William Shakespeare's Use of the Opening Scene to Introduce Characters in Othello
In the opening scene of Othello by William Shakespeare, we are
introduced to the characters and the events that brought them to this
point in their lives.
It is set at nighttime, on the streets of Venice. Iago, the trusted
but not trustworthy ensign of Othello, is having a heated discussion
with Roderigo, his gullible and besotted friend (not a good
combination to be). Iago is only interested in Roderigo because he is
being paid great sums of money to try to win Desdemona's affections
for him. He is in need of money because he wasted it on paying people
to persuade Othello to promote him. He is bleeding Roderigo dry and
not trying very hard because he knows how deeply in love Desdemona is
with Othello. Roderigo had already asked Desdemona's father,
Brabantio, for her hand in marriage and was turned down.
The nature of Iago's friendship with Roderigo is purely one way,
despite Roderigo's belief in Iago. Roderigo does have some suspicions,
however;
"Tush, never tell me, I take it much unkindly
That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse
As if the strings were thine shouldst know of this"
As their conversation goes on, we gather that Iago is the dominant
character in the friendship. Roderigo takes everything Iago says at
face value and very rarely questions it. Iago does most of the talking
and Roderigo's short compliant replies show how naïve and simple he
is. For example, Iago makes a very long, critical speech about
Othello, and Roderigo, without really thinking replies, "I would not
follow him then". Iago continues to talk hatefully about Othello, and
forces opinions onto Roderigo.
We don't know that Roderigo genuinely likes Iago. Perhaps he listens
to him because he says what he wants to hear, which are positive
statements on their Desdemona campaign and negative slurs on Othello,
who Roderigo is of course jealous of and hates.
Iago has a complex and evil personality.
Lodovico's First Appearance in William Shakespeare's Othello. One of the main themes in the play is the contrast between the so-called civilised Venice and'savage' Cyprus. This in itself is rather ironic because it is from Venice that Iago's racism and sexism.
Texts and their appropriations reflect the context and values of their times. Within Shakespeare’s Othello and Geoffrey Sax’s appropriation of Othello, the evolution of the attitudes held by Elizabethan audiences and those held by contemporary audiences can be seen through the context of the female coupled with the context of racism. The role of the female has developed from being submissive and “obedient” in the Elizabethan era to being independent and liberated within the contemporary setting. The racism of the first text is overtly xenophobic and natural, whilst the “moor” is unnatural whereas the updated context portrays Othello’s race as natural and racism as unnatural. Therefore these examples show how Shakespeare’s Othello, and it’s appropriation, Geoffrey sax’s Othello, reflect the context and values of their times.
weapons. He has to use race as an excuse as he knows that Othello is
The Delay of Othello's Entrance in Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Othello In this piece of coursework I will be looking at the reasons why Shakespeare delayed Othello's entrance until Scene 2 of Act 1 in the play. I will also look at points such as the audience's perception of Iago, and our views of Othello before and after his entrance. I will also talk about the historical, social and cultural contexts and I will look at critical opinions, authorial intentions and language analysis. Othello is set in the early 17th Century when Shakespeare (the playwright) was in his middle ages.
Act 1 Scene 1 as an Effective Opening to Othello. The play begins in a dark street in Venice and the audience is thrown into a heated debate between Iago, a soldier, and Roderigo, a wealthy. Venetian. The.
Dramatic Tension in Act 4 Scene 3 of William Shakespeare's Othello. Shakespeare employs the use of dramatic devices to signify the approaching the climax of the play throughout “Othello”. With Act 4 Scene 3 is the final scene to involve Desdemona before her murder. The use of such dramatic devices is prevalent in order to create tension.
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 difference is not constructed as “otherness.” Othello, by his nature, is not an “otherized” character. Besides being the dark-skinned Moor, Othello varies in no real way from the other characters in the play. Further, Othello and Iago can be seen as two sides of the same destructive coin. With Iago as a foil and subversive adversary, Othello is not faulted for the indiscretions he commits. It is the invention and projection of otherness by various characters in the play, especially Iago, which set the stage for the tragedy of dissimilarity which is to ensue.
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
Shakespeare wrote different types of plays such as comedies, tragedies, and historical plays. The play Othello is one of his tragedies. It is about a character named Othello who is a Moor, in the service of Venice. Throughout the play Iago, Othello's lieutenant, manipulates Othello to believe that Desdemona, Othello's wife, is cheating on him. Various characters in the play Othello appear to be virtuous, upstanding individuals, but their actions reveal that they are not as they appear to be.
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.
due to his race are vast, for example at the start of the play when
In everyones life there is always the one person who you think you can trust, and later come to find that they have been playing you all along. This is the exact case for Othello. Iago, whom Othello thought was a person he could trust, betrayed him in many horrific ways.As you read the famous Shakespearian play, Othello, the Moor of VeniceI, you come to realise pretty quickly that Iago is the evil charecter in this play. The readers do not actually get to see a good side of Iago, if there is any, because he is constantly using and playing people. Readers will also come to learn that no matter how evil Iago may be perceived as that he is very much a coward, using other people to do most of his dirty work for him.
The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. “A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.”(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit.
In the first act of scene 4, we see Othello and Iago discussing Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. Othello still doesn't want to believe that Desdemona is capable, or would cheat on him. They're discussing the handkerchief, it's a very significant in the play, it's one of the first signs for Othello to believe that Desdemona is cheating on him. We usually see Othello defending Desdemona and Iago accusing her, but the roles have reversed and Iago seems to be defending Desdemona, while producing more "evidence" to condemn her. When Iago simply just says “Lie-” (Page 169, Line 33) without any further elaboration, Othello immediately assumes 'Lie with her”, which gives him more proof to condemn Desdemona and Cassio. Othello almost seems to be persuading himself that Desdemona did cheat on him when he says “Lie with her? Lie on her? We say lie on her when they belie her. Lie with her -Zounds, that's fulsome” (Page 169, lines 35-37). Right after that he falls in a trance, and Iago takes this opportunity, to make his accusation more believable. He calls in Cassio and tells him to come back again...