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Reality And Illusion In Shakespeare's Othello: The Moor Of Venice

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William Shakespeare stands to be one of the greatest literary geniuses of all time. His plays have enamored numerous audiences and inspired countless writers over the last several centuries. One of his great tragedies is “Othello: The Moor of Venice.” In this play especially, language has the same power as action; speaking about an event will make that event become reality for those who hear, and it will affect reality as if that event had taken place. Words become the initiators of action, and once spoken they cannot be counteracted because they alone determine the course of the future. More specifically, the words the characters use to assemble their thoughts and conversations divide the play in half; one half being reality, and the other, illusion. Throughout the course of Shakespeare’s “Othello,” the worlds of reality and illusion are constructed in order to reveal the underlying theme of perception vs. reality. The term “world” is difficult to define because different people have different ideas about what the world is. For some there is a religious connotation. However, when it is used to mean all things in existence it may have a different connotation depending on personal beliefs. Near the beginning of the play, the word is used by Shakespeare to establish a religious theme. Brabantio accuses Othello of winning Desdemona by trickery, either by drugs or black magic, using the word with a …show more content…

Desdemona: “Beshrew me if I should do such a wrong For the whole world. Emilia: “Why, the wrong is but a wrong i’the world; And having the world for your labor, ‘tis a wrong in your own world and you might quickly make it right." Desdemona: “I do not think there is any such woman.” Emilia: “Yes, a dozen; and as many to the vantage as would store the world they played

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Emilia knows that Othello believes that Desdemona has cheated on him with Cassio, but the interesting factor is that Emilia knows that is not true as she arguably knows Desdemona the most out of all the characters. Desdemona's isolation prior to her death is “ attributable to the onlookers' nonintervention” (Vanita 343). Emilia was aware of the abuse that Othello put upon Desdemona even though she knew the accusations against her were false “For if she be not honest, chaste and true,/ There’s no man happy; the purest of their wives/ Is foul slander” (Shakespeare 4.2.18-20) but still leaves Desdemona in isolation with Othello, even though she was aware of what he believed. When Othello confronts Desdemona with the claims of cheating Othello commands Emilia to “Leave Procreants alone and shut the door;/ Cough or cry “hem”

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Consequently, implies Emilia is promiscuous by directly saying to her, “A thing for me? It is a common thing” (3.3.311), referring to her as sexually “common” among men. Furthermore, Iago creates a false immoral image of Desdemona to Othello base on simple interpretation concluding Desdemona is adulterous, however, Othello ultimately convinces himself and perceives Desdemona as adulterous. At first, Iago distorts the reality to make Othello think his wife is deceiving him, but Othello is not fully convinced until he starts misinterpreting Desdemona actions, implying he perceives her as adulterous. Othello at first holds that “Desdemona’s honest” (3.3.230), but something as simple as a lost handkerchief makes him see his wife as an adulterous and called

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