The Importance Of Reputation In William Shakespeare's Othello

Abraham Lincoln once said that character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Reputation can be destroyed by one poor decision or speech while character is stable and unlikely to waver. A person who is proud of their actions is more likely to hold their character in high regard and behave in ways that they consider honorable. In order to determine an individual’s reputation, a society will view a person based on how they appear given the beliefs and value systems of the community. A good reputation is earned when an individual’s unique value system aligns with the community’s values. In the event that a good reputation is soiled by acting against what society views as

Othello’s personality was shaped largely by war and his pride as a capable soldier. He was intelligent and strong enough to live through countless battles and lead troops into war with successful results. Even Iago, who hates Othello for passing him over for the lieutenant position, can not deny Othello’s noble yet naïve nature, which he explains to Roderigo, “The Moor is of a free and open nature” (Act 1 Scene 3 390). However, as Iago continually hints to Othello that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio, more of his negative personality traits begin to show up. Doubt, mistrust, jealousy and rage all grew with Iago’s hints and led him to believe that his wife had damaged his reputation by being unfaithful to him. In the beginning of Othello, Othello betted on his life that Desdemona loved him and would never betray him and by the end of Shakespeare’s story, he suffocates and kills his wife out of honor in order to preserve his reputation and sense of self. He killed her not only out of a sense of duty, but also because of how hurt and betrayed he felt about her perceived infidelity. Therefore, Othello represents the good and the bad side of human nature by being intelligent, loving, open, and honorable and the bad by doubting his wife, exhibiting jealousy, anger and

However, when Emilia spoke against her husband and revealed that Desdemona had been blameless, Othello’s reputation was shattered. After reflecting upon his time fighting Turks in Aleppo and on how he had been acting towards his wife, Othello’s own character considered what he had done as unforgivable. In fact, Othello did not simply detest what he had done, but he hated himself for it and believed he deserved to die. Othello then finally showed his true character by stating of himself, “And say besides that in Aleppo once, where a malignant and a turbaned Turk beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by th’ throat the circumciséd dog and smote him – thus” (Act 5 Scene 2 347-52) and stabbed himself in order to rectify his own wrongdoing. Othello, spoke as though he was killing the Turk inside of him by killing himself and said that he wanted to be remembered for who he was and not greater or lesser than he was. He wanted to be thought of as ‘noble