The Major Themes of Shakespeare's Othello Exposed Through Speeches

604 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes in Shakespeare in love

Othello, written in the 16th century by William Shakespeare, revolves around the themes of jealousy, appearance versus reality, and interracial relationships. Othello, one of the main characters, is a round and dynamic character. Othello’s personality and his speeches varied a lot throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the play, due to his sole weakness of jealousy.
In the beginning of the play, Othello’s speeches were long and his personality was a brave man. His speeches were long because he was always explaining of things in defense of Brabantio’s accusations and he was not the best at making conversation. As Othello said in the debut of the play, “rude am I in my speech and little blessed with the soft phrase of peace.” (34) This quote shows that Othello is not as comfortable as he wishes to be with talking smoothly. His personality was a heroic and valiant fighter who rarely gets angry. To show Othello is a heroic individual, the Duke of Venice said to him, “Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you against the general enemy Ottoman.” (32) In the start of the play, Othe...

Show More
Related

  • The Theme of Control in Shakespeare's Othello

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the beginning of the play, Othello is in control. First of all, Othello has military control. Being a seasoned warrior, he is appointed by the Duke of Venice to lead the Venetian forces. This position entails a great deal of control; as general, Othello has the power to organize and order the Venetian forces at will. Secondly, Othello has control in dangerous predicaments. After discovering the harmful intentions of Brabantio, Othello shows confidence of his control in Act I, Scene 2, and relies on his credentials: "Let him do his spite. My services which I have done the signiory Shall outtongue his complaints" (1.2.18-20). When Brabantio arrives with his troops and both sides draw their swords, Othello demonstrates his control again: "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them" (1.2.59). Through the whole ordeal, Othello remains an author...

    Read More

  • Othello

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Millicent Bell wrote an essay entitles “Othello’s Jealousy” which talks about Othello’s sexual jealousy. The author talks about how Othello’s jealousy eats away at him and his determination to make his wife turn out to be a cheater. A.C. Bradley’s “The Noble Othello” goes into depth about how the author thinks that Othello is innocent in the play. He sees Othello are noble and one of Shakespeare’s best characters.

    Read More

  • Othello: A Study of Prejudice and Power Imbalance

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Othello” shows how a manipulative villain can create chaos within a society. The play was written around the year 1603 and takes place in Venice Italy before it is repositioned to Cyprus. This Shakespearean tragedy shows the effects of jealousy, love, desire, betrayal and passion in a society with an imbalance of power in a race, gender, and social position.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Othello Essay

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare uses language as the subject and medium of his plays. One truly sees the power of words and their delivery, along with the tremendous effect that they can have on people within the plays Othello and Henry V. Shakespeare’s characters, Iago and King Henry, use rhetoric devices to stimulate the other characters and shape the plot of the play. King Henry, who acts as the protagonist of the play, adjusts his feelings and speech patterns to increase the level of receptiveness from his listeners. He uses his conviction to strategically manipulate in order to be an effective leader. His wide range of emotions and ways of speaking can be uplifting and encouraging, but also harsh and threatening. Iago on the other hand, is the antagonist

    Read More

  • Othello Final Speech Analysis

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    1.) In the play “The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice” written by Williams Shakespeare, he reveals the main themes in Othello’s final speech. The two main themes Othello illustrates in his final speech are reputation and jealousy. In Othello’s speech he says, “When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am.” (Shakespeare 355), showing the importance of his reputation. He is unable to cope with criticism due to his low-self-esteem and therefore, cares what other individuals have to say about him. Othello’s dark skin is the reason why he does not have high-self-esteem and becomes jealous when Iago tells him about his wife having an affair with Cassio. Othello loves Desdemona but he feels that he is not good enough for her

    Read More

  • Doubt in Shakespeare´s Othello

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    Othello is a man who comes from a hard life. In the time period the play is set in, racism is common and Othello is a target for it due to his dark skin. He fought in many battles and was put into slavery for a time. Now he is a high ranking General in the army. Othello, for all that he has been through, is also kind, caring, and trusting of those close to him. He cares and trusts his comrades and is loving and kind to his wife, Desdemona. Othello is also r...

    Read More

  • Othello is Not a Tragic Hero

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is “Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?”

    Read More

  • Pure and Foolish Love in Othello

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello, the central character of William Shakespeare's play is an excellent leader but a poor reasoner and foolish lover. The tragedy of `Othello' is largely due to Othello's personality and life experience. Othello believes himself to be loved and respected by everyone around him as most people refer to him as the "noble General Othello". Othello, after realizing his tragic mistake of murdering his innocent wife, Desdemona, claims he "loved not wisely, but too well", this is an honest reflection of himself as his love was true and pure but also foolish. His lack of wisdom is because of his little experience in personal relationship and his role as a noble solider. Othello did love too well and it is shown right through the play as he displays his love for Desdemona but also his ignorant trust and love for Iago, his Ancient.    Only knowing a soldier's life, Othello was unwise in relationships and love.

    Read More

  • Manipulation In Othello

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the scenes of Othello, the plot and characters of the play seem truly loving and trustworthy at first. Othello is a tragedy written by the master of English theater himself, William Shakespeare. The play tells the story of a powerful general of the Venetian army, Othello, whose life and marriage are ruined by a conniving, deceitful, and envious soldier, Iago. However, the subject of jealousy and betrayal has began to spread throughout almost each character 's veins after the manipulations of Iago come to alter the play all together. Shakespeare has created a mixed series of informal trials in which individuals are made to furnish proof of their claims. Through the manipulations of Iago, however, the play reveals how language can

    Read More

  • How Does Iago Present Othello In Act 1 Scene 1

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    For the analysis of the passage, I have selected Scene I from Othello, which is the play of William Shakespeare. In Scene, I Act I of Othello, the untimely switching over between Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio can be seen. This dialogue is about the suspected love among Desdemona, and Othello. Desdemona is the daughter of Brabantio, while Othello is named as the black Moor. This elaborates the approaches that highlight the extent to which race had become a significant motif, and it had greatly influenced by the improvement and progress of the plot.

    Read More

  • Othello Analysis

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning of the play Othello exhibits behaviors leading one to believe that he is a patient, well spoken, and calm man, even when faced with uncomfortable and intimidating situations. In one of Othello’s first appearances he is about to be attacked and arrested for charges of witchcraft, but when armed men arrive to seize him, rather than fighting them he says “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (I.ii.58). Saying this, he calms Brabanzio’s men and he agrees to have a hearing about the issue in front of the duke rather than fighting about it.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Human Nature in Shakespeare's Othello

    2304 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare creates a mood that challenges the way a person sees his or her self and the world. Subjects like racism, sexism, love, hate, jealously, pride, and trickery are thoroughly developed in the play of Othello to enable the audience to view the characters and also themselves. The Shakespearean tragedy of Othello was written in a time of great racial tensions in England. According to Eldred Jones, in 1600 just three years before Othello was written, Queen Elizabeth proclaimed an Edict for the Transportation of all "negars and blackmoores" out of the country ("Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays 39). It is in this atmosphere that Shakespeare began the masterpiece of Othello, a drama about a noble black Arab general, Othello, who falls in love with and marries, Desdemona, a young white daughter of a senator. From the above knowledge one may conclude that Shakespeare wrote Othello to express that all people, of all ethnicity, are basically the same in human nature. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of Othello from an Italian love story by Giraldi Cinthio. However, Shakespeare focuses more on the differences in color and age between Othello and Desdemona than Cinthio. Shakespeare does this to escalate Othello’s isolation from the rest of Venetian society and to display Othello’s vulnerability due to his color. In the tragedy not only is Othello susceptible to weaknesses but so is every major character . The tragedy reminds humans that even one’s good nature can be taken advantage of for the worse. The drama Othello expresses, through relationships and emotional attitudes, a theme that all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they are in positions of power and glory.

    Read More

  • Othello’s Dramatic Flaw in Shakespeare's Othello

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning of the play we see Othello as a strong character. His stature, tall, dark, African Moor, combined with his personal charisma, assist him in gaining the respect and allegiance of the Venetian people and senators. Since Othello has been a soldier all his life, he is seen as a very admirable man. His title alone, governor-general, presents an air of nobility, strength, and confidence. Othello’s title defines someone who is held in extremely high esteem by people of Venice. An example would be when the Duke and a few Senators are discussing issues around the table when Othello enters the room. It’s clear that Othello is held in admiration when, as he enters, one of the senators states “Here comes Barbantio and the valiant Moor” (I...

    Read More

  • The Impact of Gender on Shakespeare's Othello

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tragedy “Othello” is written by William Shakespeare in 1604. The story is based on revenge of two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello, the play’s protagonist and hero, who has great reputation as one of Venice’s most competent generals. However, his jealousy causes the major tragedy in his life. This tragedy is brought by a simple manipulation of Iago, the villain of the play. The jealousy led Othello to a path of constant questioning to his wife, and his friend Cassio. Throughout the play, he sinks deeper and deeper into his doubt and eventually that causes him to kill not only the love of his life, but also himself.

    Read More

  • Modernism and Postmodernism in Shakespeare's Othello

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello teaches us much about our current postmodern culture. The play connects to our ideas of sexism, male-bonding, racism and capitalism. Shakespeare uses these universal and timeless flaws in humanity along with our use of language and truth to tell his tale. Iago, over a period of about three days, uses these facets of humanity to turn Othello against his wife Desdemona and his friend Cassio. Othello reveals both the struggle of the British people of the early 1600's and Americans in the late 1900's with sexism, capitalism and racism.

    Read More

More about The Major Themes of Shakespeare's Othello Exposed Through Speeches

Open Document