Essays on Shakespeare’s play Othello, covering a range of topics and popular character themes (Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Cassio, Emilia, Roderigo and more). Scroll down for a commentary on emotions and self-interest in Othello together with a guide to the key points for discussion in Othello essays.
In Shakespeare’s, Othello, the reader is put into a battle between Good and Evil. The forces of evil lead to the demise of Othello, a noble venetian moor, known as an honourable soldier and leader. Othello’s demise results in him murdering his wife Desdemona. Desdemona represents the “good” in nature. Being “Good” is defined as … Read more
“Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit and lost without deserving.” This a quote that William Shakespeare wrote when he has created the “Tragedy of Othello” and with that, readers would ask what the purpose of this writing would be. The grand message the author wants to teach its readers … Read more
Inside the sixteenth century, as we see simply from Othello and different works of both Shakespeare and Cinthio’s original version of Othello, race changed into a subject of super debate and dialogue. nowadays, inside the twenty-first century the debate retains its controversy and passion. but, attitudes in the direction of race have taken a dramatic … Read more
What is feminism? Feminism can mean different things to different people. Google defines feminism as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes”. To me feminism is the idea that all people should have equal rights and equal access no matter their sex. The lack of feminism in Othello … Read more
Throughout time, writing has often portrayed current events that happen within the world; whether it be race, gender, or any of the above. Many authors have found ways to incorporate this into their work. Shakespeare’s Othello is an example as to how the actions of others and themselves reflect the time the play was written. … Read more
Desdemona is the noble daughter of Brabantio the Venetian Senator and the wife of Othello, a military commander in Venice. Initially, Desdemona is introduced to the audience as a beautiful young lady who is soft in nature and would never disobey her fathers commands or expectations. During the first act, her father, Brabantio states “A … Read more
Jaleel WIlliams Mrs. Spitaleri LAL IV March 6, 2017 The Napkin With A Multitude of Meanings “Here Fair Desdemona, take this as a symbol of my undying love for you.” (Shakespeare Act 1.Scene 2). “Othello”, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, is believed to have been written in the 17th century. Shakespeare idea from this play … Read more
William Shakespeare, author of Othello, “was a well- known playwright author in the 1590s and is still popular today” (William). Shakespeare’s renowned works of tragic literature are no stranger to violence and death, and his play Othello is no exception. Instead of representing love, the handkerchief becomes the definitive test of love. In this story, … Read more
In a story as well-known as Othello we get to see and understand the dynamics between a complex set of characters. The tragic hero, Othello. Iago, Shakespeare’s classic supervillain. Desdemona, the pure and faithful angelic figure. Roderigo the dumb-witted, love-struck, wealthy socialite. It’s the fundamental interaction between these characters that creates the awestruck, mythical, calamitous … Read more
Sexism in Othello In Othello, women are not seen in society as equal to males. The women are not able to pick who they marry, as their father must grant permission and choose who he wants his daughter to marry to try to become more wealthy and keep money in the family. During this play, … Read more
Explore the idea of doubleness in Shakespeare’s Othello. Doubleness and deceit permeates almost every scene and character in the play. Doubleness in the sense of fakery and insincerity is a central concept in identifying the self-contradictions within Othello and contributes to the seemingly contradictory actions and choices of many of the characters. Iago, the chief … Read more
Othello, a story of a military general who is seen and felt as an outsider, is plagued with jealousy. He is an invader to not only the state, but the family of the beautiful and fair Desdemona. This underlying theme of him being the invader, underhandedly ruins his life and relationship: Othello: Soft you, a … Read more
William Shakespeare is widely known for his literature, most of which depicts love. In his tragic narration, Othello, Shakespeare brings out love, blended with deceit and jealousy, leading to destruction. The title is drawn from the name of a Moorish general in the army of Venice. The story revolves around Othello, the general, hence the … Read more
How is Othello driven into insanity and ultimately suicide? Rational and Stable A. “With all my heart.” (1.3.314-315) Othello proclaims that he would never disregard his formal responsibilities even if Desdemona is with him. He then asserts, “With all my heart,” clarifying he will perform with his whole heart in both his duties and relationship … Read more
Shakespeare has been greatly influenced by the time period he wrote Othello in when observing the roles of racism and white beauty standards in the play. The protagonist of the play, Othello, is a general in the defence forces of Venice, husband of the fair Desdemona and a man of North African descent. While it … Read more
101 years ago marks the year where women gained the right to vote in the United Kingdom. Before this time, women were treated as property to their superior opposite: men. Women fought a hard and long battle in order to have the right to vote. Movements and protests took place continuously until they were provided … Read more
Setting is one of the most important elements used in every literature genre. Setting includes location, point in time, and the social environment that frames the characters. This could greatly impact things in a story such as tone, theme, and atmosphere something as simple as a different time period could dramatically change the way the … Read more
Good and evil have a complex relationship and no one wholly one or the other, and this is explored in Othello by William Shakespeare. In the play the protagonist Othello is manipulated and worn down to a being of pure jealousy by the antagonist Iago. Iago is by no means a perfect villain but the way … Read more
The theme of a female’s role in a society is explored in many ways in Othello. Through the eyes of Emilia, we see inequalities in marriage and women’s own perception of men. Emilia offers a take on marriage and relations of genders that would have been truly ahead of Shakespeare’s times in Act IV, Scene … Read more
Introduction: Throughout history, the mistreatment of women for arbitrary reasons has been well documented. During the Elizabethan period, women were severely abused and were considered far inferior to men. However, William Shakespeare’s play “Othello” presents a contradiction to the commonality of the time. My hypothesis is that the character of Desdemona was illustrated by Shakespeare … Read more
Shakespeare uses his perspective on situations, e.g. the way minor characters are used in Romeo & Juliet and Othello to illustrate the way in which these characters behave and what role they have on the play overall and how Shakespeare has used them to portray a message. This essay will focus on comparing the different … Read more
Written in 1866, The Ruined Maid had been written rather early into Hardy’s writing career, creating an insinuation to modern readers of his advanced views on women as he forces his contemporary readers to reconsider conventional values regarding female chastity. This had also been written 10 years after Hardy witnessed the hanging of Martha Brown, … Read more
In this essay through close reading I will discuss the importance of the scene in relation to the characters and main themes explored in the play whilst investigating how the play text can be turned into actions by the actor, analysing the language for cues on performance. Othello is a domestic tragedy based around the … Read more
Whether or not people will admit it, most individuals have someone in their life that makes them feel unappreciated. How far would they go to avenge themself? William Shakespeare, the writer of the play Othello uses the antagonist as a vehicle to silently torture the man he wants to get back at. This sixteenth century … Read more
In Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Othello” many characters are duplicitous to the extent that how they are perceived in public is not how they behave in private. With the character of Othello, his appearance seems to be successful and proud however the reality of it is that he struggles to balance his personal life and professional life. … Read more
Othello, written by William Shakespeare is the story of sexualized jealousy. Jealousy and envy take a toll on the story from beginning to end. Jealousy is the “green-eyed monster” that is inherently unreasonable. Othello, as well as, the other characters feature jealousy as the dominant motive for their actions. Shakespeare portrays sexual and romantic jealousy, … Read more
The Shakespeare play Othello mainly focuses on honesty and liars and in this play its known as a tragedy. The main character Othello winds up killing his wife for an ethical reason and its because he was manipulated to falsely to think that his wife is cheating with the person he just fired from the … Read more
Society is ever-changing and our view of the world around us is constantly forming. Since Shakespeare wrote, ‘Othello’, society’s views have changed, and the interpretation of texts change along with it. Each individual’s perspective on the ideas presented in a text shift with cultural conditions in our ever-changing world. The original script of ‘Othello’ was … Read more
Madness is a recurring motif in Shakespearean plays, and in many situations, it is the reason that a play becomes a tragedy. Shakespeare is eminent for toying with the frailty of the human mind in his many plays, and subjects the characters to a series of events that could tamper with anyone’s rationality. The most … Read more
Humans often learn by imitating others, which sometimes involves imitating others’ desires. However, this can be problematic because when two humans desire the same object, it can turn into conflict and violence, which can lead to destruction. According to Rob Wilson in “Othello: Jealousy as Mimetic Contagion”, “Desire is mimetic. It always focuses on some … Read more
The play Othello by William Shakespeare is one of his greatest plays that is revolved around drama. It talks about friends and how not everyone can be trusted. Shakespeare wanted to tell a story of how no matter how close you are to someone you can never truly trust them. The research of characters in … Read more
Jealousy is a disease that is built upon hatred and insecurity, forever present in an individual but simply awaiting a trigger. It is evident in William Shakespeare’s Othello that envy is a common human characteristic and that “jealous souls are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. It is a … Read more
To understand the many dramatic occurrences that happened in this tragic story, A person must understand the motives of every character in the book. In the play Othello, jealousy and envy are prominent themes within the characters from the beginning to the end (Shmoop Editorial Team). As the play slowly unfolds it is evident that … Read more
‘Of all his tragedies, Othello is Shakespeare’s most relentless and excruciating’ because it ‘concentrates on the systematic immolation of one man’ argues Geoffrey Benet of the Antioch Review. Shakespeare’s Othello is engrossed with issues of jealousy, sexuality and gender as the audience watches Othello fall into the pit of deception that his ensign, Iago, has … Read more
Arriving at a moral crossroad, every human is given a choice. The ability to see right and wrong at these crossroads is what defines us as people. The playwright William Shakespeare wrote Othello in 1604, and is known most prominently as the most renowned and esteemed writer in the English language. In the novel, Othello, … Read more
Othello Essay #1 In William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello, Iago manipulates Othello’s poor judge of character, insecurity, and jealousy by deceiving the Moor into lies and doubts. Although Iago appears to be an honest and good man, he is very ambiguous as he brings the downfall of Othello. Iago is skillfully manipulative as he utilizes … Read more
Intertextuality is the interrelationship between literary works whereby each text is seen as a product shaped by other literary works. The Bulgarian critic Julia Kristeva is said to have invented the term while its meaning can be traced back to the works of Russian philosopher M. M. Bakhtin (Harder, 2017). Intertextuality explains the fact that … Read more
William Shakespeare’s “Othello” was set in the late 1570’s in Venice, Italy. The play follows the destruction of Othello, a general of African descent who is essentially looked down upon by society due to his ethnicity. Throughout out the play, it becomes evident that he too, views himself as inferior to the venetian society. Othello’s … Read more
Brabanzio finds that his daughter is indeed missing, and he gathers some officers to find Othello. Not wanting his hatred of Othello to be known, Iago leaves Roderigo and hurries back to Othello before Brabanzio sees him. At Othello’s lodgings, Cassio arrives with an urgent message from the duke: Othello’s help is needed in … Read more
Paste your essay in here…Throughout the entirety of history there has been a universal understanding that one cannot trust appearances. Everyone perceives life the only way they have lived it, Shakespeare who is still today renowned for his insight into human nature understood and often commented on the idea of appearance versus reality. This … Read more
When trying to think of Iago most people perhaps would describe him as mysterious, evil, liar, manipulative. After reading and doing research of Shakespeare “Othello,” you most definitely would consider Iago to be a villain or a flat out liar. What is an Honesty? Honesty means telling the truth. Those adjectives that are … Read more
Eddie Barragan Professor Nishimura English 102 27 May 2018 Othello’s Tragedy Building a rhythm and adjusting accordingly to an unfamiliar situation or status will take some time to getting use to, so an individual does their best to go with the flow with obscure obstacles. If an individual feels is introduced to a new … Read more
In Shakespeare’s Othello, manipulation and jealousy are the two main themes. Shakespeare tells the story of Othello, an African military officer who is married to Desdemona, a white nobleman’s daughter. When appointing his second in command, he had to choose between Cassio and Iago. When he chose Cassio, Iago was infuriated and jealous, so … Read more
Othello: The Moor of Venice is probably Shakespeare’s most controversial play. Throughout this work, there is a clear theme of racism, a racism that has become commonplace in Venetian society which rejects the marriage of Othello and Desdemona as anathema. The text expresses racism throughout the play within the language transaction of the dialogue … Read more
In the play Othello, Shakespeare manipulates the psychological complexities of the male protagonists to explore themes of manipulation and deception which can be argued as central to the plays action and drama. Here, we see that it is Iago who adopts the role of the proto-narrator and thus can be seen as the instigator … Read more
To understand the attitudes of the text, the narrative form must be addressed. The narrative form in Olaudah Equinano’s portrayal of self draws similarities to Shakespeare’s Othello. In scene 3, the language used resembles that of Equiano where both Othello and Equiano belittle themselves in front of their white superiors and apologise for their … Read more
Marriage in this extract is somewhat presented as a meeting of equals. The husband and wife, Othello and Desdemona, both agree and corroborate their stories in support of their marriage to the Senate. In the lead up to Act I, scene three’s conflict, Iago and Roderigo have created a disturbance outside Brabantio’s house to wake … Read more
Paste your essay in here…From the early fourteenth century onwards, Europeans began to deviate from the custom of tradition writing and the emerging literature began to question humankind’s relationship to God. Renaissance humanity refers to the paradigm of cultural, social and educational values that were reformed by scholars, artists and political leaders during the … Read more
Othello is certainly an overlay of the features that define tragedy as explained by Aristotle, Hegel, Nietzsche and Eagleton. Hence, to say that the play is Hegelian does not necessarily mean it is not Aristotelian. While Aristotle focused on tragedy Hegel focused on the tragic. Both features of tragedy and the tragic are to a … Read more
Shakespeare essay revision on Othello in Mcbeth and this Shakespeare essay requires you to consider the notion of the fatal flaw.
Human emotions can have a very powerful impact on an individual’s life. One emotion can simply break or gain a relationship with the people around them. It can also change a person’s future drastically from them choosing to have a different perspective in life. In the novel, Shakespeare seems to suggest that jealousy is the most destructive human emotion. Shakespeare shows how painful the act of jealousy can be by expressing it through violence, how it affects not just the jealous person to everyone around them and brings out one’s unfiltered true self.
In Othello, many characters show the emotion of jealousy towards each other which can lead to negative outcomes. However, jealousy doesn’t only affect the jealous person but everyone around them. People are blinded by jealousy so they do things that they know are wrong. An example is Roderigo’s love for Desdemona.
“I have no great devotion to the deed… ’Tis but a man gone. Forth my sword! He dies!” (V.i.8-10).
This quotation is said by Roderigo as it shows that Roderigo knows what he is doing is wrong but still proceeds to do so because he is blinded by jealousy. Jealousy convinces him that even though it is wrong, it is somehow all right.
Roderigo is jealous of Cassio because of Desdemona and Iago persuades him that if he kills Cassio, it is the only chance he can get to be with her. This leads to Cassio getting hurt as well as Roderigo himself. Along with people being blinded by jealousy, jealousy can tend to make people desperate so they involve others in their problems. As Iago begins to feel jealous of Cassio for getting the job he wanted, he starts to become desperate in wanting revenge on Othello which Iago involves many people who have nothing to do with it.
“After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear… To be suspected, fram’d to make women false” (I.i.386-389).
In this quotation, it is Iago briefly explaining the plan to himself in how he is going to use Cassio to make Othello jealous. This is Iago being desperate to get revenge on Othello and involving others such as Roderigo and Cassio into Iago’s problems when they did not do anything. By Iago involving others into his problems, they end up getting hurt. As people are getting involved, innocent people are getting hurt. Iago’s wife Emilia, truly loves her husband and is loyal to him.
“If it be not for some purpose of import… When she shall lack it” (III.iii.318-320).
This quote shows Emilia’s loyalty to Desdemona because they are close friends but also shows her love and loyalty in her husband even more since she still ends up giving the handkerchief to him. Emilia is completely innocent and she did not think there was any harm to it and she just wanted to help her husband because she loves him. This shows how innocent people get hurt from jealousy because this led to her death as Iago kills her due to her finding out that he had told Othello that Desdemona was “cheating” from his plan that started from his jealous feelings. Moreover, the act of jealousy does not just harm the person affected but also the ones around them.
As relationships between others get tense, it can get physical. From being jealous of others, it can make people act out into violence. Othello’s emotions lead to Desdemona’s death and also his own.
“By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in’s hand… A murder, which I thought a sacrifice. I saw the handkerchief” (V.ii.62-65).
This is Othello’s words as it is the moment before Othello suffocates Desdemona. He keeps repeating that he saw the handkerchief in Cassio’s hand which means a lot to him even after Desdemona tries to explain to him that she never gave it to him. This shows that Othello is so clouded by jealousy and he cannot see to trust his wife and as it all builds up, he turns to violence leading to her death. As Othello kills his one true love, he starts to realize she was not lying and that she is all he has and he kills himself. As for wives, Iago also turns to violence towards his wife.
“She give it Cassio! No, alas, I found it… Filth thou liest!” (V.ii.229-231).
In these lines, Emilia starts exposing Iago to Othello and Iago is denying it. This is moments before Iago murders her due to her telling Othello the truth. As this was the outcome from reckless thoughts and actions of jealousy that turned into violence. Apart from violence between relationships, there is also violence between friendships. Iago tells Roderigo to kill Cassio and two people get hurt in the process.
“I have rubb’d this young quat almost to the sense… No, he must die. But soft, I hear him coming” (V.i.11-22).
In this quote, it is Iago thinking out the plan in his head on killing Roderigo. Iago had told Roderigo to kill Cassio because that would be the only way he could be with Desdemona while Iago is manipulating him for his plan which both situations are fueled by jealousy. The result of this is violence from Roderigo wounding Cassio and Iago murdering Roderigo.
As the act of jealousy is present many times throughout the play, we get to see the characters’ real personalities unfold more and more. Jealousy brings out the characters’ unfiltered true self. This emotion shows how insecure and self-conscious Othello truly is.
“To prey at fortune. Haply for I am black…Into the vale of years—yet that’s not much—” (III.iii.265-268).
These lines are part of Othello’s thoughts when he finds out that Desdemona is “cheating” on him. The first thing that Othello thinks about is his skin color and age for being part of the reason he is being cheated on. We see Othello as a strong, brave and confident leader on the outside, however on the inside as he faces jealousy, he starts to unravel his true self and we start to see an insecure man who feels like an outsider. Cassio also feels the pressure of jealousy as we begin to see his desperate and shameful side.
“That policy may either last so long… My general will forget my love and service” (III.iii.14-18).
In this quotation we see Cassio begging Desdemona to help him get back Othello’s trust after his shameful incident. Iago’s act of jealousy reveals a different side of Cassio that we would never expect as we see him as a confident man who is good with the ladies and has a good reputation for being loyal and trustworthy. This reputation is ruined as Iago manipulated him to getting drunk and making careless decisions. Othello fires him for getting drunk instead of doing his job, leading him to shamelessly begging Desdemona for help. As for seeing different sides of characters, Iago also shows two personalities throughout the play.
“I’m glad of this; for now I shall have reason… Is not to leave’t undone, but keep’t unknown” (III.iii.195-206).
This is one of the many quotes when Iago is being manipulative and expressing his two-faced personality. The characters see Iago as very trustworthy as they call him “honest Iago.” As the act of jealousy comes into play, the audience can see Iago’s true manipulative and selfish side as he uses his reputation as a cover of who he truly is in the play. This quote shows how Iago is putting up an act to pretend to be caring and sympathetic to Othello by telling him his wife is cheating on him and giving him advice on how to handle the situation. Meanwhile, the audience knows what he is doing which is part of his master plan into manipulating anyone who has he feels, wronged him. However, the rest of the characters that are left, do start to see his true colors.
In conclusion, the act of jealousy can be one of the most dangerous and devastating emotions a human can experience. Shakespeare demonstrates that by showing how it can hurt the ones around you, creating violence, and revealing one’s true self. Jealousy may be the main reason most of the characters had a tragic ending, but most of the situations could have simply been resolved if they communicated with each other and trusted the right people.
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Self-interest plays a large role throughout the play of Othello. The majority of characters show self-interest in their actions and thoughts they partake in during the play. Self-interest also has a hand in their eventual downfall of some of the characters. Self-interest led to the downfall of Iago, Roderigo and Emilia.
Iago is a deceitful and manipulative person during Othello. He expresses self-interest by lying for his own good. He says phrases like “I am not what i am” (I.1, 65). Iago is jealous that Othello promotes Cassio instead of him. Iago also believes that Othello slept with his wife Emilia. After coming to that conclusion, Iago explains his lust for Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello. Iago’s downfall occurs when he murders his own wife Emilia. In front of everyone, Iago proclaims “your reports have set the murder on” (5.2.184). Iago believes that he doesn’t need any women in his life and only cares about what happens to himself. He also persuades Roderigo into helping him murder Cassio after stating that he would be another target for Desdemona. Iago explains to Roderigo “It makes us or it mars us, think of that, / And fix most firm thy resolution” (4-50). He is making sure that Roderigo, Cassio and Desdemona are dead so that he can have his revenge on Othello. He manipulates everyone for his own benefit and shows only self-interest. He cares for no other person. His downfall does not result in his death as he is captured by Othello’s men.
Roderigo is a suitor who is jealous of Othello because of his attraction to Desdemona. He is very persuadable as Iago asks him for money and proceeds to give it to him without seeing any monetary value in return. Iago convinces him that if he gives him all of his money, he will be able to win Desdemona from Othello. Roderigo is ultimately desperate enough to agree to help Iago kill Cassio after Iago points out that Cassio is another potential rival for Desdemona. ”How do you mean, removing of him?” (IV,2,2999) Roderigo asks Iago.Roderigo ambushes Cassio but is unsuccessful in killing him and is wounded. Roderigo’s self-interest and also lack of intelligence led to his downfall. He believed that he could get away with the murder of Cassio. Roderigo’s downfall comes at the hand of Iago as he is “backstabbed” by his wingman. As he is stabbed he proclaims “O damn’d Iago! O inhuman dog!” (V,1,3215). Roderigo is not smart enough to realize what Iago is doing to him and is too wrapped up in trying to get Desdemona for his own self-interest.
Emilia is the wife of Iago. Emilia gets caught in the middle of her husband’s actions but that doesn’t stop her from standing up for herself. However, as the action progresses, Emilia reveals a sharp-eyed and self-aware perspective on how women are often vulnerable to abuse at the hands of their husbands. She tells Desdemona that “they eat us hungerly, and when they are full / They belch us” (3.4.). As she realizes the role her husband has played in the planning of Desdemona’s death, Emilia insists on exposing Iago’s plot, saying in front of everyone that “your reports have set the murder on” (5.2.184). Iago repeatedly threatens her to keep her mouth shut but Emilia states “I will speak as liberal as the north” (5.2.). Emilia’s downfall occurs at the hands of her husband Iago. He stabs her in the back in an action of desperation. She believes most men are foolish, wicked, or perverse, and nothing she experiences during the course of the play disproves that assessment. Emilia showed signs of self-interest by hoping that her final bravery will redeem her previous silence and obedience.
Throughout the play, Othello, the majority of the characters are only doing things that benefit themselves. Whether it was the main character Othello or a minor character like Emilia, most of them were very arrogant. Self-interest led to the downfall of Iago, Roderigo and Emilia.
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