Clash of Virtues in Othello

2302 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Tragedy in the play othello

Clash of Virtues in Othello

Perhaps it is just human nature, but people have a way of going to absolute extremes. Whether exhibiting severity in the way one loves, or the way one is loyal, or the way one strives for ambitions, people, in general, have a tendency to take their emotions or actions "all the way." It's an exhibition of passion. Being an expert on the human condition, no one knows or can illustrate this better than Shakespeare. Particularly in his tragedies, Shakespeare very precisely defines aspects of the human condition. He additionally exhibits the polarity of those conditions, and the consequences when they interact with their opposites. Shakespeare's beautiful tragedy Othello is a particularly good example of such clashing virtues. Love and hate; good and evil; loyalty and betrayal; This work takes a wide tour of human character. Throughout the play, many characters exhibit evil and distrust. These villainous traits clash head on with their polar opposites, and this leads to the death and destruction of the innocent. Superficially, it would seem as though this play, with all of its tragedy, does not uphold the sanctity of love, loyalty and devotion. However, under closer examination of the love and death of Desdemona and Othello, it becomes evident that Shakespeare is indeed supporting the strength and virtue of love. Though the lives of these characters, and thus the play, end tragically, the nature of their deaths speaks a message of invincible love. Though humans themselves are mere mortals, Shakespeare asserts that the virtuous human conditions can hold steadfast through a clash with polar opposites.

Right from the opening scene, Othello presents an aura of evil and disloyalty. The play begin...

... middle of paper ...

...1988) Othello: An Introduction to the Variety of Criticism Hampshire: Macmillan Press

Hale, Steven. Class lectures. Georgia Perimeter College. April 20th –30th, 1999

Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55)

Neely, Carol. "Women and Men in Othello" Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 68-90)

Shakespeare, W. (1997) Othello (c. 1602) E. A. J Honigmann (Ed.) Surrey: Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd.

Snyder, Susan. "Beyond the Comedy: Othello" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (page 23-37)

Wheale, N. (2000) Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth Century Critical Evaluations of Othello. Shakespeare Text & Performance

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Othello and The Great Gatsby

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Othello and The Great Gatsby

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print

    Read More

  • Human Frailty in Othello

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55)

    Read More

  • The History of Steroids: The Legal and Illegal Usage of Steroids

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all, what are steroids? “Steroids are a group of compounds derived from testosterone or produced synthetically to stimulate tissue repair and body growth”. Although the word steroids automatically translate into a form of sports and physical fitness abuse in our brains, it is not always used for such and it is not always the case. Steroids are used in many ways besides physical endurance, strength, speed and the ability to perform longer. “In general society, firefighters and police officers use them to better handle the daily rigors of their jobs. Bouncers and military personal use them to better prepare their bodies for combat”. For daily life people steroids are helpful and can be beneficial for the type of career or job that they have. It can help them perform jobs that require their maximum potential in order to save the lives of other people.

    Read More

  • Using Steroids to Gain the Perfect Body

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our days, most people have set the goal and dream to have the perfect body. They believe by having this image, they will be popular and/or attractive. People want to achieve the body that they desire, like a super star, a hero in a Hollywood movie, a strong soldier, and an Olympic athlete. However, what are the extent people will go to get the perfect body? The biggest problem for those who dream to have a beautiful body today, as many people know, is the consumption of steroids. It is amazing what people and athletes will do to enhance their performance, strength and muscle size by taking steroids. Whether right or wrong people who use steroids to become the fastest and strongest will prevail, so who would turn down a substance that could turn them into a super athlete and a muscle man? The purpose of this essay is to inform the reader on the popular anabolic steroids that most people use and the positive and negative side effects of steroid use on its users and finally my personal point of view.

    Read More

  • Anabolic Steroids Use by Athletes: A Threat to Body and Mind

    2342 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the world of sports today, anabolic/androgenic steroid use is a vast problem. Since its’ introduction into Russian weightlifting, it has been expanding with no signs of stopping. It has spread into every major sport, with usage by every age and race. The use continues to grow, even with a lengthy list of serious health, legal, and ethical concerns. Because of our society's adoration of muscle, athletes put their athletic goals higher on their priority list than their long-term health. From Hulk Hogan to Arnold Schwarzenegger, our heroes all fit the superhuman mold. The government has tried various laws and programs to cut down on usage, but these programs have had little or no effect. It has become one of the biggest problems in organized sports, yet it does not receive a proportional amount of attention. Steroid use has become an epidemic, and something must be done to stop it.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Anobolic Steroids

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    You’ve all seen them, the enormously large muscle-heads at the gym, the participates of the World’s Strongest Man Competition, the amazing offensive tackles, and the lightning fast runners. They were all unnaturally strong, and looked like gods. You tend to obsess over how beautiful their bodies are, how strong they are, or how fast they can run. All you can think about is reaching that level of athletic excellence, and nothing will hold you back. At times like these some people tend to take the quick fit to get closer to their idols, in the form of steroids. But what individuals tend not see is the horrible side effects that accompany the use of these anabolic steroids. These powerful drugs have both positive and negative results from their use. Along with increased strength and size, users of steroids suffer from a wide range of sicknesses such as cancer, shrinkage of testicles, bad acne, hair loss, damage organs, intense mood swings, and impotence.

    Read More

  • Professional Athletes and Steriod Use

    2157 Words  | 5 Pages

    Steroid is a name given to drugs that are manufactured from testosterone, a reproductive hormone found in men. Some athletes normally use anabolic steroids because these drugs improve one’s capacity to compete and train, yielding high results. Steroids work by reducing exhaustion during training, and also reduce the length of time an athlete needs to recover from exhaustion. In addition, steroids enable the growth of tissues and muscles in an athlete’s body by instructing the body to produce extra proteins. During the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, the first rumors of athletes using steroids emerged. The problem of athletes using steroids was again reported in 1954 during weight lifting championships. The Soviet athletes recorded a very impressive performance at all levels of weight lifting. Later on, the team’s physician admitted that the Soviet athletes were being injected with testosterone in order to increase their muscle mass and strength after being questioned about how they achieved their success. WHO (World Health Organization) in 1968 was the first party to complain about incidents of athletes using steroids, these sentiments were later backed by IOC (International Olympic Committee). This paper is going to give reasons why professional athletes should not be allowed to use steroids (Yesalis 25).

    Read More

  • Steroids Use in Sports: Morally Wrong and Deadly

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the history of athletics, athletes have searched for ways to make themselves better, faster, and stronger. Steroid use is one of the most popular choices among these athletes. Steroids are synthetic hormones that produce specific physiological effects on one's body and have been used since the 1930s (Center for Substance Abuse Research). Although the German Scientists who discovered steroids did not intend to use it for body building or to create better athletes, steroid use has developed into a controversial subject concerning the health of users and other moral issues. The use of steroids in athletics is physically and morally wrong because it essentially promotes the deterioration of the health of athletes and unfair competition among these athletes.

    Read More

  • Iago and Honesty in Shakespeare's Othello

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Barthelemy, Anthony G. "Introduction" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 1-19)

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first reason why I think that steroids should not be allowed in professional sports is because it can be very dangerous to the athlete’s health. Athlete’s that use steroids are more likely to have heart attacks, liver cancer and have high levels of “bad” cholesterol. The use of anabolic steroids can weaken the immune system.1 This shows that athletes are not going up or down. At the same time they are working hard and maintaining their healthy body they are also risking their lives. The athlete worked hard their whole life to maintain their health and body and when they take steroids they are putting all the hard work to waste. “As part of a 2010 NIDA-funded study, teens were asked if they ever tried steroids-even once. Only 1.1% of 8th graders, 1.6% of 10th graders, and 2.0% of 12th graders ever tried steroids.”2 This statistic shows that as a person gets older they are more likely to try steroids. Furthermore it also shows that at a very young age some people begin to try steroids and start risking...

    Read More

  • Steve Jobs

    1751 Words  | 4 Pages

    saw the future demands of the computer industry. He was able to build a personal

    Read More

  • Racism in William Shakespeare's Othello

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. "Othello". The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997.

    Read More

  • Othello's Tragic Flaw

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the beginning, Othello is noble, quick to act, judicious, trusting, and gives much weight to the importance of duty. These are all traits that serve to make him great at the beginning of the play, and later, ironically, become key elements in his downfall. These aspects can be considered the internal causes of Othello’s tragic flaw. “Othello's nature is all one piece. His trust, where he trusts, is absolute.

    Read More

  • Steroids Hurting the Body

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people think that steroids are the best thing ever when in fact they tear the human body apart and ruin some lives. Before taking steroids people should think long and hard about the side effects and consequences. Steroid hurt the body and it also hurts people economically.

    Read More

More about Clash of Virtues in Othello

Open Document