Complex relationships and the connections between people, however insignificant at the time, will play a major role in the way that people’s perspectives change. Relationships are a major element in Brian Selznick’s graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret (hereafter referred to as Hugo Cabret) in that everyone has some form of connection with another character, and together they form a complex network that is unravelled throughout the course of the story. William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello explores other areas of interpersonal relationships and the effects that these can have on the wider community. These relationships are interwoven, and none are free standing; whereas in Hugo Cabret the relationships begin underneath the surface and …show more content…
Othello demonstrates the idea that relationships are not always what they seem to be, which is characterised through the dramatic irony of Iago’s repeated variations of the line “I am not what I am”, where he explicitly states that he is deceptive and should not be trusted, although he is telling the truth by saying this and is therefore trusted by many of the other characters. One such character is Othello, and this is ultimately his downfall, in that he is so trusting to the point of being blind to Iago’s true nature, which allows him to be deceived by his ensign. Othello the tragic hero’s world is irreversibly changed as is his perspective on life and Iago, and his fatal flaw of jealousy is easily manipulated by Iago. Selznick also explores the idea of the fragility of interpersonal relationships and how it changes an individual’s world in Hugo Cabret, but in a somewhat different way. In the graphic novel each character has some link to another, whether they are aware of it or not, such as Hugo with Georges Méliès; Méliès donated the automaton that he built to the museum, and then Hugo found the automaton in the destroyed museum. This is seen in the realist monochromatic sketches that are the illustrations in the novel of when Méliès sees the notebook and …show more content…
This is why the complex relationships can influence a person’s change in perspectives and a change to their
Both Iago and Othello are emotional characters with a lot to offer. Othello is a gullible character who places too much trust in the wrong people. He trusts Iago over his own wife, Desdemona, allowing Iago to manipulate his mind. Iago instills doubt in Othello about anyone he has ever trusted, making them all seem untrustworthy. More than anything, Iago uses pathos to appeal to emotion.
“I am not what I am,” proclaims one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most enigmatic villains, Iago, in the tragedy Othello. Iago’s journey for revenge enables him to become capable of immoral acts, and whilst his malevolence excites us, we are no more intrigued by his attributes than we are of the play’s tragic hero, Othellos’. Rather, both characters’ confrontation with jealousy and their subsequent moral demise as a result of failing to control such an emotion provides the true excitement for audiences. Iago’s spiteful manipulation of Othello makes him a multifaceted character — whose corrupt attributes make the audience examine their own morality. However, the same can be said of Othello; his failure to withstand Iago’s ‘pouring of pestilence’
Throughout the majority of “Othello”, “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and “The Great Gatsby”, Shakespeare, Lawrence and Fitzgerald seems to have this common focus on the changes in society in terms of relationships. It appears that each text has a major event in which the dynamics of the relationships change due to some aspect in society in which they are set.
Iago, the antagonist of Shakespeare’s work, Othello, is often considered purely evil or sociopathic. At first glance, Iago appears to be a static, two-dimensional villain, but he is much more. Shakespeare, renown for his awareness of the human condition, leaves many important aspects of Iago’s life up to interpretation. In published works and critical interpretations, Iago is commonly attached to a myriad of mental illnesses and personality disorders. Because it seems that Iago’s life revolves around Othello and Desdemona, it is understandable how people may suggest that Iago is in love with Othello, or that he is a psychopath with no true motives. Shakespeare never discloses much about Iago’s past, raising the questions:
In Othello, Iago uses his fine reputation as an “honest man” and Othello’s insecurities to manipulate him and carry out his master plan of destroying Cassio, Othello, and Desdemona. Iago’s insight towards the other characters’ weaknesses enables him to let them know exactly what they want to hear, which helps him gain their trust. He plays upon the insecurities of others to maneuver them into carrying out the actions he needs done in order to fulfill his own desires. In looking at Othello, we will consider the Othello’s blind acceptance of “the truth” as it is presented to him and find that when we blindly take another’s “truth” and accept it as our own, we merely become tools utilized by the person who gave us that supposed truth and give up the power of being ourselves—we fail to assert a self.
With Roderigo, someone he commands control over, Iago employs pathos, allowing his plan to appeal to Roderigo’s sensitive emotions about Othello. Roderigo and Iago discuss about how each of them despise Othello when Iago says, “If ever I did dream of such a matter, / Abhor me” using pathos to confirm his hatred towards the General (1.2. 5-6). The play commences with Iago employing direct rhetoric and partnering up with Roderigo to enhance a sense of comradery. Harsh language such as “Abhor me”, exemplifies the hateful emotions Iago feels toward Othello as well as enhances the emotions Iago wants to appeal to in Roderigo (1.2. 6). Affecting Roderigo more influentially, Iago uses deeper, more personal pathos, by highlighting the seemingly good qualities in Roderigo. Iago contrasts Roderigo to Othello pointing out, “Let not they discreet heart think it…manners and beauties: all which the/ Moor is defective in” (2.1. 215, 219-220). Firstly, Iago weighs Roderigo’s positive qualities against Othello’s negatives ones, convincing Roderigo to feel more confident with Iago and following along with his scheme. Secondly, Iago alters this rhetoric to include Roderigo’s love interest, Desdemona. By exemplifying a more personal and sensitive side when talking about “manners and beauties”, Iago can create a bigger impact in
Altogether, in the story Othello, as the setting changed from orderly, to unpleasant, and to chaotic, Iago's character reflected the setting each time. As his character also changed through the story, from being orderly in Venice to finally becoming violent in Cyprus. Thus Iago’s character is parallel with the setting.
As Iago's role in the play begins to define itself, the plays main theme, which is jealousy, also begins to develop. Iago's role is unclear to the reader in the first scene. He appears to be an honest, trustworthy soldier who was angry because he was overlooked for a promotion. However, the reader later finds out that he is a "malignant and destructive plotter" and would do anything to destroy Othello and anyone close to him (Epstein 381). The fact that he is an evil character remains undetected by the rest of the characters in the play. "The other characters actually call Iago honest fifteen times throughout the entire play" (Campbell 156). Iago is jealous and resentful of Othello in everyway and uses this festering hatred to infect and destroy Othello. He filled Othello's mind with thoughts of deceit and betrayal until his unwarranted jealousy towards his beautiful, trusting, and innocent wife blinded Othello himself.
In his review of Tim Blake Nelson’s O, Patrick Finn criticizes the modern adaptation of Othello for its superficiality saying, “in this Othello, true anger comes from the steroids and cocaine that rich kids take to enhance performance,” and “malignity, in this sense, is no longer motiveless, but is instead the result of bad parenting” (85). The film departs from its source material by attempting to explain Hugo’s duplicity through a desperate, if childish, need for attention. As a result, the film loses the ambiguity and impact of Iago’s “motiveless malignity,” and this departure affects the overarching message of the film.
These differences are created to relate to people in this generation. Iago is a very confident, devious, terrible person. For example Iago never doubts his plans. He always believes that his plans will work to convince Othello of the worst. What creates his almost perfect plan is how well he knows Othello. Iago knows what will make Othello second guess himself. What makes Iago devious is the way in which he performs his plans. He acts as if he is a best friend of Othello while he secretly attempts to ruin his life. Lastly, what makes Iago a terrible person in general is how he has no respect or care for who he hurts in the process of ruining Othello’s life. He kills his own wife, Emilia, which proves his lack of care for others. However, in a few scenes Iago can be humorous. For example in many scenes with Roderigo the audience sees a humorous way in which Iago manipulates people and lies through his teeth. On the other hand, Hugo has similar personality traits such as being devious and manipulative. In “O” Hugo sneaks around and discovers ways in which he can make Odin or others look bad without getting any blame. Hugo manipulates a boy name Roger, which like Roderigo is the one who does the dirty work. Unlike Iago, Hugo appears to have childish or jealous-like characteristics. He has ‘daddy issues’ which means he wishes that his father would approve of him the way that he does
Watkinson, A. "Othello: The Ironic Interdependence of Othello and Iago." Novels for Students. 5 November 2004. http://www.enotes.com/othello/743/print
His soon-to-be-lieutenant, Iago, whispers in his ear about his wife, Desdemona, and the unforgivable crime of adultery, throwing Othello’s orderly world to the winds of fate. Still, if the starting point and destination of Othello’s initial journey were to be compared to Othello’s psychological journey throughout the play (and, more importantly, the development of his relationship with the villain, Iago), they are found to be startlingly similar. Whether Shakespeare intended the parallel or not, and there isn’t really any sure way to tell, the coincidence is great. Venice, where the story starts, is a place of order, rich and wonderful. Likewise, Othello’s relationship with Iago is shown by the third scene of Act One to be, on the surface, based on honesty, respect, and admiration.
Othello’s true flaw is not vile, destructive jealousy, but rather pure and prevailing love. He has a very strong character of virtue and nobility that is intact up to the horrid end. Iago’s deceit and trickery are more the cause of Othello’s tragic fall than any fault of Othello himself. This innocence and greatness of the tragic hero unequaled in any other Shakespearean tragedy is what gives the play its terrible irony and passion. Othello plays on the most powerful of all human emotions: faith and love, both embodied to the fullest in the great and honest Othello.
Shakespeare’s Othello consists of the themes betrayal, love and dishonesty. At the centre of this play is the tragic downfall of Othello at the hands of his so called friend Iago. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for and against Othello being responsible for his downfall through looking at critical interpretations of his character and actions.
Human Relationships Between The Central Characters in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. In this essay I intend to explore the ways that William Shakespeare has presented the relationships between the main characters within his play “The Tempest”. I shall investigate Ferdinand and Miranda’s relationship, the father/daughter bond between Miranda and Prospero, and Caliban’s lust after Miranda. Shakespeare was intending to represent several different groups of people in society through his plays, and “The Tempest” was no exception to the rule.