...What is the significance of act 1 in Othello. Act 1 of ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare is of extreme importance to the development of the play and the audiences understanding of it as a whole. Othello is introduced to the audience as calm, confident and eloquent individual who has deeply in love with Desdemona even in the face of adversity in their relationship. However, as the play progresses Othello is manipulated and warped by his ensign Iago. His mind begins to fracture until he commits an atrocity so foul; he believes death is the punishment he deserves. One of the most important points portrayed in act 1 is Othello’s personality and thought process before he is manipulated by Iago in later scenes. “From men of royal siege; and my demerits…may speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune…as this that I have reached”. Othello is portrayed here as calm and rational here despite the fact that Iago is attempting to rile him by giving false information about Roderigo. Furthermore, Othello emphasises his self-confidence by stating that his past glories will speak louder than Brabantio’s gripes about his daughter’s relationship with him. Othello emphasises this point again by speaking in verse “Were it my cue to fight I should have known it without a prompter.” This emphasises his supreme confidence and rational thinking as he states that he has done nothing wrong and has no reason to feel guilty about his marriage to Desdemona. Moreover, although Brabantio orders his guard to arrest...
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...What is the significance of act 1 in Othello. Act 1 of ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare is of extreme importance to the development of the play and the audiences understanding of it as a whole. Othello is introduced to the audience as calm, confident and eloquent individual who has deeply in love with Desdemona even in the face of adversity in their relationship. However, as the play progresses Othello is manipulated and warped by his ensign Iago. His mind begins to fracture until he commits an atrocity so foul; he believes death is the punishment he deserves. One of the most important points portrayed in act 1 is Othello’s personality and thought process before he is manipulated by Iago in later scenes. “From men of royal siege; and my demerits…may speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune…as this that I have reached”. Othello is portrayed here as calm and rational here despite the fact that Iago is attempting to rile him by giving false information about Roderigo. Furthermore, Othello emphasises his self-confidence by stating that his past glories will speak louder than Brabantio’s gripes about his daughter’s relationship with him. Othello emphasises this point again by speaking in verse “Were it my cue to fight I should have known it without a prompter.” This emphasises his supreme confidence and rational thinking as he states that he has done nothing wrong and has no reason to feel guilty about his marriage to Desdemona. Moreover, although Brabantio orders his guard to arrest...
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...A Drama Analysis of Williams Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ Othello: Insecurity and Jealousy Shakespeare’s, Othello, is witness that everyone, no matter their cast in society, can become vulnerable when they are brought to doubt their sense of self. As a person matures and reaches the level of adulthood, they take on many different types of responsibilities as a functioning part of society. Society characterizes its members based on how effectively they deal with their responsibilities, and furthermore an individual’s identity and sense of self is derive in part, from their ability to handle the triumphs, growth and difficulties associated with being an adult. The way a person conducts his or herself determines how they as well as others perceive them. Ultimately, when making decision throughout life a person looks at what they as an individual value, and therefore what they perceive themselves to be influences their decision-making. When one works to destroy the reputation of another they seek to tarnish the way others perceive said person. On the other hand, in Shakespeare’s tragedy we see Iago go a step further, instead of just working to ruin Othello’s reputation, he targets the foundation of Othello’s sense of self. First, Iago plays on Othello’s jealousy by causing him to suspect Desdemona of being unfaithful without presenting any legitimate evidence. This jealousy leads to anxiety from which Iago goes on to insinuate that the very foundations of his love for Desdemona...
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...Oedipus and Othello For Oedipus and Othello “duty” should have their first priority. Othello’s duty was supposed to be the importance of his marriage, but he listened to Iago, ignored Desdemona, didn’t believe his own conscience, and his own heart. Oedipus’ duty was to defeat the Sphinx(which he does) free Thebes from heavy taxes(which he does) be a great king of Thebes and be a good husband, but instead he offends Creon, his brother-in-law and uncle; insults his friend, Tiresias the blind prophet; kills his father; and destroys Jocasta, his mother and his queen. Fatal flaws demolished the lives of both Oedipus and Othello. Othello was so proud of his honor and bravery that he didn’t recognize his violent temper and Iago’s mind tricks. Oedipus was so proud of his cleverness that he tried so hard to escape his own fate. With all that said, these were honestly just a couple of comparable traits between Oedipus and Othello. When looking for a great leader that would lead your city through anything and everything it is not hard to tell that both Oedipus and Othello could be those leaders. Both had great gifts in leadership. They stood up in what they believed in. Each held exceptional accomplishments and both possessed the ability to be an all-around leader. Othello was a respectable citizen who was usually known for his fighting or war success. He knew how and what the goal was to succeed. Not all leaders knew that. Oedipus was also somewhat the same. He, like Othello, was known...
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...towards depictions of tragedy, be they real or fictitious, as they present the darker aspects of human nature without dwelling too far into them oneself. The concept of betrayal is explored in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello: The Moor of Venice, wherein the characters are faced with the consequences...
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...to work harder for what they want. Unfortunately, the acts of jealousy in Othello are not good and result in death. After examining jealousy in Othello, it is clear that jealousy ruins relationships and in some cases, jealousy is only satisfied by destroying others. Iago and Cassio are friends before all of the drama of being picked for lieutenant happens. Iago believes that he, himself, is a very good soldier and he should be chosen as Othello’s lieutenant. However, when Cassio gets chosen as Othello’s lieutenant, Iago becomes angry and jealous. Therefore, he wants to sabotage and destroy Cassio so that he can take his position. Iago is...
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...Othello Essay “Othello is responsible for his own downfall.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? Othello’s downfall is a result of his many flaws being played upon by Shakespeare’s most unforgiving, infamous villain; Iago. Accordingly, it is a combination of Iago’s efforts and cunning traps as well as Othello’s jealous, irrational nature that ultimately lead to Othello’s downfall. Othello’s blind trust and faith in Iago allows Iago to easily set moral traps designed to weaken Othello as a person. These manipulate his mind to the brink of insanity and in turn negatively overshadow Othello’s thought process, and given that Othello allowed this to happen, shows how Othello plays a part in his own downfall. Using Othello and the characters around him to his advantage, Iago manipulates Othello’s jealousy, insecurities, reckless behaviour and self-doubt to amplify the damage done by his own traps, thus proving that it is a combination of actions and decisions made by Othello and Iago, and the many characters around them that is ultimately responsible for Othello’s downfall. It is important to understand Iago’s character and his motives in order to understand his actions, likewise with so many Shakespearean characters. Iago is an arrogant, jealous character; “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place” acting out of pure spite and hatred for Othello; “I hate the Moor.” This line is juxtaposed to "My Lord you know I love you" which Iago repeats multiple times throughout...
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...English 1020 5, May 2014 The Green Fire of Jealousy In the story Othello by William Shakespeare jealousy rears her ugly head at every aspect of the characters’ lives. Right from the beginning when Roderigo is envious of Othello from his wishes to court with Desdemona, and to the end of the play, when Othello is manic with envy because he believes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in an affair. Some characters’ jealousy is fashioned by other characters. Iago is involved in much of this, creating lies and implementing misleading situations. He is consumed with jealousy of Cassio and masked with hatred of Othello because he is not chosen as lieutenant, Cassio was. Iago becomes one of the most evil villains in literature, he wants everyone to feel rage. He very skillfully manipulates the emotions, trust and jealousy of other characters. Iago is a man blinded by envy and anger, with one goal in mind for everyone to become equally jealous, an ambition he completes through his betrayal, deceit, and adept manipulation of characters. The seeds of deception are grown early on with Roderigo confiding in Iago. Roderigo frantically loves Desdemona and he pays Iago to draw her away from Othello. Here we see the malicious intent from Iago and paint him as a villain. Along with his actions, what Iago says also conveys him as a manipulative character. Iago has fabricated a plan to pose Othello as a thief by saying that he has stolen Desdemona’s heart using witchcraft. Iago coaxes...
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...actions in the final scenes of the play. Othello: After realising the truth of his actions, that he has killed the love of his life for no justified reason, Othello kills himself. Along with the fact that he says he killed himself as a punishment for himself, we also know that it was very unknown to have a black man in such a high position in the social hierarchy. This most likely means that othello would receive a harsher and more brutal punishment, as the society in this era was very racist. Desdemona and emilia: The social hierarchy of this era placed women in a somewhat demeaning position below men. Wifes especially were expected to be immaculate, honest, faithful and extremely obedient towards their husbands, who always follow orders with haste and to never question them. This may be why Desdemona showed very poor effort in order to save her life. Possibly she is a weak woman too, who could not put up a fight, however the expectations she has been brought up with make her an obedient wife and thus why she did not want to disobey her husband, and show much resistance. However Emilia is also in the same social position as desdemona, being a woman in this era. She is often perceived as a stronger willed woman than Desdemona, as she does eventually speak up for what she wanted to say. Quote. However Iago did try to stop her, even pulling his sword on her, and this is the first time we have seen a woman strongly stand up for what she wants to say. This proves the lower position...
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...Othello Essay English 30-1 2.Why does Othello not investigate Iago’s accusation? Why does Othello not seek his own proof of Desdemona Betrayal? “A true friend stabs you in the front."- Oscar Wilde A True Friend ? In the play Othello, by Shakespeare, Othello does not investigate Iago’s accusations of Desdemona. Othello has known Iago longer then Desdemona, in which it can be assumed that Othello has a great trust in Iago over his wife. This trust could be the devastation of Othello believing Iago word over his wife Desdemona when accused of being unfaithful with Cassio. Iago always shows Othello his trust by making Othello believe that he is there for him. Iago does not only play with Othello’s mind by talking to him and lying to him, but Iago also play’s with other’s characters minds too. Iago is always trying to gain Othello trust so that he seems to be there for him giving Othello the sense of being “best friends”. Iago’s conversations with Othello always make him think about what Desdemona and what could she possibly be doing, but Othello loves Desdemona way too much. There for Othello always believes her, which is why Iago has to try to show Othello that Desdemona is not to be trusted, he then manipulates Othello by making him think that Desdemona is being false to him with Cassio. This is when Othello asks Iago to have Emilia, Iago’s wife to be Desdemona’s servant to watch after her, Iago tells Othello not to worry about it. However, Iago is not only playing...
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...HOW TO TEACH “OTHELLO” (The play by William Shakespear’s) I. INTRODUCTION Othello, like all of Shakespeare’s plays, particularly the tragedies, is complex and subtly nuanced. Through its complexitiesand subtleties, Shakespeare makes us care about the characters who people this story. We understand their weaknesses and their strengths, their passions and their nobility. In our engagement in their lives and our pondering over what has gone wrong and why, we are given the opportunity to analyze human life both in the abstract and in the particular of our own lives. Shakespeare’s ability to involve us in the lives and fortunes of his characters is one of the best reasons for reading and teaching Othello. Othello has particular gifts to offer to teenagers. It is a play about passion and reason. Intense feelings are exhibited here:love, hate, jealousy, envy, even lust. Teenagers struggling with their own passions can empathize with both Roderigo’s and Othello’s plight. It is also a play that examines, as do Shakespeare’s other works, human relationships and interactions. For teenagers in the first rush of attempting to understand how romantic relationships work and when and why they might fail, this text provides much to ponder. In addition, studying the play gives young people a rich literary vehicle for developing their critical thinking and analytical reading skills. The closer they examine this work, the richer they find it. II. SUMMARY OF THE PLAY The play is set...
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...Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero “William Shakespeare’s “Othello” the Moore of Venice Tragedies frequently focus on a tragic hero that has a flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. According to Aristotle, the tragic flaw is the most important part of the hero and the events that occur in the work is a reflection of that flaw. A tragic flaw is essential in a true tragedy. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a prime example of an Aristotelian tragic hero. His gullibility and jealousy are the main reason of his downfall. Othello deals with love lost because of gullibility and jealousy. According to Aristotle, the life and soul of tragedy is the plot; Incidents in the plot have the best effect if they occur unexpectedly, and in consequence of one another. A great tragedy grips the audience with the plot; Aristotle also states that the sense of the inevitable must be present in tragedy. The central character must be noble and have a higher stature than most men. The tragic hero must also have better qualities than secondary characters but must also exhibit flaws. Another part of the central character is that he is destroyed by himself, not by others, bad luck, or depravity. These are the criteria necessary to be classified as an ideal tragedy. The main character of Othello is an example of a tragic hero, his basic elements matches him up to a true hero as defined by Aristotle. Othello was a soldier all his life, due to his Moorish descent; he...
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...whole. In this particular scene of the Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, Desdemona is waiting for the arrival of her husband and is with Iago and his wife Emilia. It can be argued that Desdemona is bold in this scene and that this is the foreshadowing of Iago’s plan. At the beginning of this passage Desdemona is provoking Iago by saying “What wouldst write of me, if thou shouldst praise me?” which means she is asking Iago for his opinion of her. Desdemona could be doing this for a variety of reasons. She may be trying to get Iago in trouble, as if he says something she finds offensive he would be instantly punished for it due to her status. She could also be trying to protect Emilia, who she may have built a relationship with while on the ship to Cyprus earlier in the play. She may be trying to protect Emilia as earlier Iago was talking about Emilia quite degradingly by saying things such as “As of her tongue she oft bestows on me” which was a common 17th century complaint of nagging by males and so Desdemona felt the need to protect her friend. This shows Desdemona as loyal friend and quite protective. It can also be argued that Desdemona is quite brave for challenging a male, even though he is lower class. Desdemona could be seen as being bold or even be interpreted as rude. When Iago first refuses to speak his opinion she says “Come on assay. There’s one gone to the harbour” showing that she is egging on Othello. Some critics say that Desdemona is too bold here for telling...
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...In Shakespeare's play Othello,the charecter Iago is a mutilayered,deceptive,and manipulative villian;causeing mishaps to other characters for revenge.Iago uses his stratigec acts of manipulation to undermine the charecters weakness.He exploits Rodrigo love for Desdemona,the friendship between him and Cassio,and toys with Othello's mind by playing on his self-doubt. Thus, giving Iago the advange to use their weaknesses against them. First Iago uses Rodrigo's naive and gulliable personality to own adavantage.Roderigo's obession with Desdemona renders him susceptible to Iagos manipulation. this obsession causes him to believe anything Iago says to hope in getting Desdemona.Iago convinces Rodrigo that the jewels will be given to Desdemona as a proclamationof his love when acatually,Iago claims to to himself.Iago takes advantage of Rorego for his money.Later in the play,Iago uses Roderigo and conveience him to kill Cassio. Rodergo then says "i have no great devotion to the deed and yet he hath given my satisfying reasons 'Tis but a man gone. forth,my sword:he dies" (V.i.8-10). Roderigo then attempts to kill Cassio but in the play Iago says"i have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense and he grows angry, May unfold me to him there stand i in much peril. No, he must die."(V.i. 11-23) this shows how Iago takes advantage of foolish Rodrigofor his own needs and once his value is used up.Overall Rodrigo was drawn in Iago's schemes due to his love for Desdemona. Iago exploits...
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...Shakespeare’s Othello is a constant clash of personal and political conflicts. Race, jealousy, violent destructive and self-destructive behaviours control the relationships between the powerful and the powerless throughout the play. An important theme in this play had a great amount dealing with race. Othello recognizes his self as an outsider, due to the fact he was black. The majority of people in this setting were whites at the time, so we could see why Othello felt so insecure about his self. Othello realizes shortly after he wasn’t feeling accepted, that he needed to work hard, to carefully maintain his reputation. Considering Othello is the only black individual in the play, the racism behind the story is projected towards him. Many characters in the play appear to be racist, because that’s how they see the four main characters act towards Othello. Iago, Brabantio, Roderigo, and Emilia all have racist attitudes in which they direct at Othello. Not only do these characters develop hatred because Othello is black, but they blame their reasoning on the fact he is black. From the very beginning of the play, Iago has been firm with his decision of hatred towards Othello. The most racism of the play comes from Iago. When Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant, Iago was not pleased one bit. We notice Iago’s has two personalities, as he has so much to say behind Othello’s back. Never does Iago direct his feelings about Othello to him. In the beginning of the play, Iago’s first racist...
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