Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Jealousy and Ignorance in Othello, The Moor of Venice
In Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice, the concepts of love and friendship are explored through the manipulation of Othello by Iago. In this play, Iago is able to destroy the relationship between Othello and Desdemona, his wife, by convincing Othello that his wife has been disloyal to him and the sanctity of their marriage. An argument may be made that Othello's jealousy clouded his judgment and that his ignorance of what romantic love was contributed to his demise.
Othello, the Moor of Venice is the tragic story of the war hero, Othello, and the great lengths that his supposed friend and compatriot, Iago, went to in order to take away Othello's political power. Iago's quest begins when he is passed over for promotion and Michael Cassio, who he believes to be less qualified than him, is promoted to the position of lieutenant. It is during this time that Iago first attempts to create a conflict between Othello and Brabantio, a Venetian Senator and Desdemona's father, by informing him that Othello and Desdemona have secretly wed; Iago hopes that this information will create circumstantial misunderstandings that will escalate to the point that Othello will be punished. Although Iago is able to win Cassio's post, he continues to manipulate Othello through the exploitation of his "love" for Desdemona and eventually causes him to lose control over his life and brings forth his demise.
At the end of the play, after Iago has successfully contributed...
Though Othello is able to recognize what he did wrong, he believes that it was not jealousy alone that contributed to his demise, but contends that he was "one not easily jealousy; but being wrought/Perplex'd in the extreme" (5.2.395). It is through Othello's confession that the concept of love, and how he defines it, arises; did Othello love Desdemona so much that he was blinded by jealous rage and unable to see beyond their relationship, or did he not love her enough to take the time to understand her as a person and as a wife?
Othello lack of compassion and understanding of women can be traced to his upbringing and environment. Othello has spent a great part of his life moving from one military campaign to the next, and although he is a foreigner, is able to be promoted to a highly respected military rank and position. Moreover, Brabantio believes that Othello does not have the charm or skills to legitimately woo his daughter, Desdemona, and accuses Othello of using witchcraft to seduce his daughter; Brabantio exclaims, "Damn's as though art, thou hast enchanted her" (5.2.344).
Additionally, Othello does not know how to interact with his wife and often treats her as though she is an object. Othello does not like having Desdemona out of his sight and goes to great lengths to keep her by his side…
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Web. Accessed 23 November 2011.
Moreover, when Desdemona's handkerchief goes missing, and Othello approaches her about it, clearly thinking that she has given it to Cassio, Desdemona does not suspect that Emilia has taken the handkerchief from her. Unfortunately for Desdemona, her trusting nature ends up being her fatal flaw. Othello becomes increasingly cruel to Desdemona throughout the course of the play. Although the audience is not aware of their entire romantic history, it appears
It is also perfect because it permits Iago to draw Emilia into his schemes, whereby he can punish her for being unfaithful without dealing with whether or not his beliefs are true. 6. In what ways does "reputation" become an element of the conflict with each of the four major characters? For Othello, reputation becomes an element of conflict because he is proud and has a certain reputation to uphold, which
Othello and Love Love and Othello Love is a fleeting, passionate, agonizing, and steep theme to William Shakespeare's tragedies. Chief among these tragedies is Othello, which portrays the aspect of love in different ways. Through the eyes of the varied characters, the audience can see that love is easily thrown about to mean a number of things; true love, a phrase that seems to be used only by one character -- or
Humanities 202 FINAL EXAM Emilia: the wife of Iago. She provides the handkerchief for her husband, unwittingly facilitating Iago's orchestrated revenge upon Othello. However, she sympathizes with Desdemona, regarding all men as savages. She represents the ugly side of Iago's view of women, as there are hints Iago has abused her and he openly treats her cruelly when she irritates him -- eventually he kills her when she reveals his scheme. Roderigo:
OEDIPUS VS. OTHELLO Oedipus and Othello Oedipus and Othello are both productions where the namesake of the story or play experiences a downfall before the end of the play. Oedipus and Othello each experience a downfall Oedipus was a victim of the actions of the gods Othello was responsible for his own downfall Othello had opportunity to change his fate Othello was deceived by Iago Othello maims Iago Iago never explains his motivations iii. Othello's jealousy leads him to
Emilia, Wife of Iago Do not learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Othello, Act II, Scene i.] More than once, I think to myself how life could have been differed between that of my previous past to that which I have now. A woman whose prospects boiled down to nothing as important as marriage could not have many to begin with. But a husband whose soul blackens