This commentary will analyze Act 3 Scene 4 of Othello. It will do so while referencing themes, diction, setting, etc. Important factors to keep in mind while analyzing passage 4 are what is going on in this passage and what is happening rior to? And also what impact does the passage have on this play? Important characters in this scene are inclusive, but not limited to, Iago, Cassio, Othello, Emilia, and Desdemona.
In act 4, scene 2, Othello calls in Emilia to question her about Desdemona’s peculiar behavior, but Emilia says that Desdemona has literally been doing nothing out of the norm. Othello then calls for Emilia to go get Desdemona. Once Emilia is back with Desdemona, Othello has Emilia guard the door, as if something is at stake. Now that he is alone with Desdemona,
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Desdemona is still portrayed as an angel, a damsel in distress, who has done no wrong and is still generous to her husband, denying his claims. Although Othello’s mind was already made up beforehand, he forces her to swear that she has been faithful. Even though she denies this and it’s true he just wants to see her lie more as he’s already set on his decision. Othello embellishes her infidelities way out of proportion; he compares her copulation to the breeding of summer flies. Ironically, this foreshadows Iago’s plan becoming a success because in reality Othello has a generous and faithful wife but Iago’s mind games have warped his sense of reality. His outrage can be linked to his perception of reality because as soon as he loses the love of his life he loses control of his own. Now that he is self-conscious and mistrusting of the most stable point in his life it is clear that he is going to take this to the extreme. Still, Desdemona continues to submit without question to Othello and still has all the love in the world for her husband despite his
Iago often refers to Othello as the "Moor" and when Emilia realises how Othello has treated his wife, she calls him "the blacker devil". As Iago's plan unfolds, Othello's suspicions and jealousy come to the fore. Iago's blasphemous expressions gradually infiltrate Othello's vocabulary as Othello becomes more and more convinced that Desdemona is being unfaithful. Initially he claims that while the marriage is expected to bring him some physical satisfaction, he and his wife value their mental attraction just as highly. However, as he becomes ensnared in Iago's trap, Othello reveals a more detailed acknowledgement of Desdemona's sexual appeal. As he discusses her death with Iago, he says he will not argue with Desdemona"lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again".
1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might—on the basis of the character’s actions alone—be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we might otherwise think. Avoid plot summary.
Desdemona is portrayed as a very inquisitive women, whom loves to explore the things and people outside of her class. She fell in love with Othello because of her curious nature and being attracted to his acts of bravado. Her intentions are sincere; however her curiosity in this act is seen as folly. She asks her cousin Lodovico about his arrival and informs him of Cassio’s dismissal. This angers Othello as she is praising another man, taking a persona of being proactive about him. For Othello this concludes that she is disobedient and has dishonored him - to put her in place, he resorts to violence:
Shakespeare's Othello creates a racial vision through comparing between the black and the white people. Shakespeare connects the vision of black people (Othello) with evilness, darkness, and with the devil. While white people (Desdemona) "that whiter skin of her than snow" (4.2.4), represents purity, lighten, and goodness. Othello is represented as a devil because of his skin color and from this we can see how racial prejudices subsisted strongly in the mid sixteenth and in the seventeenth century. Actually Shakespeare uses Othello's complexion as a symbol of his “true” essence. Shakespeare success in representing Othello in a way which provokes the audience,
The passage makes clear the lack of communication between husband and wife. Othello is made to appear stubborn and ignorant, and Desdemona is made to appear naive. It seems as if their marriage will not survive, and Iago will succeed.
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello and Desdemona’s marriage was doomed from the start. They did not start well; their marriage was controversial because of their race and Othello’s failure to follow proper etiquette while he was courting her. However these issues could have been overcome with time. The biggest problem is Othello’s attitude to Desdemona. Othello’s model of Desdemona prevents him from considering her a person. He thinks of her instead as superior to himself in every way, to the point that she is a god. Her race, beauty, and status make her godly in his mind. She becomes untouchable in Othello’s mind, and he begins to distance himself from her. Because Othello thinks of Desdemona as “Alabaster”(5.2.5) he will never consider
When Othello is cognizant of Iago’s scheme, immediately Othello goes to attack him avenging the impacts Iago’s plan creates. Othello is upset that he could let Iago manipulate his thoughts and affect him drastically which leads to him killing his wife. He is full of guilt, anguish and overall is heartbroken. He lays over Desdemona and kisses her one last time. This show of affection is full of sorrow and symbolizes his immense love for her. Full of regret and adoration towards his wife, he stabs himself and dies beside her. Othello truly love Desdemona as he is in despair of his
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.
serve god if the devil bid you” and he also says “the moor is now
Iago does this because he not only hates Othello but he is jealous of him. He tells him that his wife is unfaithful to him. Othello is in the early stages of his relationship so he believes Iago. Iago makes it seem as if Desdemona is cheating on Othello with someone else. Othello does not even check to see if these things are true. Iago had pushed him so far that he was past all reason and logic. He rages and kills his wife and the man she is allegedly having an affair with.
In the play Othello, jealousy is shown to be very evident through the actions of the characters. Jealousy is an emotion that everyone shares, and it is ultimately responsible for the tragic ending of the play. Everyone feels jealous at certain times of their lives, and this feeling can cause people to do irrational things. This human emotion also shows people to be weak in the sense that they are never happy with what they have. Shakespeare shows through Othello, Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio that jealousy is the most corrupt and destructive emotion.
The society in which Othello takes place is a patriarchal one, where men had complete control over women. They were seen as possessions rather than being just as equally human and capable of duties performed by men. All women of the Elizabethan were to obey all men, fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. Which leads me to the most reliable and trustworthy character of Desdemona, whom goes through many trials just to satisfy her love. Shakespeare brings the thought of Desdemona into the play by Barbantio, her father, “It is too true an evil. Gone she is.\...Oh, she deceives me\ Past thought! …” (1.1.163)(1.1.168-169), whom has just found she has taken off with Othello and firstly suspects they have been hitched. Shakespeare gives reader the
Othello by William Shakespeare tells the tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venetia and how one of his most loyal subordinates Iago betrays him, by making Othello believe that his wife Desdemona was being unfaithful with Othello’s Lieutenant Casino. Iago’s deception not only causes Othello to distrust his wife Desdemona, but it ultimately leads to the deaths of most characters in the play including Othello, and Desdemona. The Fourth act Second scene is mainly about Desdemona and Emilia talking about unfaithful women and if either one of them had being unfaithful to their husband. This dialogue between Desdemona and Emilia is important because the audience can connect to early events in the play and to a small degree the audience can make connections to Iago’s plan for Othello and what can be the future of Othello and Desdemona.
In the play the three main trails go as follows. First there is Othello's trial were he is being judged by the Duke and Brabantio regarding what happened with himself and Desdemona. The second and main trial is that of Othello judging Cassio, though it is not much of a trial per say because Othello is merely listening to what Iago has to say and does not even confront Cassio. The third and most dramatic trial is when at the
saying he will “tear her all to pieces” and he tells Iago to let him