Othello’s Involved Imagery
The intricate imagery peppering the language of the characters in Shakespeare’s drama Othello is deserving of our detailed consideration in this paper. It has significant meaning, and nearly expresses a life of its own.
The play’s imagery is oftentimes reflective of the fortunes of the protagonist. As the Moor’s status declines, the quality of the imagery in the play declines. In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the relationship between imagery and Othello’s jealousy:
It is very important to see that Othello’s self-estimate – “one not easily jealious, but, being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme” (V.ii.345-46) – is, as Bradley says, “perfectly just,” and perfectly consistent with the release of unsuspected grossness of language and imagery under the shock of discovering infidelity in the loved one. The peculiar pain of sexual jealousy is deeply involved with the excremental aspect of the sexual organs, and the emotion in betrayal in a supremely intimate trust is involved with agonizing associations of filth and animality. (1200)
A surprising, zoo-like variety of animal injury occur throughout the play. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the conversion of Othello through his increased use of animal imagery:
Those who have written on the imagery of the play have shown how the hold Iago has over Othello is illustrated by the language Shakespeare puts into their mouths. Both characters use a great deal of animal imagery, and it is interesting to note its distribution. Iago’s occurs mostly in the first three Acts of the play: he mentions, for example, ass, daws, flies, ram, jennet, guinea-hen, baboon, wild-cat, snipe, goats, monkeys, monster and wolves. Othello, on the other hand, who makes no use of animal imagery in the first two Acts of the play, catches the trick from Iago in Acts III and IV. The fondness of both characters for mentioning repulsive animals and insects is one way by which Shakespeare shows the corruption of the Moor’s mind by his subordinate. (21-22)
Just how strong a force is the imagery in this drama? Is it more powerful than the chorus in ancient Greek tragedy? H. S. Wilson in his book of literary criticism, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, discusses the influence of the imagery of the play:
It has indeed been suggested that the logic of events in the play and of Othello’s relation to them implies Othello’s damnation, and that the implication is pressed home with particular power in the imagery.
According to the passage 1st, I observed that the people in power were the Romans who were polytheistic. They completely rejected the idea on only one God or Christianity. The people who didn’t follow the beliefs of the Romans were usually poor and had no use for when they lived in the middle east according to the passage. Paul would preach to the poor about the savior Jesus Christ (according to the passage) .
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.
In this fragment, Iago uses resources like the animalización and the use of erotic language to put of relevance the savagery and the monstrous thing in Othello. These words provoked
11 Dec. 2011. The "Othello". Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht.
4 Dec. 2009.. "Othello: The Moor of Venice." Masterplots, Revised Second Edition (1996): Literary Reference. Center. The. EBSCO.
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55)
...ide of the Moor: A View of Othello's Mind." Shakespeare Survey: An Animal Survey of Shakespearean Study and Production. Vol 10. 1957. 98-106. Novels for Students. 20 November 2004. http://www.enotes.com/othello/17321/print
They are the best. In this paper I hope to give examples of animals imagery used in “Othello” that assist in explaining the story. play. I will be there. The specific examples I present will describe a character either as seen by himself or by a fellow.
Of Shakespeare’s five greatest tragedies, Othello is by far the most passionate and gripping. It is a tale of love, deception, evil, honesty, and virtue. Othello himself is set apart from other Shakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full support to the inevitable and unavoidable fall.
Delegating tasks is one area that I must work on in my leadership skills. When a leader cannot delegate task appropriately, this can lead to their downfall. My action is to learn more of the reasons why I chose not to delegate tasks. When that piece is understood, I can then move forward in correcting and adjusting my delegating. The employee specialist along with the Vice President of Nursing give me projects where delegating is necessary. They both follow these projects closely and challenge my moves of when and what I delegate and to whom those tasks are delegated to. Attending a seminar on delegation is also in my action
"Othello." Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2007. 649-87. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. .
Thesis Statement: When the characters in Othello cease to use reason they lose their humanity and are associated with animal imagery. Roderigo Irrationally in love with Desdemona Wants to drown himself like "cats and blind puppies" Iago calls him a snipe Iago Irrationally jealous of Othello and Cassio Equates love with animalistic lust Encourages others to "be a man" A man is decisive A man looks out for himself A man loves himself Roderigo calls him an "inhuman dog", Lodovico a "Spartan dog" Emilia implores him to tell the truth "if thou be'st a man" Othello Irrationally jealous of Desdemona and Cassio Equates lack of reason with animals Refers to himself as a dog.
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
In book of Romans begins with the introduction of Paul, and how he is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is writing a letter to Rome, and telling them that he plans to come and visit them to have a fruitful ministry with them (1:13). Paul begins to explain the need of righteous, and how people have sinned against God while knowing the truth. They worship ideals, murdering, sexual rituals with members of their own sex, and much more, and God is letting them do it, while Paul states they deserve to die (1:32). Paul explains that we are not allowed to judge those because we are all guilty of sin. It doesn’t matter whether if you’re a Jew or Gentile, God sees you for your heart, and if you are following His commands.
Jealousy, whatever it may be driven by, can produce many different actions in a person depending on their desires. Othello craftly examines a few examples of these with highly contrasting characters driven by vastly different things. The different manifestations of jealousy in said characters can be analysed through the characters of Roderigo, Othello, and Iago, while also proving how jealousy can sometimes be a front for more cynister feelings.