Othello Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Othello is confused. He is conflicted, heartbroken and doesn’t know what to do. The Moor believes it is necessary to kill Desdemona in order to right the wrong he believes was done to him although love is still present in his heart. Othello has a sense of duty towards the kill. However, there is an obligation to do what he believes is just, even though it is not always straightforward. This piece of text is used to allow the audience to comprehend Othello’s internal conflict and how the decision to carry out the kill was made. Othello begins the monologue incredibly conflicted. The use of repetition makes it clear he is trying to justify his actions. “It is the cause (V.II, I),” Othello says to himself over and over trying to convince himself that this decision is the right one. The repetition of this line over and over is included to showcase his uncertainty. Othello is trying to prove to himself something he doesn’t believe in. He is …show more content…
“Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men (V.II, V),” he says unsure of her loyalty to anyone anymore. He says “yet” because it is a way to rationalize and almost detach himself from his emotions. Essentially the “yet” implies that although he loves her this is the right thing to do. He uses this statement to allow himself a sense of peace and a sense of duty in the situation. This line reads as though he felt powerless in this situation, he takes it back with a sense of duty. Othello, a war general and a hero on the battlefield. That gives him a sense of duty equivalent to no other. War was clear cut; fight the bad guys, win for the good guys. This is not the same, it is a gray area and he doesn’t understand how to deal with this, it doesn’t make sense to him. Having a goal and having an enemy, whether real or not, an idea or a person helps him to grasp the situation and generate a decision that seems easier than it may be in