Suicide
Today one of the biggest social problems is suicide. The definition of suicide is the act of killing one’s self. The main reason why people commit suicide is that they believe they don’t have any hope and cannot overcome their negative situation. In the play “Othello” by William
Shakespeare, the protagonist Othello chooses to commit suicide because he cannot stand his situation and feels guilty over killing his wife Desdemona for misunderstanding her because of lago’s lie. Although Othello’s suicide wasn’t based on a true story, in today’s society suicide is one of the most prevalent forms of death. People cannot choose when they are born and when they can die and so Othello should have found other ways to cope with his
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He didn’t allow himself the time to go through all seven stages of grief and if he did, he might not have come to the same conclusion. The last and most important stage of the grieving process is acceptance and forgiveness. Acceptance causes people to find hope and a purpose for their life again. Committing suicide is considered selfish because it is an irresponsible act done because of temporary problems. Othello’s suicide is considered selfish by two literary critics. In Michael C. Andrew’s literary criticism titled “Othello: The Handkerchief Once More”, another critic T. S. Eliot says:
What Othello seems to be doing in making this speech is cheering himself up. He is endeavoring to escape reality, he has ceased to think about Desdemona, and is thinking about himself…Othello succeeds in turning himself in to a pathetic figure, by adopting an aesthetic rather than a moral attitude, dramatizing himself against his environment. He takes in the spectator, but the human motive is primarily to take in himself.
Eliot shows that Othello committed suicide only for himself and not for Desdemona or others because through his negative emotions and speech, he didn’t think about how his death could affect others. In the speech he said amongst an audience before he committed suicide, he lowered himself into a weak figure, in order to get sympathy. He could have committed suicide in private but instead he did it in front of an audience and dramatically killed himself with a
The relationship of an outsider to society is also explored through Othello himself, as he recognises the differences between him and those around him. While describing his and Desdemona’s love, Othello tells (about himself): “Rude am I in speech/ And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace.” In these words, Othello is able convey that he is a little awkward in speech, and not a smooth talker, with the unspoken understanding that others in the room are. Othello goes on, “For since these arms of mine had seven years pith/ Till now some nine moons wasted/ …in the tented field/ … little of this great world can I speak.” Here the reader learns that Othello, unlike the assortment of senators and the Duke, has spent most of his life in battle, and therefore has not had a lot of life
When your back is against a wall and it seems that all hope is lost, do not give up. Because if you choose suicide, you will never live to see it get worse, however, you also pass up the chance to see life get better. Suicide is an important, recurring theme in William Shakespeare's, Hamlet, and it is a topic that Hamlet contemplates quite often throughout the play. Hamlet often goes back and forth between to be or not to be, but continues to believe that people although capable of suicide, choose to live. Hamlet is adamant that the unknown, the inconclusiveness of nobility, along with the sin attached to suicide is what ultimately keeps people from taking their own lives.
Othello’s tragic flaw can be viewed as jealously which ultimately leads to his downfall. When Othello is manipulated by Iago to believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Desdemona, Othello does not change from his good person mentality. However, Othello carries out with the plan for murder for which he believes is a fine reason to end Desdemona’s once previous life to preserve her innocence. Othello is the tragic hero within the play titled after him and because of his title, because of this Othello, the Moor of Venice follows one of Aristotle’s requirements.
Othello believes that Desdemona is his possession, an object in his life which is supposed to show he honour and reputation as a man, therefore the belief that Desdemona has broken that honour and nobility forces Othello to destroy her.
At this time, Othello has killed Desdemona and has forever ruined his own life. By her trying to stop the madness, her husband, who is still filled with hatred and jealousy, kills her.
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, suicide is an important and continuous theme throughout the play. Hamlet is the main character who contemplates the thought of suicide many different times throughout the play, since the murder of his father. Hamlet weighs the advantages of leaving his miserable life with the living, for possibly a better but unknown life with the dead. Hamlet seriously contemplates suicide, but decides against it, mainly because it is a mortal sin against God. Hamlet continues to say that most of humanity would commit suicide and escape the hardships of life, but do not because they are unsure of what awaits them in the after life. Hamlet throughout the play is continually tormented by his fathers death and his
It is here that the audience begins seeing a different identity of Othello. Who was once regarded as so valiant and courageous, was now beginning to show signs of severe insecurities dealing with matters, most importantly, such as his lack of experience in love and marriage causing shadows of doubt over his confidence in himself and his ability to be loved by and worthy of someone like Desdemona. Desdemona, although not intentionally, seems to be the reason for all the unrest in Othello. This is an instance in the play when irony shines it's smiling face upon Shakespeare's most tragic characters. Othello feels truly happy with the presence of Desdemona in his life (Act II.1, 181-187):
Based on the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, suicide is the most prevalent and important themes in Hamlet. Hamlet always asks himself for the reason to stay alive. Even though he always thinks that there is no reason for him to stay alive, however he always chooses to stay. The first reason Hamlet seems to contemplate suicide is because his life is contaminated by sins and revenge. The other reason he is thinking about suicide is because he is young and immature. Young adults usually look for escapes when they become angry with things. There are many instances where Hamlet contemplating suicide and he treats the idea of suicide morally, religiously, and aesthetically, with particular attention to Hamlet’s two important statements about suicide: the “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy (I.ii.129–158) and the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.56–88).
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, suicide is treated differently on the aspects of religion, morals, and philosophical views. Suicide is the act of deliberately killing yourself in contrary to your own best interests. In today’s society suicide is highly looked down upon. But Shakespeare used suicide and violence in almost all of his most popular plays. Many of his tragedies used the element of suicide, some accomplished, others merely contemplated. Shakespeare used suicide as a dramatic device. A character’s suicide could promote a wide range of emotions: horror, condemnation to pity, and even respect. Some of his suicides could even take titles like the noble soldier, the violated woman, and star-crossed lovers. In Othello, Othello see suicide as
He states, “Yet ’tis the plague to great ones, Prerogatived are they less than the base. 'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death. Even then this forkèd plague is fated to us when we do quicken” (3.3.278-82). Othello now has it in his mind that his wife is destined to betray him because he is an important man. He is dramatic and refers to it as the plague of important men. From this portion, from what is often referred to as Iago’s seduction of Othello, Othello’s insecurities are beginning to come out. He has no proof that his wife is cheating on him, but Iago has done a good job at putting the idea in his head. Now Othello is left to let his own insecurities destroy him. This can be seen shortly after in Act 3 Scene 3. Othello has only been alone with his thoughts for a short time when he’s already come to the conclusion that Desdemona is cheating on him and he states, “The immortal Jove’s dead clamors counterfeit, Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone” (3.3.366-7). Suddenly his career is ruined because of the thought that his wife betrayed him. From this it can be seen that Othello’s character is wrapped up in Desdemona’s. Desdemona has such a power over him that he cannot stand on his own. Iago acknowledges this as well when he says, “His soul is so enfettered to her love, That she may make, unmake, do what she list” (2.3.254-5). Desdemona can control how Othello feels. She hasn’t even done
This quote explains the shift in Othello’s personality. Othello is fueled by the jealousy of Desdemona and enraged that she would do such a thing to disrespect him. His pride was shattered and his feelings were hurt.
"Suicide, what a terrible concept. There are two types of suicide: physical, and theoretical. Physical suicide is the more commonly heard type of suicide. It entails the person actually, physically killing himself or herself. On the other hand, theoretical suicide is when the person does something that will, in turn, get him or her killed. For example, in “All About Suicide” by Luisa Valenzuela, Ismael, a man that works at a minister’s office, murders the minister, a high-ranking public official. Ismael has been forced to be quiet by the government; therefore he lashes out by killing the minister so that he can reveal the truth about the government. In doing this, Ismael technically “kills himself” because he knows the government
The relationship between Desdemona and Othello in the play ‘Othello’ is used to express and observe the way that humans are selfish by nature. Although both Desdemona and Othello do sincerely love each other, both of them find great personal gain in their marriage, which clearly contributes to their feelings for one another. Othello, who is a black leader in an overwhelmingly white, Christian society, has come from a troubled and difficult background, being “sold to slavery” and working in the military all his life. In finding a good Christian wife in Desdemona, he finds someone to always support him in hard times, as evidenced in his summary of their romance, “she loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them”. This quote suggests that their love is more self-serving than he lets on; Desdemona loves Othello for the adventures he has been on and the stories he tells, and Othello loves Desdemona because she listens and devotes herself to what he has to say. When Desdemona gets a chance to explain their relationship herself, she is particularly proud of the fact that she “did love the Moor to live with him; my downright violence and storms of fortunes may trumpet to the world”. We note that she mentions her ‘violence’, the way she deliberately disobeyed her father and fled his company to secretly marry a man who is not one of her father’s approved suitors. This furthers the idea that Desdemona seems to be in love with Othello because of the adventures he has been on, and the excitement and liberty of her being with such a man; she is seeking her own freedom in a misogynistic society by defying her father to marry Othello. Their relationship is
Hamlet continuously throughout the play not only self-deprecates himself, but he also talks about committing suicide and the reasons he has for and against it. Hamlet self-deprecates for multiple reasons consisting of: Claudius killing his father, Gertrude marrying her husband’s brother after his death, his complications with Ophelia, and his very own insanity. From Hamlet’s self-deprecating tendencies, it is evident that he is not only depressed, but suicidal. Hamlet has many things going on in his life, and to him, he doesn’t know if his life is even worth living. Hamlet states, “To be or not to be? That is the question…Be all sins remembered.” (3.1.57-91), meaning that Hamlet really couldn’t care less what happens anymore. Hamlet summarizes the pros and cons to suicide, and he questions what he should do. He does this because he has changed – primarily his personality – and the events occurring around him are
. He is admired by everyone in the play, even Iago comments on what a good man Othello is. Secondly, a tragic hero can not be perfect. He or she must have a flaw of some kind. In Othello’s case it is that he allows his emotions to take over. Manipulated by Iago’s lies, Othello is forced to confront emotions he obviously can not handle. His wisdom and patience are replaced by anger and hate. The power of these destructive emotions ultimately lead to Desdemona’s death and Othello’s suicide