Written in the year of 1603 Othello is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. An eponymous tragic hero, also known as ‘the moor’ is the centre character of the play. Even though he is seen as an ‘old black ram’ Othello is the general in the Venetian army and married to a ‘gentle’ Venetian lady. However due to his tragic flaw of being credulous and jealousies he paid the ultimate price in the end.
Shakespeare demonstrates how Othello, ‘the Moor’, is seen as an outsider because of the colour of his skin. In the beginning of Act one scene one Iago, Othello’s flag barrier who failed to be promoted as a lieutenant have a heated conversation with Roderigo -- Iago referred Othello as ‘his Moorship’s ancient’ while arguing that Casio (who managed to be a lieutenant) is just a ‘bookish theoric’ who haven’t been on battle before and only
…show more content…
knowing about war no more ‘than a spinster’. Since then Iago starts his hate towards Othello as of his jealousy of the position and often use ‘the moor’, meaning ‘North African’ in the play. Moreover Roderigo (in love in Othello’s wife Desdemona) calls him as ‘thick-lips’, suggesting they do not regard Othello as natives but outsiders. Nevertheless, Othello, as a strong and brave warrior, is a general in the Venetian army. In Act one Scene 2 Othello first reveals his ‘services which I have done the signiory’, meaning he works for the Venetian government. Furthermore Othello’s authority becomes apparent as the Duke ‘have been hotly called for’ him to discuss combat in Cyprus. Othello’s position is so important, that ‘the senate hath sent about three several guests to search you out’. Othello’s strong and brave warrior trait is found in act 1 scene 3, prior to his departure of a sea battle with Turkish: ‘The tyrant custom, most grave senators, Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war My thrice-driven bed of down. I do agnize A natural and prompt alacrity I find in hardness, and do undertake These present wars against the Ottomites. Most humbly therefore bending to your state’ Othello puts aside his bride to get on with the battle, suggesting he values his position in the military – his immediate decision of get into the war also suggest that he is brave in leaving his spouse behind and knowing he will be reuniting with her again.
Despite his warlike nature, Othello remains calm in a heated situation in which he is accused of witchcraft. Just as Iago is ready to use is sword to fight Othello he said to Iago that his status and experience are far better ‘than with your weapons’; then as Brabantio asks to ‘lay hold upon him’ he asking more information such as where to answer his inquires. These examples shows that even in serious situation Othello fails to panic but to be rational to think of possible solutions without using physical force.
Shakespeare thus presents Othello as loving and gentle; he is a devoted husband. Again prior to leaving Desdemona for battle with ‘Turks’ he humbly asks Duke to make appropriate arrangements for his wife (‘Most humbly therefore bending to your state’) Meanwhile Desdemona response to Othello’s loving and gentle traits with her loyalty. ‘By his dear absence. Let me go with
him’. However, Shakespeare reveals the gullible nature of his eponymous protagonist. Iago disguises himself as one of his loyal ensigns though he cleverly manipulate Othello in Act one. ‘In following him I follow but myself’. In act 1 scene 2 Iago sets Othello up for trouble as both Roderigo and Iago persuaded Brabantio that Othello uses ‘black magic’ to lull his daughter. He kindly warned Othello ‘He will divorce you’. Othello believed him then he had a tense conversation with Brabantio. Iago’s manipulation on characters eventually result in total chaos, leading to the death of central characters in the letter parts of the play.
Othello, a play by William Shakespeare, takes place in Venice during the invasion of the island of Cyprus by the Turks. The protagonist of the story, Othello, is a newlywed, Moorish general with a very gullible nature. The antagonist of the story is Iago, an officer under Othello who wishes to be promoted to lieutenant, but the position was given to the young and attractive Cassio. Other major characters in the play are Desdemona, Othello's wife who is accused of having an affair with Cassio. In addition, there are Roderigo, a Venetian who is deeply in love with Desdemona; and Emilia (Iago's wife) who could have prevented the death of Desdemona.
Othello was jealous. He thought his wife was cheating on him and he thought he was killing for justice. He said that he loved not wisely but too well. It was not very smart of him to believe another man about something he should know more about. This is why I think of Othello as a tragic hero in this play. His character was brought to light of a horrible situation by a deceitful devil named Iago.
Shakespeare's tragic hero, Othello, was a man whose gifts far outnumbered his weaknesses. On the battlefield, he was accomplished; in his profession, he was highly ranked; and, in his life, he was blissfully married. Despite these great advantages, however, Othello's destiny was ruin. Everything he had so carefully made for himself would be destroyed by one flaw: his fear of remaining an outsider. He feared this fate, yet he harped on it continuously, tearing himself between his identity as a foreigner and his desire to live as a normal citizen. Even so far back as his first public speech, perturbations caused by this internal unrest surfaced, and it was unrest that would ultimately lead to his horrible and complete undoing.
From this time on, Othello has become the slave of passion. As he cries farewell to the tranquil mind, to content, to war and his occupation, as he demands that Iago prove his love a whore, as he threatens Iago and begs for proof at the same time, he is finally led almost to the verge of madness [. . .] . (165)
Othello, the Moor of Venice is one of the major tragedies written by William Shakespeare that follows the main character, Othello through his trials and tribulations. Othello, the Moor of Venice is similar to William Shakespeare’s other tragedies and follows a set of specific rules of drama. The requirements include, following the definition of a tragedy, definition of tragic hero, containing a reversal of fortune, and a descent from happiness. William Shakespeare fulfills Aristotle’s requirements in this famous play.
Throughout the play, Othello is looked at as an outsider who gained respect as a general and then gained attention for secretly marrying Desdemona. To overcome his status as a Moor, Othello feels the need to always appear to be in control which consequently makes him susceptible to being manipulated. Eventually, his desire to be respected becomes his greatest weakness and leads to him betraying the person who loved him the most. Othello’s willingness to assume the worst about his wife, and his decision to kill her for her alleged infidelity gives rise to different theories as to what his true motive for murdering her was. In the Stuart Birge film adaptation, Othello is overridden by emotion due to being betrayed by a woman he loves dearly whereas in the Oliver Parker version, he seems to murder his wife as revenge for making him look bad by cuckolding him. Although the text of the play suggests the Oliver Parker version is more accurate, both interpretations seem plausible.
The play “Othello” by William Shakespeare was written in 1604 during the Elizabethan era. Othello is one of the most extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare’s dramas. He enjoyed unheralded success in the combat zone, which gave him the reputation as one of Venice’s most competent generals. Even though he has great success on the battlefield, he has a dramatic flaw that causes a downfall in his life. The dramatic flaw that caused his downfall is jealousy.
The tragedy “Othello” is written by William Shakespeare in 1604. The story is based on revenge of two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello, the play’s protagonist and hero, who has great reputation as one of Venice’s most competent generals. However, his jealousy causes the major tragedy in his life. This tragedy is brought by a simple manipulation of Iago, the villain of the play. The jealousy led Othello to a path of constant questioning to his wife, and his friend Cassio. Throughout the play, he sinks deeper and deeper into his doubt and eventually that causes him to kill not only the love of his life, but also himself.
William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Othello” shows how a manipulative villain can create chaos within a society. The play was written around the year 1603 and takes place in Venice Italy before it is repositioned to Cyprus. This Shakespearean tragedy shows the effects of jealousy, love, desire, betrayal and passion in a society with an imbalance of power in a race, gender, and social position.
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.
In the first act of scene 4, we see Othello and Iago discussing Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. Othello still doesn't want to believe that Desdemona is capable, or would cheat on him. They're discussing the handkerchief, it's a very significant in the play, it's one of the first signs for Othello to believe that Desdemona is cheating on him. We usually see Othello defending Desdemona and Iago accusing her, but the roles have reversed and Iago seems to be defending Desdemona, while producing more "evidence" to condemn her. When Iago simply just says “Lie-” (Page 169, Line 33) without any further elaboration, Othello immediately assumes 'Lie with her”, which gives him more proof to condemn Desdemona and Cassio. Othello almost seems to be persuading himself that Desdemona did cheat on him when he says “Lie with her? Lie on her? We say lie on her when they belie her. Lie with her -Zounds, that's fulsome” (Page 169, lines 35-37). Right after that he falls in a trance, and Iago takes this opportunity, to make his accusation more believable. He calls in Cassio and tells him to come back again...
This character is so noble, Othello's feelings and actions follow so inevitably from it and from the forces brought to bear on it, and his sufferings are so heart-rending, that he stirs a passion of mingled love and pity which readers feel for no other hero in Shakespeare, and to which not even Mr Swinburne can do more than justice. Yet there are some critics and not a few readers who cherish a grudge against him. They do not merely think that in the later stages of his temptation he showed a certain obtuseness, and that, to speak pedantically, he acted with unjustifiable precipitance and violence; no one, I suppose, denies that. But, even when they admit that he was not of a jealous temper, they consider that he was "easily jealous"; they seem to think that it was inexcusable in him to feel any suspicion of his wife at all; and they blame him for never suspecting Iago or asking him for evidence. I refer to this attitude of mind chiefly in order to draw attention to certain points in the story. It comes partly from inattention (for Othello did suspect Iago and did ask him for evidence); partly from a misconstruction of the text which makes Othello appear jealous long before he really is so; [Endnote 2] and partly from failure to realise certain essential facts. I will begin with these.
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
One of the major issues in Shakespeare's Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African although some productions portray him as an Arabian. Othello is referred to by his name only seventeen times in the play. He is referred to as "The Moor" fifty-eight times. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) states that a Moor is "Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have adopted the Mohammedan religion. In Spanish history the terms Moo, Saracens, and Arabs are synonymous." This indicates that Othello is constantly being degraded and set up as an evil person throughout the play. What this really means is that Othello is being judged by his skin color rather than the person under the skin. The view that whites and non-whites are equal is a relatively new concept in our society. In institutionalized racism, such as American slavery, those of a different color were often viewed as inferior. As Shakespeare wrote Othello, this idea was becoming quite prominent as England entered the African slave trade. One can look at the racial issues from the perspective of color, slavery, and society.
In the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare love, jealousy, and conspiracy defined the tone of the play. Desdemona’s beauty makes two men fall desperate in love with her, but their differences make Othello the tragic hero of the play and Iago the despicable villain. Othello is a "tragic hero" because of his self-centered nature and his gullibility. Othello also has a noble stature and a high position in his culture. Othello is great and an honest solder but not perfect He also allows himself to be manipulated by other people for instance, Iago instead of trusting his own heart Othello easily believe other people or his friends. Othello is a tragic hero because he is noble, he suffers from a fatal tragic events and he goes through a tragic downfall. Iago is an envious and resentful men whose ambition is to have everything that belongs to Othello. Iago’s ambition is to obtain Othello’s position, love, and fortune. Although, Othello kills his wife Desdemona, Iago is responsible for her death, and the downfall of Othello and himself.