Diction Used In Othello Essay

Love magic and alcohol

Throughout Othello, Shakespeare uses diction and metaphor to portray the dark and dangerous facets of love. Act 1, the audience finds out that Desdemona and Othello have eloped. Desdemona’s father, Brabantio does not approve of this marriage. After learning about the secret marriage, he angrily declares that “[Desdemona] is abused, stol’n from me, and corrupted by spells”. in this outburst of passion, Shakespeare uses diction to subtly comment on the sorcerous power of love. Brabantio’s claim evokes negative connotations associated witch craft (historical context) and black magic. Indeed, it is common to describe lovers as “under one another’s spell”. Under the influence of a spell, a lover loses all control over his

Later in the play, Iago performs the first step in his plot for revenge. He convinces Othello that venetian women such as Desdemona are notoriously unfaithful. After Iago leaves, Othello laments: “O curse of marriage! That we can call these delicate creature ours and not their appetites.” Describing marriage as a curse, Shakespeare reinforces love’s association with sinister witchcraft. Furthermore, Othello’s implicit desire to possess both Desdemona’s body and mind reveals an alarmingly common insight of love’s nature: a lovers’ growing crave (obsession) of possessing their partner entirely. Because absolute ownership and control is unachievable lovers must develop trust for one another or suspicion will torture them. Approaching the climax of the drama, Othello tells Desdemona he will tolerate all kinds of sores and shames but he cannot endure the pain in his heart. “… the fountain from which my current run or else dries up.” Shakespeare uses two layers of metaphors in this speech a fountain as the metaphor for the heart, and a heart as metaphor for love. Position love within the heart is significant because the heart is a vital organ, Shakespeare implies that Othello lives

She was fiercely unhappy and lonely for company and love. Therefore, when Gerald offered to help her, she felt that she could finally be happy again, and this relief almost seemed to make her more attached to Gerald, who she saw as a 'savior'. This is evident in a passage said by Sheila, which can be found in Act Two, page 38: 'You were the wonderful Fairy Prince. You must have adored it Gerald.' The phrase 'Fairy Prince' has been included by Priestly to reflect how Daisy looked upon her 'rescuer' as something from a fairy-tale. As fairytales always end happily, this reflects how she saw Gerald as a salvation, and an escape from the reality of her morbid life. However, the phrase also reveals something about the 'love' which Gerald had for