The Use of Soliloquies in William Shakespeare's Othello

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The Use of Soliloquies in William Shakespeare's Othello

Soliloquy is a stage device which can be found throughout the works of

many modern day playwrights, and is famously used by Shakespeare in

his theatrical tragedy, “Othello.” We see at many key moments, both

the lead roles of Othello and Iago, speak when no other characters are

present or listening, revealing their inner most thoughts to the

audience, illuminating their private intentions and allowing them to

evaluate what their actions have already accomplished, without

offering the other characters the chance to learn what they are really

like.

Some critics express the opinion that modern audiences find that

soliloquy is often ‘outdated’ and ‘embarrassing.’ In a time of film,

where facial close-ups and various other informative techniques can be

adopted to reveal characters inner-most thoughts and emotions, the

soliloquy in contrast is delivered in neither a subtle or particularly

complex manner. Soliloquy can sometimes be seen as an easy way out for

writers to reveal their characters and their intent without having to

put in any work demonstrating them through dialogue and stage

direction.

By allowing the audience to witness a character talking only to

themselves, the soliloquies main purpose is to allow the audience to

feel secure that they are learning the purest truth about that

characters thoughts and are comfortable accepting these as fact.

However in retrospect, when Iago or Othello are revealing their own

thoughts to themselves, instead of seeing their words as one

dimensional and simply accepting them, we realise that they reveal

more about each of the cha...

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...a valuable sense of intimacy between the

actor and the audience which can then be manipulated through language

to arouse tension and gain an effective ‘strange-hold’ upon the

audience. If used correctly, as Shakespeare does, without having the

characters simply state what they are feeling but, through imagery,

show the audience just how they are feeling via the language they use,

then the soliloquy cannot cause embarrassment. The soliloquy shall

never be outdated with regards to performance on the stage, as the

playwright has no other choice than to have the characters tell you

what is on their minds. There is no space or means for any other

nature of access to the characters private thoughts, intent or

emotion. All in all, it’s effectiveness all depends on its delivery,

and this is something that Shakespeare mastered.

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