Othello: A Close Reading This is an analysis of the lines 260-279 of the third scene of the third act of Shakespeare’s Othello. In an attempt to fulfill the incessant need for comfortable dichotomies, societies tend to be divided into two groups: the ‘in-crowd’ and the ‘others’. These strict dualities, constructed upon the inherent need for adversaries, are often as arbitrary as they are false and based on nothing but fear.
In the play Othello, there are many perspectives one could choose. But there is only one view that is appropriate for this topic and that is the feminist view. The feminist lens shows us that Desdemona was more an object of play than a person in love. If you don’t know what it was about, The Othello play is about a guy who is Jealous of a moracin war general. Then causes the general to kill his wife.
Shakespeare themes vs. Today's news Jealousy is a very prominent theme is our lives, everyone has felt jealousy at one point in their life. Even in the 1600’s jealousy was a prominent theme. Shakespeare was one of the first people to write about common themes such as jealousy. An example of Shakespeare writing about jealousy is in Othello. In Othello Iago is very jealous of cassio and Othello.
Superiority regarding gender has historically produced controversy. Within the renaissance the role and purpose of women were subject to discussio. It was up to debate as to whether women natural were abound to treacru and sinful motives. Within Othello women are either seen as whores or those of good women. “Italian women were very less living women… There are many lewd living women… sinful use of their wicked bodies” Othello initially thought this of Desdemona of which was proved wrong when he fell in love with her.
William Shakespeare’s 1603 tragic play Othello set in the Elizabethan era, depicts a world riddled with betrayal and jealousy. The play centres around the noble and highly respected general Othello, who is plagued with jealousy and betrayed by his second in command, Iago. Othello is ultimately about betrayal to some extent, as it also highlights the importance of being trustworthy and not letting jealousy overrule one’s ability to reason. Shakespeare wrote this play to highlight the damage that would be caused if the Great Chain of Being was disrupted or even worse, broken. In the play, Iago disrupts the Great Chain of Being and Shakespeare illustrates how catastrophic the damage that was caused in doing so.
Othello’s character undergoes a significant change due to a series of events at the hands of Iago, the play’s antagonist to enhance the fact that even a valiant heroes can become corrupt. In the beginning of the play, Othello adores
“Othello” written by William Shakespeare revolves around this protagonist who is depicted as strong and powerful. To everyone he is known as Othello or the Moor. Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays numerous counts of jealousy and manipulation around many of the characters. It is mainly illustrated through Iago, the antagonist of the play, who manipulates other to their downfall. Iago who is known for always being true and honest towards others has easily earned the trust of everyone around him, thus giving himself an advantage on his schemes.
Johann Kaspar Lavater once said, “The jealous are possessed by a mad devil and a dull spirit at the same time.” People who have become jealous are taken over by an evil greater than themselves, but are also taken by a insecurity they have inside of them, strong people taken over by jealousy so much- that they change so horribly no one wants anything to do with them. William Shakespeare’s Othello teaches us that in jealousy as either envy or fear, the only thing that could come out is the monster deepest inside of someone that even the best people wouldn’t want anyone to see.
The most influential, important, and critical relationship amongst humanity is a trusting and attentive friend. A friend is anyone who is supportive of one 's best and compassionate at one 's worst. A friend is an absolutely essential connection to maintain throughout a lifetime. According to the Huffington Post, lack of friendship has been associated with higher chances of a premature death than obesity. Consequently, friendships are required not only for mental health but for longevity.
The tragedy of “Othello” is the destruction of one’s integrity. The play is one of the great Shakespearean tragedies, which are all “a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character,” (Oxford Dictionary) who in this case is Othello. He was a Venetian general living in Cyprus with his lovely wife Desdemona. The play begins with one of his most trusting friends, Iago, who is furious about Cassio being appointed as Othello’s lieutenant rather than him. Given this, Iago forms the web that he would use to ensnare the characters that he would use to bring Othello down for him.
She is bounded to him emotionally and inwardly, thus she invariably believes the best of him. Her utmost loyalty to him is a result of her naive, obedient and passive nature. Her love for him is unconditional, and her senses are dimmed due to her absolute devotion to Othello. Consequently, she approaches and analyzes his anger, and their arguments emotionally rather than logically. She was loyal to Othello even after he committed murder to her, which is utterly against the moral values .
"Othello" by Shakespeare is a well-known and outstanding literary composition which pays distinctive attention to the dangers associated with jealousy. The play deals with the root and driving force of all evil and exemplifies how far jealousy can induce a human being as well as destroy lives by mere circumstantial evidence. According to Godfrey (1972), “Jealousy, once awakened, becomes self-perpetuating, self-intensifying, and where no evidence for it exists, the jealous person under the impulse of an extraordinary perversity will continue to manufacture it”. Jealousy manages the characters’ lives in "Othello" from the beginning of the play, when Roderigo feels jealousy towards Othello because he desires to be with Desdemona, and to the ending of the play, when Othello is furious with envy because he supposes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in a love affair. Some characters’ jealousy is generated by other characters.
Of all the emotions humans show, jealousy is one of the most common and unsettling, and it tends to bring out the worst in us. Jealousy is seen in all cultures regardless of gender; it is only different depending on a person’s degree of jealousy. In a gentle way, jealousy makes us dislike the person who is more successful in the area that we failed. When the degree has increased, dislike will turn into unreasonable angriness and disgrace, which leads to irrational hatred. William Shakespeare’s
Othello’s life transforms the second he steps into Cyprus. Iago’s motives are devastating as he plan’s to take Othello’s position, regardless of the cost. Iago plants the seed of deceit and unfaithfulness when he hints of an affair involving Othello’s love, Desdemona and Cassio. An overwhelming feeling of jealously takes a hold in Othello’s life. Othello is no longer the well spoken, and respected army general that everyone knew him to be, but instead a short tempered man with little respect for
While Desdemona is a remarkably strong character, Emilia also displays independence unmatched by any other female in Othello, and there are multiple details of Shakespeare and his time that may have prompted such a portrayal. In Elizabethan England, many women worked behind the scenes of productions, like Shakespeare’s, as uncredited authors and editors (Crowley). Due to their anonymity, nobody can be sure that women were involved in Shakespeare’s plays nor Othello in particular, but there is a genuine possibility that female writers did have leverage. This may have had to do with how Emilia was portrayed as resilient from the time of Desdemona’s death all the way until her own, standing up for herself regardless of the ridicule it caused her (Iyasere). In fact, it even killed her in the end.
