Lies More Powerful Than Those Who Speak Them
Whether in fiction or reality, words have immeasurable power. By association, lies are weapons crafted from the facts, manipulations of reality that hold a bewitching quality. This poison, no matter how carefully administered, is still deadly, and there is no greater example of this than in William Shakespeare’s Othello. Specifically, Othello is more than capable of administering the poison of lies, especially because it is in his nature to justify questionable actions and do whatever it takes to succeed. Just as Othello is a capable liar, Desdemona is the perfect victim; weakened by her strongest traits. Everything that makes Othello fall for her, ironically allows her to fall victim to him. Conjointly, …show more content…
Precisely, Desdemona is credulous; her purity leaves her vulnerable. When Othello spins tales of “the Anthrophagi, and men whose heads/ do grow beneath their shoulders” Desdemona is enthralled, not disgusted or repelled (1.3.143-4). Clearly, Desdemona craves the adventure Othello can bring her, and admires the experiences he gains in a world that she is yet to explore as a result of her sheltered upbringing. Othello’s anecdotes allow Desdemona to enjoy his adventures in the comfort of knowing the dangers are not eminent. Even more thrilling, especially to a woman ruled by her father, is a marriage that defies social barriers. Desdemona’s elopement is not so much a rebellion as a transfer of loyalty from Brabtantio to Othello, yet it gives her the same alluring combination of adventure and safety that Othello offers in his storytelling. Really, Desdemona is far more interested in the excitement that marriage could bring her than the man she is marrying, and Othello is the ideal hero to save her from mundanity. However, Desdemona does not see the disparity between Othello’s persona and his personality; she is driven by emotion and her infatuation with Othello proves fatal. It destroys her, yet she is too stubborn to turn away from it. In her willow song, Desdemona sings “let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve” despite the agony he has causes …show more content…
Specifically, Othello is a soldier through and through, but an insecure one. He makes emotion-driven decisions out of love and fear, yet is able to justify his actions the way a soldier justifies killing the enemy. Comparatively, Desdemona is more than a victim of circumstance; her purity is naivety and she allows herself to be spellbound by Othello’s appealing promise of adventure, thus submitting herself to physical and verbal abuse out of a stubborn desire to remain virtuous. The very atmosphere that Desdemona and Othello dwell in is electrically charged with the driving force of desire. It reveals weakness in Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, which is based on stories and appearance alone. These things work as a chemical reaction fuelled by desires, with Desdemona and Othello as reactants, Iago as the villainous catalyst, and tragedy- the woeful product. In the end, no good can come of bewitching lies. They change and grow until they, just like a tragic hero, bear no resemblance to the purity they
Whether in fiction or reality, words have immeasurable power. By association, lies are weapons crafted from the facts, manipulations of reality that hold a bewitching quality. This poison, no matter how carefully administered, is still deadly, and there is no greater example of this than in William Shakespeare’s Othello. Specifically, Othello is more than capable of administering the poison of lies, especially because it is in his nature to justify questionable actions and do whatever it takes to succeed. Just as Othello is a capable liar, Desdemona is the perfect victim; weakened by her strongest traits. Everything that makes Othello fall for her, ironically allows her to fall victim to him. Conjointly, …show more content…
Precisely, Desdemona is credulous; her purity leaves her vulnerable. When Othello spins tales of “the Anthrophagi, and men whose heads/ do grow beneath their shoulders” Desdemona is enthralled, not disgusted or repelled (1.3.143-4). Clearly, Desdemona craves the adventure Othello can bring her, and admires the experiences he gains in a world that she is yet to explore as a result of her sheltered upbringing. Othello’s anecdotes allow Desdemona to enjoy his adventures in the comfort of knowing the dangers are not eminent. Even more thrilling, especially to a woman ruled by her father, is a marriage that defies social barriers. Desdemona’s elopement is not so much a rebellion as a transfer of loyalty from Brabtantio to Othello, yet it gives her the same alluring combination of adventure and safety that Othello offers in his storytelling. Really, Desdemona is far more interested in the excitement that marriage could bring her than the man she is marrying, and Othello is the ideal hero to save her from mundanity. However, Desdemona does not see the disparity between Othello’s persona and his personality; she is driven by emotion and her infatuation with Othello proves fatal. It destroys her, yet she is too stubborn to turn away from it. In her willow song, Desdemona sings “let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve” despite the agony he has causes …show more content…
Specifically, Othello is a soldier through and through, but an insecure one. He makes emotion-driven decisions out of love and fear, yet is able to justify his actions the way a soldier justifies killing the enemy. Comparatively, Desdemona is more than a victim of circumstance; her purity is naivety and she allows herself to be spellbound by Othello’s appealing promise of adventure, thus submitting herself to physical and verbal abuse out of a stubborn desire to remain virtuous. The very atmosphere that Desdemona and Othello dwell in is electrically charged with the driving force of desire. It reveals weakness in Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, which is based on stories and appearance alone. These things work as a chemical reaction fuelled by desires, with Desdemona and Othello as reactants, Iago as the villainous catalyst, and tragedy- the woeful product. In the end, no good can come of bewitching lies. They change and grow until they, just like a tragic hero, bear no resemblance to the purity they