Othello Character Analysis Essay

817 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Shakespeare's plot and characterization

In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, Shakespeare provides insight into the personalities and traits of the characters. In Act I of the play, several aspects of personalities are revealed about the characters of Othello, Iago and Roderigo.
There are several aspects revealed about the character Othello within Act I of the play. Othello is presented as calm under pressure. “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them. Good signior, you shall move command with years than with your weapons.” (I.ii.76-79) Othello remains calm and authoritative even when swords are drawn against him. He says the above line without anger, but with a voice of certainty. Shakespeare wants the reader to sympathize with the character of Othello, and thus …show more content…

The character of Iago within Othello is depicted as the antagonist. Iago is resentful towards Othello. “Despise me if I do not. Three great ones of the city, in personal suit to make me lieutenant.” (I.i.8-10) Iago dislikes Othello because he is succeeding in life, while Iago believes he is worth more than just being a right-hand man. Shakespeare wants the reader to feel anger towards the character of Iago, by depicting the racism of society within him. “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” (I.i.97-98) Iago uses vulgar, racist language in a demeaning manner, which allows Shakespeare to evoke anger within the reader. Iago’s resentful behaviour returns as he wants to evoke the same anger Brabantio. It is seen how Iago uses animal imagery in his racist diatribe against Othello, which is grounded in the idea that black men (and women) are inhumane. Iago is devious and untrustworthy. As he states, “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not what I am.” (I.i.70-71) He follows Othello not out of “love” or “duty,” but because he feels he can exploit and dupe his master, thereby revenging himself upon the man. The day in which he reveals his inward emotions will never exist, connecting back to Shakespeare's depiction of a resentful individual, as Iago wants to hide his anger until he strikes. Shakespeare uses …show more content…

Shakespeare uses the first act to depict Roderigo as naive and gullible. “Tush! Never tell me. I take it much unkindly, that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse as if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.” (I.ii.1-3) Roderigo naively gives his money to Iago in exchange for vague but unfulfilled promises of amorous success in courting Desdemona. He does not see Iago’s intentions and does not understand that he is being used for his funds. Iago fills Roderigo with empty promises, and he follows, in hopes he may gain success. Roderigo is tunnel-visioned as his only motive is two gain the love of Desdemona. “If she be in her chamber or your house, let loose on me the justice of the state for thus deluding you.” (I.i.153-155) Roderigo’s only goal is marry Desdemona, and as a result, he is tunnel-visioned and is gullible to anything Iago tells him. “It cannot be. // It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will. Come, be a man. Drown thyself? Drown cats and blind puppies! I have professed me thy friend, and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness.” (I.ii.376-381) Roderigo seems to believe that Iago is sincere and heartfelt towards helping him win Desdemona, but little does he know that Iago only needs the funds and man to aid his own

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Othello

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Comparing Will In Shakespeare's Othello And Henry IV

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Othello, Iago is Shakespeare’s most malicious character and serves as a vehicle to these two themes. Iago despises Othello; he has a strong will to destroy Othello’s life, yet the motive behind his plan goes unexplained. Iago is a great manipulator of the tongue and lies to everyone in order to advance his plan; however, every character in the play considers Iago an honest character, and Othello even associates Iago with light and eyesight. Othello continuously asks Iago to explain or make something clearer. Until the very end, Iago appears to be honest and helpful to the other characters, but underneath this seemingly harmless façade, Iago is a demon with the strongest will; he will stop at nothing until he ruins Othello’s life. Iago uses a positive appearance to enact his

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Presentation Of Iago In Othello

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    Iago has been regarded as : “Shakespeare’s greatest villain”; shown by his ability to be both admired and despised for his manipulative and obsessive nature towards Othello and his relationship with Desdemona. In Act One, Iago can be seen to be admired for his work within the Venetian army and his want to warn Brabantio about the ‘evil’ Othello’s plans to ‘bewitch’ young Desdemona: “The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so....” Here, Iago is speaking within a soliloquy and is warning the audience that Othello has cruel intentions. Within the Jacobean era, the time of which the play was performed, attitudes towards black people were very negative and therefore, a white man would play the character

    Read More

  • Othello Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Towards the tail-end of the play, Roderigo, fed up with Iago’s counsel and frustrated by his lack of personal progress, approaches him with the intention of severing all ties. Iago, though, manages to maintain a leash over of him by playing on his jealous desire for Desdemona, promising him that he will have her in love in the coming days. This proves to be enough for him to convince Roderigo stay, and he resumes his manipulation. Despite his strong affinity for Othello’s wife, any romantic progress is halted due to Iago’s persistent interventions; he knows that merely mentioning the potential for a relationship between the two is enough to persuade him to do his bidding. While this seems desirable to Roderigo, in actuality, Iago is using his imaginative fantasies against him, and preventing any real advances in his journey for Desdemona, effectively destroying any possibility of this

    Read More

  • Civil Unrest in Othello

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Arthur Shopenhauer once described a racist man as a “…miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.” Without a doubt, racism is one of the key themes in Othello, which challenges the characters thoughts and actions throughout the play. One specific character, Iago, is driven by such racial distort, especially against Othello, that ultimately motivates his ingenious rampage of revenge and confusion. Hence, the characters racist attitudes, but mainly Iago’s, creates the momentum needed to spur the confusion and tension between the characters, resulting in the popular Shakespearean dramatic ending. Iago’s word choice describes very clearly his racial vision of Othello. He refers to Othello throughout the play by many racial slurs: “the moor”, “an erring barbarian”, and “black ram”. His attitude towards Othello implies certain personal characteristics: it shows that he is, jealous, hateful, and insecure “of his own inferiority.” From the beginning, Iago has been the “playmaker” of the play, always instigating the trouble and trying somehow to damage Othello.

    Read More

  • Iago’s Manipulation in Act One of Shakespeare's Othello

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite the negative foregrounding of Othello’s character by Iago, our first impressions of Othello in Act 1 are of a noble and well-spoken man, his nobility is conveyed through his speech ‘most potent grave and reverend signiors’(1.3.76) to his future father-in-law Brabantio of Othello’s love for his daughter Desdemona in Act 1 Scene 3. This is a very different character to what we expect from Iago’s preparation for the introduction of Othello. Where we are expecting an angry and possibly violent character, we instead are met with something completely surprising, a quiet and calm man who dismisses Roderigo’s insult and even avoids the prospect of a conflict.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Iago and Lucifer

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the antagonist and villain who causes all the trouble and disorder. Othello is the protagonist, and is the main person Iago’s destruction and revenge is aimed towards. Othello is naïve and gives everybody his trust even though he may not know them or they haven’t earned his trust yet. He often refers to Iago has “Honest” Iago, which is a direct showing of irony because Iago is not honest at all (Shakespeare, I, iii. 289). Iago is so angry that Othello didn’t give him the promotion that was given to Cassio that he plans to seek revenge against Othello. He seeks his revenge against Othello by manipulating and lying to all of the people around him including his closest friend Roderigo, Cassio, Othello’s wife Desdemona and even his own wife Emilia. In the end, Iago’s lies and manipulation led to the deaths of Roderigo, Emilia, Othello and Desdemona. This isn’t the first time many of these individual characteristics have shown up in one of Shakespeare’s plays.

    Read More

  • The Misunderstood Iago of Othello

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fred West addresses the fact of Iago misrepresentation, “It is not sufficient to simply drape Iago in allegorical trappings and proclaim him Mister Evil or a Machiavel or a Vice. Such a limited view of Iago is an injustice to the complexity of his character, since Shakespeare’s studies in personality are acclaimed by psychologists for their accuracy and profundity” (27). West seems to be reminding us that just seeing Iago as the representation of evil within the play of “Othello” is the wrong way to paint him. Iago is a man wronged by Othello in the fact that he was not chosen to be Othello’s lieutenant, which is what put the dastardly idea into Iago’s head to trick them all and bring them to their knees. As Iago tells Roderigo within the first act and scene of “Othello”,

    Read More

  • Othello Final Speech Analysis

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    The truth comes out after Othello has murdered his wife and before he kills himself he says, “must you speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well.” (Shakespeare 360), meaning that he wants to be described as someone who loved too much, but who was not wise. His jealousy and fear of ruining his reputation after murdering Desdemona lies within his final speech. Although, he mentions in his speech, “Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, perplexed in the extreme” (Shakespeare 360), trying to convince the audience not to see him the way the events seem to make him look. He is trying to imply that he was not easily made jealous, but was tricked and manipulated by Iago. Othello wants to avoid having a bad reputation and would like the audience to remember him as an honorable

    Read More

  • How Does Iago Use Pathos In Othello

    1696 Words  | 4 Pages

    With Roderigo, someone he commands control over, Iago employs pathos, allowing his plan to appeal to Roderigo’s sensitive emotions about Othello. Roderigo and Iago discuss about how each of them despise Othello when Iago says, “If ever I did dream of such a matter, / Abhor me” using pathos to confirm his hatred towards the General (1.2. 5-6). The play commences with Iago employing direct rhetoric and partnering up with Roderigo to enhance a sense of comradery. Harsh language such as “Abhor me”, exemplifies the hateful emotions Iago feels toward Othello as well as enhances the emotions Iago wants to appeal to in Roderigo (1.2. 6). Affecting Roderigo more influentially, Iago uses deeper, more personal pathos, by highlighting the seemingly good qualities in Roderigo. Iago contrasts Roderigo to Othello pointing out, “Let not they discreet heart think it…manners and beauties: all which the/ Moor is defective in” (2.1. 215, 219-220). Firstly, Iago weighs Roderigo’s positive qualities against Othello’s negatives ones, convincing Roderigo to feel more confident with Iago and following along with his scheme. Secondly, Iago alters this rhetoric to include Roderigo’s love interest, Desdemona. By exemplifying a more personal and sensitive side when talking about “manners and beauties”, Iago can create a bigger impact in

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact of Gender Roles in Othello

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iago uses the implications of gender roles throughout the play. He creates doubt about Othello’s masculinity, and feeds off of the anxiety these observations create. Iago is not immune to the negative impact of gender standards that cannot be fulfilled. Mark Breitenberg describes these feelings as “…male, heterosexual jealousy – the anxiety and violence engendered in men by a patriarchal economy that constructs masculine identity” and explains these anxieties are “…dependent on the coercive and symbolic regulation of women’s sexuality” (377). Iago’s hatred of Othello is due to the insecurity he feels about his own masculinity and it causes him to feel jealousy towards Othello. As Karen Newman opines, “Othello both figures monstrosity and at the same time represents the white male norms the play encodes through Iago” (153). He is as a brutish, savage monster, but these negative traits can be warped into desirable ones by means of masculine stereotypes. Othello is large, strong, and a warrior. ...

    Read More

  • Othello Analysis

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning of the play Othello exhibits behaviors leading one to believe that he is a patient, well spoken, and calm man, even when faced with uncomfortable and intimidating situations. In one of Othello’s first appearances he is about to be attacked and arrested for charges of witchcraft, but when armed men arrive to seize him, rather than fighting them he says “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (I.ii.58). Saying this, he calms Brabanzio’s men and he agrees to have a hearing about the issue in front of the duke rather than fighting about it.

    Read More

  • Othello Act 1 Scene 1 Essay

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Othello's Tragic Flaw

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 hopeful support until the inevitable and unavoidable fall. The evil side of Othello’s tragic flaw came from without, in the form of Iago. The internal flaw exists only in his heartrendingly unshakable goodness and honor.

    Read More

  • The Personality of Othello

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello’s speech to Brabantio and the Duke in Act 1, Scene 3 is of major importance in describing Othello’s personality. This long speech, found in lines 149 to 196, shows Othello for the first time as a person with depth and less as a soldier. This speech is important to the book as a whole because it is a testimony to the strength of the love between Othello and Desdemona, which will later play a major role in the plot. It is also one of the first times that we see Othello trying to influence his audience with his words. The speech given by Othello is intended to convince Brabantio that Desdemona is with him willfully, and not by “spells and medicines bought of montebanks” (line 74).

    Read More

More about Othello Character Analysis Essay

Open Document