Essay on Act One Of Othello

Like Othello, Roderigo is in love. Describe the difference between the two lovers. What is it about Roderigo that makes it easy for Iago to manipulate him?

“The Tragedy of Othello,” by William Shakespeare, is about the tragic downfall of a once great man named Othello by the manipulation of Iago, the antagonist of the story. However, a deeper meaning of Othello could be “[It] is a tragedy of incomprehension, not at the level on intrigue but at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello come to understand himself or anyone else.” It is debated on whether or not this is truly the characters meet their demise. This quote is an excellent representation of both why and how the characters of Othello meet all of their downfalls and how they are tricked by Iago. Such evidence in the story to support this quote are Othello’s insecurity of his relationship, Roderigo’s inability to live without Desdemona, and how everyone relies on Iago for help. These are just instants where the characters did not understand each other are Cassio and Desdemona being unaware of the motivations for Othello’s hatred toward them, Iago cannot accept the fact that Cassio was chosen for lieutenant over himself, and no one realizes that Iago was using everyone to his advantage until the very end.

In Act 4, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Othello, imagery and other stylistic devices are used in lines 48-74 to develop the lack of communication between Othello and Desdemona. This passage foreshadows tragedy, as it illustrates that Othello no longer trusts his wife. It is apparent that Iago's plan will be a success.

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. Roderigo is rejecting, 'Tush, Never tell me', what Iago has just said and is angry as Iago has not informed him that Desdemona has eloped with Othello, a black general hired by the city of Venice to protect it from the Turks. Iago has been apparently helping Roderigo win Desdemona's, daughter of the rich merchant Brabantio, heart, in return for money 'Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine'.

serve god if the devil bid you” and he also says “the moor is now

man of extreme power but he does not have the tool that we refer to as

This commentary will analyze Act 3 Scene 4 of Othello. It will do so while referencing themes, diction, setting, etc. Important factors to keep in mind while analyzing passage 4 are what is going on in this passage and what is happening rior to? And also what impact does the passage have on this play? Important characters in this scene are inclusive, but not limited to, Iago, Cassio, Othello, Emilia, and Desdemona.

The most illusive character in all of Shakespeare’s drama, Iago is perhaps the most difficult to explore psychologically for the simple reason that he lacks a personal self. He dons and sheds gender like a closet of clothes, adorning each article as it suits him. Ultimately evolved from the Vice figure of the medieval English morality plays, as Bernard Spivack has convincingly argued, Iago is the Shakespeare’s dramatic and humanistic manifestation of the abstracted evil which governed the dramatic movement of the previous generations of English plays. The self he presents to the world is bound only by circumstance and not by constitution. One key to Iago’s power is his “improvisational ability” (Gutierrez 12). Like the mythical Satan as Prince of Lies, he makes up his fabulous stories as he goes along, playing off of others’ actions and reactions to his ever-spinning web of lies. Iago switches between the facades of emotion easily and fluidly. He admits and affirms his hatred of Othello in the opening lines of the play (I.i.1-9) [All citations are from the Bantam edition.] and reveals his intentions of betraying Othello at his earliest convenience (I.i.44). In the very next scene, not more than 150 lines later, we find Iago in his role as sycophant openly fawning before the

Through this soliloquy, we are able to truly see Iago’s unaltered thoughts, his true personality. In this, he proves that not only is he dishonest and untrustworthy, he shows his narcissism and persistence in both holding grudges and delivering ‘justice’. Dishonesty is a common theme in Othello, both in fabled dishonesty and the consequences of when one is truly lying. Working alongside Othello, one would think Iago would like him, though we can see that that is not true and that Iago is lying and deceiving him as he says “I hate the Moor,”. He despises Othello for (allegedly) sleeping with his wife, and giving his lieutenant position to Cassio, both are mentioned here.

When Iago states to Roderigo “Heaven is my judge, for not I for love and duty, but seeming so for my peculiar end-” The first part of Iago’s sentence is how Iago is holding himself above the rest of society, that only heaven and god can judge him. While the rest of the sentence infers he’s manipulating Othello for his own personnel reasons and not out of duty for something or love for someone. Lastly the final sentence of Iago’s speech is a prime example of who and what Iago will be throughout the play. He describes to Roderigo “for when my outward action doth demonstrate the native act and figure of my heart in compliment extern, 'tis not long after but I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at: I am not what I am.”

Othello frequently said things that were really the inverse of Iago: “O, thou craftsmanship insightful!” and “Tis certain” (Act IV, Scene I), “Fair Iago . . .” (Act V, Scene II), (Act II, Scene, III) and (Act I, Scene, III), “I know, Iago, Thy genuineness and adoration doth mince this matter” (Act II, Scene III). These lines are simply a couple of the humorous that Othello says to Iago. They demonstrate the trust that Othello erroneously puts in his “closest companion.”

Can love--or what we imagine to be love-- sometimes inspire the most terrible of crimes?  Human emotion is often messy and often without defining lines. Can instinct alone impair our reason, or can a third deadly emotion mar all? In “Othello”, Shakespeare bids us look at some ugly facets of the human psyche and how what is beautiful and good can be twisted and destroyed in the name of self-interest and damning pride.

Prior to the opening scene it can be assumed that Othello and Iago had a great relationship. There is evidence throughout the play that prior to this point there had be confidence between the two men and they were both looked at as men of excellent ability and character. Othello was known as a noble Moor obtaining the highest military position. People also saw Iago as an upright and noble man as he earned the nickname “honest Iago.” However as portrayed in the first scene and throughout the remainder of the play, “honest Iago” becomes the mortal enemy of the noble Othello. We can tell that the play is

The idea of superiority and inferiority within races has been a concept since civilizations even discovered the different amounts of melanin that could surge through their hair and skin. To alienate a person based on skin color is common, where the battlefield is unfairly divided between the inferior and superior race. It is such case in the story of Othello, following the deteriorating timeline of the main character who has had all his peers intentionally turned against him. Living in Venice, he is known as a strong military commander, but people are more open to calling him “the Moor”. Labels are discarded on Othello, the main character, which minimize his identity to just an outsider. Although he accepts his degrading nicknames, he

Analysis of Act One of Othello by William Shakespeare Act 1 is an exceptionally indicative passage of writing in which