William Shakespeare's Othello

Love is complicated due to the fact that there is a difference of opinion and perception and it is complicated because people see stuff in different ways and interpret things differently as well. In the 3 texts dissatisfaction or complication is shown. Firstly in Othello love is presented as ephemeral and transient while atonement love is presented as unrequited and finally in cat on a hot tin roof love is presented as painful and troublesome due to unreciprocated feelings.

The renowned play of Othello was written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century. The drama follows the life of Othello, a well-respected and admired Venetian general, and the lie he gets tangled up in. Othello is deceived by his “trustworthy” friend, Iago, who confidently convinces Othello that his honest wife, Desdemona, committed infidelity upon him with his honorable lieutenant, Cassio. At the start, Othello doesn’t quite believe Iago because he knew his wife would never do such a thing. Although, as the play progresses so does Othello’s trust in Iago. The audience is able to witness Othello’s mental deterioration and Iago’s personal motive for the deception. Towards the end of the tragic play Othello confronts his wife and mistakenly smothers her. Everything starts to fall into place, but not exactly the way Iago had in mind. Othello would be considered a tragic hero due to the fact that he had his entire life ahead of him, but it unfortunately falls apart because of his easy to manipulate personality, insecurities, and emotional vulnerabilities.

Throughout Othello by William Shakespeare, Othello makes numerous poor decisions due to his jealousy. Hitting Desdemona, trusting Iago, and killing Desdemona are among a few of the poor decisions that he makes. The word jealous can be defined as feeling or showing suspicion of someone's unfaithfulness in a relationship. Othello feels suspicious of Desdemona’s and Cassio’s relationship because of the lies that Iago tells him. Many people try to tell Othello the truth but he only believes the words of Iago. Even Emilia, Iago’s wife, tells Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are not having an affair and their interaction is business only, however; he does not trust her. Without Othello’s jealousy he would not have made these horrible decisions.

For the time Othello was set in, 16th century Elizabethan society held strong socioeconomic roles that governed social statuses. In Shakespeare’s Othello, class positions become a theme that emphasizes power as a major role in relationships. In the case of Othello, a general of the Venetian army, and Iago, one of his trusted advisors, that power struggle is the force that dominants the play and leads to the disastrous and memorable ending. Machiavelli’s treatise, The Prince, examines the dynamic between power and servitude and how a proper ruler will take care not to be hated by his inner circle and pick the right ministers to advise him (Machiavelli XVI, XXII). By using Machiavelli’s treatise, the roles that Othello and Iago contributed to the tragedy will be studied to determine the cause for the struggle between power and servitude and how, if possible, that struggle could have been avoided if Othello had adapted to the philosophy suggested in The Prince.

Desdemona, son of a Venetian senator, grew up as any privileged young girl would in the seventeenth century: obedient and submissive. Her mother and father, both loyal to each other, were her only exemplars of marriage and love. Thus, when she is swept off her feet by the valiant Moor of Venice, Othello, she naively dreams of an immaculate matrimony in which quarrels, dominance, and violence are absent. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Desdemona’s imprisonment by her domestic life gives rise to damaging innocence, causing her to be blind to guilt and desire a perfectly requited yet unrealistic love; she submissively forgives Othello’s every insult until her dying breath as a result.

A literal definition of psychopath is, “a mental disorder in which an individual manifests amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, ect.” (dictionary). The character Iago in the Shakespearean play Othello meets this definition in nearly every aspect, which can be seen through his actions, his words, and most importantly the sly, secret persona that is known only by the audience. His true intentions that are filled with deceit and hate are masked by an overwhelming charisma that clouds the eyes of the other characters. While at first glance some would not see him as a person with a mental disorder, rather someone who is

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the newlywed couple was truly and madly in love at the time they’re married the couple were unable to consummate the marriage. Perhaps it is because there were a few moments for the pair to be alone together. However when a chance did arrive for the couple to finally have a “honeymoon”, some unfortunate event would happen and the immediate moment was lost. It is for this reason of this unconsummated marriage that Desdemona’s virginity is a key factor in the fall of their marriage. M. D. Faber states that “Then too, there is nonstrousness in the fact that Desdemona is placed in the posture of the sinful mortal when she is in reality not only innocent but the one character in the play who is from an

It is not wise to attempt to judge another purely based on their outer shell; the showmanship of one’s character is demonstrated through the goodwill and integrity of their being. Women, while commonly shown to have a weaker sense of character, could also reveal to have some of the greatest shows of genuity. In one of Shakespeare’s famous tragedies, Othello, the story revolves around Othello, a Venetian general, who marries Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian noble. Iago – whom Othello declares as his ancient – despises him, and thus tries to destroy his marriage along with him. Othello is easily ensnared within the traps Iago sets; this causes great paranoia and distrust among Desdemona, and a series of rash decisions. Othello is

Othello is the perfect example that you can’t believe everything you see or hear in life, also that constant self-doubt can push one to the brink of insanity. It is always important to consider your source of information, can the information source be trusted? In the case of Othello, Iago has poured information into his ear that holds no truth or worth. Iago states that, “I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear” (II.III.330). “The Moor already changes with my poison” (III.III.329–336). Despite the obvious fact that Iago is not being truthful to Othello, he believes Iago and his word. Iago ensures him of that, “My Lord, you know I’m your friend” (III.III.6). Othello responds with, “I think you are. And I know you’re full of love and honesty, and you think carefully before you speak” (III.III.6). Othello believes the false accusations that Iago has poured into him. Iago is so sore at Othello that he chose him over Cassio to be his lieutenant. Iago felt he should have been the one chosen to fulfill the duties of the position. Iago has a plan to cast revenge on Othello and will see to it that he carries it out no matter the cost or lives lost.

At one point in our lives, we have all disguised our true identity and pretended to be someone we are not. We all have sat abaft a screen pretending to be the antithesis sex, or just someone innominate in order to get our true feelings and emotions out. Similarly, Shakespeare utilizes the theme of disguise in countless plays, specifically in As you like it and Twelfth Night. Although many may postulate that he has disguised certain characters as the opposite gender solely for comedic purposes, the reason behind it is significantly deeper and complex. By disguising the actors as the opposite gender, also known as cross-dressing, Shakespeare introduces incipient views on femininity and sexuality, views that were unmentionable in the Elizabethan times. It’s virtually as if Shakespeare is endeavoring to break the rules of society, break the rules of gender roles and sexuality roles. He represents women and sexuality in a way that was unacceptable in that time in society, but his purpose of doing this is to open up the minds of society to be more accepting of these gender and sexuality roles. He is accentuating to females, that you don 't have to pretend to be all lady like with your pinky out as you drink tea, and though there may not have been many known homosexuals back then, Shakespeare uses cross-dressing to show that society should start to get comfortable with same sex couples as well. Both, As you like it and Twelfth Night utilize disguises to portray these viewpoints,

Throughout the tragedy of Othello Shakespeare does an impressive job of quickly introducing and manipulating his main characters. His talents are no less when it comes to the creation and development of Emilia. Though it appears that Emilia is both a loyal and obedient wife, her actions speak much louder than her words. When Emilia betrays the sisterhood within the play of Othello much is revealed to the reader regarding her character. Through close reading and interpretation the reader may come to the realization that Emilia possessed a dangerously low self-esteem, never honestly loved someone wholeheartedly, and ultimately, acted out of jealousy of Desdemona.

"The Tragedy of Othello Written by Shakespeare" highlights a variety of ways in which males and females reacted to intense situations. Emotion became the key factor to the cause of a majority of each characters' action in "The Tragedy of Othello Written by Shakespeare.” Iago formed the shift of emotions, majority of the characters in the book were his victims. Such as how he told Brabantio that Othello was using “magic charms” to force Desdemona to desire him. (Shakespeare: Act I, Scene 2, Page 4, Line 66.) Iago’s main victim was Othello, who went from conveying love for Desdemona in Act 1 and Act 2, to conveying hate for Desdemona in Act 3, 4, and majority of 5. He did not figure out his wife was not a cheater until he killed her which caused

During the course of this essay I will be focusing on the play Othello written by William Shakespeare during the 16th century. It was first performed by the Kings men at the court of King James the first on November 4th 1604. The 16th century was a time when most of the population lived in small villages and made their living from farming the land. However, trade and industry grew rapidly and England became a more profitable country. During this period England became richer and more affluent in society. I will be focusing on the use of power the characters have in the text, and how in today 's society that would be seen differently. I will also be looking at racism and how due to the impact of improved equality and diversity in society, multi-cultural views have become more normal.

Shakespeare is the second most quoted writer in the English language – after the various writers of the Bible. Many of Shakespeare’s ideas for the play Othello came from a collection of tales written by Giraldi Cinthio. In Othello the character of Iago acts as the prominent main character throughout the play, even though he plays the role of the antagonist to the other central characters in the comedy Iago is the tragic hero. Shakespeare’s Othello was not just a translation of Cinthio’s version from Italian to English, but a transformation of the drama, changing the dynamic of the play. Shakespeare’s use of metaphors, the tragic hero and the actuality of the story led to Othello becoming an infamous piece of writing during the Renaissance. William Shakespeare’s Othello is a classic piece of British Literature because of its use of literary devices, intriguing plot and historical.

Biography.com announces “William Shakespeare, often called the English national poet, is widely considered the greatest dramatist of all time.” Many of the characters in Shakespeare’s writings share feelings of betrayal, revenge and moral failure; however, there are some that share reconciliation and forgiveness. One of Shakespeare’s most memorable plays, Othello, introduces several cast members who share many of these personalities, some of which are apparent and others that are in secret. Desdemona and Emilia, the two principle female characters, have encountered several situations that exemplify great illustrations of how these characteristics are responsible for the twists and turns in this story’s plot. As audience members witnesses the numerous encounters of deceit and betrayal, one particular principle is made clear. It is imperative to get to know a person’s true feelings and regularly evaluate personal relationships.