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The effects of capital punishment on society
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
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In America today, some states have in place the death penalty to punish the violators of society's most sacred laws. The American government may not decide who receives this punishment, but is the one who carries out the sentence. In the cases of John from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Othello from William Shakespeare's Othello, their deaths are a result of punishment for a wrong done. However, the government does not carry out the punishments; they are carried out by the wrongdoers themselves in the form of suicide. They have in common many situations, including their unfortunate end, in their respective stories but also share a few key differences. John and Othello share the fact that they are both physically and socially isolated from society, but they kill themselves for opposite reasons as John tries to separate from society and Othello wants to conform. Because of the way that Huxley and Shakespeare wrote the scenes leading up to their deaths, the importance of the deaths varies. John and Othello are physically and socially isolated from society. John is a self-imposed outcast because he doesn't want to …show more content…
be a part of society, which in his eyes, is morally reprehensible due to their sexual looseness and comfortable lifestyle. John chooses to stay in an abandoned lighthouse far away from everyone else and their sinful lives. The lighthouse can be considered a symbol for John's morally upright life because the purpose of the lighthouse is to guide ships safely to shore and likewise John tries to tell the civilized people about the evils of sin and the dangers of the drug soma. Unfortunately, the civilized people disregard what John says completely and carry on. Conversely, Othello wants to be a part of Venetian society but he can't because he is different. Othello’s home has been the battlefield since he was seven years old. Othello is not knowledgeable about the customs of Venice because he has rarely been out in society. In fact, he stays in Venice for only nine months before marrying Desdemona, which is longest stretch of time in which he has not been to battle. The fact that Othello is not familiar with Venetian custom makes it easier for his ancient Iago to place the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind concerning Desdemona’s faithfulness. Iago casually mentions, “In Venice they do let God see the pranks they dare not show their husbands. Their best conscience is not to leave ‘t undone, but keep ‘t unknown” (3.3.233-236). Iago is insinuating that it is common in Venetian society for wives to secretly keep a lover. Othello, being unaware of Iago’s lies, totally believes what his “honest” friend says. Being of military upbringing Othello also makes fast decisions on how to handle problems because on the battlefield, quick decision making skills are valuable. In normal society, wise people usually take their time when making big decisions and consult other people. When Iago later gives him false physical proof of infidelity, Othello decides immediately to kill his wife and her supposed lover before gathering evidence from other sources. John and Othello kill themselves because of society, but for completely different reasons. John hates the civilized people and the wanton lives that they lead and wishes to stay far away from them. While at his lighthouse, he adheres to a strict regimen which makes his life harder than it has to be and often requires punishment for happiness. He tries to lead the most opposite life as possible from the civilized people by starting to grow his own food and making his own bow and arrows for hunting. He also doesn't want to live a life of comfort and luxury and as a result, punishes himself with a whip whenever he feels happy. He often struggles with lustful feelings for Lenina and again, punishes himself for this wrong. When John ingests soma and engages in an orgy-porgy, he is horrified. He has violated his most sacred rule of chastity. To punish himself properly, he must go further than he has ever gone before. The only punishment he seems to find suitable is death, thusly hanging himself. Othello also violates rules. He falls into Iago's trap of lies and jealousy and kills his wife Desdemona even though she is innocent of the adultery of which she is accused. When Othello learns the truth, he is horrified by his actions. He is cast into a deep despair and cries out, “Oh fool, fool, fool!” (5.2.382). The repetition of the word fool indicates that the character is upset about something and indeed Othello is when he discovers his tragic mistake. Othello appears to have Christian values, similar to John, in the way that he is against adultery and often speaks of the devil. When he kills Desdemona, he has not only sinned against her and her government, but against God. His punishment for breaking the law would have most likely been death anyways, but he carries out his sentence himself for both the law and for God. The significance of John and Othello’s deaths differ because of the way that the authors write them. Othello’s death is more significant because he wants to use his death to put things right. John’s death happens because he simply felt so guilty about engaging in the orgy-porgy that he can’t live with himself. Huxley writes very little about John’s reasoning by using only one sentence to explain what happens the night of the orgy-porgy. He writes, “Stupefied by soma, and exhausted by a long-drawn frenzy of sensuality, the Savage lay sleeping in the heather” (258). With this one sentence, Huxley explains the reason for his suicide, which is because he broke his moral code in the most severe degree by acting upon his lust. With Othello’s death, Shakespeare writes with more emotion implied in the action of his suicide. Othello is so distraught that he has killed his innocent wife that he must atone for it. His death in no way justifies his actions, but it is a gesture that shows how Othello regrets his actions from the bottom of his heart. In the deaths of John and Othello, there is no need for either government or God in the tale to step in and deliver justice for the wrongs that they commit.
John and Othello are both fully aware of the severity of their crimes and decide to take justice into their own hands. Although both of the characters share many similarities, such as isolation and religious reasoning, their rationale is different for doing what they do. Although their death penalties were self-imposed, only one would have actually been carried out if Othello and John decided on a different path. John’s actions would be considered normal behavior in civilized society and he would have been left alone or even received praise for his actions. However in both cases, these two men are not able to live with themselves because of their actions and took matters into their own
hands.
The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare is a great work by a great author. Shakespeare was correct in titling it The Tragedy of Othello because Othello lost so much. In the literary sense, a tragedy is the downfall of a character through that character's own flaws. The way most people see a tragedy is a story where there is much suffering and loss, and a not so happy ending. No matter way one looks at it, literary or public sense, this was a correct title. The main character, Othello, brought his own downfall upon him through his flaws, caused the suffering of many people, and he himself loss very much. All of these factors pile up to equal a big tragedy.
Picture this- William Harold Shakespeare, the most coveted playwriter in the history of the world, sitting at his desk, perspicaciously pondering over what shall become his most prominant and delicated tragedy of yet. Of course, given what little is known about Shakespeere displays, such deepseated imagery cannot simply be accomplished without first the propriety of haste and vinction.And yet, his very own rhetorical vibe displays allows such a vague pictoration to be concieved. Throughout the whole of Othello, the great Shakespeare remarks through an astounding displays show of pronouns, allitteration, and cacophonous diction his own resentment of both the King of Italy and the poor conditions of the said novelist.
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.
...ence more reasoning to the jealousy of the characters and the actions they take. With the changed setting come many differences: drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, violence, and different sources for jealousy and hatred. These issues are the dilemmas we, as teenagers in this new millennium, are faced with day to day. "O" addresses these new era evils without abandoning the original themes and major issues of Shakespeare's Othello. The audience can relate to a story written down hundreds of years ago and benefit from it.
Many older plays or movies are remade to appeal to a different age of people. These renditions often follow the same story line with only subtle differences to be more appealing. Many of Shakespeare’s plays have been made into movies to enhance the studying or understanding of his plays. An example of this would be Othello which has been created into a movie called “O”. Othello and “O” both follow the same story line. The similarities between them make "O" an excellent rendition of the play. Othello by William Shakespeare and “O” directed by Tim Nelson are very similar in many ways; however, they have distinct differences in their Protagonists. The heinous villain, Iago from Othello and the devious teenager, Hugo from “O” have many of the
Nick Potter states: “Othello is a tragedy of incomprehension, not at the level of intrigue but at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello comes to understand himself or anyone else.” Within Shakespeare’s Othello, no character fully understands themselves of one another. This is especially true in human dealings, where the intentions of characters and how others interpret them are often misaligned. Conflict, and eventually, tragedy arises in Othello due to the incomprehension between characters, as well as within the characters themselves. From the reader’s perspective, it is tragic to understand the reality behind all the incomprehension, since the characters are oblivious to what the readers are aware of.
The tragedies of Antigone and Othello were written with great depth and are structured in such a way that both characters are victims, in spite of their crimes. Antigone and Othello are tragedy plays created by using many techniques to create the feelings of fear and pity. There are differences and similarities in characters, action, and themes between Antigone and Othello.
Othello as A Tragedy of Outsiders The most obvious way of being an outsider in Othello is through being a foreigner, and a non-Venetian. Othello and Cassio are both outsiders in this sense, Othello is a black man, a "Moor", and Cassio is a "Florentine". Othello begins in Venice, in Shakespeare's time the great commercial centre of the western world. Venice was the place of great hustle and bustle, merchants and tradesmen from other lands were commonplace, and yet we see throughout the play how Othello and Cassio are ridiculed. Cassio is degraded as he is from Florence; Iago calls him "a great arithmetician".
In Shakespeare’s Othello, the character of Othello is seen as an unfit man due to his propensity to jealous and his weak character. Leavis’ evaluation of Othello’s character can be seen to be true to a very high extent because during the course of the play, Othello evolves into a weak, jealous character who is easily manipulated and made jealous by the scheming of Iago. We can see this change in his character through the use of a number of techniques such as stage directions, soliloquies, dialogue and stage action. This makes it easier for the audience to follow and plot exactly where during the play Othello begins to show jealous and a weak character.
Texts and their appropriations reflect the context and values of their times. Within Shakespeare’s Othello and Geoffrey Sax’s appropriation of Othello, the evolution of the attitudes held by Elizabethan audiences and those held by contemporary audiences can be seen through the context of the female coupled with the context of racism. The role of the female has developed from being submissive and “obedient” in the Elizabethan era to being independent and liberated within the contemporary setting. The racism of the first text is overtly xenophobic and natural, whilst the “moor” is unnatural whereas the updated context portrays Othello’s race as natural and racism as unnatural. Therefore these examples show how Shakespeare’s Othello, and it’s appropriation, Geoffrey sax’s Othello, reflect the context and values of their times.
In Act three, Scene three, Desdemona agrees to speak to Othello in Cassio’s behalf) As Desdemona and Cassio discuss Cassio’s loss of rank and trust in Othello’s eyes. Iago brings to Othello’s attention the discussion taking place between Cassio and Desdemona. Iago knowing full well why the discussion is happening. Iago hints the pair seems to be spending a lot of time together. Iago plants the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind Othello begins to ponder the idea of whether Iago suspicions are true.
The European Renaissance forever changed the life of the contemporary individual. Explosive advancements in education, technology, and trade broadened geographic and mental horizons; however, in England these developments were paired with population crises of poverty and unemployment. In addition, the increased interaction with foreign cultures fomented by various commercial and diplomatic engagements gave rise to apprehension in English sensibility. Eventually, Christian England would attempt to reshape these ‘strangers’ in their image and modern racial tensions sprung forth. Recursion of the trope of race, under the guise of blackness, heathenry, or even femininity occurs extensively in literary tradition, and especially within Shakespeare’s oeuvre. “There exists in all literature an archetypal figure who escapes both poles of the classic definition – appearing sometimes as hero, sometimes as villain, sometimes as clown…[he] has been named variously the ‘shadow,’ the ‘other,’ the ‘alien,’ the ‘outsider,’ the ‘stranger.’” It is with this borderline figure, mired in ambiguity, that this investigation is concerned: primarily with the stranger as the Moor in Othello, the Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1, and the woman in both.
The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. “A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.”(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit.
Of Shakespeare’s five greatest tragedies, Othello is by far the most passionate and gripping. It is a tale of love, deception, evil, honesty, and virtue. Othello himself is set apart from other Shakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full support to the inevitable and unavoidable fall.
The tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. As it hath beene diuerse times acted at the Globe, and at the Black-Friars, by his Majesties servants. Written by William Shakespeare set in Venice. The plot is based on a story about two people who love each other dearly and the problems and conflicts they face from the start. The conflicts are, for the most part, tied in with racial issues and questions of loyalty. These conflicts stem from the society around the couple, as well as from the couple themselves as they too are part of this society, but with very different backgrounds: The female protagonist is the daughter of a highly-respected Venetian senator: Brabantio. Othello--also known as the Moor--is a foreigner, black in color, has a past