Othello: What Drives Our Actions?

666 Words2 Pages

Othello
What Drives Our Actions? What motivates one to do the things they do? Is it just simple acts of betrayal, jealousy, or deceit? Perhaps it is maybe something more than that such as a deep exterior force exerted on humankind. (Exp. The devil) We often do not know the answers to the above questions; sometimes there can be multiple reasons. In the Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare gives the reader insights towards the motives of the characters’ actions through the employment of the literary devices symbolism, tone, and theme. Othello, the protagonist, is depicted as a noble, powerful, well-respected man in the early stages of the play. However, as the plot thickens, he is driven to corruption on the basis of the misplaced handkerchief that Desdemona possessed. The handkerchief itself plays the most significant symbol because it causes a massive turning point in the plot. Othello gave the handkerchief to Desdemona as a gift. It serves as a “token of his love, which Desdemona cherishes” (3.3.1). As a result, Iago, the deceiver, convinces his wife, Emilia, to steal it from Desdemona. He knows that it has a lot of sentimental value and Othello would …show more content…

He is the only one in the play who speaks to the audience, and his harsh rages about Othello and Cassio, his view of women as worthless prostitutes, and self-praise about the nasty things he does sets the foundation of how the reader views the story. Shakespeare’s tone depicts the hypocrisy among the people of the city; most which holds higher standard positions. For example, when Iago says, “O beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock [t]he meat it feeds on,” (3.3.178-180) demonstrates this hypocritical tone. It seems as though Iago is comparable to the Devil through his wisdom, but cunning mannerism. Eventually, Othello even began to mirror Iago's bitter tone in his own rants about jealousy and sexual

Open Document