More handpicked essays just for you.
Discuss the relationship between othello and desdemona
Love in othello
Discuss the relationship between othello and desdemona
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In Othello, Shakespeare tests the idea as to what romantic love is, and where it can withstand the test of time and exist without failing. Seeing the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, the play appears to say that marriage based on an innocent romantic love is bound to fail. Shakespeare seems cynical about the survival and endurance of a true type of love, however Othello and Desdemona are portrayed in the play as the two greatest innocents that ever were. The two appear to love one another romantically at first, but this romantic love couldn’t have hoped to have last without a basis of communication and understanding from both sides. Othello knows only about war and battle, that’s what he’s good at but not so much in anything else. Desdemona is little more than a girl; she isn’t very experienced in the ways of the world and has a naïve nature to her. She is taken in by Othello's war stories and his mysteriousness and is swept off her feet but she doesn’t really know him. The reason this spirals out so quickly and ends in tragedy is because there is no foundation for a relat...
In one of Shakespeare’s most masterful pieces, he depicts a tragic love story in which love conquers all…but at what cost? The truth is in this play, love is the victor, but with horrible consequences. Love lives on, love survives, but only at the loss of life. Not only in this play, but in many other Shakespearean works, the constant theme stands that any kind of marriage or deep emotional bond which is solely based on love ends tragically. Othello’s passionate love for Desdemona is the same passion that causes him to end her life. Antony, under the suspicion that Cleopatra has died, tries to commit suicide to only find out soon after that she is alive and in hiding, but all in vain for the fatal wound has already pricked it’s victim. Shakespeare constantly relates love with tragedy, stating that love is in fact fleeting and impermanent. The only way for love to live forever is if it dies young.
The story of Othello and Desdemona is one of forbidden love. She, a white Venetian and he, a black Moor, fall in love with each other despite the disapproval of Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. Her father accuses Othello of using black magic on Desdemona. This is the only reasonable explanation for Desdemona falling in love with Othello in his mind. Othello’s rebuttal to this accusation shows his inexperience when it comes to love. He states, “When I did speak of some distressful stroke that my youth suffered. My story being done, she gave me for my pains a world of sighs. She gave me for my pains a world of sighs. She swore, i’faith, ‘twas strange,” twas passing strange; “twas pitiful, ‘twas was wondrous pitiful.” He continues by stating, “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them. This is the only witchcraft I have used.”(pg. 1199 Act 1, Scene 3 Line 157-169). Othello explains that Desdemona listened to him about his struggles in life ...
Othello is a character of which he believes he has high standards and is a strong character, but yet his love for Desdemona becomes a great weakness which causes conflict later in the play.
In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, we see a black man marrying a wealthy young white woman named Desdemona. The black man named Othello serves the Italian government, as a general, this man is a very a loyal and trusting person. Othello is easily persuaded as stated by Iago, his ancient, who wrights this passage about him ““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 the nose As asses are. (Act 1, 3,405.)“ This shows us the kind of man Othello is a trusting man, and thinks that everyone is telling the truth. This opens Othello, to believe on the lies that Iago, is telling him. However, Othello is not a stupid man, he is a general after all, and must be shown proof when people put up arguments especially against his own wife, cheating on him. Now the question is why did Othello not look for his own proof of the acquisition laid up against his wife cheating. He surly is not stupid, considering that he has such a high position. In this essay, I will explain why, Othello does not look for more proof, of his wife’s affairs and merely believes Iago.
Firstly, when the men of Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, confront Othello’s men, Othello calmly says, “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.” (10). Othello is confronted on the matter of his elopement with Desdemona with force and with words. Not only is he very cool about his dealings with violence, but also when he is asked to tell the story of how he had Desdemona fall in love with him he states the truth, and he doesn’t leave out any details of how he accomplished it. He openly admits that had any other man told his story, that man also would have won her heart.
As explained in the last paragraph, love is one of the major emotions in Othello. In the play, the actions committed by characters consumed by love are greatly amplified. Two characters that exemplify this are Othello and Desdemona. Throughout the first two acts, some of their actions are unrealistic for a couple in love. Take this quote, for example: ?Brabantio: Raise all my kindred! Are they married, think you? / Roderigo: Truly I think they are. / Brabantio: O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!? (I:i:166-168). Othello and Desdemona are so consumed by love that they elope with no intention of telling anyone else, as evidenced by Brabantio?s reaction in the quote. They just acted according to their love without thinking of the effects of their elopement. Roderigo is also a prime example of how an emotion like love has near complete control of the characters? actions in the play. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, and it seems that his actions are almost solely dri...
Love is a force that can overtake large adversities and can stumble over small challenges. Love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Love is eternal, but can be deflected. Different forms of love are expressed by Othello, Desdemona, and Iago in Shakespeare’s play Othello. As a result of romantic love, Desdemona splits from her family, and Othello slays his wife. Next, familial love, not as dominant as romantic love, is evidenced in Desdemona's choice to marry Othello against her family's requests. Lastly, Self-love is the basis for characters such as Iago and Othello to abandon moral reason. Love comes in different forms.
Othello is a man of romantic nature. He fell in love with the beautiful Desdemona. He was accused of stealing her away from her father. Othello was of a different race and did not fit in with her family. Othello makes a plea for Desdemona and tells his story which wooed her to begin with. Othello tells of the love that her father showed him since his boyish days. This was like a match made in heaven that overcame many obstacles which got in their way. Othello could not understand why he was good enough to work and fight alongside of her father, but was not good enough for his daughter.
The first love one may want to peer into in both Othello and King Lear is the Love one may hold for a significant other. This type of love is prevalent in Othello between Othello and Desdemona, and can be compared to King Lear through Goneril and Regan with their husbands and having Edmund thrown in the mix. Desdemona's love for Othello is made very clear right from the start when she goes to bat for him against her father. This is seen when her father was so upset that he brought charges upon Othello to try and revoke their vows. She gives reasons why her explanation of the reasons she loves Othello defines her essential character as a woman of loyalty and fidelity to him, and not simply to a picture of him gleaned from a story told by him (B. Long). Later on in the play Desdemona's loves continues to shine through until the very end when Othello has became so enraged he is over her about to take her life she pleas to keep through her reinstating her love for him. According to the critic B. Long this is not just a scapegoat to save her life but that she truly loves him in a very genuine way; one may have a hard time finding text to prove otherwise. If Desdemona's love for Othello was a subservient love, generated by seeing his facade in his mind and fueled by her delight in his honors and heroic parts, Othello's love towards Desdemona is rather different.
In Act 1. Desdemona admits that she fell in love with Othello's eloquence and harrowing adventures; 'I saw Othello's visage in his mind'. This outlines his sense of nobility in language,which empahsis how much of an experienced warrior ans revered noble man he is. Moreover Desdemona reveals Othello's nobility of love, 'She loved me for the dangers I had passed/ I loved her that she did pity them'. She succeeds in unveiling a side in Othello's nature which show him as a loving, respectful husband. He is clearly trustful of Desdemona and is not by any means jealous of him, as he allows her to travel to Cyprus with Iago,' To his conveyance I assign my wife'.
Pure and Foolish Love in Othello Othello, the central character of William Shakespeare's play, is an excellent leader but a poor reasoner and foolish lover. The tragedy of Othello' is largely due to Othello's personality and life experience. Othello believes himself to be loved and respected by everyone around him as most people refer to him as the "noble General Othello". Othello, after realizing his tragic mistake of murdering his innocent wife, Desdemona, claims he "loved not wisely, but too well". This is an honest reflection of himself as his love was true and pure but also foolish.
As the details of her recent marriage to Othello unfold, Desdemona appears to be a woman driven by emotions. She marries a man because he has shared his stories of grand adventure. In order to do so, she elopes from her loving father’s house in the middle of the night. These seem like actions of emotion stemming from her love – or possibly infatuation – for Othello. Contradictory to this, when asked to speak about her willingness to enter the marriage, she responds with a very clear and sensible reason for staying with Othello:
Throughout the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, various types of love are portrayed. According to some of the students of Shakespeare, Shakespeare himself had accumulated wisdom beyond his years in matters pertaining to love (Bloom 89). Undoubtedly, he draws upon this wealth of experience in allowing the audience to see various types of love personified. Shakespeare argues that there are several different types of love, the interchangeable love, the painful love and the love based on appearances, but only true love is worth having.
The main character, Othello, is a very interesting character. He is bold is every wear. He is an insecure person. His only experiences are the ones that he has had on the battlefield. He is a General who is a strong willed and is demanding, in his own way. He is socially inexperienced, and you can tell by the marriage that is apparent. The way that Othello treats Desdemona. You almost feel as if he has a kind of control over her. When Othello thought and suspected that Desdemona was having an affair, he confronts her. That is then followed by her death. [scene 5 act 2]Desdemona "O banish me, my lord, but kill me not!Othello: Down, strumpet! Desdemona: Kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight. Othello: Nay if you strive- Desdemona: But half an hour! Desdemona: But while I say one prayer!- Othello then proceeds to strangle Desdemona. He was best described as " one that loved not wisely, but too well." It almost seemed as if he had so much love and trusted D...
that this is a healthy relationship, both sexually and mentally. They have an active sexual life, but do not depend on this aspect of their relationship to hold them together, as they also both enjoy the company of each other as well. The relationship between Desdemona and Othello is a good one, which in theory should last. Sadly, there are no. many aspects from the people around them, which in the end begin to ruin this happy, and relationship.