Human Emotions In William Shakespeare's Othello

Love, honor and jealousy are basic human emotions that at birth we all unlawfully subscribe to. These fundamental emotions are the basis for William Shakespeare 's well-known tragedy Othello. Shakespeare uses the basic flaws in human emotion to discuss the issues of his time, some of which still affect us today. It is important to be well acquainted with the particular time period that the play in written in as well as the time period in which it takes place. For the simple fact that it helps the reader better understand and fully grasp the characters actions as well as their underplayed gestures. During the time period it was written and the period where it is set in, women basically are voiceless. They are considered property in a male driven

Othello perceives love as a possession this is not something that is unique to his character alone because nearly all men in this play view the love for their spouse to be a possession not so much a mutual attraction. This can be clearly seen in act one, scene three where Brabantio (Desdemona’s father) accuses Othello of stealing or entrapping his daughter. Not once does her father mention anything of mutual love or attraction; Although, Othello talks of falling in love with her it is one-sided story that highlights his male dominance. Even when Othello goes to disprove her father accusations he says “I won his daughter” (Act I, Scene iii) this statement entices Desdemona as an object of possession less that a real person or even a lover. Along with his sense of the possession of love Othello also grows an untimely addiction to it. He becomes almost obsessed with his newborn love and he views Desdemona as a blank canvas or an escape from the horrors he has been part of during his numerous military conquests. This obsession of love is like their honeymoon, it is short and full of passion but soon falls to ashes. In the beginning Othello cannot get enough of Desdemona as characterized in this line “I have but an hour of love, of worldly matters and direction, to spend with thee: we must obey the time” (Act I, Scene iii) in this line it shows that Othello

He also views love as a possession and without it he is a lost puppy. To him Desdemona is purity and sanctuary. Brabantio says “I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: In honest plainness thou hast heard me say my daughter is not for thee” (Act I, Scene i) this accusation shows that Roderigo has come to plead for Desdemona’s hand in marriage not once but multiple times. It proves that Rodrigo has become obsessed with Desdemona. He wants Desdemona as his picture perfect wife and act docile or subservient to his will. Not only does he view Desdemona as property but he also grows an acute addiction to the idea of her love. He loves the idea of her love because Roderigo does not truly know Desdemona, instead he falls deeply in love with the image that he projects of her in his mind. Roderigo is so obsessed by the prospect of her love that he says. “It is silliness to live when to live is torment; and then have we a prescription to die when death is our physician.” (Act I, Scene iii). He becomes so entangled in the prospect of love that he goes to extent to threaten to end his life without it. To gain his picture perfect love Roderigo jumps through hoops and even solicits the help of Iago to achieve his goal. The second fatal flaw that Roderigo encounters is honor. Roderigo instead of possessing too much honor like Othello, he in turn lacks it. In contrary to Othello