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Critical analysis of Othello
Critical analysis of Othello
Critical analysis of Othello
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Duplicitous Characters in Othello
Many of the characters in Shakespeare's tragedy, "Othello" are duplicitous to the extent that how they are perceived in public is not how they behave in private. This is not always intentional, although with a character such as Iago, it is difficult to encounter the real person as his entire life is an act.
Othello is seen as a brave and loyal soldier, but is initially presented as dark and dangerous by Roderigo and Iago. To Brabantio, Othello appears to have black magical powers, but in fact, the private truth is that Othello won Desdemona with stories of "disastrous chances ... moving accidents [and] hair-breadth scapes". Othello is concerned with his reputation and upholds a strict code of honour both privately and publicly. He dismisses Cassio as soon as he discovers his officer's drunken actions. Similarly, as soon as he suspects Desdemona of adultery, Othello watches her like a hawk. Finally, the act of killing his wife is not an act of revenge for Othello, but of justice. He justifies his actions: "She must die, else she'll betray more men". Emilia initially believes that he killed Desdemona for no reason as Desdemona has appeared innocent to her throughout.
It is difficult to judge Iago's private morality against his public face. Firstly, his public face varies depending with whom he is speaking. Secondly, analysing Iago's private morality is challenging when he appears to have no morals in the first place. Iago is jealous of many people for various, often unjustifiable, reasons, yet at the same time is known to most as "honest Iago" and is their apparent friend. He appears to be loyal to Othello, helping him to "discover" his wife's infidelity, but concurrently is plotting against Othello. It is again difficult to determine Iago's public face as he is always acting and his "face" depends on his company. He has no qualms about embroiling innocent parties in his plans. Iago can act as Desdemona's friend when Othello leaves her in his charge and then Iago turns around and plants seeds of suspicion in Othello's mind about her fidelity.
While Desdemona appears to be all that is good to the audience, it must be remembered that she betrayed her father's trust when she married Othello and she later lied to her husband about the handkerchief which was to become so important. To Othello, Desdemona appears to be "that cunning whore of Venice".
Othello wondered if Desdemona really loved him, or if she was just using him to rebel against her father. With Iago constantly putting these ideas in his head, Othello was convinced to kill his wife. Cassio was known to be a good soldier, and is proud of that public perception.
“[Othello] Why? Who are you? [Desdemona] Your wife, my lord. Your true and loyal wife.”( Act 4, Scene 2). Desdemona from Othello embodies what most would believe to be the perfect woman. She is loyal and trusting, innocent and pure, and her inner beauty is only matched by her outer experience. Her somewhat naïve personality however, leaves her exposed to the more worldly individuals, those who have learned how to take advantage of others through experience. What initially attracts many to Desdemona proves to be her downfall, and her
Vitamin C is a necessary vitamin for the body to carry out its functions properly. It is also known as ascorbic acid. It is a water-soluble nutrient that is found in some foods. It acts as an antioxidant in the body which helps to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals, which are formed when our bodies convert the food we eat into energy. The body needs vitamin C to make collagen which is the protein required in wounds, healing. Moreover, vitamin C promotes the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables and helps in promoting the immune system. Vitamin C is also important to protect our body from cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and skin wrinkling. We can obtain vitamin C from food and other sources.
According to Witney and Rolfes 2012, Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. Hence the reasons why we need a continuous supply of this vitamin our diet. Vitamin C in humans must be ingested for survival. It is an electron donor, and this property accounts for all its known functions. As an electron donor, vitamin C is a potent water-soluble antioxidant in humans.
From the very beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is held in very high regard within the community in Venice. He is often called “honest Iago” by many people, including his superior, Othello. There is a large juxtaposition between Iago’s character in the beginning of the play, and the general perception at the end of the play, due to Iago’s many character flaws that cause him to create devious plans and a web of deception and lies, spun by his intense anger and hatred. The exposition of Othello holds many indications of the negative traits Iago possesses, and they escalate quickly as the play progresses. There are many points within the play that present Iago falling prey to his issues and therefore lets them control him. Iago’s anger and hatred kept him from dealing with these character flaws and lead to his descent into moral
Spencer, J. M. (1996). The Black Church and the Harlem Renaissance. African American Review, Vol.30 No.3, 453-460.
...race, beauty and status put her on a pedestal like a goddess allowing him to idolize her and therefore never truly deserve her. Beneath his noble persona on display for all to see, the idealistic view of his wife, leads him to believe that she will never be able to fully reciprocate the love he has for her. Iago’s exploitative tactics used for revenge trigger Othello’s fatal insecurities to surface for the ultimately climactic ending in which he smothers Desdemona with a pillow before discovering “honest” Iago had been deceiving him, as well as the majority of the other characters, the entire time. Outraged, Othello attempts to stab Iago as revenge for being manipulated into killing his beloved wife, however when his hasty murder attempt fails, the heartbroken and worn-out man stabs himself next to the already dead Desdemona, whom he never believed he was worthy of.
Throughout the novel, up until his insanity, Othello is described as a temperate man whose honor does not allow him to believe assumptions unless he has been shown proof. Firstly, when the men of Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, confront Othello’s men, Othello calmly says, “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.” (10). Othello is confronted on the matter of his elopement with Desdemona with force and with words. Not only is he very cool about his dealings with violence, but also when he is asked to tell the story of how he had Desdemona fall in love with him he states the truth, and he doesn’t leave out any details of how he accomplished it. He openly admits that had any other man told his story, that man also would have won her heart. Only a truly honorable man can admit that it was a story, and not his personality that truly won the woman’s heart. Othello’s honor is shown by his trust in the people he knows and loves. When Iago tells Othello that he believes Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair, Othello does not believe Iago initially.
Desdemona is one of the few special characters. Desdemona is the daughter of Brabantio. She is a very defiant character when it comes to her fathers’ expectations and the society’s wishes on interracial marriage. Her father hopes that she marries a white man that he approves of, but she does not want that. Instead she chose to marry Othello, who is a black, older man. Despite public opinion, Desdemona does not let that stop her from marrying Othello. In the beginning of the play, Desdemona shows that she is all about excitement. She enjoys the adventurous stories that Othello shares with her about his past. When he is called to go on duty for the military, she tries her best to convince him to let her come along. She tried to go with him because she likes the action and she finds staying at home very boring. Desdemona also likes taking part in sexual activities with her husband. Another reason she wants to go with him when he goes on duty is because of her sexual attraction to him. She wants it so desperately that she asks Emilia is it okay for her to cheat. Desdemona also plays the role of a victim in the play. I say this because Othello abuses her in public ...
The Tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, is a play about a Moor of Venice and his downfall by deception and love. The themes of two-facedness, narcissism, and honor are all prominent in this play; the theme overarching these, however, is loyalty. Similar to a satirist, Shakespeare shows that the true nature of a person’s loyalty is not always as it appears. Othello’s loyalty to his own honor exposes his false loyalty to his wife. Iago, the antagonist, is deceptive in portraying himself as honest and committed to those he supposedly loves, but at the same time he plans their downfall. Honor, narcissism, and deception are each concepts Shakespeare uses to convey the ambiguity of loyalty in people.
Sports played and continue to play a pivotal role in American history and culture. Baseball provided an escape from the stress and frustration of WWII, a beacon of light during hard times and later helped influence integration. Athletes became symbols of what being a true American meant and many sports enhanced American culture. One of the most prolific changes sports brought to our society was the beginning of racial equality on the field. It encouraged and aided the fledgling equal rights movement that evolved in the 1960s. African American athletes were considered second-class citizen until sports provided the first taste of equality. Teams life the Indians, Dodgers and Giants led the way for all teams to accept black players on equal footing. More sports then followed, helping to pave the way for the equal rights movement. African American athletes provided a spark of social and cultural change as America was at the emergence of the civil rights movement.
The 13 well-identified vitamins are classified according to their ability to be absorbed in fat or water. The fat-soluble vitamins-A, D, E, and K-are generally consumed along with fat-containing foods, and because they can be stored in the body's fat, they do not have to be consumed every day. The water-soluble vitamins-the eight B vitamins and vitamin C-cannot be stored and must be consumed frequently, preferably every day (with the exception of some B vitamins, as noted below).
From this point on, Othello insecurity manifests into a seemingly irrational fear of being cuckolded, and his self-perceived worth diminishes exponentially. Othello comments on the likelihood of Desdemona cheating, by explaining how it may be “for [he is] black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have…” (3.3.280-282) Othello’s frustration with the threat of being cuckolded puts strain on his relationship with Desdemona, and she quickly becomes a victim of domestic abuse. For example, Othello acts as an interrogator, demanding to see the handkerchief which he gave her that symbolizes faithfulness and commitment towards Othello. (Quotation) When she is unable to produce their symbol of trust, Othello’s anger manifests inside him. The audience is shown a stark contrast to Othello’s typically cool, collected and composted nature. This abrupt and irrational change in behaviour is emphasized when Othello strikes Desdemona in front of Lordovico, (4.1.245) Othello’s
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.
There are only two negative aspects of vitamin C. It is not produced in the human body, so a person needs to have a daily intake of at least 60 mg (recommended daily value) to stay healthy (5). There are many ways for a person to obtain vitamin C. One way is to take a daily vitamin that contains 100% of the recommended amount. Other ways to receive the amount needed is to eat foods that are rich in vitamin C. Some fruit rich in vitamin C are oranges, grapefruit, watermelon, and strawberries. Some vegetables that contain a high amount of vitamin C are asparagus, brussel s...