Othello's Strengths And Weaknesses

Basic storyline: A commander named Othello has married a woman named Desdemona. One of the soldiers under Othello named Iago develops a hatred for Othello after being passed over for a promotion. Instead of promoting Iago, Othello promotes Cassio to lieutenant. In order to get even for what he sees as a betrayal by Othello (after all his good works in his service under Othello's command) Iago devises a plan to get even with both Cassio and Othello. First Iago goes to Desdemona's father's house and accuses Othello of having stolen his daughter, Desdemona, having used magic and witchcraft to seduce her. Brabantio, Desdemona's father, takes the offense he believes he has suffered to the council of Venetian Senators to determine Othello's fate. Othello provides his version of events to the Senators who …show more content…
Pride at the center of the action:
"But he; as loving his own pride and purposes,
Evades them, with a bombast circumstance
Horribly stuff'd with epithets of war" (1.1.13—15)
Strength and weakness are also traits at play. Othello is both strong (he commands an army, recounts tales of his victories and this woos Desdemona) but he is weak in that he fears that his innocent wife has fallen for another, and refuses to believe her due to his not having enough confidence is himself as a man and husband (he still sees himself as a dark-skinned moor and older man).
Would I recommend this movie version or play to classmates? Yes I would recommend this play to my classmates. It is a long play, and at times difficult to read. The play is dark and tragic and the only person left standing is Cassio, as most of the characters end up as victims and dead.
Reference
Shakespeare, W. (1603). Othello. In M. H. Abrams, C. T. Christ, A. David, S. Greenblatt , B. K. Lewalski, L. Lipking, G. M. Logan, . . . J. Stillinger (Eds.), The Norton anthology of English literature: The major authors (9th ed., pp. 1139-1229). New York, New York: