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Character of revenge in literature
Revenge in romantic literature
William Shakespeare's use of language in his works
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Hassaan Haque
4th hour
11/16/15
Mrs. Rowling
Othello’s Assumptions
Othello, by Shakespeare, is about a Moor from Venice named Othello who gets tricked by Iago, the villain of the play, into thinking that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him. This leads to the end of the play where Desdemona’s life hangs in the hands of Othello. Though he still loves her, he justifies to himself that he must kill her to stop her from cheating on other men. In Act V, Scene ii lines 1-22 of Othello, Shakespeare, through the character Othello, uses emotional and vengeful diction, symbolism, and repetition to justify the killing of Desdemona.
Shakespeare uses emotional and vengeful diction to present a precise understanding of how and what Othello intends to do to his wife. Othello makes it clear he is not killing Desdemona for the guilty pleasure of killing, but rather to stop her from betraying other men. Thus, he says, “Yet I’ll not shed her blood/ nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow” (3-4). Words such as “shed” and “scar” have negative connotations and emit a more evil aurora. Othello then contradicts this feeling with “whiter skin…than snow” (4). The evil aurora is dispersed with calmer words like “snow” and “white”. explain further. In addition, Othello
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compliments Desdemona by saying she is a “cunning’st” (11), a beauty of nature. He adds that she is as “smooth as a monumental alabaster” (5). Her skin is smooth and white, but it will turn stiff like a monument when she is killed. These compliments, however, are outdone with his intent to kill her. Othello shows feeling for Desdemona but his sympathy for her is outshined by betrayal. Shakespeare also uses symbolism to express how Othello justifies the killing of his wife. Othello references Desdemona as being a rose on a tree. “The tree” shows relevance to Desdemona’s life. “When I have plucked thy rose, I cannot give it vital growth again” (13-14). This mean that when he tears the rose, his wife’s life will end and she will be unable to come back to life. Moreover, he wants to “smell thee” while she is still alive in the moment, “I’ll smell thee on the tree” (15). Othello also says, “Put out the light, and then put out the light” (7). The “light” is used symbolically. Othello is physically putting out the candle lights in his chamber and then he is going to put of the light that burns inside of Desdemona’s heart. Through the use of symbolism, it is made clear Othello’s intentions. The use of repetition is also used by the Moor to further justify the killing of his wife.
To enumerate, he repeats “It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul” (1). From the very beginning, Shakespeare makes it clear that Othello condemns killing, but feels he must go through with it or else his wife will cheat on him again. He also commemorates this by repeating “one more," (17-18) three times, in reference to giving Desdemona a kiss. This emphasizes Othello's emotions in that he does not want to kill Desdemona, but feels it is for the best. Despite only telling Desdemona “I love thee/ it strikes where I doth love” (19-22) only twice, it is evident that Othello still loves her even with the thought of killing
her. Othello would have never imagined doing to his loving and kind Desdemona. However, through the events of the past and Iago’s deception and lies, Othello was fooled into thinking his wife cheated on him due to the evidences provided. This lead to this scene where Othello is pondering over Desdemona, trying to justify the act of killing her. He is trying to repeat to himself over and over again for his reason for going through with this. However, the idea of her cheating on him overthrows all the virtues of his wife and he proceeds to kill her.
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
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
The tone of the story is tragic and serious. Meanwhile, there isn't any point of view because this is a play and a play doesn't normally have a narrator. Shakespeare lets the reader make up his/her own imagination with the characters' words and behavior. Since Othello is the protagonist, he is explained in more detail. Although Othello is a brave warrior, he is a jealous person; his jealousy also prevails over his good sense. The whole play depicts the fact that jealousy causes corruption. There are many conflicts found in Othello, and person vs. person is one of them. An example is when Iago seeks revenge against Othello and Cassio because of his anger and jealousy. Person vs. society appears when Desdemona's father Brabantio, disapproves her marriage to Othello because he is several years older than Desdemona, from a different class, and a different race. An internal conflict of person vs. himself is found when Othello is in a dilemma about whether or not should he believe that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him. Othello loves and trusts Desdemona until his jealousy is aroused by the cruel manipulations of Iago. Iago's intention was to persuade Othello to believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. As Iago succeeds in convincing Othello that Desdemona is guilty of adultery, it leads to the climax of the play. And so Othello must face emotions he can't deal with. His jealousy drives him insane, and his judgment is replaced with anger and hate. At this time, the reader notices that the death of Desdemona is inevitable. Othello smothers her, and he eventually kills himself when he knows that Iago falsely accused Desdemona. This also represents the tragedy of the play.
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.
Interestingly, as Othello is preparing to kill Desdemona, he still believes that he is using reason to make his decisions. He says, “It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul./ Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars,/ It is the cause” (V.ii.1-3). While he does not speak his reason, he is confident that he has one good enough for which to kill. This continues into an emotional set of lines about how much he is dreading preforming the necessary deed. It is not until the last set of Othello’s lines that he admits to being a fool overcome with
Othello’s character throughout the play demonstrates a skill and confidence in the art of language. From the beginning we see long, eloquent speeches that dazzle his audience – eloquently mixing complex words that help portray him as not only a strong warrior but also a fighter with a sound mind. However when Iago pressures him about the possible relationship between his wife Desdemona and Cassio, Othello’s passion for his beloved wife breaks down his self-control. In the next few pages I will demonstrate how Othello’s speech during the beginning of the play helps to strengthen his character, and by his death, he’s but a stuttering empty shell of a man. In addition, we’ll compare the language of the moor with that of Iago and see how anti-heroic words shape the way we see this self-interested character.
5.2.221-26. 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 nave. 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.
In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare tells the tale of the “noble Moor” whose honor and innocence bring about his downfall. Shakespeare writes of the power of jealousy, and the art of masterful deception and trickery. The story primarily takes place in Cyprus, during a war between the people of Venice and the invading Turks. In this play Shakespeare shows the feelings of Othello’s embittered right-hand man of, Iago, who feels he is passed over for a promotion and swears his revenge. He proceeds to manipulate his friends, enemies, and family into doing his bidding without any of them ever realizing his ultimate goal. He makes Othello believe that his new wife, the innocent Desdemona, is committing adultery with his newly promoted officer Michael Cassio. After this seed of jealousy has been planted, Othello’s mind takes its course in determining the true outcome, with a little more nudging from Iago. The course of action he proceeds to follow is one that not only ends his own life, but also the life of his wife and others. In Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, Othello is a man who is still truly honorable, despite the course of action he takes to resolve his perceived problem.
1.) In the play “The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice” written by Williams Shakespeare, he reveals the main themes in Othello’s final speech. The two main themes Othello illustrates in his final speech are reputation and jealousy. In Othello’s speech he says, “When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am.” (Shakespeare 355), showing the importance of his reputation. He is unable to cope with criticism due to his low-self-esteem and therefore, cares what other individuals have to say about him. Othello’s dark skin is the reason why he does not have high-self-esteem and becomes jealous when Iago tells him about his wife having an affair with Cassio. Othello loves Desdemona but he feels that he is not good enough for her
From this point on, Othello insecurity manifests into a seemingly irrational fear of being cuckolded, and his self-perceived worth diminishes exponentially. Othello comments on the likelihood of Desdemona cheating, by explaining how it may be “for [he is] black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have…” (3.3.280-282) Othello’s frustration with the threat of being cuckolded puts strain on his relationship with Desdemona, and she quickly becomes a victim of domestic abuse. For example, Othello acts as an interrogator, demanding to see the handkerchief which he gave her that symbolizes faithfulness and commitment towards Othello. (Quotation) When she is unable to produce their symbol of trust, Othello’s anger manifests inside him. The audience is shown a stark contrast to Othello’s typically cool, collected and composted nature. This abrupt and irrational change in behaviour is emphasized when Othello strikes Desdemona in front of Lordovico, (4.1.245) Othello’s
Diction is the author's choice of words, taking into account correctness, clearness, and effectiveness. Shakespeare's works focus on human problems and resolving them. The use of Shakespeare’s diction throughout Othello is very unique because he is very clear in the emotions and the plans of characters. He lays out what a character's plan is before he acts it out. He also has a tendency to retell the recent events. These subtle hints allow the reader to foreshadow and develop a feel for each character. The intimations of what’s to come is prominently seen through Iago’s soliloquies. He often speaks openly of his plan for revenge that only the reader will know. This in turn creates dramatic irony. The effect of this type of diction is that the reader has a clearer and comprehensive understanding of what exactly is going on. He uses imagery several times in the describing of various people as animals or in terms of comparing things. Most of the imagery pertains to Othello and his various travels or especially his jealousy. This use of imagery and diction is effective because in addition to having merely an idea of what is going on the reader can have a mental picture as well. These strong bouts of imagery are beneficial to the work as a whole because they give strong pictures in which the general action of the work can be amplified, which is something Shakespeare strives for. The women in the story: Desdemona and Emilia, play an important role in the theme of the story. It is possible to establish a clear relation behind Shakespeare’s diction towards each of these women and the theme of ignorance behind a man’s view of the women in his life, and misconceptions of what love truly 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.
Desdemona is the daughter of Brabantio, the senator of Venice. She ran away and decided to get married with Othello with the approval of her father. Thing may be the only unfavorable thing she did, but she had no choice because Brabantio would certainly disapprove. Her character is is portrayed as a kind and innocent woman who seems to be another victim in part of Iago 's ploy against Othello. She is been the victim of lies, trust, and belief all, against her. In a article written by Galić Kakkonen and Ana Penjak which brings ecofimnestic critical thinking to Shakespeare 's female characters, they write, "By applying ecocriticism, we have investigated how Juliet, Cordelia and Desdemona have been pictured in oppression" (Kakkonen 30). The authors suggest that Desdemona 's character as a female receive unjustified treatment. Her husband loses trust in her slowly and she is unaware of why this was happening. Towards the falling action of the play she tries to explain to Othello that she has always been faithful to him but Othello takes her life anyway without believing her. Desdemona still blames herself for what had occurred without realizing the truth that Othello was being misinformed and also was not willing to trust
Shakespeare employs symbolism through the handkerchief as a token of love and faithfulness. When the protagonist is shown this token is no longer with Desdemona, rage incites within him and he strikes her out of pain and jealousy. Shakespeare uses this symbol to show that objects given in love and trust are directly connected to one’s integrity, and abuse of said trust results in broken faith. The composer uses a visual imagery metaphor in the protagonist’s dialogue stating his heart had “turned to stone” in relation to his wife. Through this change Desdemona is unaware of her alleged infidelity and so continues to act, as usual, oblivious to what it may seem like to Othello. The protagonist’s jealousy eventually drives him to murder his wife, who with her final words proclaims that she has committed suicide in order to acquit Othello from any blame. Shakespeare concludes the play with the dramatic irony of the emotive “she loved thee, cruel Moor”. This statement shows the audience that when caught up in orchestrated jealousy, one forgets true loyalty and tends to act
The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in 1603. The story tells about a Moor general in the Venetian Army, who had been convinced that his wife, Desdemona, has been disloyal to him. Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Othello to examines how suspicion can poison a true love and lead to betrayal. Shakespeare is famous in his use of repeatedly themes throughout his writings, predominantly those of love, death, magic, and betrayal. Shakespeare's play of Othello present all these theme, however, it mainly focuses on the danger of jealousy and how it can be the root of all evil. Iago’s jealousy did not only lead to Othello’s downfall, but also destroyed friendships, love, and innocent lives.