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Iago influence of othello
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In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, The protagonist, Othello, a respected Moorish general in the army of Venice descends into murderous jealousy against his wife. Othello is initially depicted as a heroic and successful military leader whose thoughts are governed by logic and reason. Unfortunately, Othello has a few tragic flaws - he is gullible, suffers from low self-esteem because of his race and age, and like many men of that time, contemptuous of women. All these factors play a role in Othello's ultimate fall, however, Iago's exploitation of Othello's defect is the main reason that causes Othello to be driven by jealousy to the point that it consumes his entire existence that leads to the tragic outcome of the play. Iago's incessant deception and lies cause Othello's judgment to be eclipsed by insecurity, jealousy and lack of trust towards his wife leading to his tragic demise.
Despite of Othello's status, he seems to naively trust Iago who insinuates that Desdemona is committing adultery. Ironically, Othello easily distrusts his own wife. Hoover Jordan illustrates Men's attitude towards women: "Othello foolishly trusts all men, or in the more elaborate phrase of Edward Dowden, 'he looks on men with a gaze too large and royal to suspect them of malignity and fraud". From there to Frank Harris's contemptuous term 'a credulous fool' is but a step. As a consequence, such a man, placed against the background of a highly civilized society, can know little of "all the humbug, pretence, selfishness, lust and vileness which-especially in a rich and refined society are rampant everywhere." Having entered innocently into a "hasty, ill-mated, and un- looked-for marriage," he seems almost foredoomed to lose his faith in his wife."...
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...hero reduced to a cold blooded murderer because of his jealousy, trust of a villain and, ironically, distrust of his own wife.
Works Cited
Cassal, Steve. "Shakespeare's OTHELLO." Explicator 61.3 (2003): 131. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Mar. 2010.
Hadfield, Andrew. "Race in 'Othello': the 'History and Description of Africa' and the Black Legend." Notes and Queries. 45.3 (Sept. 1998): p336. From Literature Resource Center.
Jordan, Hoover H. "Dramatic Illusion in Othello." Shakespeare Quarterly 1.3 (1950): 146-152. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.
Neely, Carol Thomas. "Women and Men in Othello: 'What should such a fool/Do with so good a woman?'." Shakespeare Studies 10.(1977): 133. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 20 Mar. 2010.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Russ McDonald. New York: Pelican, 2001.
Kernan, Alvin. “Othello: and Introduction.” Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Ed. Alfred Harbage. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1964.
"Othello." Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Lynn M. Zott. Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale, 2003. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 May 2014. .
Othello's identity in the Venetian society is his role as "the Moor". Few people use his real name when talking about him. When speaking the given quote, Othello is telling the Venetians how he won Desdemona's heart by telling her the story of his life, and he now retells it to the Venetians. This tale-telling is a way of employing the linguistic system to reshape for himself a new identity with more positive connotations than "the Moor" can offer. "The Moor" is an expression the Venetians connect to other expressions in the linguistic system which all have a negative value. Examples are such expressions as "old black ram...
...Gardner, Helen. “Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune.” Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from “The Noble Moor.” British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955.
Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Crawford, Alexander W. Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear. Boston R.G. Badger, 1916. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. (April 30 2014) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/othello/othelloessay2.html >.
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55)
Scott, Mark. Critical Interperatation of Othello. from Shakespeare for Students. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Incorperated, 1992. 411-457.
Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Othello’s true flaw is not vile, destructive jealousy, but rather pure and prevailing love. He has a very strong character of virtue and nobility that is intact up to the horrid end. Iago’s deceit and trickery are more the cause of Othello’s tragic fall than any fault of Othello himself. This innocence and greatness of the tragic hero unequaled in any other Shakespearean tragedy is what gives the play its terrible irony and passion. Othello plays on the most powerful of all human emotions: faith and love, both embodied to the fullest in the great and honest Othello.
Bradley, A.C. Lecture IX: Macbeth . Shakespearean Tragedies: Lectures on Hamlet, Othelo, King Lear, Macbeth . Macmllan & Co., 1904.
The character Othello, from the tragedy Othello, is portrayed as faultless in many ways in the beginning. However, as the story goes on, many unattractive qualities are revealed through Othello’s actions. One flaw of his is that he is too trusting. Othello believes Iago’s lies and so unable to trust from then on. Such as, when he believes Iago when Iago tells him that Desdemona gave Cassio her handkerchief, although this is quite untrue. Later on, he does not believe Desdemona when she continually tells him that she is not cheating on him, as his trust has been destroyed. Another equally important flaw of his is jealousy. Othello is jealous of the suspicious relationship between his lieutenant Cassio and his wife Desdemona. This is ironic because there really is no such affair between the two. Othello has many flaws which allow him to seem more humanlike and connect to society.These many flaws of Othello allow for more genuineness to be seen within him, and as a result he appeals more to the public. Authenticity is imperative for the public to connect with the character Othello and really enjoy the Shakespearean tragedy. Othello is...
What should be noticed in particular is that, essentially, Shakespeare invented Iago; set him down in his dramatis personae with the single epithet “a villain”; and devoted most of the play’s lines and scenes to showing in detail the cunning, malignancy, and cruelty of his nature, including the cowardice of his murder of his wife. It seems to me therefore impossible to believe, as some recent critics would have us do, that the root causes of Othello’s ruin are to be sought in some profound moral or psychological deficiency peculiar to him. (137)
Shakespeare’s famous play Othello is a play of love that has turned bad by the unfounded jealousy of the protagonist character Othello. Arguably the contribution of Othello’s susceptibility to manipulation, his weaknesses and the manipulation of other characters tactics such as Iago each contribute to the downfall of Othello. However, to the extent of which each is more significant varies and this is what will be analysed in this essay.