Othello And Hamlet Research Paper

Madness plays an integral role in many of Shakespeare’s popular tragedies. In particular in Hamlet, King Lear and Othello the dramatic function of madness is varying but integral to their plots. In this essay I will discuss whether Hamlet and Othello are truly mad or affected by other sources of strife and the steady demise of King Lear due to insanity. Furthermore I will discuss the different dramatic functions of madness and to what extent madness is the true underlying source of the demise of these three tragic heroes.

The dramatic function of madness is fascinating and layered in Hamlet. In his musings, Hamlet bares his soul to the audience and the barrier between Hamlet and the audience is exposed. It is impossible to stop observing Hamlet,

One of the greatest questions for me when discussing the play is whether or not Othello is actually gripped by insanity or rather intensely manipulated by jealousy. In Othello, Iago, the nemesis of the play, continually manipulates Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona has been having an illicit affair and “with Cassio (…) the act of shame A thousand times committed” (Othello, 5. 2. 206-7). Othello’s acute sexual jealousy reaches a point of no return in Act IV, Scene I, arguably by this point in the narrative, Othello is on the verge of madness. Completely incensed by the idea that Cassio has laid “with her” and “on her” (4. 1. 33) Othello’s ability to form comprehensible sentences breaks down along with his composure: “Pish! Noses, ears, and lips! Is't possible? Confess? Handkerchief? Oh, devil!” falls into a trance” (4. 1. 39-40). Whilst this extract does suggest madness and other characters like Lodovico certainly suspect that Othello is going mad: “Are his wits safe? is he not light of brain?” (4. 2. 256) is this not exactly what Iago wants us to believe? Iago tries throughout the play to persuade people that Othello has gone mad, that “he foams at mouth and (…) Breaks out to savage madness” (4. 1. 51- 52), to feed his own revenge. If Othello is indeed as mad as Iago portrays him to be, then I believe his madness to be only temporary. This is evident in Othello’s nearly instant regret and the oppressive sense of guilt that follows Desdemona’s death at his hands. Othello’s madness if it does exist stems from his inner turmoil, which is churned by his own self-loathing. Regardless, the dramatic irony in Othello serves as a source of strife for the audience as the scheming of Iago behind Othello’s deranged exterior goes unnoticed by the other characters in the