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.
Language and imagination are among the most dangerous weapons Iago has at his disposal in Othello. Jealous and angered by Othello’s - his commanding officer - passing over him for a promotion, Iago develops a fierce, antagonistic perspective the aforementioned character; this sentiment quickly corrupts his volition, and he subsequently concocts a plot bent on destroying Othello. He renders this revenge scheme credible by concealing his true feelings behind a facade of loyalty and trustworthiness, and fabricating a fictitious story concerning the infidelity of Desdemona, Othello’s wife. Until the play concludes, Iago utilizes purposeful rhetoric to drive his agenda, and also a mastery of deception to mislead the minds of his targets.
The European Renaissance forever changed the life of the contemporary individual. Explosive advancements in education, technology, and trade broadened geographic and mental horizons; however, in England these developments were paired with population crises of poverty and unemployment. In addition, the increased interaction with foreign cultures fomented by various commercial and diplomatic engagements gave rise to apprehension in English sensibility. Eventually, Christian England would attempt to reshape these ‘strangers’ in their image and modern racial tensions sprung forth. Recursion of the trope of race, under the guise of blackness, heathenry, or even femininity occurs extensively in literary tradition, and especially within Shakespeare’s oeuvre. “There exists in all literature an archetypal figure who escapes both poles of the classic definition – appearing sometimes as hero, sometimes as villain, sometimes as clown…[he] has been named variously the ‘shadow,’ the ‘other,’ the ‘alien,’ the ‘outsider,’ the ‘stranger.’” It is with this borderline figure, mired in ambiguity, that this investigation is concerned: primarily with the stranger as the Moor in Othello, the Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1, and the woman in both.
In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, different characters contribute to the development of particular themes. Three strong themes portrayed by the characters are of; misplaced trust, love vs. Hate and jealousy, and shattered innocence.
In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, we see a black man marrying a wealthy young white woman named Desdemona. The black man named Othello serves the Italian government, as a general, this man is a very a loyal and trusting person. Othello is easily persuaded as stated by Iago, his ancient, who wrights this passage about him ““The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are. (Act 1, 3,405.)“ This shows us the kind of man Othello is a trusting man, and thinks that everyone is telling the truth. This opens Othello, to believe on the lies that Iago, is telling him. However, Othello is not a stupid man, he is a general after all, and must be shown proof when people put up arguments especially against his own wife, cheating on him. Now the question is why did Othello not look for his own proof of the acquisition laid up against his wife cheating. He surly is not stupid, considering that he has such a high position. In this essay, I will explain why, Othello does not look for more proof, of his wife’s affairs and merely believes Iago.
Words have a tremendous effect on any person or any situation, especially if used cleverly. In the play Othello we can see that Iago has the ability to use the power of words along with imagery for malicious purposes, but due to his effective use of language the other characters considers him to be an honest and moral person. In this essay I will firstly state how imagery and the power of words complement each other and then provide examples with explanations regarding the influence of language in the play Othello.
Production concept and design scheme
Othello was written by William Shakespeare at the beginning of the 17th century. The initial title was Othello, the Moor of Venice. Shakespeare had many works titled to his name. However, one of his most popular tragedies is Othello that presents the story of Moore. Moore enjoys a period of hard work and dedication.
What are some of the first themes that come to mind when thinking of Othello? Perhaps a theme that comes to mind is treachery, exploitation, envy, or even racism. What about love versus war? What about the fact that Othello was a soldier who was not able to balance his war love with his love life? Othello is a military general who has a long experience of war as well as a long experience of victories. He has spent most of his life defending Venice due to his strong will, his love for the city, and for his hate of defeat. His victories in battle and war have brought him Desdemona’s love, but alas, it has also taken her love away from him. The incompatibility of military heroism and love is a battle that Othello loses within himself. As Shakespeare explores this theme of military heroism’s incompatibility with love and the internal struggle between man as soldier and man as lover, its shocking climax erupts on the isolated island of Cyprus.
Character Analysis of Othello
“Othello” is a tragedy and Othello is a tragic hero. Othello is a
general in the service of Venice. He is good, courageous, brave and
trustworthy. However he has some weaknesses such as insecurity; he is
too open, naïve, and gullible, Iago plays on his weaknesses which
brings about his downfall and he kills himself. This causes the
suffering of innocent people like Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio and
Roderigo.
The Character of Othello
As the play progresses, Othello’s character goes through many changes
which happen as a result of him falling victim to Iago’s evil schemes.
At first he is introduced as an army general who is respected for what
he does but still discriminated against for being black.
Othello is a victim to racism throughout the play. He is often
referred to as “the Moor” even by his beloved Desdemona and is also
called by more offensive terms. Iago uses animal imagery in referring
to Othello as an “old black ram”.