Belief In Othello's Reputation

1127 Words3 Pages

Othello’s Belief in Reputation
In order for individuals to grasp control of their life, certainty and assurance within themselves must be present in order to generate an individual's self-worth and image. The desire to uphold one’s reputation may lead to harmful choices that cause distortion of one’s values and morals. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello, a revered military general of Venice, is affected by strong uncertainty in his marriage as he struggles with the potential reality of his beloved wife committing infidelity with his lieutenant and succumbs to anger as his reputation is believed to be threatened due to his wife’s affair. Othello evolves from a well-respected, confident individual to a uncertain, hysterical man whose …show more content…

Following that belief, Othello soon learns the lies and deception Iago fed to him and instantly mourns over Desdemona’s death, claiming he’s a “fool! fool! Fool” for being undermined by Iago. Othello, well aware of his wrongful actions, decides to kill himself in order to avoid further guilt and his loss of honour. Before he departs, he makes one last attempt to salvage his worth and reputation by justifying Desdemona’s death as he did not kill her “in hate, but all in honor.“ Othello wants himself to be remembered as a hero to Venice who has “done the state some service,” reminding them of the battles he had served in to keep Venice secure and safe. Othello is unwilling to admit that his obsession for a clean and honourable name was what made him undergo an abrupt temper as he believed Desdemona and Cassio were bringing harm to his pride. He claims to be someone who “drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees their medicinal gum,” which is falsely personified as he did not consider Desdemona’s last pleading words of affection nor Cassio’s and only included this in his speech to magnify his heroism. Othello assumes himself as a hero, a man with great virtue who fought well and hard for his city, only to let Iago’s manipulation lead to the distortment of his character which Othello desperately wants undone. Othello ultimately wishes to die a righteous death, in which is heroic deeds are

Open Document