William Shakespeare's Othello

William Shakespeare's Othello

The play Othello was said to have been written in 1603/4, but no one

really knows. It was first performed in front of king James I. It was

very original because it had a black tragic hero and at that time it

was very rare too see a black character let alone a main one. The key

themes are the same in most of Shakespeare's plays (love, jealousy,

appearance and reality, dark and light. The main theme is Othello's

jealousy, which results in his downfall. Vital to the play is the

devilish Iago, one of Shakespeare's most fascinating villains. His

motives for manipulating Othello remain in mystery. However, Othello's

race is vital to the success of Iago's schemes. In the rest of my

essay I will look in depth of the other character to show how Iago

convinced Othello of Desdemona's guilt.

The black general, Othello, marries Desdemona, the white daughter of a

Venetian nobleman. Othello's ensign, Iago, wants to ruin his leader.

He tricks Othello into believing that Desdemona has slept with Casio,

his lieutenant. Iago succeeds in this dishonesty with the effect that

Othello kills his wife, and then commits suicide when he discovers the

truth.

In the play Othello, the character of Othello has certain traits,

which make him seem immature and simple compared to many other people,

as he is very trusting. The Moor, as many Venetians call him, is of

strong character. He is very proud and in control of every move

throughout the play. The control is not only of power but of the sense

of his being who heis, a great warrior. In Act I, Othello has a

scuffle with Brabantio, who has come to kill him, but before anything

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...lid virtue The shot of accident nor dart of chance could neither

graze nor pierce"

(IV, i, lines 264-8)

He did see for himself the dishonesty of Desdemona toward her father

and remembered the words he had said to him:

"Look to her, Moor, if thou has eyes to see She has deceived her

father, and may thee" (act I, iii).

After realizing Othello had been tricked into believing the lies of

Iago. He couldn't handle the suffering of knowing he had murder in

jealousy rather for justice. This destruction in Othello's character

brought the strong warrior back into the scene. Where he changed into

his own judge, jury, and sentenced himself. He told

the people around him in their letters to write of him not in malice,

then he said:

"Then you must speak of one that loved not wisely but too well"

(V, ii, l).