William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer of all time as well as the greatest dramatist. Shakespeare lived in Stratford-on-Avon and he dedicated most of his life to writing plays and poems. Shakespeare’s plays are well known and they have many of the same reoccurring and similar, underlying themes. One very interesting thing about Shakespeare is the way he approaches the women characters in his plays and how he treats them. In the Shakespearian plays, Macbeth, Hamlet, The Tempest, King Lear, Much Ado about Nothing, Othello, and A Midsummers Night Dream, the women characters are treated very similar, but also differently as well. Most notably, Shakespeare creates the character, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, a very cynical and ambitious woman. When Lady Macbeth learns in a letter that witches predicted that her husband would become Thane of Cawdor and then soon King, she became very ambitious. She believed that …show more content…
In Othello, the evil villain Iago, tricks Othello into thinking his wife is having an affair with someone else. Iago hates Othello with a passion simply because he over looked him in a promotion and chose someone else instead. Othello becomes so enthralled in his jealousy that he ends up killing his wife, Desdemona. Desdemona was pure and she always remained firm in her loyalty and devotion to Othello. Even when she knew she was about to die she remained strong, “I never did offend you in my life; never loved Cassio but with such general warranty of heaven as I might love” (Othello). Iago’s wife, Emilie, died as well by the hands of her husband. She told Othello the truth about what her husband did and that Desdemona was innocent. Because of this, her husband killed her. Shakespeare uses these two women to represent the wrongs of society. “Shakespeare uses Othello to identify the repression of women as a social evil”
Iago clearly does not have a high opinion of women, and it is because of his low opinion of women that Iago does not feel any guilt in using Desdemona for his gain. Had Iago had a better opinion of women, he may have not used Desdemona as a means to an end, which is an action frowned upon in philosophy (Johnson, “Kant’s Moral Philosophy”). Othello should have kept Desdemona at home, which, according to Vives, would have limited Desdemona’s exposure to men. With Desdemona spending most of her time at home, Othello would not have had to worry about his wife spending too much time with his crew. It is because of Othello exposing Desdemona to “evil” that he should be held accountable for some of the misfortunes that occur in Othello (Vives 274).
In William Shaspeare play Othello, Iago make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He does by taking advantage of any situation to make of Othello doubt. Iago make Othello thing a lot of crazy thing on his head, Othello got so jelous leading him to kill his own wife, Desdemona, satisfying iago obseccion for revenge.
In The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “…fear is simply the consequence of every lie.” Dostoevsky is stating how people are afraid of what will happen when their lie(s) is/are put out in the open. Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. This line suggests that people are afraid of the truth, which inevitably is the consequence of every lie. Even though this quote was written by a 19th century author it can still relate to texts that were made centuries prior. Both Sophocles and Shakespeare’s plays support Dostoevky because both plays deal with the act of lying and its consequences as a major motif.
When we first begin Othello, we see the start of what we believe to be a beautiful marriage between Othello and Desdemona. However, at the end, we are faced with the tragic murder of Desdemona by her dear Othello, bringing this marriage to a gruesome end. We’re left with a sense of horror, sorrow, and bewilderment. How could this have happened? Why did Othello, how did Othello, go from a doting husband to a furious killer? The obvious answer is that Iago deceived him into thinking that Desdemona had been unfaithful to him. However, multiple factors contributed to this tragedy. One could say that Emelia is the pivotal point in the tragedy of Othello. It was due, in part, to her actions and motivations, as well as the jealousy that she caused in Iago, that Desdemona died.
American musician Jimmy Dean once stated, “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination” (values.com). The tenacity described by this quotation is shared by Macbeth from The Tragedy of Macbeth, Hamlet from The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, and Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Each of these beloved characters are placed in unfavorable circumstances, yet they manage to pursue their own desires despite the will of those around them. In addition, unlike Hamlet and Macbeth, Alice manages to minimize her path of destruction. As demonstrated by Lewis Carrol’s Alice Liddell, the characteristics William Shakespeare’s tragic heroes transcend time and morph to create new modern heroes.
While Othello murdered his wife Desdemona, he did it purely from misunderstanding and jealousy. Iago made Othello believe Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio even though she never did such actions. Iago’s persistence and villainous intentions made Othello become jealous of Cassio and break down his emotions towards Desdemona and want to kill her with fierce rage. Othello would not do such a crime if he have known it is was a
In many relationships, there is suspicion or distrust, but it rarely leads to such murder, hate, and suicide so contemptible as in William Shakespeare’s Othello. In the play, three innocent characters spiral downward to their deaths as the sinister Iago unravels his scheme for revenge. These three are Othello the Moor, Cassio, and Desdemona who is Othello’s faithful wife. Desdemona receives the sour end of the bargain as she has never done anything to upset Iago, but rather she is killed for loving Othello and for being a friend toward Cassio. However, her love for Othello stays strong, though she realizes she is quickly falling out of his favor, soon to meet the death of their love.
Neely, Carol Thomas. "Shakespeare's Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations." In Holland, Norman N., Sidney Homan, and Bernard J. Paris, eds. Shakespeare's Personality. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.
Her confession then confirms that Desdemona was faithful and did not deserve to die and as a result she shows one that love can be foolish and naïve. Her love and loyalty to Iago causes her to deceive her friend and this ends with both women being killed because the love they possessed for too foolish men. Othello is responsible for murdering Desdemona; Iago is
The play “Othello, the Moor of Venice” by William Shakespeare can be difficult to comprehend but has a deeper meaning. Othello is an African American and was not accepted by Desdemona’s family, in which he was accused with bewitching Brabantio’s daughter into running away with him to Cypress. Othello and Desdemona started their lives together, thinking that it would last a lifetime. Iago ruined their marriage because he is envious of Cassio, due to the fact that he was chosen by Othello to be the lieutenant. Iago manages to manipulate and convince Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. This leads to Othello being easily misled and being very easily influenced. While Iago was lying to Othello and him believing the lies, it made Othello have no faith or trust in his wife, even though Iago had no proof. Iago convinced Othello that Desdemona had an affair with Cassio. The play shows the theme of revenge “Killing myself, to die upon a kiss” in which Othello
Othello, by Shakespeare, is about a Moor from Venice named Othello who gets tricked by Iago, the villain of the play, into thinking that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him. This leads to the end of the play where Desdemona’s life hangs in the hands of Othello. Though he still loves her, he justifies to himself that he must kill her to stop her from cheating on other men. In Act V, Scene ii lines 1-22 of Othello, Shakespeare, through the character Othello, uses emotional and vengeful diction, symbolism, and repetition to justify the killing of Desdemona.
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the main character Othello is typically victimized and portrayed as a mere scapegoat of the villainous Iago’s devious plans. However, Othello is not completely void of responsibility for the death of his wife. Othello, the tragic hero, is just as responsible as Iago for his premeditated murder of Desdemona due to his own internal flaws. Specifically, flaws such as his vivid imagination and his self over-idealization are brought to the surface by Iago, which consequently allows Iago to easily manipulate Othello.
Iago’s opinion of women. Shakespeare’s play Othello is based on tragedy of Othello’s jealousy, which ironically leads Othello to kill Desdemona, his beloved (wife). Evil Iago is above all Shakespeare’s villains. Iago is a person with evil emotions, and as a result he deceives everybody, he also is exceptionally influential character who has taken in everyone, above all his own wife Emilia. His public face of bravery and honesty conceals a satanic delight in manipulation and destruction, and he will stop at nothing.
Othello could have prevented the horrific events that led to the death of Desdemona if he were not absorbed in his own allusions of marital deception. Iago uses the handkerchief as evidence for sealing Othello’s nightmare. Othello is turned from Christian to Turk and refuses to acknowledge his wife’s promise of love. He attacks Desdemona who is innocent in the crime of treason. In the first act we learn Desdemona has eloped with Othello. During the early Renaissance period, it was illegal for any woman to marry a man without her parents’ consent. The shock from this betrayal killed Brabanzio, her father. Desdemona’s boldness in her choice was not a whim of lust but a strong force of passion. The audience hears in the first scene Brabanzio voice his disgust for Iago. Brabanzio: “Thou art a villain” Iago: You are a senator” (1.1.2103) Brabanzio is the only person who recognizes Iago’s treacherous
Within many Shakespearian plays, roles of women often focus on their intelligence, strength, and perseverance. This may indicate Shakespeare’s understanding that women should be treated equal to men and receive equal opportunities like that of men and pose the possibility of Shakespeare himself being a feminist.