The Numerous Themes in Othello Essay

However, along with his word choice, Iago is clever at the timing of what he says. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it to incite jealousy within anyone he wishes. He uses this particularly well with Roderigo and Othello. An example of Iago’s timing of jealousy is when he speaks to Roderigo of the suspicions regarding Desdemona’s love for Othello. “Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor but for bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for prating? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed”. In this excerpt Iago represents

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).

Act 1 Scene 1 shows Roderigo, generous in his gifts to the ancient, questioning Iago’s love for the former, whose concern has been the wooing of Desdemona. Roderigo construes Iago’s love for him as based on the ancient’s hatred for the Moor. Thus the wealthy suitor says accusingly, “Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.” And Iago responds, “Despise me, if I do not.” Partly out of hatred for the general and partly out of proving his faithfulness to Roderigo’s cause, Iago asserts in detail the reasons for his hatred of Othello, who has given the lieutenancy to Michael Cassio, a Florentine. Secondly, Iago suggests that Roderigo and he awake and disturb Brabantio, the father of Desdemona:

In Shakespeare’s play Othello, tragedy unfolds on the account of one man’s actions, Iago. He is a twenty eight year old military veteran from Venice. His personality consists of being obsessive, manipulative, relentless, and bold. From the beginning he expressed his hatred towards the Moor, or North African named Othello. Othello is a highly respected general and is also married to the pure Desdemona. The marriage between Othello and Desdemona is destroyed due to Iago’s actions and lies. His actions consist of getting Michael Cassio discharged as lieutenant and convincing the Moor that his wife is cheating on him. The motives Iago has for despising Othello are he passed him over for a promotion to be his lieutenant, instead he chose

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification exhibited by the characters. Othello is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride and courage. As the play continues, his character begins to deteriorate and become less noble. Chronologically through the play, Othello’s character

The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.

Of all the characters in Shakespeare’s works, none fall harder or faster than that of Othello, The Moor of Venice. Easily swayed and wrought by jealousy, Othello’s downfall is brought on by the fact that he doesn’t believe in himself. This uncertainty is the basis upon which unfolds one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Through the in depth analysis of both Othello and Iago, I will serve to prove that Shakespeare was illustrating the fact that disaster is the only outcome of men lead by wild emotion and pride.

Shakespeare’s Othello is a play consistently based on jealously and the way it can destroy lives. One is quick to think this jealously is based on Othello’s lack of belief in Desdemona’s faithfulness to him or his suspensions over Desdemona’s affair with Cassio, Othello’s honorable lieutenant. Upon closer inspection of the jealously that exists throughout the play it becomes clear that his jealously is not the sole start and reason for all of the destruction that occurs. Iago, a good friend of Othello, is not who he appears to be. Iago’s own jealously of those around him pushes him over the edge. He begins to deceive all those who believe he is a true, honorable, and faithful man. Throughout Othello, Iago incites his own jealously in

Iago's jealousy is depicted early when he is suspicious of Othello pursuing his own wife, Emilia. Iago tries to have Desdemona's father do the work for him, but it does not work. Iago's rage grows and in the end of act I, he reveals his plan. "The moor is of a free and open nature/ that thinks men honest that but seem to be so;/ and will as tenderly be led by th' nose/ as asses are./ I hav't! It is engend'red! Hell and night/ must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light./" (I. iii. 380-385) Iago is filled with hate for the Moor and his whole life is now consumed with revenge. Also at the end of the first scene in Cyprus, Iago speaks of his own motivations for his deceit. He says of Desdemona, "Now I do love her too;/ not out of absolute lust, though for peradventure/ I do stand accountant for as great a sin,/ but partly led to diet my revenge/ for that I do suspect the lusty Moor/ hath leaped into my seat." (II. i. 268-272) He desired revenge for his own suspicion that Othello has gone to bed with Emilia. It is was killing on the inside and Iago would not be happy, "Till I am evened with him, wife for wife;/ or failing so, yet that I put the Moor/ at least into a jealousy so strong/ that judgement cannot cure." (II. i. 276-279) He reveals that he wants to kill Othello from the inside, make him succumb under his own power.

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.

In the first scene, Iago was seen in the middle of a conversation with Roderigo. This opening scene sets forth the key elements to understanding Iago’s basic character and the play’s conflict. The scene revealed Iago’s deep resentment toward Othello and his outlook on himself as a soldier. “And I of whom his eyes had

Only by considering a range of perspectives can we truly appreciate the world of Shakespeare’s Othello. It is through my exploration of these perspectives and their relationship with changing morals and values that has enriched my understanding of the play. One such reading of the play challenges the marginalisation and objectification of woman in a patriarchal Venetian society, while taking into account the changing role of women in modern society. Another interpretation of Othello examines its post colonial elements through the protagonist Othello, and his insecurities of being a black man in a white society. My interpretation of the play as a portrayal of the values existing in Shakespeare’s time is filtered through these

Act 1 Scene 1 opens with an expression of jealousy: Roderigo is upbraiding Iago because of the elopement of the object of his affections –Desdemona -- with the Moor: “Thou told’st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.” Iago responds with an expression of jealousy, saying that he does indeed hate the general because he “Nonsuits my mediators; for, ‘Certes,’ says he, / ‘I have already chose my officer.’” With both Roderigo and the ancient spurred on by jealousy, they storm the home of the senator, Brabantio, and father of Desdemona in a vain effort to have him recover the missing girl. Brabantio is very jealous of the man who has stolen his daughter because she has been his only companion and help in the home: “And what’s to come of my despised time / Is naught but bitterness.” At the head of his mob, the

We are introduced to the antagonist, Iago and another character that shares hate for Othello also because he loves Desdemona in Act 1 Scene 1. The first line in Act 1 Scene 1 states ' Tush, never tell me! I take it much unkindly. That thou, iago, whon hast had my purse. As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this' In translation ‘All this time I’ve thought you were such a good friend that I’ve let you spend my money as if it was yours’. That opening statement already demonstrates Iago’s inner personality and builds a slight reputation from readers for him. As Iago convinces his plan of the destruction of Othello will work, we also start to notice how casually and easily Iago can convince characters using his strong

In this essay, I will argue that Othello has the ability to transcend the racial infused “Moor” stereotype to become an individual with an inherent will to do good deeds and extinguish evil. Critical works from Albert Gerard (1957), Edward Berry (1990), and Martin Orkin (1987) will be cited as evidence for this.