Isolation Depicted In Shakespeare's Othello

1073 Words3 Pages

Isolation forces people to think more than they should about topics that they can not clear from their mind. Small things like remembering what someone said a week ago could remain in your mind for very long after. No matter the scale of the topic it can affect people differently. In Shakespeare’s writing Othello, characters like Othello were left in isolation for too long and forced to make unjust decisions or to resort to worst case scenarios. Being left alone forces people to believe things that are far from the truth. In Othello this was a very common approach many characters followed. Although they may have saw one thing their mind forces them to deviate from the truth and to believe lies. Iago’s plan from the beginning was …show more content…

This worse case theme appears many times throughout the story through the minds of many different characters. Iago comes up with lies and stories on the spot forcing Othello’s mind to run. After telling Othello about Cassio talking in his dreams about Desdemona Othello believed that all he was saying actually happened. Although Iago tells more lies than anyone in the story Othello views him as a upstanding citizen and a honest man. Although Othello jumped to dramatic conclusions many times, this instance could have been easily avoided. Iago was saying that Cassio was talking about Desdemona and how they seemed to have seen each other. Othello could have just asked people like Cassio or even Desdemona if this was true but instead he started to think too much about a silly lie. Iago knew he could force Othello to think everything he wants, so Iago led Othello’s easily deceived mind on a crazy adventure(Ⅲ.ⅲ.400-500). While Othello jumped to more worse case conclusions he is not the only character to do so. Isolation is a dangerous things and it forces people to think more than they really should. Desdemona also was forced to believe the worst. After hearing what OThello said Desdemona's mind ran. All Othello asked was for her to be alone in her room and any normal person would think he just wanted to talk. Although she was correct her mind went straight to he is mad and is going to kill me. Her scared mind even forced her to plan what to do when she dies and to tell Emilia how to plan. If she was able to talk through what happened this whole misunderstanding could have been avoided if more words were

Show More
Related

  • Free Essays - Isolation in Macbeth

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    Isolation is a state of being separation between persons or group, or a feeling being alone. There are different factors that contribute to someone feeling alone and isolated. An example of this would be when celebrities go into deep depression because they feel isolated from the whole world. They have all the material things they could ever want, but the one thing they want the most, they do not have. , which is happiness, which comes from satisfaction within oneself and being satisfied with what one has done in one's life. Feeling isolated does not necessarily mean a person is bad. Evidence in Shakespeare play Macbeth , demonstrates this quite clearly that MacBeth's isolation comes from guilt , over-ambition and greed.

    Read More

  • Desdemona's Naivety In Othello

    73 Words  | 1 Pages

    Desdemona's naivety is the prime cause of the conflict in "Othello" because she doesn't know that Iago is depriving her in Othello's mind by using her actions against her. Desdemona loves Othello, but also is benevolent in helping anyone even if it might be practiced against her. Cassio asked Desdemona if she can help get Othello's trust back, only as Othello and Iago enters they see Cassio leave and gets a bit

    Read More

  • The Manipulation of Perception in Shakespeare's Othello

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Themes Of Jello And Iago In William Shakespeare's Othello

    1879 Words  | 4 Pages

    Love and story of Othello and Desdemona is full of dramatic irony which was caused by differences between reality and appearance, result and expectation, intention and meaning. Their love was beautiful and ugly at the same time. It was beautiful because they seemed to be truly in love with each other. On the other side it was crippled by distrust and jealousy. As it was stated before, Othello was a different person with a totally different outlook on life and reality. Unfortunately Iago was pretty skillful in manipulating Othello and using situations to his advantage. He managed to distort Othello’s reality and made him think Desdemona was not true

    Read More

  • How Does Iago Change In Othello

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    All Iago had to do was hint at Desdemona being unfaithful and Othello’s becomes very bothered it and eventually starts believing it. The author of an essay does an analysis on Iago and says “He slowly poisons people’s thoughts, creating ideas in their heads without implicating himself. Iago even says himself that the advice he gives is free and honest and thus, people rarely stop to consider the possibility that Iago is fooling them.“ (Shakespeare’s Othello – Honest Iago). So Iago would hint at something going between Desdemona and Cassio so that Othello would become bothered and ask him what he means by that, it was like a game that Iago was playing, he would drop a little hint and then expect Othello to pick up on it and start questioning it and become more even suspicious. Brabantio tells Othello “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee” (I.ii.286-287), So In this scene Brabantio warns Othello that Desdemona has already fooled him and she might fool him too, so be careful, and it turns out, Othello believed in him after all and that’s part of the reason of why he thinks that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him. It leads him to start questioning Desdemona in a very suspicious way. At one point he even hits her in front of a nobleman and that was very shocking to the nobleman because he believed him to be a very calm and collected gentleman but obviously he was a changed man. The nobleman even expresses his shock by saying that “My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, though I should swear I saw’t. ‘Tis very much make her amends; she weeps” (IV .i.217-219). This negative thinking and insecurity was one of the main reasons to Othello’s change in a negative way. A lot of this was Iago’s doing but it was also Othello’s fault to fall for Iago’s

    Read More

  • Othello Analysis Play

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within Shakespeare’s Othello, it conveys moral and subsequent reflection of events in its current society. In Act 4, Scene 2 (Part 1) demonstrates the road to Othello’s downfall and the success of Iago’s revenge. Within this scene, Othello interrogates Emilia for suspicion of Desdemona and Cassio’s affair, in which they have none, and with Othello's confrontation, he questions and insults her of her unfaithfulness and infidelity leaving Desdemona confused about what happened to Othello. Iago, called by Emilia, pretends to offer Desdemona comfort and Emilia raises notions of the possibilities and hypothesising that someone is 'feeding' Othello lies. Iago hastily covers these ideas to avoid exposure of the truth. This strong and indecisive scene twists the ideas of human nature within Othello’s mind and convinced perceptions of Desdemona, fulfilling Iago’s Revenge.

    Read More

  • The Isolation of Macbeth

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth's character to undergo a series of downward spirals into isolation. There are many factors that contribute to someone feeling alone or isolated. Isolation is often a state of being separated from others, or the feeling of being alone. Isolation is created by a person's actions or wrong doings, which is progressive in Macbeth's character. Macbeth demonstrates an increase of isolation throughout the play when he isolates his own thoughts, as he beings to make his own decisions, and when an entire nation, Scotland, turns against him.

    Read More

  • Othello's Honor

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the novel, up until his insanity, Othello is described as a temperate man whose honor does not allow him to believe assumptions unless he has been shown proof. Firstly, when the men of Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, confront Othello’s men, Othello calmly says, “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.” (10). Othello is confronted on the matter of his elopement with Desdemona with force and with words. Not only is he very cool about his dealings with violence, but also when he is asked to tell the story of how he had Desdemona fall in love with him he states the truth, and he doesn’t leave out any details of how he accomplished it. He openly admits that had any other man told his story, that man also would have won her heart. Only a truly honorable man can admit that it was a story, and not his personality that truly won the woman’s heart. Othello’s honor is shown by his trust in the people he knows and loves. When Iago tells Othello that he believes Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair, Othello does not believe Iago initially.

    Read More

  • Violence in Shakespeare's Othello

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    The situation above leaves an opening for Iago to fulfill his vital plan to bring down Othello through Desdemona. Cassio was a mental wreck and told Iago that his reputation was ruined. Iago told him that he can get his rank back through Desdemona and get back on Othello's good side. "Confess yourself freely to her, importune her help to put you in your place again (p. 54)." Once Cassio talks to Desdemona, Iago will speak with Othello and get him to think of his wife's trust. In Act three Scene three Iago is speaking to Othello and warns him to look out for Cassio and Desdemona. Othello asks Iago if it was just Cassio that left from speaking with his wife.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Isolation Analysis

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee illustrates that not everyone reacts the same way when they are in isolation. Boo Radley’s reaction to his isolation is to avoid people at all costs. Mrs.Dubose’s reaction to her isolation is to be mean and bitter all the time eg.Mayella Ewell’s reaction to Isolation is having a strong desire for love and company. What this shows is that every person can be affected by isolation and their reaction can be very different and

    Read More

  • Lack Of Self Confidence In Othello

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • The Dual Nature of Characters in Shakespeare's Othello

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because Iago had the public perception of being an honest man, Othello couldn’t ignore his

    Read More

  • Othello is Solely Responsible for his Downfall in Shakespeare's Othello

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    I believe Iago has nothing to do with Othello's downfall as Othello is an easily mislead man who is easily influenced. Not only did Iago not directly say Desdemona was having an affair, he neither didn’t give proof to confirm the rumours. By Othello believing the lies, it surfaces his inability to trust and have faith in his own wife. Othello is written by William Shakespeare and was set in Cyprus and Venice during the 16th century. It is about a well-respected military soldier who due to lies and deceits killed his wife for no reason and after turned the knife towards himself. The play illustrates how much one could be polluted in such little time; with the ‘facts’ based upon suspicions and assumptions from a source who was determined to kill him. Venice is a town in where Othello and Desdemona wed. It was convenient for the beginning part of the play as it was one of the most powerful cities of the time. It had a thriving atmosphere and was noted for the pleasures it offered in the way of arts and music. However, Cyprus is an alternative to Venice. It is a foreign, strange exotic place which is desolated and has a lot of open space. Since the war finished before it begun, the main focus reverts to Othello and Desdemona.

    Read More

  • Iago's Tragedy In Othello

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello is willing to extend faith and trust to Iago, and Othello mistakenly believes that Iago loves him. Othello’s crime is not trusting his wife, and trusting a dishonest character. When Iago tells Othello “Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice?” (4.1.137). Iago is telling Othello that Cassio laughs when he admits to having slept with Desdemona. Othello thinks this is true because Othello trusts Iago, but it would have been possible for Othello to think Cassio was lying to Iago. Othello talking with Iago decides he will kill Desdemona with poison, but changes his mind and decides to kill her by strangling her in bed at Iago’s suggestion.

    Read More

  • Tragic Hero's Downfall In Othello '

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Othello made the poor decision to believe the wrong people and mistrust the people that were close to him from the beginning. In the drama not once did someone other than Iago tell Othello that Cassio and Desdemona were having an affair. Othello came to a quick decision when only Iago told him about this situation and this was a poor decision. Othello said “Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate with her…”(IV.i.206-208) It shows that he came to a quick and poor conclusion to kill Desdemona.. Othello having poor judgment lead him to trust the wrong people and when he finally realized this, it lead to his

    Read More

More about Isolation Depicted In Shakespeare's Othello

Open Document