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Character development of Othello
Character development in othello
Literary analysis of shakespeare
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Jealousy can sometimes be an inevitable feeling to have towards other people in relationships or even in friendships, and that feeling can negatively affect the bonds with these certain people. One of the main themes in Shakespeare’s Othello, was how friendships and marriages can be ruined all because of one person’s jealousy, which can ring true in real life. Jealousy can come from someone else having what you do not have. In the case this play provides, Roderigo is jealous of Othello for the wife he has (Desdemona). Roderigo notices that he cannot change Desdemona’s feelings towards Othello; he finds them being together as torture and would rather drown himself than be alive to watch someone he cannot have (I.i.350-353). Roderigo’s jealousy …show more content…
For the characters Iago and Cassio, there has been a sort of jealousy domino effect. Iago is jealous that Cassio got lieutenancy instead of himself. So he is determined to hurt Cassio and Othello in the same process. He succeeds at hurting Cassio but eventually finds himself in a job- jealousy situation again. In act IV, scene ii, Iago does not want Cassio having the powerful job of taking over for Othello in Cyprus. Iago thinks that if Cassio is dead then he can take the job, yet again. Instead of confronting Othello about why he may not be fit for receiving these jobs, Iago wants to hurt someone for it. He is letting a trivial situation make him jealous of others to the point that he would let himself take someone else’s life. In Cassio’s situation, an object gets used to spark jealousy upon someone else, but it was not even intentional. Cassio’s lady friend, Bianca, is afraid that “[the handkerchief] is some token from a newer friend./ To the felt absence now I feel a cause” (III.iv. 206-207). It can be described as a domino effect because the handkerchief was originally planted to make Othello jealous of Cassio, but now it has also made Bianca jealous of some other nonexistent women. The nature of jealousy is scary because it can destroy bonds and relationships even when it was not intended. In Cassio’s case, he made someone jealous without even trying and it will jeopardize his relationships. Most often people do not ask for the burden of having a jealous feeling, but it can consume their mind while destroying others in it’s
Othello has many positive traits, including being a great leader and loyal. He also has one negative trait that ultimately leads to his death; jealousy. Iago provokes deep, strong emotions in Othello, jealousy being the strongest. Jealousy is a nasty little emotion. It causes people to do terrible things because once it is on a person’s conscience, it stays for quite some time. Because of these effects, jealousy can impact some of the strongest people such as Othello. The love between Desdemona and Othello was portrayed so elevated and pure and was filled with religious words and phrases that just added to the strength and sanctity of their love. Othello has such a strong mind, but jealousy caused by the manipulation of Iago, negatively impacts him. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with his friend Cassio. When Othello asks Iago for proof of Desdemona’s deceit, Iago describes scenes and events in which Othello has a reason to be jealous. In Act III, Scene I Iago is describing to Othello, Desdemona and Cassio’s imagined relationship, “It is impossible you should see this/ were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, as salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross as ignorance made drunk.” These images planted themselves inside Othello’s mind and haunted him until he did something about it. These images led to Othello believing Desdemona really did love
Throughout Othello the Moor of Venice we experience a rather uplifting story that seems to somehow come crashing down on not only the characters in the story but the reader also. Author William Shakespeare does a tremendous job at connecting us with the characters in the play. Othello, the protagonist in the play, falls slowly into the pit of destruction where jealousy takes control. He along with many other characters in the play are manipulated by Iago and slowly taken down from a peaceful, love filled, and triumphant place in their lives to one that is dark and revengeful. Many are led to their deaths because of the terrible deeds done by Iago, some of which include Othello himself who commits suicide only after murdering his new wife over nothing but the mindset of jealousy and hate. Shakespeare explores a vast amount of literary content here some of which delve into Jealousy. Jealousy alongside intense deceitful manipulation can introduce a person to another sinister side of themselves they never knew to existed. Iago 's ultimate goal in the play is not yet clearly laid out; there is much to
In Othello, the jealousy factor is deliberately introduced by Iago, with the precise intention of destroying those whom he feels have wronged him. Since it is intentionally used with malicious intent, it has catastrophic results. Iago himself is jealous of Cassio; he feels that he should have been appointed to Cassio's position by Othello, and since he wasn't he hates both Othello and Cassio. Iago channels the jealousy that Othello and Cassio have made him feel, and uses it against them in a hateful plan. Iago starts the process by planting the seeds of jealousy in Othello's mind, telling him Desdemona has been unfaithful. He then proceeds to cultivate the growing jealousy by feeding it with more lies, and twisting innocent events into situations which would serve his needs (his telling Othello that Cassio and Desdemona met in secret, and convincing him that Desdemona vied for Cassio's reinstatement as lieutenant because she loved him, for example). When the seeds had flourished, and Iago had succeeded in driving Othello mad with jealousy, Iago harvested his crop and convinced Othello to kill Desdemona. Othello's killing Desdemona would both rid Iago of Desde...
William Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy about revenge through jealousy and deception. Throughout the play, Iago is constantly pitting characters against each other in order to satiate his anger from being denied the promotion to lieutenant that Cassio was granted. As a catalyst for all the conflicts that arise during the play, Iago merely uncovers the underlying insecurities characters such as Othello, a notable war general in Venice, are struggling with. Animal imagery as well as the use of light and dark to differentiate between race is very prominent and is used to drive a wedge between the newlyweds, Othello and Desdemona. Although Othello is a highly accomplished and well respected war hero, the notion that Venetians, including Desdemona, are a superior race, prevents him from ever feeling truly secure in his marriage, ultimately leading to the demise of several people close to him, and finally himself.
He loved too hard , he had trust issues too high and because of him being sympathetic it led to all of this. "Othello Act 4 Scenes 1 and 2." Spark Notes. 11 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. Jealously is an emotion, and the word typically refers to the thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, concern, and anxiety over an anticipated loss or status of something of great personal value, particularly in reference to a human connection. which in my vocabulary means someone or something is distracted by the love of someone but they are not feeling the connection like the other one is , communication isn’t the key so that’s why. Being sympathetic means being caring , compassionate , concerned , solicitous , sensitive , tenderhearted. Those was some of the emotions othello experienced through the play . He slowly lost his mind and struggled because he didn’t know where to turn or who to trust he was distracted. Othello had a flaw , which was insecurities. Insecurities is when one lacks self confidence and uncertainty about their self worth. Othello lacked self confidence and the ability to love himself. Othello not speaking up on things concerning him shows that he is afraid to speak up for himself and worried about what others think. Othello’s actions show his insecurities throughout the play show his insecurities. At the beginning of the play, Othello remains at a distance from everyone but his wife. In conclusion Othello was sympathetic
“Othello”, by William Shakespeare, is a story of jealousy’s potential to manipulate thoughts and eventually lead to ultimate demise. The key to extremely detrimental jealousy lies within one’s ability to recognize it or deny it. It seems that the important theme of “Othello” is that if jealousy is not recognized and immediately dealt with, it receives a head start to commence the process of rotting away all normal human reason. Othello’s speech in Act III scene iii beginning with line 178 is the first and most important indicator of the trouble ominously looming on Othello’s horizon. His immediate response to Iago’s accusations is that of total denial. By depriving himself of that initial venting process, Othello gives his jealousy the perfect culture on which his jealousy can turn cancerous and grow out of control. Othello does not spit out the seed that Iago has planted within himself soon enough and thus lets Iago water it with smooth speech until its roots spread and cannot be uprooted. The only way to appropriately illustrate this point is through an in depth analysis of specific text from the play.
Literary Analysis Jealousy can do horrible things to people, and It could even cause their death as Marleen states, “Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharp, but Jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time” In Othello by William Shakespeare, Othello caused Desdamona’s death because she never thought of running away when Othello was getting jealous and wanted to kill her. Desdemona's love made her ignore Othello's jealousy. The theme of jealousy is demonstrated in the play by Iago and Othello.
This was brought on by a simple persuasion of Iago, the evil character in the play. Even though Iago used extreme manipulation to get Othello to be jealous, Iago did not really have to try very hard to get Othello in a jealous state of mind. Othello was blinded by his jealousy, which led him down a path of constant questioning of his wife and his friend Cassio. Throughout the play we see his dramatic flaw sink him deeper and deeper into a cloud of doubt which eventually leads him to kill not only his love of his life but also himself. At the beginning of the play, we see Othello as a strong character.
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock.The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss. Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er. Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves” (3.3.163-168). In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is the common theme that becomes Othello’s undoing. Through text in the play, the audience can notice Othello slowly begin to become crazed through his speech.
Jealousy’s true destructive wrath and the pure evil it brings out in people can be revealed through Iago’s actions throughout the tragedy Othello. Throughout the play, jealousy is a ruler over Iago’s thoughts and actions, influencing the way he feels about himself. Iago’s jealousy is exhibited while speaking with Roderigo “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine/ (A fellow almost damned in a fair wife)/ That never set a squadron in the field, / Nor the division of a battle knows/ More than a spinster—unless the bookish theoric, / Wherein the toged consuls can propose/ As masterly as he.
A.C. Bradley describes Othello as "by far the most romantic figure among Shakespeare's heroes"(Shakespearean Tragedy, 1). This is an unusual description of a man who murders his own wife. However, Othello's feelings of hate for Desdemona started as an overwhelming love for her when their relationship began. This transformation from love to hate also inflicted the characters Iago and Roderigo and like Othello their hatred resulted in the murder of innocent people. Roderigo's love for Desdemona was transformed into hate towards any man that he thought was loved by her. Iago's love for his job and his wife, Emilia changed into a destructive hatred of Cassio and Othello. As a result of their hatred Cassio, Emilia, and at the end themselves were killed. The connection between love and hate in William Shakespeare's "Othello" is the ugly feeling of jealousy that caused such transformations. Jealousy can be described as a fear of losing something or someone that is valuable (Godfrey 2). As minor as this feeling appears to be by that definition, it can take on varying degrees of damaging behavior. Othello, Roderigo, and Iago became paralyzed by jealousy. Their thoughts, actions, and behaviors were ruled by it. Jealousy caused their inability to the act rationally. They became paranoid and unable to love. This paper will examine the jealousy that caused love to turn into hate for Roderigo, Othello, and Iago.
She is not known as the green-eyed monster for her love and tenderness. She is not known as the green-eyed monster for her selflessness. She is not known as the green-eyed monster for her purity and sensitivity. Jealousy is known as the green-eyed monster purely for the reason that she is a monster. Not only does this demon have the ability to control one’s sense of reality, but also tear apart happiness with her long, sharp nails. Jealousy will use its revolting, fiery breath in order to burn the good in someone’s heart into a worthless pile of ashes. However, jealousy does not stop there. She crawls inside one’s head, whispering its manipulative thoughts repetitively to the point of destruction. After jealously has spoiled the brain rotten,
I will talk about the he five main characters of this play and they are all encased with jealousy in their own way. They are: Iago (the antagonist), Emilia, Bianca, Roderigo and Othello (the protagonist), who all display their sense of jealousy throughout the play. They all find different ways to sustain them. Iago enunciates his jealousy in the beginning of the play. He decides to plot his revenge on those who he feels has done him wrong. The first two jealousies he expresses are of Cassio, because he keeps his job as a lieutenant and gets promoted. He feels this should be his job (e-notes 2011). The second is of Othello; he believes that Othello slept with Emilia (his wife). “It is thought aboard that ‘twixt my sheets” (I.iii.369-370). As he becomes fixed with revenge he speaks by saying, he will not be satisfied “’Til I am evened with him/wife for wife/ At least into jealousy so strong/ that judgment cannot cure (2.1.299-302). In the end Iago is forced to expose his actual nature.
Roderigo became jealous because Desdemona didn’t fall in love with him. Bianca became jealous because she thought that Cassio was cheating on her with another woman. Othello became jealous because he thought Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio. Iago became jealous because Othello gave Cassio the position of lieutenant. These characters’ jealousy affected them in different ways.
The role of jealousy, love and betrayal play a major role in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. The entire play is based on the human interactions of the characters as related to Othello and Desdemona. The characters’ personalities, their social status, and their relationships to each other control the story line and their fate in the play. Othello is portrayed early in the play as an outsider with animalistic characteristics by Iago and Roderigo because of jealousy. “Your heart is burst; and have lost half of your soul/Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe”.(531) Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, accuses Othello of using witch craft on his daughter. “If she in chains of magic were not bound/ Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy/ So opposite to marriage that she shunned…” (535) This point is important because Othello must defend himself not only to Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, but to the entire Venetian Senate. “And till she come, as truly as to heaven,/ I do confess the vices of my blood./ So justly to your grave ears I’ll present/ How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, / And she in mine.” (539) Othello proves himself to be an intellectual hero early in the play. He has worked hard to gain respectability and power, but because he has a different background, is from another country, is dark-skinned and is older than Desdemona, he becomes jealous very quickly of Cassio. Cassio is from the same social class, is compatible with Desdemona and is a young handsome man. Iago has also convinced Cassio to seek favor with Desdemo...