...Shakespeare himself once described the state of humanity, “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” He applied this profound observation to the characters of his play Othello, the story of an interracial marriage destroyed by manipulation. In this tragedy, the title character Othello falls from his status as a respected, even glorified, leader to an incredulous murderer, while his “friend” Iago thrives on Othello’s downfall. Shakespeare’s original script illustrates Othello’s vulnerability and destruction quite obviously, while more modern interpretations take a vaguer approach. The 1995 feature film Othello and the video adaption of Verdi’s opera Otello both serve as prime examples of how Othello’s demise can be interpreted, and present all characters in varying light. Between these three versions of Shakespeare’s play, the original work presents Othello’s change most clearly. In it, Othello’s transition from “good” to “bad” is very apparent. Shakespeare portrays Othello as a simplified human, perhaps to make him more relatable in vagueness, and in so doing makes his deterioration obvious. At the beginning of the play, the Duke addresses Othello as “Valiant Othello,” and values his advice on political matters (1.3.50). At this time, Othello (though disrespected on the issue of race) is a prized presence in his country and among his peers. His bravery is matched by his character, as he loves his wife and “puts [his] life upon her faith!” (1.3.293). He represents the...
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...English 1020 5, May 2014 The Green Fire of Jealousy In the story Othello by William Shakespeare jealousy rears her ugly head at every aspect of the characters’ lives. Right from the beginning when Roderigo is envious of Othello from his wishes to court with Desdemona, and to the end of the play, when Othello is manic with envy because he believes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in an affair. Some characters’ jealousy is fashioned by other characters. Iago is involved in much of this, creating lies and implementing misleading situations. He is consumed with jealousy of Cassio and masked with hatred of Othello because he is not chosen as lieutenant, Cassio was. Iago becomes one of the most evil villains in literature, he wants everyone to feel rage. He very skillfully manipulates the emotions, trust and jealousy of other characters. Iago is a man blinded by envy and anger, with one goal in mind for everyone to become equally jealous, an ambition he completes through his betrayal, deceit, and adept manipulation of characters. The seeds of deception are grown early on with Roderigo confiding in Iago. Roderigo frantically loves Desdemona and he pays Iago to draw her away from Othello. Here we see the malicious intent from Iago and paint him as a villain. Along with his actions, what Iago says also conveys him as a manipulative character. Iago has fabricated a plan to pose Othello as a thief by saying that he has stolen Desdemona’s heart using witchcraft. Iago coaxes...
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...Sophocles's Oedipu Rex and William Shakespeare’s Othello. Oedipus the King and Othello the Moor both experience a catharsis, or emotional downfall, due to fate. Fate is not only a prevalent theme in both works, but a basis of plot as well. Sophocles and Shakespeare both employ elements of fate being influential in their works. Fate in Oedipus Rex does not possess the same meaning as it does in Othello. In Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, however, fate is depicted as the idea that one’s destiny in predetermined. In Othello, fate pertains to the limit that is placed on the control of one’s own destiny. Fate can be used to show how different authors portray the theme in their work and how each different vision of fate...
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...great role in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello. Most of the irony in the play relates to the main villain in the play, Iago, who is motivated by his jealousy. Iago is jealous of Othello’s military success and Cassio being promoted to Othello’s lieutenant position instead of himself. Iago plans to take revenge against Othello by manipulating Cassio and Desdemona, who is Othello’s wife. Iago is a well respected character in the play, so he would not be suspected to be the culprit. He tries to fake an affair between Cassio and Desdemona that would surely be tragic for Othello. The...
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...Act 4 scene 2 starts out with Emilia being questioned by Othello. Othello wants to know if what Iago says is true. He asks Emilia “You have seen nothing then?” trying to subtly figure out if Emilia has seen Desdemona with Cassio cheating. Emilia explains to Othello “she is honest” and Desdemona would never do such a thing. Othello doesn’t believe her, once Emilia exits Othello has a soloiquily where he first mentions that Desdemona is a whore. Desdemona and Emilia both enter back into the scene. Othello makes Emilia leave so he can talk to Desdemona in private. He then accuses Desdemona of cheating and when she doesn’t admit Othello says “Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell”. This line, which is a simile, shows what huge manipulation...
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...Using your critical reading around the plays compare how Shakespeare presents the theme of perception in ‘Othello’ with wider references to ‘King Lear’ ‘Any man situated as Othello was would have been disturbed by Iago’s communication…’ (Kenneth Muir). The play Othello displays various distinguishable characters that appear misguided and possess a great lack of perception. I am going to explore the character Iago, who presents a cunning and devious character and address the distinct comparisons with the character Edmond in King Lear. I will also study the methods he uses in order to successfully manipulate and theoretically blind the other characters from the truth. Iago represents the antagonist of the play as the ensign of Othello. Iago is a character with very unique and perplexing characteristics. His actions depict a presentation of great evil yet his intentions are not completely understood. It is clear from the beginning of the play what the character of Iago was capable of with the inconsistency of his apparent loyalty. We first find him in the company of Roderigo informing the father of Desdemona that she is wedded to Othello. ‘I am one, sir that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.’ It is evident from the beginning of the play that Iago is a devious and scheming character who gains the trust of the other characters in order to manipulate them. Throughout the play it Shakespeare clearly attempts to enforce the amount...
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...collective.Yet, a characters mental state is not so black and white and it would be an injustice simply label a character as “insane” or “sane”, especially when it comes to more intricate, and developed works of theatrical art, such as one of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedies The Tragedy of Othello. Within the tale of Othello, the main driving force of the plot and sole conductor of Othello’s suicide by the end...
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...everyone here we've known someone like this. They've created drama and they've torn friendships apart. Just like in our lives and in the case of the play, Othello, Othello didn't have a good person who was looking out for his best interests. Instead, he had one of his closest friends that he trusted, manipulate him. This deception could happen to anyone which is why I firmly believe that Iago is completely responsible for the tragedy of Othello. 1. Firstly, Iago deliberately orchestrated a plan in order to ruin Othello's life. He planned certain events throughout the play to make Desdemona's affair with Cassio believable. * For example, Iago carried out a plan to make Cassio lose his job. He was jealous that Cassio was promoted as lieutenant. He got Cassio drunk. He then got Roderigo to start a fight with Cassio. Then, Montano the governor of Cyprus, ended up getting stabbed by Cassio. Othello then came out and Cassio lost his job. Iago caused this situation to happen so Cassio would lose his rank and make Othello lose trust in Cassio. * Iago then made another plan, he told Cassio to ask Desdemona for help and ask her to talk to Othello for him so he could regain his trust. They would frequently talk to eachother and Desdemona would often bring up Cassio to Othello. This made the affair believable to Othello and Iago planned this to...
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...“Othello is the most domestic of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Its focus is not on the fall of a king, or the collapse of a nation… Rather it is about the end of a marriage and a husband’s murder of his wife. It is intimately concerned with the details of sexual jealousy.” (McLeish and Unwin) A production of Shakespeare’s “Othello”, was presented as “The Twisted Othello” at Bishop Anstey High School East auditorium on November 15th, Saturday. It was directed by Janieka Tudor and captured a new take on the Shakespearean classic. The play is centered on the eminent jealousy of Iago (Renaldo Briggs) directed to Micahel Cassio who had been promoted by Othello (Daniel Waldron). Iago, who coveted the position as Othello’s lieutenant; weaves an intricate web of lies around the ubiquitous and notorious ‘handkerchief’ and ensnares Desdemona (Mishael Martineaux), Othello (Waldron) , Rodriego( Tevin Butler) and other actors. Ultimately Iago (Briggs) plays on the green-eyed monster within Othello (Waldron) and causes his cataclysmic demise. In a review of ‘The Apologetics of Evil: The Case of Iago’ by Richard Raatzsch it is mentioned that, “Iago is memorable and exciting, and universally hated by audiences of ‘Othello’ …. Being cold, manipulative, and impervious to anything but his own perverse will.” (McGinn) In conjunction, at ‘The Twisted Othello’ Renaldo Briggs gave a resounding performance and a new finesse to the character of Iago. Briggs a student of Bishop Anstey Trinity College East...
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...character’s personality and actions affect the fate of the other characters. A point much contested by critics is how Shakespeare presents Othello himself: some, such as A.C. Bradley, hold the view that the General is a noble tragic hero, whereas F.R. Leavis would contradict this by claiming Othello to be a weak man whose fatal flaw is jealousy. Iago is a key instrument in Othello’s downfall and uses deception to plant the idea of Desdemona’s infidelity. He adroitly persuades Othello to accept this idea in a very short length of time. Shakespeare first uses Iago to develop the theme of perception when Iago hints at the topic of Desdemona’s supposed affair in 3:3. Iago then claims to have asked about Cassio ‘But for a satisfaction of my thought’. The idea of ‘thinking' is repeated many times after this, and is significant because of the way Shakespeare has the characters appear to perceive each other – for example how people see Iago, who is mentioned many times to be ‘honest’ – Othello even says ‘I know thou’rt full of love and honesty’ – and this dramatic irony allows him to successfully carry out his deception. The audience alone knows he is untrustworthy until late in the play, as he appears to be helping each character while actually stirring negativity between them. This ‘motiveless malignity’, as claimed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, leads Othello to murder Desdemona. However, some would disagree with critics who claim Iago to be a simple, average bad character concocting trouble:...
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...In the play Othello, the character of Othello has certain traits, which make him seem naive and unsophisticated, compared to many other people. This is why Iago, is able to manipulate him so easily. Iago told Roderigo, "O,sir, content you. I follow him to serve my turn upon him "(I, i lines 38-9). Iago is saying, he only follows Othello to a point, and upon reaching it he will not follow him any longer. This is the first sign of how deceitful Iago will be. Iago has his own evil agenda in mind and he will use his reputation of being honest Iago to influence Othello. The Moor, as many Venetians call him, is of strong character. He is very proud and in control of every move throughout the play. The control is not only of power, but also of the sense of his being who he is, a great warrior. In Act I, Othello has runs into Brabantio, who has come to kill him, but before anything could happen Othello said, "Hold your hands, both of you of my inclining and the rest. Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it without a prompter" (I, ii, lines 80-3). The power shown here is quite astounding. The nature of Othello's character is of a dark man. A dark man, not only because he is black, but also because his whole person is very mysterious. He is mysterious in that he believes there is magic brewing everywhere. With this dark side he is also very outgoing, and not very bright. It is almost too easy for Iago to trick him into believing that Desdemona is unfaithful. Though he doesn't...
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...Eccleston; left) and John Othello (Eamonn Walker; right). Sax’s decision to have the film occur in modern day London had a negative impact on the film. ------------------------------------------------- This photo depicts Sax’s modern adaptations of Ben Jago (Christopher Eccleston; left) and John Othello (Eamonn Walker; right). Sax’s decision to have the film occur in modern day London had a negative impact on the film. Othello: de-canonised by Sax’s mutilation Jaqueline Bhagwan investigates the devastating effect of Geoffrey Sax’s interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s canons. Ironically, Sax’s modern-day interpretation of Othello could be classed as a tragic movie. Othello is written by, arguably, the greatest playwright in history, Shakespeare. Sax’s modern outtake of Othello uses a contemporary backdrop, yet it fails on many occasions to capture the true essence of Shakespeare. ------------------------------------------------- In his attempt to make the play his own, it seems as though Sax fails to impart the best of himself. ------------------------------------------------- In his attempt to make the play his own, it seems as though Sax fails to impart the best of himself. Though Sax utilised a great cast, he was unable to effect the epitome of each character: his lacklustre version doesn’t fully translate the forth-righteousness of Othello (played by Eamonn Walker), the depth of Iago’s (Jago, played by Christopher Eccleston) manipulation and the integrity of Desdemona...
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...Othello “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain” is a famous quote that was said in the Dark Night movie. This couldn’t be truer when it comes to the story of Othello by William Shakespeare. Othello is the newly appointed general of the army of Venice. He is a powerful and respected figure in Venice even though he is not a native of the country. Although, Othello is powerful he is very trusting of those people around him. Iago, the villain of the story, takes advantage of Othello’s trustful nature and uses his trustfulness to drive Othello mad. We are not sure why Iago wants to drive Othello mad, but we believe it is because Iago was passed over for the job of general of Venice. Iago uses Desdemona the wife of Othello to drive him crazy. He makes Othello believe that Desdemona has been sleeping around. These lies lead to Othello becoming a mad man. Othello was doomed from the start and was going to eventually fall from his office to become “the blackest devil.” First, Othello’s race plays a huge factor in his fall from the top. Othello is a moor and not a native in Venice. Othello was always sort of an outsider from the natives of Venice. In the story there are examples of racism towards Othello such as when Iago says, “an old black ram” when describing Othello. Iago also goes on to call Othello “the devil” even though he is Christian. Iago is trying to imply that all black men are evil and that devils took the form of black men. In an article...
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... Shakespeare on Film In “Othello”, one of shakespeare’s masterpieces, we see Iago showing hatred towards Othello. "I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted", here Iago converses with Rodrigo about how much he hates Othello, and he would help him in his conquest to get Desdemona for his lustful desires. Rodrigo's previous intentions were to drink is sorrows away, since he was hit by the sad realization that Desdemona is taken and there is nothing he could do about it rather than drink. Iago saw this as an opportunity to manipulate him into thinking that she was an easy girl to take possession and he would need lots of cash if he would stand a chance of winning his heart. The context depicts Iago as hateful since his statement clearly shows that he despises Othello with all his heart. With the help of Rodrigo, he could be able to have the fun at the moment where Othello will be at his weakest and vulnerable to anything. When Rodrigo has exited the scene, we see Iago remarking, "I hate the moor, thought abroad that twixt my sheets. He's done my office, I know not it be true, But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do, as if for surety". It shows that Iago is suspicious that his wife had slept with Othello. The context elaborates his vengefulness by willing to play the tit for tat game and plant a seed of jealousy between Othello and Cassio. The statement also suggests that Iago looks for the simplest of suspicion...
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...Project Othello, the Invisible Wound, To Kill a Mockingbird July 30th 2014 By Eileen Harford Everyone has had a time in their life when they have misjudged a situation. Whether it was assuming someone took your pencil when it is actually in behind you ear, or assuming which character is the killer in our favorite movie, we all have misjudgements all the time in our lives. When was the last time you have mistaken a situation? The theme of false judgement demonstrated in the play “Othello” by Shakespeare, the short story “The Invisible Wound” by Karoly Kisfaludi, and the film “To Kill a Mockingbird”. In these three storylines, the author exhibits the theme of false judgment through a character of innocence that is poorly misjudged and ends tragically for them. Othello accuses his wife, Desdemona of adultery, while the unnamed protagonist in “The Invisible Wound” also inaccurately assumes his wife is cheating. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the jury accuses Tom Robinson of a crime that he did not commit all because of the colour of his skin. Given the above, it is clear that these three story lines hold the same theme of an error in judgement occurring. Throughout the play, “Othello” by William Shakespeare, a few of the characters are condemned on untruthful information. Desdemona and Cassio are victims of poor judgement. Accusations towards Desdemona seem to be the most prominent to any reader – which all begin when Othello falls to Iago’s manipulation that causes Othello to poorly...
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