidence does not last later in the play when his honour is suddenly threatened by presumptions that Desdemona is engaged in unfaithful acts. Soon thereafter, he loses his
Othello: The Moor of Venice is probably Shakespeare's most controversial play. Throughout this work, there is a clear theme of racism, a racism that has become commonplace in Venetian society which rejects the marriage of Othello and Desdemona as anathema. The text expresses racism throughout the play within the language transaction of the dialogue to question the societal ethos established by Othello, thereby making him nothing less than a cultural "other." Furthermore, the character of Desdemona is displayed as mad, or out of her wits, for marrying such an "other," and the audience sees her slip from an angelic state of purity to that of a tainted character. Also, the menacing Iago, a mastermind of deviant rhetoric, is able to play Othello and Desdemona against one another until their marriage fails, while at the same time destroying his adversary and friend, Cassio. Thus Iago has a specific agenda, not only to get back at Othello for choosing Cassio instead of him, but also to make Cassio the victim of his plan to destroy the forbidden marriage referred to by Brabantio as a "treason of the blood" (1.2.166-167). Essentially, Iago is a representative of the white race, a pre-Nazi figure who tries to inform the public of the impurity of Othello and Desdemona's marriage. He demonstrates how this miscegenation is threatening to the existing social order. Thus, through analysis of racism, the play represents the hatred possessed by mankind -- a hate so strong that society sees the mixing with an "other" to be a curse to humanity and a terrible threat to Aryan culture.
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
... is simply a text about a villainous Jew that is eventually “conquered” by his conversion, it is more rewarding to view it as a treatise on the fallibility of stereotypes since we are allowed to understand that Shylock’s actions are more a result of his anger at insult rather than because of something inherent in his nature. Similarly, we see that Othello’s final “savage” act of murdering his wife was not because he was inherently barbarous due to his color, but simply because he was driven to this final act because of base trickery. In light of this, it should also be stated that Shakespeare doesn’t attempt to form the idea that the white characters are any better than those who are subject to the discrimination. They are also, in both texts, prone to malice, trickery, and falsehood—perhaps even more so than those whom they detest simply because they are different.
... all of this, during the time William Shakespeare wrote this play he had most of the characters have two very different sides. Like if they were nice to each other or to other people they were faking it because in reality they wanted more than just a name, they wanted to own land and gain power. The only characters that aren’t included in this are King Lear, Cordelia, Edgar, The Fool, Kent, and Gloucester. Although at first Gloucester went along with Regan and Gonerils plot to over throw the king, but he didn’t know what was really happening, changed his mind, and tried to help the king. All the actions that these characters made, and all things that they really want really changed them and made them turn against their own families, which I think is wrong. But without Shakespeare's thoughts of having the characters act this way this play would probably be boring.