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An analysis of the play 'Othello' by Shakespeare
Character analysis othello
An analysis of the play 'Othello' by Shakespeare
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Recommended: An analysis of the play 'Othello' by Shakespeare
Morality vs. Self-Interest
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an anonymous poet, and Othello, by Shakespeare, are two stories, which address the acts and outcomes of adultery. In each of these novels, the protagonist’s face adultery and thereby reach a conflict between morality and self-interest. Sir Gawain, a moral and ethical knight, is driven by his desire for life and sex, which ultimately leads him to betray his morality. Othello, who is also portrayed as moral and ethical, is blinded by his jealousy, race, and age, which ultimately leads him to betray his morality. In both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Othello the conflict between morality and self-interest takes hold of once moral men and destroys them.
In the beginning of the
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During his travel towards the Green Knight, Gawain encounters a gleaming castle. The lord of the castle welcomes him in with great hospitality. The lord proposes a game – Gawain should stay in the manor while the lord goes out to hunt and at the end of the day they will exchange what they received. On day one, the lord is out hunting does while the lord’s wife comes to Gawain’s bedchambers and seduces him. She reasons with him, “A good man like Gawain, so greatly regarded; the embodiment of courtliness to the bones of his being; could never have lingered so long with a lady; without craving a kiss” (1297 - 1300). Gawain, sticking to his knightly behaviors, refuses her but she manages to give him one kiss. At the end of the day, the lord and Gawain exchange the does and kiss. With each new day, the lord’s wife ups her game and tried to make Gawain violate his sense of morality and each time Gawain finds it harder and harder to resists her …show more content…
Iago is mad at Othello since Othello chose Casio as his second-in-command. He therefore schemes with Rodrigues (who was rejected by Desdemona for marriage) to bring Othello down. Iago creates this whole dramatic irony by setting it to look like Casio had an affair with Desdemona. Iago lies to Othello about Desdemona being unfaithful. Othello, in an outrage, believes everything Iago tells him and accuses his wife of being adulterous saying “she’s like a liar gone to burning hell” (V, ii, 132) and “she is false as water” (v, ii, 137). Being that Othello is insecure about his age and race – he is both old and black – he constantly questions Desdemona’s loyalty to him. Therefore, he is easily convinced that Desdemona was unfaithful when Iago torments him. Othello says, “ 'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death” (III, iii, 277). Othello believes his race and age made him destined to be cheated on. In addition, Othello is easily jealous which leads him to suspect his wife’s unfaithfulness as soon as Iago accesses
Gawain is a gentleman, who would never kiss and tell, so the two reaffirm their pact for the next day. The lord’s determination in “pursuing the wild swine till the sunlight slanted” is paralleled by his wife’s determination in seducing Gawain as “she was at him with all her art to turn his mind her way” (188). Lady Bercilak attempts to exploit Gawain’s reputation as she tries to seduce him. She greets him in the bedroom and coyly asks how “a man so well-meaning, and mannerly disposed.cannot act in company as courtesy bids” (189). Lady Bercilak is not subtle (she points out that the door is locked and the two are alone in the castle) as she offers herself to Gawain, saying, “I am yours to command, to kiss when you please” (189).
In the final scenes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain’s encounter with Sir Bertilak allows Gawain to perceive his own flaws, manifested in his acceptance of the Green Girdle. The court’s reaction to his personal guilt highlights the disconnect between him and the other knights of the Round Table. Gawain’s behavior throughout the poem has been most noteworthy; his understanding of his sin, one that many of us would dismiss since it was propelled by his love of life, enhances his stature as a paragon of chivalry.
In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the author shows, in a deeper, fictional descriptive fashion, a look into English life of the late 1300s to the 1400s. Written in an ambiguous undertone, this poem is left for interpretation by the reader. This seemingly unknown author examines the personalities and character traits of Sir Gawain, and other people within the patriarchy by examining them through the different what they did in life, and how they conducted themselves within specific company. Particularly through Sir Gawain, the Pearl Poet examines more than just pride within this text, but bravery, honor, and temptation.
Gawain, nephew of the famed Arthur of the Round Table, is depicted as the most noble of knights in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Nonetheless, he is not without fault or demerit, and is certainly susceptible to conflict. Gawain, bound to chivalry, is torn between his knightly edicts, his courtly obligations, and his mortal thoughts of self-preservation. This conflict is most evident in his failure of the tests posed by the wicked Morgan le Fay. With devious tests of temptation and courage, Morgan is able to create a mockery of the courtly and knightly ideal, through Gawain's failure of these tests. By satirizing the effects of Gawain's inner conflicts, the unnamed Gawain poet reveals that even the best of men are innately selfish and subject to thoughts reprehensible to the chivalrous code.
The fact that he is willing to hold to his stated word is evidence enough that he has good ethics. After Gawain accepts the challenge of the Green Knight he promises to let the Knight perform the challenge to himself. Gawain also has respect for women and their wishes. Gawain’s respect is indicated by the immediate response of Gawain to kiss the lady of the castle after she comes in to greet Gawain for the first time. Gawain’s action stems from the lady’s statement, "So true a knight as Gawain is holden, and one so perfect in courtesy, would never have tarried so long with a lady but he would of his courtesy have craved a kiss at parting." The meaning of this quotation is if this man in the bed were truly the noble knight Sir Gawain, he would not have taken as long as he did to kiss the master of the castle’s wife. A few other examples from the ethics of Sir Gawain are the three promises or instances of gift exchanges with the lord of the castle. For the most part, Gawain holds to his word and gives to the castle lord that which he, Gawain, had received each day. The one instance that he breaks his code of ethics occurs when he exchanges the third gift of three kisses with the host, when in all actuality he had been given a girdle by the lady of the castle to aid him in his encounter with the Green
Othello has many positive traits, including being a great leader and loyal. He also has one negative trait that ultimately leads to his death; jealousy. Iago provokes deep, strong emotions in Othello, jealousy being the strongest. Jealousy is a nasty little emotion. It causes people to do terrible things because once it is on a person’s conscience, it stays for quite some time. Because of these effects, jealousy can impact some of the strongest people such as Othello. The love between Desdemona and Othello was portrayed so elevated and pure and was filled with religious words and phrases that just added to the strength and sanctity of their love. Othello has such a strong mind, but jealousy caused by the manipulation of Iago, negatively impacts him. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with his friend Cassio. When Othello asks Iago for proof of Desdemona’s deceit, Iago describes scenes and events in which Othello has a reason to be jealous. In Act III, Scene I Iago is describing to Othello, Desdemona and Cassio’s imagined relationship, “It is impossible you should see this/ were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, as salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross as ignorance made drunk.” These images planted themselves inside Othello’s mind and haunted him until he did something about it. These images led to Othello believing Desdemona really did love
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
Part Three of Gawain and the Green Knight tell about the three days before Gawain is to leave the Lord’s castle to meet the Green Knight. The first day the lord wakes up early to hunt for deer. The story tells in detail about the hunting party when suddenly we move to the castle back to Gawain. Gawain asleep in his bed is greeted by the lady of the castle sneaking into his room and watching him sleep. Gawain knows she is in his room but acts surprised to wake up to her. The lady flirts with Gawain by telling him how great he is and offers her body to him. The author writes “My body is here at hand, / Your each wish to fulfill; / Your servant to command/ I am, and shall be still.” (Lines 1237-1240). Gawain tells her he is unworthy of her to which the lady continues her flirtatious ways. Before the lady leaves Gawain’s room she asks for a kiss to which Gawain complies and grants her a kiss. The lord’s hunting party has killed a large amount of deer and begins dividing the killings. The party returns home and Gawain is given the game, Gawain gives the lord the kiss he received but refuses to tell who gave him the kiss.
In the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Poet Pearl, Sir Gawain, knight of the Round Table, acts chivalrously, yet his intents are insincere and selfish. It is the advent season in Middle Age Camelot, ruled by King Arthur when Poet Pearl begins the story. In this era citizens valued morals and expected them to be demonstrated, especially by the highly respected Knights of the Round Table. As one of Arthur’s knights, Sir Gawain commits to behaving perfectly chivalrous; however, Gawain falls short of this promise. Yes, he acts properly, but he is not genuine. The way one behaves is not enough to categorize him as moral; one must also be sincere in thought. Gawain desires to be valued as
Authors incorporate religious principles to set forth the moral characteristics and ideals expected of a person. Literary works are illustrated with biblical allusions to help express the message behind the plot of a story. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight integrates biblical beliefs to depict the views on human nature. In this work, Christian concepts are embedded into the poem to suggest the Green Knight’s characterization as God, a representation to test human nature’s fidelity.
The tales of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lanval offer their readers insight into a common knightly quandary. Gawain and Lanval are both faced with challenges that threaten their ability to protect, uphold, and affirm their very knightliness. The two knights repeatedly see several knightly traits--- each invaluable to the essence of a knight--- brought into conflict. While the knights are glorified in their respective texts, they are faced with impossible dilemmas; in each story, both reader and knight are confronted with the reality that knightly perfection is unattainable: concessions must be made--- bits and pieces of their honor must be sacrificed.
The poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, tells of one knights struggle to uphold the code of chivalry. What makes a knight a noble knight? Why does this social standard force us to hold this individual to higher expectations? What should we think about Sir Gawain when he breaks his vows in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight? How does Sir Gawain and Arthur’s court pass the test of The Green Knight? This paper will argue that Sir Gawain, despite his mistakes, is the greatest knight because of his repentance and the lesson he learns when he encounters The Green Knight.
William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello presents to the audience a picture of many different shades of morality and immorality. It is the purpose of this essay to elaborate in detail on this thesis.
The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight revolves around the knights and their chivalry as well as their romance through courtly love. The era in which this story takes place is male-dominated, where the men are supposed to be brave and honorable. On the other hand, the knight is also to court a lady and to follow her commands. Sir Gawain comes to conflict when he finds himself needing to balance the two by being honorable to chivalry as well as respectful to courtly love.
Throughout the drama, Othello let Iago control him as if he was a puppet under his master’s hands. When Iago first brought up the idea that Desdemona and Cassio might be having an affair, Othello did not believe him, he had faith in his wife. After many lies that Iago planted in Othello’s ears, Othello started to believe him and he dropped most of the faith that he had in Desdemona. Iago told Othello that in his sleep, Cassio said “Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our love”. Cursed fate that gave thee the Moor” (III.iii.416-417).