Figurative Language In Othello

Shakespeare’s Othello explores the realm of manipulation and mischief through the power of words. Throughout the play, speeches serve as pivot points to show Othello’s transformation from a pure general to a paranoid, lesser Iago. In the beginning of the play, Othello, general of the Venetian army, addresses the Senate as a humble man with nothing to hide. Accused of witchcraft, he explains how he won over Desdemona with his words, not magic. After a succession of manipulations by Iago, Othello slowly morphs into Iago. After Desdemona fails to provide Othello with the handkerchief, Othello’s transformation was completed. Iago’s use of words and manipulation is the driving factor for removing Othello from a stable place of mind. In essence,

as othello starts to listen to Iago’s deceitful words and lies he soon becomes corrupt and jealous. For example when iago says “If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her patent to offend, for if it touch not you it comes near nobody.in this part of the play iago is abusing othello’s jealousy tendencies” and othello in return says“I will chop her into messes. Cuckold me! ”(Act 4 scene 1 line 197-199). Iago makes othello feel that he is being made a cuckold and a fool. So Othellos thinks he will some how win his masculinity back if he kills desdemona and proves that he is not a cuckold. Still Even with Iago lying to othello constantly his own insecurities and flaws play a big role in his down fall to. to emphasize his self esteem affects him in a major way “ Haply, for I am black And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have, or for I am declined Into the vale of years—yet that’s not much—She’s gone, I am abused, and my relief Must be to loathe her”(Act 3 Scene 3 line 262-267). at this point in the story othello feels that Maybe because he is black, maybe because he isn't proper, or even maybe because he is getting too old for desdemonia that she will leave and cheat on him. With all of theses things clouding his mind Othello is left confused and spiraling to jealousy and

Through using powerful words in, “Othello”, the human behaviour of the characters is either positively or negatively influenced, and their characteristics and destinies are created. In the following essay “the power of words” in “Othello” will be discussed. Firstly, an introduction paragraph will be given about the power of language devices. Secondly, the language device, “words as power”, will be discussed. Thirdly, the language device, “words as character”, will be elaborated upon. Lastly, the

The fear of interracial marriage in Venetian society is used by Iago in an attempt to alienate Othello. Othello himself acknowledges the fact that interracial marriage is frowned upon and that racism still applies to him despite his position. A common attitude in Venetian society is that black men and women are inhuman and animalistic in nature; Iago capitalizes on this idea in order to aid his plan of antagonizing Othello. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, is a prime example of the attitude of Venetian society as a whole, in the sense that he “loved” Othello as long as he remained a servant of Venice and would rather Othello not intermingle amongst the Venetian society. Initially Brabantio “oft invited [Othello]” to his home and “queston’d [him] the story of [his] life”, showing an admiration and sincere interest for Othello’s

However, different ideas can be inferred by his more personal asides, “I hate the Moor,/And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets/'Has done my office. I know not if 't be true,/But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,/ Will do as if for surety” (Shakespeare.I.III.429-433). One of the reasons for Iago’s evil doings is that he perceives that Othello has slept with his wife. With no real indication of this, Iago is left to stew in his hatred and jealousy. Saying that Othello has “’twixt [his] sheets/’Has done [his] office,” reveals that Iago believes Othello’s relationship with Emilia, exceeded a physical one (Shakespeare.I.III.430-431). Another plausible reason for Iago’s malicious activities is racism. Described as “the Moor,” Othello is segregated from the rest of the nobility throughout the story due to his race. The first indication of Iago’s racist thoughts is when he beckons Roderigo to call upon Barbantio and tell him about Desdemona and Othello. Interjecting, Iago yells to Barbantio, “Zounds, sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your/gown!/Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul./Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!/Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,/Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you./Arise, I say!” (Shakespeare.I.I.94-101). Declaring that Barbantio has been “robbed…for shame,” indicates that

Haply, for I am black/ And have not those soft parts of conversation/ That chamberers have, or for I am declin’d/ Into the vale of years (yet that’s not much) She’s gone. I am abus’d: and my relief/ Must be to loathe her” (III.III. 304-309). As the emanation of social interaction among various races appear within English literature, the vault of new beginnings and change takes hold. William Shakespeare’s Othello, is most notably recognized for the character, Othello. Through various texts of literature, the idea of racial construct and discrimination was never an easy topic to come by. Since the play was written in Europe during the 1600s, the emergence of slave trades in this area further divided races. The play itself follows the tragedy for Othello, and the transition from a military general to a tragic hero. The limitation of power plays a huge role in Othello’s ability to withstand the manipulation of multiple characters. Although he is Moorish general in the Venetian army, he is still indeed a Moor, a socially lower class, muslim man. From this, cultural collision of ethnicity influences how Othello is treated and the disadvantages he faces because of his color. Through the mere jealousy in which Iago, Othello’s standard-bearer, has for Othello’s life, he proposes the idea to manipulate his life by using the one difference between all men, race. When Iago awakes Brabantio, the father of Desdemona, he hopes to initiate his plan to take down Othello. His description

Othello being black was what kick started all of the events to come in the play. Desdemona's father only cared about what Iago had to say after he spoke about Desdemona sleeping with someone that was black. Throughout this Iago was addressing Othello with such epithets as “The Moor”, “the thick lips”, “an old black ram” and “a Barbary horse”. The first thing that Othello was accused with, is for using witchcraft to seduce desdemona to fall in love with him because his father saw no other way that Desdemona could fall in love with

When Iago makes a point of including Othello’s race in a conversation with a confidant, it proves that he feels that Othello’s race is the reason for his actions. There is an obvious abhorrence for Othello based upon his race. Later in the play, Iago goes on to say “If she had been blessed, she would never have loved the Moor” (Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum “WRAC” ). This statement shows that Iago is jealous of Othello because he won the love of Desdemona and is cause for insecurities on his part. Iago must now question his marriage and whether or not Othello is cause for infidelity. These insecurities act as extra motivation for Iago’s actions.

To begin, Iago’s encouragement of prejudice leads to Othello’s manifestation of darkness. For instance, when Iago unveils to Rodrigo that he has a plan to attain Desdemona’s affection for him, he in contrast dehumanizes Othello he reveals that “If I the Moor I would not be Iago. In following him I follow but myself; Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, but seeming so for my peculiar end. For when my outward action doth demonstrate” (I.i.57–65). This illustrates, Iago’s true nature that he holds prejudice and hatred for Othello by referring to him as a Moor, it proves that he only views him as substandard. Iago will pretend to serve him, but in reality he is only loyal to himself. This foreshadows that Iago will use negative connotations of race to manipulate Othello into thinking he is worthless. Thus, planting in Othello’s mind thoughts of adultery and hypocrisy. Later, resulting in the uprising of jealousy and darkness of Othello’s character. So Rodrigo, can obtain Desdemona’s love. Promotion of racial bias is also, evident when Iago tries to insinuate that Desdemona is unfaithful. He argues that “not to affect many proposed matches of her own clime, complexion, and degree, Where to we see in all things nature tends—Foh! One may smell in such a will most rank, Foul disproportions,

In Othello, Moor of Venice it tells of a great general, Othello. Othello is a black African, thus given the name Moor, and is a general in Venice. However, this does not sit well with most people, and garners much disrespect from many of Othello’s peers. Most notably of which is one of his chief officers, Iago. Iago very much dislikes Othello, and sets out to destroy Othello by providing him a false belief that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with another man. Iago along with his gullible friend Rodrigo, who is desperately in love with Othello’s wife, begin to set in motion this diabolical plan. As a war with Venice and Turkey wage on, Othello is sent to Cyprus to head the war. As Iago’s plan begins to unfold, he begins to convince Othello that his wife is sleeping with one of his officers Michael Cassio. Unbeknownst to Cassio. Iago resents him for Othello giving him a promotion Iago believed he deserved. As time wears on Iago beings to convince Othello that his wife is indeed cheating on him. Towards the end of this story, Othello fueled by his rage and jealousy

Shakespeare’s play Othello is a play is on an inter-racial marriage. Othello is from a is black background and Desdemona is from white, they both fell in love with each other and got married. Desdemona’s father was against this marriage he thought this this was not a good match for his daughter. Therefore, his reaction with Othello was not good at all. Not only Brabantio (Desdemona’s father) but Cassio, Iago and many other people were against this marriage too. Iago then planned to somehow break this marriage and get Them Divorced.

The English language is essentially a melting pot of many languages that includes words and phrases that are only intelligible to a speaker of the language. However, even those most educated in the field of English often don’t know that much of the vernacular we use offhandedly comes from one of England’s most celebrated writers, William Shakespeare. During his career Shakespeare wrote 40 plays and 154 sonnets and countless poems all of which contain certain phrases that Shakespeare coined and we still use today. In Shakespeare’s play Othello the character Iago uses the phrase “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve: For daws to peck at”, which translates into what we know today as “wearing your heat upon your sleeve.

It then hit me that through Iago’s judgments Othello is “the Moor” and should therefore exemplify the common idea of a moor, which is not admiration, self-worth, and fortune; it is one of disconnectedness and dependency. When he says that “nothing can or shall content his soul/ Till he is evened with the Moor, wife for wife” (Act 2: Scene), he means that he is satisfied until Othello’s life is made equal with his involving feelings of inadequacy and jealousy, which are all qualities fitting to a “moor”. Throughout the play Iago repetitively uses derogatory remarks when speaking of Othello so to encourage certain people in the play to endure racism and confirm that it was the norm. Even so, some of Iago’s semantics reveal his own prejudices. For example, Iago only refers to Othello as a “Moor” with the exception of when he refers to Othello as the “black Othello” (Act 2: Scene 3). Iago hates Othello because he is “the Moor” yet does not symbolize the expected role of what is thought of to be a black man in these times. There is neither reason nor logic behind his hatred, but discrimination against one seldom has reason, for it is characteristically irrational thinking. Iago is a clear illustration of what racism is and will justify his irrational thoughts with anything, just as Iago contributes to Brabantio and Rodrigo’s reasoning behind their actions and Othello’s reasons for acting out on

"Othello is set in a world and focuses on the passions and personalities of its major figures." (Thomas). Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The work revolves around four central characters: Othello, Othello's wife Desdemona, his lieutenant Cassio and advisor Iago. The play appeared in seven editors between 1622 and 1705. The themes of the story are racism, love, jealousy, and betrayal. Othello is a black soldier who is accused of stealing his wife Desdemona. Although Desdemona's father dislikes his daughter's choice, Desdemona loves Othello very much and the two are married. Othello’s right hand man is angered at the fact that Othello picked a man named Cassio to be more important than him and he also feels that he is messing with his wife. Iago plans to manipulate Othello but his plan eventually causes more hurt to most of the characters. Iago tries to use the meeting between Cassio and Desdemona as a way to make Othello believe she was cheating on him. Iago goes on with his manipulative plan by planting a handkerchief in Cassio's room, and goes and tell Othello about what he has seen Cassio do. Othello becomes jealous throughout the story and begins to believe that Cassio is talking to his wife. Iago persuades Othello to come up with a master plan to kill Cassio and Desdemona. As Othello tries to kill Desdemona, Emilia, Iago's wife, comes in to tell Othello the truth about Iago. Unfortunately it is too late. Othello had already suffocated her. When Othello

saying he will “tear her all to pieces” and he tells Iago to let him