Power In Othello

Human as the main body stream of the society, their spiritual world is extremely complex and rich, these varieties of human nature shape us unique and distinct from each other. Real human nature has both human creativity and limitations, the imperfections in a person’s characteristics sometimes will perform negatively but in some cases, it won’t harm the whole character’s image. The Shakespearean play Othello reflects the profound social contradictions of the Renaissance, and William Shakespeare develops the idea of one’s ruling passion would falsely leading to the tragic path and creating misunderstandings between loved ones which will act as a double-edged sword that not only harms other but later on will harm oneself. This idea is showing through three main characters of the play, Othello, Iago, and Desdemona; Othello’s ruling passion leading to his jealousy which blinds his logic and gentle nature, Iago’s cruelty in order accomplishes his intelligence which gives him a weapon of language to manipulate people with his ruling passion, Desdemona and her sweet kindness motivates her ruling passion for helping Cassio without noticing her husband's transformation which later caused her own death.

The ability of passion to bring destruction upon the lives of the unsuspecting is illustrated in Shakespeare’s Othello with the use of both manipulation and deceit. The curse of fierce passion fell namely on Othello as he transitioned from a respected general to an unstable murderer. His downfall is demonstrated through his increasing self-doubt, lack of ability to articulate, and violence. In the start of the play, he is an accomplished general and happy newlywed, and has yet to be significantly held back due to his being a Moor and outsider in Venetian society. As passion overtakes him, however, Othello truly ingrains the idea that he is less than, and those around him begin to blame his actions on the nature of his ethnicity. He has completely lost his identity to his desires and is unable to think rationally. Shakespeare juxtaposes this version of Othello with his initial composed self in Venice to demonstrate the damage of ignorance to logic and heighten the sense of tragedy. The effects of an overwhelming passion involving love, jealousy, and revenge are shown through Othello’s degradation and loss of stability.

Shakespeare’s King Lear and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus are two examples of early modern texts, one a tragedy and the other a morality play respectively, which deal with the theme of power at the crux of its narrative. Between both texts it is evident that different characters utilize their power or authority differently – some ‘unwisely’ whilst some ‘maliciously’. In either case, the use of power progresses the plays and drives the majority of main characters.

The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.

To some people, power is authority, and to some, it is capability. To all, it is a metaphorical concept that is individually assigned by one's own view of a situation. George R.R. Martin targeted this concept precisely in A Clash of Kings when he wrote, “Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.” This quote ties in nicely to Othello by William Shakespeare. Power seems to be a relevant theme in this story, although the question of who help the power is also very prominent. The insightful quote from Martin helps us determine this. To defend this quote with evidence from Othello, one must first understand how to obtain ‘power’, then understand why the characters thought Othello was the one in power, furthermore, one may

Shakespeare is known for his use of recurring themes throughout his work, including love, death and betrayal. These themes are present in his work of Othello. However, the most fundamental issue is jealousy. The lives of the characthers in Othello are ruined by jealousy from the beginning to the end of the play. The telling of the story is carried out by passion, jealousy, and death. Shakespeare’s Othello reveals devastating tragic inevitability, stunning psychological depth, and compelling poetic depth; the fragility and mysterious power of love, as well as demons of doubt, and how suspicion can be triggered by manipulative villain (Barthelemy 12).

Shakespeare 's complex play Othello holds numerous pressing issues within its intricate layers that seem to leap out to modern society. One such issue seen by many is the representation of women. Women within the play can be characterized as submissive possessions and temptresses. This ideology, though commonplace in this time period, appears controversial to the modern eye as we deconstruct the characters of this play. This dominate patriarchal society present within the setting merely conditions this belief further as it is prevalent within the characters dialogue.

Throughout all of human existence, the desire for power has overruled everything. We are constantly trying to be better than the ones around us, and are jealous of those who are on top. In many situations, it seems that no matter how hard we try, we can never get to that point of control that we so badly strive for. In Shakespeare’s tragically deceptive play, “Othello”, the symbolism and conflict throughout the play continually demonstrates Iago’s struggle to gain power. Through Iago’s miserable fail to obtain the power he so badly aspires, Shakespeare proves that the human race can never be happy with what they have, and that they are always trying to be better than everyone

Othello, the principle character, at the beginning seems to have power- whether it is physical, psychological, political or military. He is portrayed to the audience as a symbol of power and strength. As an experienced soldier, a General to be precise, Othello has had little experience with women. Even though he is a high ranking military official, he is less respected because of his dark skin and being a foreigner. His stature and tone of voice, along with his self-confidence and belief, lead the audience to think of Othello as the main representation of power in the play. However, further into the play, Othello's power seems to diminish, revealing his insecurity and susceptibility. He is very naive and

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, power, commonly defined as the ability to control and influence other people, plays an integral role in the relationships between each of the characters. Prospero, the comedy’s protagonist, establishes power based relationships with his slave Caliban, his daughter Miranda, and his spirit helper Arial. Prospero’s ambition is to regain his former position as the Duke of Milan from his treasonous brother, Antonio. To achieve this goal he uses a variety of manipulation devices on each of the characters. Prospero uses manipulative language to maneuver the marriage between his daughter and Ferdinand. The Tempest illustrates that language operates as a means of violence.

William Shakespeare presents the character Othello as an excellent leader in the play, Othello. The hero has strength, charisma, and eloquence. Yet Othello cannot reason. The battlefield and Senate are, at least in Othello, depicted as places of honor, where men speak truly. In addition, the matters of war and state are relatively simple; no one lies to Othello, all seem to respect him. He never even has to fight in the play, with the enemy disappearing by themselves. This simplistic view does not help him in matters of the heart. His marriage is based on tall tales and pity and his friendships are never examined; he thinks that anyone who knows him love him. Thus the ultimate evaluation of

One of the major components in Othello, that Shakespeare incorporated throughout the play, is relationships. These relationships are driven by different motivations and give each individual something unique. Each character contributes disparate factors to their relationships and change from scenario to scenario. The presentation of different relationships in Othello represents many of the underlying motifs of the play.

The ideas of identity are explored in Othello. Both William Shakespeare’s original play and the cinematic adaptation by Oliver Parker explore ideas of otherness and the patriarchy. William Shakespeare represents multiple ideas in his play Othello. Oliver Parker further resonates Shakespeare's ideas, using different cinematic techniques. Patriarchy has always been associated with a rigid concept of manipulation and control. Both William Shakespeare and Oliver Parker show how that idea, when entwined with fears and misunderstandings of otherness can lead to catastrophic incidents.

In William Shakespeare’s “Othello”, the main character is presented as an admirable leader but a poor rationalist. He is recognized as a hero with the qualities of vigor, charm, and eloquence. However these principles of leadership aren’t always viewed as the criteria for a leader. The battleground is, to Othello at least, is depicted as a place of admiration, where men speak truthfully to one another. Also, the given circumstances of state and warfare are rather straightforward; no one deceives Othello because as leader he should be esteemed. This one-dimensional view does not help him in issues of the heart though. Thus the main assessment of Othello must be that, even though he leads well and means well, he lacks sensible judgment and

Within this play, fundamental questions about humanity, as well as situations, attitudes, and problems that continue to hold strong universal meaning to this day are explored .It shows Shakespeare’s ability to create characters who resemble real life individuals and reflect lifestyles and personalities accurately.  You could not help but be moved by the dark despair and utter wretchedness of Othello’s downfall! Shakespeare has dramatically explored many aspects of the human condition in this play, The Tragedy of