Evil and Good in Othello Life in general is often used as a system of ways to define what kind of person you are by its end. Shakespeare takes that theory into test upon his characters in his work of the famous play Othello. Through the verbal twists and turns along with the addition of color symbolisms, the personalities of Othello, Iago, Desdemona are revealed to their fullest extents, along with their own balance of good and evil within. When this is realized by this famous Shakespearian
all possible worlds and that all things ultimately tend toward evil” and that “evil outweighs the good” (The Free Dictionary). ‘Tragedy’ is generally associated with misery and death, which are considered as the worst occurrences in personal lives. In this essay, using Othello as an example, tragedy is examined as a genre of pessimistic perspectives. First, in accordance with the pessimistic approach, the prevailing themes in Othello were addressed from a negative point of view. Love, the main subject
Human Frailty in Othello Tragedy is an intrinsically human concept; tragic heroes are damned by what they themselves do. Othello is not so much felled by the actions of Iago, but by a quality all people possess-- human frailty. Accordingly, Othello is not a victim of consequences, but an active participant in his downfall. He is not merely a vehicle for the machinations of Iago; he had free agency. Othello's deficiencies are: an insecure grasp of Venetian social values; lack of critical intelligence
Dramatic Devices in Othello Many people will argue that soliloquies are outmoded, embarrassing and a thing of the past. They hold this idea because they believe audiences want to see more action rather than talk. However, I disagree and believe that soliloquies are important dramatic devices which are important in making any kind of drama successful. In this essay I will discuss both arguments with reference to the play Othello. Modern day children are brought up into seeing lots of visual
Iago's True Motives for His Animosity toward Othello Throughout the experience of Othello, a plethora of characters manage to hold the spotlight, evoke aspects of the nature of man, and entwine tremendous emotions into knots. An analysis of the different characters in Othello portrays Iago as a character worthy of a deeper analysis as a reprehensible and enigmatic puppeteer responsible for the tragic fall of the hero, Othello. The character is depicted to be the most notorious villain in the play
The Character of Othello Shakespeare's Othello is not simply a play which embodies the conflict between insider and outsider. The paradigm of otherness presented in this play is more complicated than the conclusion, "Othello is different; therefore, he is bad." Othello's character is to be revered. He is a champion among warriors; an advisor among councilmen; a Moor among Venetians. Yes, Othello is a Moor, but within the initial configuration of the play, this fact is almost irrelevant. His
The Complex Character of Iago of Othello Iago can be clearly characterized as the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello. The notion of the "honest" Iago does at times appear not to be a misnomer. In this essay I shall attempt to explore the complexities contained within the character of Iago. One of the most interesting questions that crops up is the one concerning Iago’s motives. What are his reasons to kill every major Venetian in Cyprus? Shakespeare seemingly sets the stage for Iago’s
TWO OTHER CHARACTERS IN ‘OTHELLO’ Iago controls and manipulates many characters in ‘Othello’ including Roderigo, Brabantio, Cassio, Emilia, Desdemona, and even Othello himself. I will only be looking at Cassio and Othello because the fate of Iago’s plans rest in their actions, therefore he controls and manipulates them more than any of the other characters like Roderigo who is also manipulated by Iago for a lot of the play but I found the relationship between Othello, Cassio, and Iago more interesting
The Absolute Evil of Iago in Othello What marks consummate villainy is the willingness to be absolutely evil-to have no qualms about being diabolical and no strains of human morality. Because feeling for another leads one to experience guilt, even an iota of empathy is a character flaw that will lead to the downfall of a villain. To succeed, the villain needs to emulate the character Iago in Othello, who consistently works his evil throughout the whole play and does not slip until the end
“Iago’s Image” In William Shakespeare’s “Othello, the Moor of Venice”, we observe several different characters to include the Moor himself; however, Othello’s trusted and loyal ensign Iago continually surfaces as somewhat of the play’s director that holds a generalized hate with the world (Web.b.ebscohost.com.bethelu.idm.oclc.org, 2015). Consequently, Iago uses his very strategic skills to manipulate and control people’s emotion for his personal gain. Iago, also known as “honest Iago”, is initially
Iago as the Perfect Villain of Othello Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago. One of the most interesting questions that crops up is concerning Iago’s motives. What are his reasons to kill every major Venetian in Cyprus
Compare and Contrast Essay A renowned writer once said “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” The few words are describing two well-known plays The Crucible and Othello. Within these two plays it consists of conflicting plots, fights, and beatings. There are to characters that get all of these three, they are Othello (Othello) and John Proctor (The Crucible). These two are essentially the tragic hero within there to plays but who is more of a tragic hero? The life of both went through many issues
Desdemona, the Heroine in Othello In William Shakespeare’s Othello Michael Cassio’s praises of the richly blessed Desdemona, as he awaits her arrival on Cyprus, are well deserved. This essay will amply support this statement. Blanche Coles in Shakespeare’s Four Giants interprets the protagonist’s very meaningful four-word greeting to Desdemona which he utters upon disembarking in Cyprus: Othello’s four words, “O, my soul’s joy,” tell us that this beautiful Venetian girl has brought
Copious Imagery within the Tragedy Othello In the Bard of Avon’s tragic drama Othello there resides imagery of all types, sizes and shapes. Let us look at the playwright’s offering in this area. In the essay “Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello” Robert B. Heilman discusses the significance of imagery within this play: Reiterative language is particularly prone to acquire a continuity of its own and to become “an independent part of the plot” whose effect we can attempt to
Shakespeare's Othello This essay will explore Coleridge’s assessment of Iago. In Iago’s soliloquies, Iago gives many reasons as to why he hates Othello but he often abandons his ideas and searches for new ones. This is because he is not completely sure himself why he hates Othello so much and is just trying to find reasons so that he can plot against him. Iago often does not know if his reasons are true but will behave as if they are just so that he has a reason to hate Othello. Iago is always
Desdemona by Othello, Emilia vehemently attacks Othello for his wrongdoing. In act five scene two, Emilia says this to Othello: "O, the more angel she, And you the blacker devil!" (V.ii.129-131). Emilia is not only mad that the pure and immaculate Desdemona was killed, but is enraged that the devil (i.e. Othello), has slain an angel. This scene suggests that the word black was used as a metaphor for the devil and darkness since Othello killed Desdemona in the shadows. Emilia also sees Othello as a monster
Analysis of an Extract from William Shakespeare's Othello In the play 'Othello', four characters are murdered. The character Iago, who manipulated certain characters into wanting to kill them. Desdemona, Emilia, Othello, and Roderigo, are killed. Iago originally did this out of jealousy of Othello and Roderigo. The deaths of these four characters were inevitable. There was justice in this play for all of the characters who were involved in the killing of the four characters. Act V Scene
Iago as the Hero of Othello A Shakespearean play always includes a typical villain character. He is boisterous, egotistical, sometimes witty, and all too eager to seek revenge. In William Shakespeare Othello, Iago is the well-liked, trusted, and brave ensign of the great Venetian general Othello, or so it appears. Iago actually possesses all of the typical villainous qualities, however Iago conducts himself with great composure, and by manipulating his counterparts, he makes people believe he
William Shakespeare gave us a most moving drama in Othello. In this play we witness the demise of a “paragon” of a wife and a “valiant Moor”, Othello. Let us consider the Moor in detail, with professional critical input, in this essay. From the text of the play a number of clues can be gleaned which round out the description of the general. In William Shakespeare: The Tragedies, Paul A. Jorgensen describes the general in Othello: Though scarcely the “barbarian” (1.3.353) he is called, the Moor
If Iago is evil personified, cite specific incidents that help us to see and explore his physiological deviousness. Do you believe that Iago’s lack of promotion is the main cause for his deviousness, or is that just a reason for Iago to act the way he does? Since the publication of Othello by Shakespeare, in 1622, there have been many other simplifications of it published, however all staying on the original story. But there’s gotten to be some of controversy over many parts of the book