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Symbolis and dramatic devices in Othello
Symbolis and dramatic devices in Othello
Hidden meaning in the play othello
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Othello’s Physical and Psychological Journeys Othello is the tragedy, and, incidentally, the name of a Moor who serves as a general in the Italian military. He spends the first act of Shakespeare’s play in Venice, but is ordered shortly to Cyprus to fight the Turkish invasion. His journey isn’t officially noticeable at all in the play. One moment he’s defending himself in the Senate of Venice, the next he’s in Cyprus, taking credit for being victorious in a battle the storms fought for him against the Turks. The story unravels from there. 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. He says, as he prepares to lead the ships to war: “honest Iago, my Desdemona must I leave to thee.” (1.3.336) While it may seem naïve for Othello to do such a thing when trouble is obviously brewing and the sense of foreshadowing is nearly tangible, the reader must keep in mind that Venice is an orderly, respected city and the General’s relationship with Iago can be summed up neatly in one sentence spoken by Brabantio: ......“This is Venice. My house is not a grange.” (1.1.119) ......But while Venice is certainly not a grange, there is plenty going on behind the scenes. One could even argue that Iago’s first scene when he incites Desdemona’s father to go and take revenge on Othello by using racist and bestial slurs is very similar to the first talks of war in the Senate and the general being told he must leave his homeland to defend Cyprus from the Turks. ......“An old black ram is tupping your white ewe,” (1.1.98) Iago shouts to Brabantio, at the same moment that Othello is being informed of his new assignment.
Blackbeard began his pirating career sometime after 1713, as an ordinary crewmember aboard a Jamaican sloop commanded by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1716, Hornigold supplied Teach with a small crew, and a small captured vessel to command. By 1717 Hornigold and Teach were sailing in alliance, and together were feared throughout the seas. In November 1717, Hornigold and Teach were able to capture a 26 gun French vessel called the Concorde (recent research has shown that the vessel had originally been built in Great Britain). Blackbeard’s pirate partner, Hornigold, decided to take advantage of a recent offer of general amnesty from the British Crown- and retire in comfort. Teach rejected t...
What is perhaps the leading cause for the downfall of the characters in the play is Iago’s hypocritical nature that comes with an undeniable desire for fame, and receiving attention from others. To begin with, the audience can develop the idea that Iago greatly appreciates all the compliments that others give to him. Noteworthy evidence includes when Cassio “humbly [thanks Iago] for’t, [never knowing] a Florentine more kind and honest (3.1.27-28), as well as when Othello states that he knows [Iago is] full of love and honesty (3.3.118). The significance behind Othello, Iago, and what others thought about Iago’s qualities that he possesses all share one thing in common – the characters share their feelings for Iago whenever he ensures that he would help find solutions to their problems, such as Roderigo’s fondness for Desdemona, bringing back Cassio’s position as lieutenant, and helping out Othello by ending the alleged relationship between Desdemona and Cassio; this evidence demonstrates how Iago would do whatsoever only for people to praise him and to create a positive reputation of himself so it would be easier for him to hide his felonious schemes from others. Similarly, in order
Othello is noble, tender, and confiding; but he has blood of the most inflammable kind. Unfortunately, Othello was naïve enough to be swayed by Iagos misplaced trustworthiness and the accusations cause the entire play to unfold. Once someone brings up a sense of all his wrong doings, he cannot be stopped by considerations of remorse of pity until Othello has extinguished all that fuels his rage and despair. Othello is described as a “Moor” by his critics (Brabantio, Iago). A “Moor” is a slang word used for the dark skinned appearance of the Muslim people from the northwest part of Africa.
...uinely sweet on her. When Desdemona asks Iago to distract her from worrying about Othello, who may be lost at sea, Iago obliges by plying his wit upon her. This particular conversation does not serve to further his plot by causing his good image to increase, as he praises people of ill-manner, nor does it set up a future situation. It is simply conversation. However, Iago recognizes his love will forever go unrequited even if Othello were to die, and so his passion turned bitter and he jealously decided that if he can’t have her, no one can. Goading Othello into blind jealousy, he also restrains the Moor with cautionary words- like holding back a rabid dog whilst prodding it with a stick, so that once released, there is no chance of the madness wearing off mid-bite. Iago wants to ensure that when Othello says, “I’ll tear her all to pieces” (3,3, 447), he really will.
The story of Othello begins in Venice when Roderigo and Iago having a discussion. Before the discussion with Iago, Roderigo finds that Desdemona has already been married off, to a Othello, a moor, none the less. Iago is enraged by this news, he decides that he now has more than one reason to hate Othello. Othello has not only taken the woman that Iago so desperately longs for, but he had just recently surpassed him over for the position of lieutenant for Michael Cassio, who is not as experienced as Iago. Iago and Roderigo go to the house of Brabantio, the father of Desdemona, to tell him that his dearly beloved daughter has been kidnapped and has married a moor. They tell him to go and check on his daughter to see if she is in the house, when Brabantio goes to check his daughter's room he indeed realizes that she is missing and he quickly sends out some of his officers to find Othello. These events show that Iago will take any chance that he can to take a stab at Othello, no matter what the risks may be, if the king...
To begin with, many people visualize pirates as ruthless madmen that tormented innocent people mercilessly. But many pirates were just the opposite. People known as privateers, for example, Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh, and John Hawkins, were hired by the British government to attack and plunder foreign country ships. Certain countries would also pay privateers for protection. In The Golden Age of Piracy,it says, “After the American Revolution, the United States agreed to pay money for immunity from attack.” This shows that countries paid pirates not to attack them for a specific period of time. This contract would be broken if the country refused to pay the pirates, or the pirates went against their word.
While over the past few centuries, new pirate perceptions have been introduced, some have managed to withstand time and Pop Culture. The infamous Jolly Roger flag that is seen accompanying pirate ships, known for the intimidating skulls and weapons on a black flag used to be a red flag used by privateers for the same reason during the 1600’s and eventually developed into a black flag (Konstam). Initially, for the same use this is a prime example of how a traditional concept from pirates can stay over time and is rooted in truth. The first Pirates of the Caribbean film describes a pirate code which dates back centuries (Shultz). The pirate code originated with a confederation of pirates, whose concepts such as “no prey, no pay” for fairness
Othello, a play by William Shakespeare, takes place in Venice during the invasion of the island of Cyprus by the Turks. The protagonist of the story, Othello, is a newlywed, Moorish general with a very gullible nature. The antagonist of the story is Iago, an officer under Othello who wishes to be promoted to lieutenant, but the position was given to the young and attractive Cassio. Other major characters in the play are Desdemona, Othello's wife who is accused of having an affair with Cassio. In addition, there are Roderigo, a Venetian who is deeply in love with Desdemona; and Emilia (Iago's wife) who could have prevented the death of Desdemona.
Despite the negative foregrounding of Othello’s character by Iago, our first impressions of Othello in Act 1 are of a noble and well-spoken man, his nobility is conveyed through his speech ‘most potent grave and reverend signiors’(1.3.76) to his future father-in-law Brabantio of Othello’s love for his daughter Desdemona in Act 1 Scene 3. This is a very different character to what we expect from Iago’s preparation for the introduction of Othello. Where we are expecting an angry and possibly violent character, we instead are met with something completely surprising, a quiet and calm man who dismisses Roderigo’s insult and even avoids the prospect of a conflict.
William Shakespeare masterfully crafted Othello, the Moor of Venice as an Aristotelian tragedy play. The main protagonist of the play, Othello, is the perfect example of a tragic hero. Shakespeare was influenced by Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero and used Aristotle’s principles to create Othello. William Shakespeare attempted to create an Aristotelian tragedy play with a tragic hero and succeeded in Othello, the Moor of Venice by weaving in pity and fear into each line and action. The power of pity and fear creates the upmost tragic situation and follows in accordance of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Othello makes the ultimate act as a tragic hero by killing himself at the end of the play. “Othello, more than any play in the canon, has a fascinating and contentious performance and reception history,”
The films of Alfred Hitchcock, as even the most casual cinephile knows, manage to blend the comic, romantic, tragic, and political, all with a captivating thriller plot. The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, two works from the 1930s, are no exception. In the former, a Canadian man is charged with the task of carrying a secret into Scotland while on the run from the police; in the latter, an older woman disappears, leaving a bewildered young lady who uncovers a foreign spy ring while trying to find her. However, despite the fact that both of these plots contain dominant thriller elements, and stem from the same part of Hitchcock’s career, they are by no means interchangeable. From visuals to characters, these are entirely different works. As such, one of the best places to compare and contrast is in the films’ opening sequences, where Hitchcock sets up for the intense action to follow. In The 39 Steps and Lady Vanishes, both introductory sequences work to capture the viewer’s attention before the thrills begin; however, close analysis reveals that Hitchcock handles them quite diff...
Shakespeare has created the character of Othello to be a ‘hero of the ancient world‘ (Helen Gardner,1995), in spite of this there are certain circumstances beyond his control that contribute to the downfall of Othello. Othello proves to himself and everyone around him that he is a noble warrior that deserves a certain level of respect. Society doesn’t have a problem with Othello leading the Venetian army but does oppose to the marriage of Othello and Desdemona.
In suspense moments the viewer gets involved in what is happening on the screen, he feels as a direct participant in the events that unfold in the film. The most important thing is the ability of the director to suspense and mystery. Hitchcock had the ability to involve the viewer in a movie. The verdict of the three movies Sabotage, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Psycho is Alfred Hitchcock designed everything to achieve what he believe was the important distinction “mystery” vs. “suspense”. He has done it with great attention to the applicable musical accompaniment, delivery of information to the audience, and penetration of
The massive shift in setting, in Shakespeare's Othello, from Venetian Italy to Cyprus, signifies a loss of order and justice, conveyed through Branbantio's words to Roderigo and Iago's racket made outside his home, : "what tell'st thou of me robbing? This is Venice; / My house is not a grange" (I.i. 102-3). Whereas Cyprus, due to its more isolated features is more subjected to civil unrest as Othello functions as a leader while Iago tries to challenge his position, allowing the power of judgment to fall to the people. Unlike Venice, because despite their anger, Othello is still brought to court for a trial, tying back to a greater sense of civility in Venice.
The concept of piracy dates back to ancient times. Initially small water ways were used for fast travel and trade, enabling an empire to trade and further expand its boundaries to new territories. As time progressed and scientific discoveries grew, naval advancements emerged and facilitated a new way to explore, travel, and discover. As ships became more regularly used, people of the world no longer were confined to land, they were able to move freely to areas that were once unobtainable. Advancements in diplomacy and trade grew extensively, but counter ideals involving raiding, murdering, and theft soon melded the navel techniques and branded a new idea which involved malevolent activity upon the water.