Words Used In Othello

We all know the importance of the spoken and heard words for the creation of Shakespeare’s dramatic worlds (Wall, 1979: 358). In the play Othello, the power of words helps drive the central action of the plot (Smith: 2011). Words are used in Othello to show the personalities of the characters, to show the audience what the characters are like, and lastly to have a conversation with the audience. The words that are used in the play is so that the audience can understand the play and also for the audience to know what is going to happen before the characters know.

Words that are spoken can be seen as powerful. In the play Othello, words are used to express lies and truths in the play. Without words, Othello and Desdemona would not have been

When we look at the name of the play, Othello (The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice), we can make the assumption that Othello is an outsider in the play. Before we start to read the play we already know that Othello will be an outsider and while we read the play we can understand why. We also find in the play, Othello that Iago refers to Cassio as an “honest fool” but in that phrase honest has a different meaning. “Honest Iago” is used so many times in the play that is ironic. Iago is seen as honest and we know when we read the play that he is everything but honest. This is ironic because honest in the play is seen as loyal, trustworthy, a man of his word, etcetera and Iago is anything but all of those characteristics. There is not character in the play that does not think that Iago is an honest man. Iago admits that to Roderigo at the beginning of the play: “I am not what I am” (Act I; Sc I; Line 35). Despite the truth of Iago’s confession to Roderigo that he is not what he appears to be, his gullible sidekick continues to trust this two-faced man and do what is asked of him. We can see during the play that Iago is a master at manipulation and he uses his words to manipulate people to do what he wants them to do and to believe what he wants them to

The idea of the play Othello is that the characters talk directly to the audience while they are performing the play. The idea of the play is that the audience is one step ahead of the play; Iago opens the play to the audience when he tells the audience what he is going to do, the audience knows from the beginning of the play what his plans are while the rest of the characters have no clue. Iago sees the audience as his friends, as the people who will help him and when he includes the audience in the play to make them feel part of the play. This is significant because everyone in the audience knows what Iago’s plans are while the rest of the characters still have to find