Symbolism And Motifs In William Shakespeare's Othello

Fear of cuckoldry is widely known theme in medieval and Renaissance English literature. Fear of cuckoldry was also a widespread fear in English society during those eras. Men often treated their wives as possessions. Once men and women married, divorce was almost impossible, especially since it was almost impossible to prove that one had been cuckolded. If one were cuckolded and one’s wife had another man’s child, one might spend decades taking care of that child and passing on one’s money and belongings to that child without ever knowing that one had been deceived. Unmarried women are seen as their fathers ' property and the play 's two marriages are marked by jealousy and cruelty. Most

In Othello every character has their own personalities that makes them the person they are. In Othello there are characters that show true grit, a fixed mindset, and a growth mindset. Each characters are different which makes the book even more interesting. True grit means to endure and push through to do something better no matter what it takes. An example of grit is studying for a long period of time for a test and enduring the amount of work that must be completed. The definition of mindset is the established set of attitude held by someone. There are two other types of mindset as well. There is growth mindset and fixed mindset. Growth mindset is when the person isn 't

Shakespeare 's Othello comprises of the subjects betrayal, affection and dishonesty. At the focal point of this play is the lamentable ruin of Othello because of his so-called friend Iago. In this paper I will be examining the explanations behind and against Othello being in charge of his defeat through taking a gander at critical interpretations of his character and activities.

Othello, a play that was written in 1604 by William Shakespeare, is an example of a type of story called a “tragedy.” Throughout the course of the work, Othello proves himself to be very easily misled, despite his heroic status. This causes him to lose his ability to make good judgments and decisions. Even though Othello had a reputation as a hero, he ends up being one of the most gullible characters in the play when he completely falls into the evil trap that Iago set for him. As the story unfolds Othello’s character evolves in an extremely tragic way as Iago manipulates him and leaves him to rot in his misery. Eventually, this leads to Othello’s suicide.

When pairs of texts are considered together, their universal themes and ideas lead to greater understanding, appreciation and insight of both the old and the new. The texts Othello, William Shakespeare (1600) and Othello, Geoffrey Sax (2001), ring true for this statement. Despite the differing contexts and ages, the universal themes of racism and betrayal bring new meaning to each of the texts. The primary meaning from the juxtaposition of the two is that of the human condition, and how the problems faced in the 17th century are faced in modern times.

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).

As Act 1 comes to a closure, the Duke after hearing both Brabantio’s protests and Othello’s justifications, proceeds in allowing Desdemona to accompany Othello to the city of Cyprus. Following this declaration Othello informs the Duke that he places Desdemona in Iago possession, ironic as he states he is a man of ‘honesty and trust’, for the journey to Cyprus, quote ‘To his conveyance I assign my wife’ (I.3.283). Desdemona, as Othello 's wife, is dealt with as his ownership as his words suggest she is a product to be monitored and transported. Othello should not be singled out in this scene as after wishing his goodbyes the first Senator states, ‘use Desdemona well’ (I.3.288). With my grasp of understanding of Shakespearian English, this use of language seems to purely imply to ‘look after’ Desdemona though others throughout my research view this scene as “supporting the Venetian expectation of

This audio extract from Act 1 Scene 3 characterizes Othello in many ways, but ultimately as the tragic hero of the play. This scene sets up the tragic downfall of the protagonist and disrupts the chain of being by exposing Othello’s fatal flaw, his hubris. Othello’s speech and relationship with Desdemona are two key ways that the audio explores his hubris.

The setting and society of Othello isolates the characters, enabling many important events to play out, i.e, Iago’s plan for revenge breeding successfully jealously and paranoia and culminating in the death of Desdemona and Othello, among others. Iago is able to manipulate and execute his plan because he can always seem to get them alone, and they have a hard time communicating truths to each other effectively. Iago’s plan works because the characters are isolated physically and emotionally, perfect victims to exploit their insecurities, desires and fears. Everyone becomes island themselves in hopes of protecting themselves as the island of Cyprus is able to, but it only leads to miscommunication and the death of Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo as well as the downfall of

This short soliloquy allows the audience to see Othello’s feelings, whereas he is, at this point, keeping them from

    The meaningful term “love” can be applied to differing relationships in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. In this essay let us examine under a microscope the “love” that we find throughout the play.

Motif of Color in Othello In the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, color is reoccurring throughout the entire play. Shakespeare uses color to depict emotion and feelings towards or about a person. Black and white are some of the most common colors that he uses throughout this play. For example “old black ram” (1.1.88) is used with a dirty connotation, negative, and dark.

In the play, Othello, there are many different representations of characters and archetypes. The women of the play are seen as symbolic representations of how the men in Shakespeare’s generation saw women. The women of the play are all individual characters with different personalities. They are seen as objects but stray from the average mold. Shakespeare converts these women into the play with roles that represent the strong stereotypes of women and how they are not what the rumors portray them as.

The handkerchief is significant to the plot, mainly to Iago's manipulation of Othello and his convincing the latter of Desdemona's infidelity. Moreover, it sheds light over Iago, Desdemona, Othello and Emilia's characters, and is thus important to characterisation. The symbolic significance attached to the handkerchief reveals Othello's social background, his treatment of Desdemona and the latter's feelings towards her husband.

   The Shakespearean tragedy Othello contains a number of themes; their relative importance and priority is debated by literary critics. In this essay let us examine the various themes and determine which are dominant and which subordinate.