least. To contribute to his overall vulnerability, Hamlet continues to make rash decisions without getting the facts. From killing Polonius to eventually causing the deaths of the entire royal family, Hamlet shows his friends and subordinates that he makes his choices based on his emotions. This ignorance and overall weakness becomes the layout for all of Hamlets choices, thus eventually leading him to his own demise. Next, Othello 's ignorance and overall poor decision making shows just how bad of a leader he really is. Like Hamlet, Othello 's position and status is supposed to be one that exemplifies power and the person’s ability to lead those around him. Looking at his battle performance alone, one can say that Othello is a great …show more content…
Othello never actually considers consulting anyone (besides Iago) on what to do about anything. He leaves himself open to manipulation, and thus makes himself an easy pawn to the actions of his own subordinate. Othello 's pride clearly takes over when he says "yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men"(5.2.6). This shows just how weak he really is, he is willing to take actions just because he "thinks" he is been betrayed. When Othello 's honor is put on the line, he proves to be at his weakest, he acts on whatever comes to his mind and doesn’t think about the possible consequences. The irony is that honor and pride are traits that contribute to all warriors, especially a general. But, Othello’s own pride turns out to be one of his greatest impediments. He kills his own wife and slaps her in public all in the name of his own personal …show more content…
Once Hamlet learned or even suspected that Claudius murdered his father, he should have prepared for anything. Instead, Hamlet enters a deep personal reflection on morals and what is right and wrong. This gives an opening for Claudius, who says”And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe/ but even his mother shall cunchange the practice/ and call it an accident”. Despite the rather clear evidence Hamlet has gathered of Claudius’ corruption, Hamlet’s lack of action and emotional breakdown opens himself up to easy manipulation. As his madness becomes apparent to all those around him, he allows himself to be sent to England despite the obvious that Claudius is plotting something. He should have known that his enemy knows the truth and fortunately, barely escapes death. As time passes, it’s clear that Hamlet is losing all sense of caution in rationality when he decides to have a fencing match with the man who already tried to kill him. All of the actions taken by both Claudius and Laertes clearly show there intent to kill, but Hamlet becomes obnoxiously trusting. Although being trusting of others isn’t a bad quality, it is definitely not something you want to take up with your enemies. Hamlet’s overall lack of motivation to defend himself becomes too apparent, he had many opportunities to win this war of deception, but caused his own
“ If by direct or by collateral hand/They find us touched, we will our kingdom give,/Our crown, our life, and all that we can ours,/To you in satisfaction” (4.5.203-206). Claudius recognizes that he killed the King Hamlet, but is confident enough nobody will prove it. This risk is lethal because, when someone has the evidence that he killed Hamlet, Claudius has to do as he promised. Hamlet does not dive straight into risk taking and takes time to think through the problem, unlike Claudius. Hamlet enjoys taking risks, but also has to be put back on track or hesitates before doing.
Tragedy is an intrinsically human concept; tragic heroes are damned by what they themselves do. Othello is not so much felled by the actions of Iago, but by a quality all people possess-- human frailty. Accordingly, Othello is not a victim of consequences, but an active participant in his downfall. He is not merely a vehicle for the machinations of Iago; he had free agency. Othello's deficiencies are: an insecure grasp of Venetian social values; lack of critical intelligence, self-knowledge, and faith in his wife; and finally, insecurity-- these are the qualities that lead to his own downfall.
At the beginning of the play, Othello is in control. First of all, Othello has military control. Being a seasoned warrior, he is appointed by the Duke of Venice to lead the Venetian forces. This position entails a great deal of control; as general, Othello has the power to organize and order the Venetian forces at will. Secondly, Othello has control in dangerous predicaments. After discovering the harmful intentions of Brabantio, Othello shows confidence of his control in Act I, Scene 2, and relies on his credentials: "Let him do his spite. My services which I have done the signiory Shall outtongue his complaints" (1.2.18-20). When Brabantio arrives with his troops and both sides draw their swords, Othello demonstrates his control again: "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them" (1.2.59). Through the whole ordeal, Othello remains an author...
Othello began as one of the most well-liked and well-respected generals in Venice, so much so that the Duke of Cyprus requested Othello to be in charge of the battle against the Turks, “Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you against the general enemy Ottoman” (Othello 762). Along with being a respected general, Othello was also known to be very calm under pressure; he didn’t hide from Barbantio and was very calm in defending himself when Barbantio accused him of drugging his daughter or using magic to make her fall in love with him. Another quality Othello possessed was that he was a very loving husband to Desdemona. He treated her as an equal, even though women were usually treated as though they were inferior to men. Othello also let Desdemona voice her opinions and was always trying to put her needs in front of his
Othello: The play's protagonist and hero. A Christian Moor and general of the armies of Venice, Othello is an eloquent and physically powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In spite of his elevated status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a soldier, and his race. He possesses a "free and open nature," which his ensign Iago uses to twist his love for his wife, Desdemona, into a powerful and destructive jealousy
[4, 1, 40] These idiosyncrasies are observed in the play when Claudius becomes concerned he will lose power as King and the likelihood Hamlet will murder him to avenge his father’s death. This is apparent when Gertrude informs Claudius that Hamlet is, “Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend which is mightier”. [4,1,6] With these thoughts daunting Claudius, he approaches Laertes in a Machiavellian manner to convince him to murder Hamlet, for he knows Laertes is angry, deranged and “Vows to the blackest devil” [4,5,131] after the death of his father. In doing so, Claudius has the intent to use Machiavellian powers over Laertes who is currently mentally unstable, with the objective being that Laertes will murder Hamlet to avenge his own father’s (Polonius) death. Claudius is able to successfully persuade Laertes in a manipulative speech, especially with his snide comment, “Not that I think you did not love your father, but that I know love is begun by time, and that I see a passage of proof.” [4,7,96] Claudius’ malicious comment indicates he is using his power over Laertes, so that the burden and repercussions do not rest on him, so that he may retain his authority as King. By utilizing his power over Laertes, Claudius is successful, as Hamlet is slain, however, as reflected in Claudius’
Claudius, using his wits, convinced Laertes that Hamlet should be killed, “To show yourself your father’s son in deed/ More than in words? / To cut his throat I’ the church!” (Hamlet 4.7 125-127). Claudius learns that Hamlet is still alive he thought of a master plan to use Laertes to kill Hamlet. Claudius has already turned Laertes against Hamlet by saying that he murdered his father in cold blood and has gone unpunished because the queen and all the kingdom is in love with him. Laertes who is fueled by misguided anger is prepared to do whatever it takes to get his revenge against Hamlet. Laertes simply suggests that he kill Hamlet in cold blood, but Claudius uses his superior intelligence to come up with a truly dark and evil plan to kill Hamlet. Intelligence is mostly thought of as an admirable quality but a select few choose to use it for the wrong reasons. It can sometimes lead people to think they are above the law and can simply get away with whatever terrible crime the commit (Nyborg 344-345). This was the case with Claudius he thought that he had planned the murder carefully and meticulously enough that no one would ever ask questions. Even once Hamlet knew his evil secret Claudius did not give up he came up with plan after plan to kill Hamlet. Claudius, in his mind, had thought that he had earned everything he had acquired. He may have
Othello placed complete trust and faith in Iago, recognizing this Iago manipulated the Moor who was, “of a free and open nature that thinks men honest and but seem to be so, and will as tenderly be led by th’nose as asses are” Othello is tricked and manipulated by “honest Iago” the very comrade that he trusts the most. Othello was made frail and was “perplexed in the extreme”, he lost his ability to make clear judgments and decisions. Bradley asserted that Iago was able to manipulate Othello because he had little experience in the “corrupt profit of civilized life”. Leo Kirchbaum agrees with Bradley and denounced Othello as a “romantic idealist who considers human nature superior to what it actually is”. Iago subtly plays on Othello’s inexperience with human nature and the trust that he puts on him. When Iago delicately questions Casio’s integrity “I think that he is honest”, the logical response would be for Othello to ignore the implications and investigate the accusations. Instead Othello willingly accepts to circumstantial, falsified and non-conclusive evidence put before him by
Othello, a tragic hero full of hidden flaws, attempts to appear as a man of only logic and bravery, and not subjected to human emotions. His spectacle begins with his storytelling at Brabantio’s household. As Othello reveals to the Duke of Venice:
Othello's reputation also plays a big role in this play and the outcome of it. He has the reputation of a no nonsense military general. This status in fact partly causes Desdemona's death. He becomes so distraught when he hears from Iago that Cassio and Desdemona and cheating on him he becomes angry and wants to kill her. "I will chop her into messes! Cuckold me?" He is surprised and astonished that she would go behind his back and do this. His reputation doesn't allow him to confront her with the situation and talk things over. He is also angry that his reputation would be tarnished when found out that he is a cuckold. He proves that his reputations means a lot to him when he says, "For nought I did in hate, but all in honour." Othello believed that reputation was everything, because of his status as a general and the fact that those under him and above him respected him. Othello's reputation played a big role in the outcome of the play and in part caused Desdemona's death and his own.
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.
Both men plot, and kill, but before acting they take a great deal of time to think about their actions. Hamlet likes to set up and get everything right before acting on his suspicions or ideas. He thinks about how his actions will affect everyone and this is because of the substantial amount of common sense he has. Before killing Claudius, he came up with a plan to take him down and exploit him for killing his father. He knows that he cannot just kill him right away because people will be confused and blame Hamlet, so he plans to crack him first. He puts on a play portraying a young man poisoning his uncle, which riles Claudius because he poisoned Hamlet’s father. By putting on the play Hamlet alerted Claudius about how much he knew which scared Claudius. Hamlet goes on to a more elaborate plan to act “mad” which instills much fear into Claudius because he thinks Hamlet now poses as a threat to him which is what Hamlet wants. Claudius’ reaction to Hamlet’s madness is shown when he...
... the only way to honour his father Polonius is by killing Hamlet. In addition, as Claudius reads the letter from Hamlet to Laertes he says “'Tis Hamlet’s character. “Naked” And in a postscript here, he says “alone.” Can you advise me?” (IV, VII, 52-53). This shows that Claudius takes advantage of Hamlet’s return alone as an opportunity for Laertes to kill him. Through Claudius’s actions the readers observe how he deceives Laertes into killing Hamlet for his own benefit without getting blood on his hands. Furthermore, Claudius’ desperation to kill Hamlet leads to him losing sight of what is important, which is being the king of Denmark, what he originally wanted, instead the lies he told and the manipulation he spread is now taking over. To conclude, it is evident through the play that the words and actions of Claudius have only lead to the spread of deception.
The play Othello was littered with accusations and errors of many people. Some hurt one another for self benefit, some did for revenge, but some others were just plain stupid. Nobody stuck up for themselves as normal human beings should do in times of need, instead just sitting and taking it, letting the antagonist win the battles and eventually the war. All of this is true, but the primary example of stupidity in this book is the main character, Othello. Othello is hands down the dumbest character in the book, clearly not having the ability to use his head and get his facts straight in any shape or form. He is solely to blame for his own actions in the book because he lets Iago control his beliefs, he is overcome by jealousy, his love for Desdemona, and his goodness to people.
Othello’s personality was shaped largely by war and his pride as a capable soldier. He was intelligent and strong enough to live through countless battles and lead troops into war with successful results. Even Iago, who hates Othello for passing him over for the lieutenant position, can not deny Othello’s noble yet naïve nature, which he explains to Roderigo, “The Moor is of a free and open nature” (Act 1 Scene 3 390). However, as Iago continually hints to Othello that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio, more of his negative personality traits begin to show up. Doubt, mistrust, jealousy and rage all grew with Iago’s hints and led him to believe that his wife had damaged his reputation by being unfaithful to him. In the beginning of Othello, Othello betted on his life that Desdemona loved him and would never betray him and by the end of Shakespeare’s story, he suffocates and kills his wife out of honor in order to preserve his reputation and sense of self. He killed her not only out of a sense of duty, but also because of how hurt and betrayed he felt about her perceived infidelity. Therefore, Othello represents the good and the bad side of human nature by being intelligent, loving, open, and honorable and the bad by doubting his wife, exhibiting jealousy, anger and