In the eyes of the audience, the power of misdirection serves as one of the many factors involving Iago’s success. Watching the characters in Othello endure the incredibly destructive and influential choices he makes provides a glimpse into the depth of his abilities. However, although it is quite entertaining to view the dramatic misfortunes with each character, the audience is just as misguided in a certain way. The deceptive nature of the play presents the idea of looking behind face value. The fact that the title is the name of the main character exemplifies this idea in an incredibly subtle way even before the reader begins the play itself. Shakespeare’s intent was not necessarily to create a story about a man with an adulterous wife but …show more content…
This quote not only relates heavily with Othello and two of its main characters, but also with the idea of human weakness. The belief that an individual’s cruelty originates from weakness provides explanation towards some of the major scenes within the play involving cruel behavior. The most prominent example being the change in Othello and Desdemona’s relationship during the time in which Othello becomes increasingly suspicious and aware of his wife’s supposed affair with Cassio. Some examples explaining the progression of cruel behavior from Othello consists of yelling at her without explanation, hitting her in public, and of course murdering her in the last scene of the play. As mentioned before, his inability to control his emotions and rationalize with the situation perfectly demonstrates his character’s weaknesses. During the final scene of the play, Othello has an exchange with Lodovico as he commands him to speak about his intentions behind the murder in which he replies, “Why, anything: / An honorable murderer, if you will; / For naught did I hate, but all in honour” (5.2.293-295). The cruelty in which he unleashes upon Desdemona can be viewed as a type of defense mechanism towards his pride and sanity, as it is possible he believes that hurting Desdemona is a way to redeem his lost honour. Establishing the dynamic between Othello and Desdemona early on in the play, where
At the time when Othello is about to kill Desdemona his heart is tried to find a reason not to. Othello cried, “O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade/ justice to break her sword, one more, one more!/ Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,/ and love thee after. One more, and that’s the last!/ So sweet was ne’er so fatal. I must weep,/ but they are cruel tears. This sorrow's heavenly;/ it strikes where, it doth love (Act 5: 2; lines 16-22). Even though his hatred for Desdemona was strong, his love for her was even stronger and sweeter than ever before. For almost half of the play, Othello had grown a deep hatred for his newly wed Desdemona but exactly at the moment when he was about to kill her, his weak heart did not have the courage to commit his heroic duty. This shows how unbalanced his emotions are and how he cannot seem to get his mind straight. Even after his spouse’s death, Othello would still continue to reveal his darkest
In the beginning Othello is seen as a calm collected man when put into an awkward situation, such as being ridiculed by his wife’s father in thinking that Othello has used some sort of magic to gain Desdemona 's infection. Othello’s calm collected ways start to deteriorate after he is convinced by Iago, a deceiving evil man that Desdemona has slept with Cassio. Othello’s self control no longer exist once he is fully convinced that it is in fact true that Desdemona has been unfaithful. His sense of what is real and what is not real is thrown out the window. Othello starts to become extremely jealous of his used to be beloved Cassio, and after considering giving back his spot as liternuanat he denies him that. He starts to become cold and distant towards his wife, and starts to call her out of her name. As Othello continues to lose control the people around him start to doubt his abilities of being able to protect Cyprus, and even his wife starts to doubt him, and agree with her father. No one knows who this man is anymore, he has started to act in an insanely matter. He can longer be his true self and take on the responsibilities of being general as he starts to crack. With Othello being faced with evil, him being calm is no longer an option for him because he can’t face the fact that the person he loves so dearly is cheating on him. Going back the they handkerchief, the symbol of his love for her. Othello seeing Cassio with Desdemona’s handkerchief sets him over the edge becoming truly convinced that his wife has betrayed him. Even when Desdemona and her maid Emila, Iago’s wife, has told him countless times that she has not been unfaithful, he is so far gone from reality that he does not believe either one of them. With the state of mind he’s in he cannot bear the thought of another man touching his wife. Othello and Iago plan to kill Cassio and Desdemona. After he
Othello by William Shakespeare was given the wrong name; this play is about Iago and the many tricks he uses to get his revenge. Othello is a powerful and important man, but Iago, Iago is one of a kind. He is a manipulative character that ruins the lives of people close to him, people who trust him. The lives of important key roles are ruined because of the hatred and jealousy Iago has for Othello. How does Iago manage to manipulate so many people in Othello? While successfully controlling the lives of everyone Iago manages to use ethos, logos, and pathos to get his revenge.
The more Othello realizes how much would value his future with Desdemona, the more betrayed he feels. Othello begins to think that his entire investment in Desdemona is for naught, transforming Othello’s passion into spite. Iago exploits the underside of deep devotion - jealously. The emotions Othello feels - attachment, jealously, and hate - drives him mad, obscuring the logic of the situation - that Iago is only spreading fantasized rumors about Cassio and Desdemona. Instead of confronting Cassio, Othello accepts Desdemona’s treason as truth. Iago may have mastered Othello’s emotions, but Othello allows his emotions to consume him. People need to confront their feelings and not lose track of logic. Otherwise, even something as sincere as Othello’s fondness for Desdemona can turn one into a
Pride is a fatal characteristic that is the major weakness of Othello and Oedipus. Not only did pride bring about the collapse of their lives, but brought death and agony to those that surrounded them. In Othello, Iago was toying with Othello’s pride (his major weakness). In doing that, Othello came to believe that his actions and choices are just and moral. Othello believed he was bringing Desdemona to “justice”, but it really was an act out of revenge. Othello was disappointed to hear that Desdemona is “cheating” on him with Cassio, who was the lieutenant of Othello. Iago and Othello, in cooperation, devised a plan to kill Desdemona:
Othello is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride and courage. As the play continues, his character begins to deteriorate and become less noble. Throughout the play, Othello?s character changes from a flawless military leader, to a murderer. He has certain traits which make him seem naive and unsophisticated compared to many other people. Iago knows Othello is a proud man, Othello?s open and trusting nature in the beginning of the play lets Iago, whom is cunning, untrustworthy, selfish, and plotting, use him as a scapegoat.
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
The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.
William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, addresses how an individual's identity shapes his or her actions, and how an identity can be manipulated in order to fit one’s agenda. We see a great deal of identity manipulation with the character of Iago. Spurred by jealousy and revenge, Iago, a master manipulator and the villain of the story, juggles multiple identities in an effort to tear two lovers, Desdemona and Othello, apart. Iago lies to, and influences many characters in the play, however he manages to never be confronted about his manipulative actions. When Iago is first introduced, he forebodes that his actions will not blatantly reflect his intentions during the play. In order to establish that he is not what he appears
Leslie: In this play, Othello has passed Iago for promotion, and endangered his job. For a man like Iago, this could be considered a horrific violation of the male agenda. Jealously, this results from his inability to tolerate these gender violations. His terrific manipulation and deceiving skills are the causes of the major tragic downfall of the play.
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...
The play ?Othello? is an epiphany of the ultimate battle between appearance versus reality in the respect that Iago is the complete opposite from what he appears to be. Everyone involved with him separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. Contrary to Iago, Othello is often referred to as a God-like figure, innocent in every way: trusting and naïve. Unfortunately for Othello, this serves as his eventual downfall helping Iago play Othello like a harp, which results in Desdemona?s death. Iago?s two-sided face and the other characters? readiness to believe him before thinking twice is the driving force of the play and its plot.
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
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.
...ealously. However when Iago reminds Othello how Desdemona was able to deceive her father, Othello’s demeanor began to change. Othello then starts to question if Desdemona could have every truly loved a moor which in turn destroyed his self-esteem. Eventually Iago provided circumstantial evidence of Desdemona’s cheating to Othello by stealing her handkerchief and planting on her assumed lover. When Othello sees this he becomes consumed by jealousy and ultimately kills Desdemona. As Desdemona laid lifeless on the bed Othello began to realize Iago’s deceit. Othello states, “Speak of me as I am… Of one who loved not wisely, but too well / Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, / perplex’d in the extreme”. It is in this moment where the audience sees Othello recognizing that his wife had been faithful and that his fatal flaw is to blame for his downward spiral.