When we first begin Othello, we see the start of what we believe to be a beautiful marriage between Othello and Desdemona. However, at the end, we are faced with the tragic murder of Desdemona by her dear Othello, bringing this marriage to a gruesome end. We’re left with a sense of horror, sorrow, and bewilderment. How could this have happened? Why did Othello, how did Othello, go from a doting husband to a furious killer? The obvious answer is that Iago deceived him into thinking that Desdemona had been unfaithful to him. However, multiple factors contributed to this tragedy. One could say that Emelia is the pivotal point in the tragedy of Othello. It was due, in part, to her actions and motivations, as well as the jealousy that she caused in Iago, that Desdemona died.
Emelia contributes to Iago’s hate of Othello, unintentional as it may be. One of the main reasons that Iago is jealous of Othello and despises him is that he believes “that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office" (1.3.387-388). In other words, he believes that Othello has had sex with Emelia. Iago decides to take these suspicions and “will do as if for surety” (2.1.367). Later on he states “For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leap'd into my seat; the thought whereof/Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards;/And nothing can or shall content my soul/Till I am even'd with him, wife for wife,/Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor/At least into a jealousy so strong/That judgment cannot cure.” Emelia’s supposed affair with Othello has driven Iago to the edge, and he finally decides to repay Othello in like kind, “wife for wife.”
Though she doesn’t mean to, Emelia has already gotten the ball rolling for Othello’s downfall and Desdemona’s demise by makin...
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...ter goes on to reveal that it was she who stole the handkerchief at Iago’s bidding, sending Iago’s wall of secrecy tumbling down. If Emelia had been silent and had not revealed Iago’s plan, it is most likely that he would have gotten away with it, and would not have been brought to justice.
It is undeniable that Emelia played a huge part in the play “Othello.” It was partially she that motivated Iago to plot against Othello in the first place, she who stole the handkerchief, and she who, in the end, ultimately revealed Iago’s scheme. Without Emelia, the events in the play would never have come to pass. Emelia is a shining example of how one person can make or break a situation, even if at first they seem to play a small part. Individuals decide a series of events; the smallest choice can change a person’s fate, or, as in the case of Emelia, the fate of someone else.
Another reason Iago has massive jealously is he has a suspicion that Othello slept with his wife. Iago says, "I hate the moor: and it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets, he has done my office: I know not if't be true; but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety." (1.3.12). Even though he is uncertain that Othello and Igao's wif...
In William Shaspeare play Othello, Iago make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He does by taking advantage of any situation to make of Othello doubt. Iago make Othello thing a lot of crazy thing on his head, Othello got so jelous leading him to kill his own wife, Desdemona, satisfying iago obseccion for revenge.
This paper contains 237 words of teacher’s comments. What one perceives is influenced by one’s environment. The setting and commentary surrounding events changes our perception of them. Any innocent gesture can be perceived in the wrong way with enough persuading from someone else. Even if someone has total faith in another person's innocence, they can be persuaded to doubt them through the twisting of events. Once just a small amount of doubt has been planted, it influences the way everything else is seen. This occurs throughout the play, Othello. In this play, Iago influences Othello's perception of events through speeches and lies, making him doubt Desdemona's fidelity. Iago uses his talent of manipulating events to exact his revenge on Othello. Iago's twisting of events in Othello's mind leads to the downfall of Othello as planned, but because he fails to twist Emilia's perception as well, he facilitates his own eventual downfall.
Love and story of Othello and Desdemona is full of dramatic irony which was caused by differences between reality and appearance, result and expectation, intention and meaning. Their love was beautiful and ugly at the same time. It was beautiful because they seemed to be truly in love with each other. On the other side it was crippled by distrust and jealousy. As it was stated before, Othello was a different person with a totally different outlook on life and reality. Unfortunately Iago was pretty skillful in manipulating Othello and using situations to his advantage. He managed to distort Othello’s reality and made him think Desdemona was not true
Othello is a Moor, and outsider who earns acceptance by being a brave soldier. He also is a great commander and this leads to his nobility. There are many underlying themes in “Othello” such as envy and betrayal; all of which can be attributed to pride. Othello loves Desdemona very deeply, but he soon lets his pride get in the way and causes him to lose all self-control and reason. Once the seed of doubt is planted by Iago that Desdemona might be involved with Cassio his world begins to fall apart. Othello is too prideful to see that Iago is deceiving him. As Iago is pushing the doubt and fear into Othello in Act 3 he says this: "My name, that was as fresh / As Dian 's visage, is now begrimed and black (1059 384-385).” This gives us thought that perhaps his biggest fear is not whether Desdemona loves him, but that his pride is more concerned with what other men think of him, concern that his name will be tarnished. Othello has had to work very hard as an outsider to be respected and honored and he can’t bear to lose the good name he has earned. When Othello goes to Desdemona and confronts her she denies ever being unfaithful, but Othello is too prideful to listen to the women he loves and hear her side of the story. His mind is made up before he even gives her a chance as we see in Act 5, scene 2: “Therefore confess thee feely of they sin/For to deny each article with oath/Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception/That I do groan withal. Thou art to die.” (1088). So, Othello proceeds with killing his loving wife who defended herself until her last breath. Othello then finally learns the truth about Desdemona’s innocence. He accepts full responsibility for the crime, but the cost is too high. He then takes his own life. Pride is
In the analysis of Iago’s character, we find that the true motive for his villainous acts is simply jealousy. Throughout the course of the novel, we are confronted with some of the motives for Iago’s jealousy. He believes that Othello has been having an affair with Emilia. He also despises Cassio because of the promotion he received.
Othello angers Iago over the position he gave to Cassio and it's because of this Iago calls for revenge by making Othello kill his wife. In Act 1, Scene 1, Iago and Rodrigo are talking among one another in regards to Othello not choosing Iago as his lieutenant and how Rodrigo yearns for Desdemona. Iago formulates a plan to get back at Othello and also to help Rodrigo achieve his aspiration for Desdemona. Angry, Iago reveals his hatred upon Othello by waking Desdemona's father, Brabantio, and informing him about his daughter not being in her quarters and is out marrying the Moor, Othello. In Act 2, Scene 1, Iago suspects Othello having an affair with Iago's wife. Already we can see this villain spawning but does not show his hate to Othello. Furthermore, Iago manipulates Othello to believe that Desdemona is cheating while the all along she is being truthful about her innocence. Iago does this to try to gain Othello's trus...
Her confession then confirms that Desdemona was faithful and did not deserve to die and as a result she shows one that love can be foolish and naïve. Her love and loyalty to Iago causes her to deceive her friend and this ends with both women being killed because the love they possessed for too foolish men. Othello is responsible for murdering Desdemona; Iago is
Iago plans to destroy Othello and Desdemona’s marriage by using Desdemona’s kindness toward Cassio against her and make her look unfaithful in front of her noble husband.... ... middle of paper ... ... Othello is not only a tragedy, but also an important reminder of how people are easily deceived to gain power and recognition.
In Shakespeare’s play “Othello” the main characters Othello and Desdemona suffer a tragic fate due to their actions and unforeseen circumstances. A majority of Desdemona’s suffering is down to Iago’s manipulation. However, it could also be argued that Iago is not completely to blame for the misfortune of Desdemona. We as the readers can see evidence of this at certain points in the play where Iago has planted the seeds of despair and Desdemona and Othello have fallen for his plans. In this essay, I will look at key moments in the play where Desdemona is presented as a tragic victim by the writer and justify why she is a tragic victim using quotes from the play.
While neither deceives the other in any significant fashion, both fall victim to self deception. Othello, from the beginning, fears his wife, her upper class breeding and pity for his stories, not trusting that someone like her would fall for someone like him, so with a gentle push from Iago, his worst fears are confirmed. Sometimes it is easier to believe the worst, because the doubt becomes even more painful. Certainty brings relief, so Othello is quick to buy into Iago’s shaky evidence, deceiving himself to avoid the painful purgatory of doubt. Desdemona lies to herself as well, thinking she can fix the situation and learn a quality she already possesses, chastity, saying “Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend” (4.3.117). In addition, Desdemona offers a foreshadowing of Othello’s actions. Before he has fully confirmed his plans to kill her, she condemns herself, singing the haunting Willow Song (4.3.42-62) and making several broad statements about her commitment and purity. Somehow, she is aware of her impending doom and in the following scenes, her end comes, exactly as her song predicts. Both her and Othello live and die by Othello’s urges and fears, slaves to a force they do not hold sovereignty over. Desdemona mirrors Othello’s moods, going from confidence and love, to obsession, to
I believe Iago has nothing to do with Othello's downfall as Othello is an easily mislead man who is easily influenced. Not only did Iago not directly say Desdemona was having an affair, he neither didn’t give proof to confirm the rumours. By Othello believing the lies, it surfaces his inability to trust and have faith in his own wife. Othello is written by William Shakespeare and was set in Cyprus and Venice during the 16th century. It is about a well-respected military soldier who due to lies and deceits killed his wife for no reason and after turned the knife towards himself. The play illustrates how much one could be polluted in such little time; with the ‘facts’ based upon suspicions and assumptions from a source who was determined to kill him. Venice is a town in where Othello and Desdemona wed. It was convenient for the beginning part of the play as it was one of the most powerful cities of the time. It had a thriving atmosphere and was noted for the pleasures it offered in the way of arts and music. However, Cyprus is an alternative to Venice. It is a foreign, strange exotic place which is desolated and has a lot of open space. Since the war finished before it begun, the main focus reverts to Othello and Desdemona.
Othello being very easily manipulated led him to make choices that would later on kill his wife and even kill himself. Othello having poor judgment lead him to trust the wrong people and this tied to him making the wrong decisions. His jealousy and obsession with Desdemona was what lead him to kill her. If Othello did not possess these traits the drama would have ended completely different. Othello let himself believe everything Iago told him, if he chose to trust his wife the whole conflict would have been averted. His obsession with his wife was so strong that he could not help think about what she did with Cassio and the only way out was to kill her.
Othello’s own problems lead him to murder Desdemona. He has insecurity issues with himself. In the beginning of the play, Othello is confident. Iago speaks of Othello in a lowly manner oftentimes. He even calls him an “old black ram” and describes him as “tupping your white ewe” (1.1.9) when he wakens Brabantio with news of Desdemona’s marriage to Othello. Othello starts to degrade himself by saying “rude am I in speech” (1.3.96). This loss of confidence puts a dent in his relationship with Desdemona, laying the pavement for her later death. He is gullible for allowing Iago’s remarks to affect him. Therefore, Othello’s own personal conflicts lead to Desdemona’s demise.
Iago’s initial jealousy of Cassio led him to seek revenge, thus moving the entire plot. He also fuels his hatred of Othello by convincing himself that Othello slept with his wife. His jealousy initiated many of the other characters’ jealousy, which resulted in multiple negative consequences. This included the death of Brabantio, Roderigo, Desdemona, his wife Emilia, and finally Othello. He was also punished for his jealousy. He is arrested and it is implied in the passage that he not be killed, but instead, tortured until he talks.