When one watches a play, they are catching a glimpse into the characters lives. They are catching a narrow window of their existence. They do not know where they came from, what kind of experiences they have had, or what may have influenced them over the course of their lives. The central protagonist of Othello is none other than Othello himself, a man whose background ultimately shape and dictate his life during the play.
Shakespeare creates Othello’s main objective to stay true to who he is; a person that we are meant to infer is filled with duty, honor, trust, respect, nobility, and the desire to do the right thing. If any of these listed attributes are awry in his life, or at fault among the people he associates with, he is sure to choose the most direct course of action to change what is “wrong”, majorly due to his military background.
A.C Bradley discusses in his work “Bradley on Othello” the themes of Othello’s personality that pre-disposition him to take the most direct course of action, “Othello's nature is all of one piece. His trust, where he trusts, is absolute. Hesitation is almost impossible to him. He is extremely self-reliant, and decides and acts instantaneously” (Bradley). These ideas of absolute and lack of hesitation are important to remember when studying Othello’s character. In further explanation, Othello is a fighter, a General seasoned in combat. He does not hesitate in decision making, because he knows that moment’s hesitation could cost victory in battle. Othello embodies the same philosophy in his everyday decisions. He does not make decisions “halfway”. When Othello puts his mind to a task, he is either entirely invested in his duty or not invested at all. Consequently, this philosop...
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... his super objective in every way possible. He abided by it throughout the course of the entire play, and applied it to all of his various miniature objectives as well. Based on the actions of the play, the only way for Othello to achieve his super objective was to take his own life. He will always do, what in his eyes, is seen as “the right thing to do”. Othello knew he could not live with the actions he had committed, and therefore took his own life. He stayed true to himself throughout his entire life, but by staying true to the one sided, black and white nature of which he was, Othello also brought upon his own death. Should people change the way they are? Was Othello sticking to his strict moral code the best decision he could have made. Perhaps not, as noted that due to staying true, one is left with a “heavy act with heavy heart relate” (V.ii. 368).
Picture this- William Harold Shakespeare, the most coveted playwriter in the history of the world, sitting at his desk, perspicaciously pondering over what shall become his most prominant and delicated tragedy of yet. Of course, given what little is known about Shakespeere displays, such deepseated imagery cannot simply be accomplished without first the propriety of haste and vinction.And yet, his very own rhetorical vibe displays allows such a vague pictoration to be concieved. Throughout the whole of Othello, the great Shakespeare remarks through an astounding displays show of pronouns, allitteration, and cacophonous diction his own resentment of both the King of Italy and the poor conditions of the said novelist.
...e. The play Othello focuses on the tragedy of the main character Othello to point out flaws in a generally good character; it teaches the readers valuable lessons to becomes better human beings by not making the same mistakes as Othello does in the play.
Othello is a good man but took the wrong path. He is well known in Venice even though he is a moor because of his irreplaceable honour. He is kind hearted towards most of the people he encounters because he believes in friendship.. This lead him to meet Desdemona and end up marrying her whom he showed passionate interest towards. Othello put his trust in people easily which shows that he is a very friendly character but he gave it to the wrong person, whom is Iago. He put his trust in Iago even though Iago’s intentions were purely to get him killed or arrested. Othello had honour and took account for all his foolish mistakes in which only some loyal soldiers may abide to. In the story he have shown these characteristics by killing himself after realizing the deathful mistakes he's done.
Othello is a man who is respected as a General in the Army. Brabanzio even considered him a friend. Thanks to Iago planting a seed in Brabanzio ear about his daughter, Desdemona, Brabanzio accused Othello of taking his daughter away from him by means of drugs or poision. Othello has fought on the battle-field and now finds himself on a very different kind of battle-field. He finds himself in a position of being forced to defend his honor, friendship and his love. There has been accusations made against Othello, so in a room filled with signors, masters, the Duke, and Brabanzio, Othello has a strategy of battlement in his own way. He tells the Duke to send for Desdemona, “Send for the lady to the Sagittary, And let her speak of me before her father” (1.3-115-116).
Othello is one of Shakespeare’s four pillars of great tragedies. Othello is unique in comparison to the others in that it focuses on the private lives of its primary characters. When researching the subject of Othello being an Aristotelian tragedy, there is debate among some critics and readers. Some claim that Shakespeare did not hold true to Aristotle’s model of tragedy, according to his definition in “Poetics,” which categorized Othello as a classic tragedy as opposed to traditional tragedy. Readers in the twenty-first century would regard Othello a psychological thriller; it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat creating the emotions of terror, heart break, and sympathy. This paper will focus on what Shakespeare actually intended regarding “Othello” and its Aristotelian influences.
“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.
...o he murders his wife. Then, he does not want to be made to look like a murderer so he begs to be remembered as a different man than the one he actually is. In the midst of trying to save his reputation, Othello reveals his subconscious fears of not being accepted and always looking like a foreigner no matter what he accomplishes. Out of all his accomplishments in the military, Othello wants to be remembered for one specific story – the time he saved a Venetian from being abused by a Turk. It is as if he is forcefully portraying himself as a contributing member of Venice by saying that he protected it from outside forces. At the same time, he equates himself to the Turk and kills himself in the same way he killed the Turk. Othello, in trying to save his reputation, loses everything he has ever cared about or worked for – Desdemona, his reputation, and his career.
Othello is a man who comes from a hard life. In the time period the play is set in, racism is common and Othello is a target for it due to his dark skin. He fought in many battles and was put into slavery for a time. Now he is a high ranking General in the army. Othello, for all that he has been through, is also kind, caring, and trusting of those close to him. He cares and trusts his comrades and is loving and kind to his wife, Desdemona. Othello is also r...
Othello is a play with the ability to transcend time and evolve with changing value systems. It is by considering these different perceptions and their contexts that our understanding and appreciation is enriched.
Othello, the central character of William Shakespeare's play is an excellent leader but a poor reasoner and foolish lover. The tragedy of `Othello' is largely due to Othello's personality and life experience. Othello believes himself to be loved and respected by everyone around him as most people refer to him as the "noble General Othello". Othello, after realizing his tragic mistake of murdering his innocent wife, Desdemona, claims he "loved not wisely, but too well", this is an honest reflection of himself as his love was true and pure but also foolish. His lack of wisdom is because of his little experience in personal relationship and his role as a noble solider. Othello did love too well and it is shown right through the play as he displays his love for Desdemona but also his ignorant trust and love for Iago, his Ancient. Only knowing a soldier's life, Othello was unwise in relationships and love.
One of the first impressions gained of Othello is that he is a great war hero. Before much else is said of him, tales of his skill and valor in battle are illustrated and he is shown to be a great and famed warrior. He naturally possesses many attributes typically associated with soldiers. From the beginning Othello is noble, quick to act, judicious, trusting, and gives much weight to the importance of duty. These are all traits that serve to make him great at the beginning of the play, and later, ironically become key elements in his downfall. These aspects can be considered the internal causes of Othello’s tragic flaw. “Othello's nature is all of one piece. His trust, where he trusts, is absolute…. Love, if he loves, must be to him the heaven where either he must leave or bear no life. If such a passion as jealousy seizes him, it will swell into a well-night incontrollable flood.” Othello is pure an...
Throughout Othello’s journey, it is apparent he had many drastic changes in his behavior and how he reacted to people as he became more and more upset. He went from being a gentle and calm character, to a paranoid and insecure character, to an out of control and enraged monster. In the end, he finds out the truth as to what was really going on, ultimately resulting in Othello’s suicide.
Shakespeare’s Othello consists of the themes betrayal, love and dishonesty. At the centre of this play is the tragic downfall of Othello at the hands of his so called friend Iago. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for and against Othello being responsible for his downfall through looking at critical interpretations of his character and actions.
In society there are always people who are easily manipulated and possess poor judgment. This leads them to make wrong decisions and negatively affect their lives and the lives of the people around them. The reason for Othello’s tragic downfall was because of his poor judgement, his easily manipulated conscience and his jealousy and obsession with. These traits displayed why Othello was responsible for the play’s tragic outcome.
Othello main concerns when confronted with the actions of his wife are his heart. Othello is self-conscious, often presenting himself as an outsider. He is in a position of power that would not be expected of someone of his nationality. For this reason many people dislike him and think less of him. Othello reflects other people’s views of himself in...