William Shakespeare's Othello
A significant moment in Othello demonstrates the theme of binaries questioned in many of Shakespeare's works. Addressing the Duke and senators, Othello says:
"Let her have your voice.
Vouch with me heaven, I therefore beg it not
To please the palate of my appetite,
Nor to comply with heat--the young affects
In me defunct--and proper satisfaction,
But to be free and bounteous to her mind;
And heaven defend your good souls that you think
I will your serious and great business scant
When she is with me. No, when light-winged toys
Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness
My speculative and officed instruments
That my disports corrupt and taint my business,
Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,
And all indign and base adversitities
Make head against my estimation."
This speech occurs in Othello 1.3.259-273. Desdemona has just requested to accompany her husband to Cyprus and Othello seconds her request. He swears not to be distracted from his military duties if Desdemona comes along. To convince his listeners, he claims he cannot be distracted by sex because he lacks the desire for it. As he puts it, “the young affects [are] in me defunct” (262-263). Further stressing his commitment to the military, he boldly declares that if he indeed neglects his duties for the state, “let housewives make a skillet of my helm, and all indign and base adversities make head against my estimation” (271-273). In other words, if his sexual pleasure (“disports”) gets in the way of his work (“business”), he does not deserve to be called a man and should be emasculated by allowing housewives to cook with his helmet. Furthermore, his enemies good reputation should be razed.
Line 271 (“Let house...
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...od a place as any to start.
Works Cited
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Greenblatt, Stephen. Introduction. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997.
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“Palate.” Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1987.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Coriolanus.” The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997. 2793-2872.
---. “The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice.” The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997. 2100-2174.
---. “Troilus and Cressida. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997. 1835-1913.
“Skillet.” Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1987.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York; Washington Square Press, 1993.
Lamb, Charles. On the Tragedies of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1811. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.
Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice" The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stanley Wells & |Gary Taylor. New York/London, W.W. Norton Company,1997. 2100-2174
“Othello Moor of Venice.” The compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9 ed. Michael Meyer. Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 1187-1267.
This line in Act I spoken by Othello, is an indication that he is a good person, although it may appear that he has stolen Desdemona away from her father. Othello says that although he has taken Desdemona as his wife without Brabantio’s consent, he is a good person for stating his reasons for his actions as well as standing his ground. After Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, the conflict starts when Iago insinuates that Desdemona may be having an affair with Cassio, Othello’s honorable lieutenant.... ... middle of paper ...
“I asked her to wear something revealing, so she showed up in a prophet's toga.”(CITE) Jarod Kintz’s words are an example of miscommunication, or failure to comprehend meaning. In this case, it is implied that one person misunderstood the message of another, but incomprehension also applies to problems other than falsely interpreted requests. Incomprehension can occur when people misinterpret another’s words or intentions, or when a person misreads situations or events. The outcome described in Kintz’s quote is unexpected and unintended, but there are instances of incomprehension that have consequences of greater severity. Perhaps a classic tragedy with a high body count falls under these parameters.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55)
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Shakespeare, William, and Kim F. Hall. Othello, the Moor of Venice: Texts and Contexts. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Print.
Desdemona is one of the protagonists of the play contributes to the play and also fleshes out certain aspects of characterisation mainly where Othello and Iago are concerned. Thus her relevance is highlighted consistently throughout Othello, since without her ppresence, Iago would not have succeeded in manipulating Othello, and Othello's drastic transformation would not have been made evident.
Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice" The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stanley Wells & |Gary Taylor. New York/London, W.W. Norton Company,1997. 2100-2174
Barthelemy, Anthony G. "Introduction" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 1-19)
Shakespeare, William. The History of Troilus and Cressida. Ed. Jonathan Crewe. 4. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 2000. Print. November 2013.