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The language, style and the use of symbolism in Othello
Shakespeare's use of dramatic devices
The language, style and the use of symbolism in Othello
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Would you kill your significant other because your friend suggested they were cheating? In a marriage trust is everything, therefore solid evidence of your spouse cheating would need to be an obligation before ending the commitment. Desdemona is loyal to Othello throughout their entire marriage, there is no reason he shouldn’t have trusted her over Iago. Othello seems to be a better friend than husband as he is trustworthy of Iago’s lies. He is devoted to Iago’s plan and decided that he will go through with the killing of his own wife. Jealousy cannot over power genuine love, therefore Othello doesn’t love Desdemona, however he simply loves how much affection she has for his struggles. Othello doesn’t deserve sympathy because he doesn’t know …show more content…
While Desdemona is not aware of why Othello is so angry with her, she continues to do the good deed of attempting to get Cassio his job back. Desdemona speaking in front of Othello, explains to her cousin Lodovico “A most unhappy one. I would do much/ T’ atone them, for the love I bear to Cassio”(4,1,219-220). Proving that she cares for Cassio and that him receiving his position back should be up for consideration. Thus, Othello “strikes”(4,1,232) Desdemona thinking she loves Cassio due to her showing friendly affection towards him. This displays Othello allowing his jealousy to suppress his love for Desdemona by hitting her because of his thoughts that she is having an …show more content…
Othello cannot receive sympathy from the audience because it takes it away from Desdemona, who deserves all of our sympathy. Othello’s choices are solely based on what he doesn’t know for sure, which is why sympathy cannot be felt for him. It’s convincing that Othello is not in love with Desdemona on the simple fact that he was able to watch her die by the strangulation of his own hands, even though she begged him to let her live. Sympathy for Othello was eliminated after he hit and killed Desdemona all because he was
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
Though her world was fall apart with Iago creating false images of an affair between her and Cassio to Othello, Desdemona strangely remains kind, innocent, and willing to grant grace. When Cassio approaches her for help, she quickly agrees to help her old friend. While she discusses relationships with Emilia, she rejects all thoughts of infidelity. She had every reason to fight Othello when Othello carries out her murder, yet she resist only a little, She responses, “The Lord have mercy on me…[and] mercy on you too” to Othello’s “Thou diest” (Othello 5.2.50; 71-74). When she is briefly revived and quested by Emilia as to who her murderer is, Desdemona only replies, “I myself” (Othello 5.2.152).
When Iago first sets out to deceive Othello, he tells him, "look at your wife; observe her well with Cassio" (3.3.196). He knows that if he can plant enough doubt and jealousy in Othello's mind, Othello only needs to look at Desdemona being friendly with Cassio to suspect infidelity. After this, when Desdemona asks for Cassio's reinstatement, it looks as though she is trying to get something better for her lover, as opposed to just helping a friend.
The love between Othello and Desdemona is a great venture of faith. He is free; she achieves her freedom, and at a great cost. Shakespeare, in creating the figure of her wronged father, who dies of grief at her revolt, sharpened and heightened, as everywhere, the story in the source. Her disobedience and deception of him perhaps cross her mind at Othello’s ominous ‘Think on thy sins.’ If so, she puts the thought aside with ‘They are loves I bear you.’ . . . Othello is a drama of passion and runs to the time of passion; it is also a drama of love which, failing to sustain its height of noon, falls at once to night. (141)
Although Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love at the start as evident in them holding each others’ hands tenderly. Iago can easily manipulate Othello to think that Desdemona has an affair with Cassio. This is due to the fact that Othello does not have enough confidence himself. He is not totally...
The play Othello by Williams Shakespeare was First Performed and created in 1604. It was one of the most popular plays throughout the seventeenth century, During the play Othello is led to destruction by his so called friend Iago , Othello unlike Iago is capable of forming . Strong , Loving , and Healthy relationships. Even though Iago is using him. In the plot, it is proven that othello is mentally weakened and manipulated by Iago. In my statement Othello is very sympathetic throughout the text by making mistakes, by listening to others, and having low self-esteem.
It is apparent that Othello idolizes Desdemona, through the language he uses in describing her as well as how he treats her during their interactions. While most female characters in the play are oppressed and demeaned by their male partners, Othello’s respect for Desdemona is a testament of his feeling inadequate and strive to entice her. Although he has an alterior motive of evading a conviction of witchcraft to win Desdemona’s heart, he confesses to many noblemen including Barbantio, Desdemona’s father, that Desdemona does not love him, just his war stories. Incidentally, his war accomplishments were the only way a man of his background would be able to be so close to a prestigious woman such as Desdemona in a time plagued with so much racism. In the second scene of Act V, Othello has been pushed well beyond his breaking...
Feeling betrayal from the person you love can be one of the most hurting and painful feelings somebody gets to experience in life, but the feeling of being betrayed accompanied by publicity can cause more harm to the situation. That feeling of “Everybody knew except for myself” can be extremely excruciating and can cause extreme harm like portrayed on the story written By William Shakespeare Othello. In the story Othello, we have the protagonist Desdemona and Othello who are married to each other, and the antagonist, Iago, who ruined their marriage by lying to Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. This story ends in a tragedy as we would expect from the author Shakespeare, but the key that led to the tragedy was the theme of pride. Othello was a very powerful and prevailing male character, who believed his men above anyone including his wife. Othello wouldn’t have been able to go on with the embarrassment of knowing people believe his wife has been lying to him. Othello’s self-conscious and pride was the motive that led him to killing his innocent wife, Desdemona.
These lines are the first hint given that Desdemona may not have always been completely captivated by her husband. These words, not denied by Othello, sit in contrast to his own. Upon hearing her words, Othello seems a changed man, depressed and submissive, his new attitude brought on by “Desdemona’s own honest account of her original feelings for Othello and the role Cassio played in Othello’s winning of her” (Macaulay 269). With just a little concern for Othello’s own pride, Desdemona have chosen to withhold some words or soften their blow. Instead, her own pride continues to lead her headlong onto a destructive
As Iago subtly plants these suspicions of Desdemona, Othello jumps to conclusions. He immediately questions himself, “Why did I marry?” (III.iii.66) This instant doubtfulness towards Desdemona is a huge mistake made my Othello. If he were able to think rationally and consider Desdemona’s innocence before jumping to conclusions, then all of this could have been avoided. However his inability to trust his own wife increases his anger towards her tremendously and the desire to kill begins to build up inside him. Later on, when Lodovico arrives at Cyprus in Act 4, Desdemona and him discuss Cassio and Othello’s situation. Othello is irritated by Desdemona’s friendly comments about Cassio and lashes out, striking her and calling her a devil. Afterwards, Lodovico is shocked, questioning, “Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate call all in all sufficient?” (IV.i.93) Referring to him as a once “noble Moor” explains how worthy Othello’s reputation was before coming to Cyprus. However, Lodovico can no longer imagine this is the same Othello he once knew, proving that Othello has changed quite a bit since his arrival at Cyprus. Before Cyprus, Othello would have never struck his wife in public, but Iago’s manipulation has caused his anger to finally break out. Othello does not have the confidence within himself to believe in Desdemona. Therefore,
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the main character Othello is typically victimized and portrayed as a mere scapegoat of the villainous Iago’s devious plans. However, Othello is not completely void of responsibility for the death of his wife. Othello, the tragic hero, is just as responsible as Iago for his premeditated murder of Desdemona due to his own internal flaws. Specifically, flaws such as his vivid imagination and his self over-idealization are brought to the surface by Iago, which consequently allows Iago to easily manipulate Othello.
Othello wondered if Desdemona really loved him, or if she was just using him to rebel against her father. With Iago constantly putting these ideas in his head, Othello was convinced to kill his wife. Cassio was known to be a good soldier, and is proud of that public perception.
...haracters. When Cassio asks Desdemona to speak to Othello on his behalf she makes a bold promise, 'I give thee warrant of thy place'. Desdemona then goes on to say, ' My lord shall never rest,/ I'll watch him tame and talk him out of patience'. Desdemona will keep on arguing Cassio's case. This amplifies her strong will and passion. Additionally due to the brawl caused when Cassio is drunk, the audience sees Othello's sense of fairness and justice, since he fires Cassio from his position as lieutenant even though he is his friend, ' Cassio I love thee,/ But never more be an officer of mine.'
Othello kills his wife Desdemona falsely believing that she has cheated on him. The reader knows that Desdemona has been faithful to her husband, but Othello thinks his wife has cheated on him because he is tricked by Iago. Iago is able to trick Othello because Othello does not think he is worthy of Desdemona’s love. Iago tricks Othello into believing Othello’s wife has cheated on Othello using a handkerchief. Iago has his wife Emelia steal the handkerchief and he leaves it for Michael Cassio to find. When Othello sees Cassio has the handkerchief he assumes Cassio is sleeping with Desdemona because Iago has told him that Cassio admitted to sleeping with Desdemona.