The theme of power is explored in various ways throughout ‘Othello’, Shakespeare uses his characters’ flaws to denote power, often through the art of manipulation. The value consensus of the Elizabethan era also highlights the difference in gender roles, and the social expectations that were forced upon them, largely defined by the divine order. The power and influence of social mobility also creates a strong platform for the theme of power to be embedded upon, as characters such as Desdemona and Emilia connote the struggle of being a woman living in a dominant patriarchal society. Similarly, Shakespeare explores the way in which power can change in different settings and the influence that this can hold upon reputation, pride, and position.
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This sense of disintegration primarily occurs in Act 3, Scene 3, which under Freytag’s Pyramid acts as the climax. The structure of a tragedy that ‘Othello’ conforms to allows a dramatic shift in power to occur, which confirms Othello’s character type as dynamic. The loss of power that Othello experiences mirrors his psychological state as Iago’s manipulation finally destroys his reputation and mind. Othello’s language dramatically changes as he is manipulated, it becomes more similar to that of Iago. For example, “I had rather a toad…” is an unusual lexical choice for Othello as he previously made references to ‘heaven’, but as his qualities have become more and more animalistic so has his language and the references he makes. Furthermore, as Iago’s techniques begin to work, Othello begins to use various complex sentences, whilst Iago resorts to using only short sentences. For example, the short sentence of “I am sorry to hear this” encourages Othello into thinking that Iago is genuinely concerned about his relationship. He lets Othello speak rapidly and freely about Desdemona and his usage of short sentences allows Othello to feel more dominant and superior, and therefore unaware of the manipulation that Iago is …show more content…
Due to Iago’s manipulation, Othello eventually resorts to killing Desdemona. Many critics believe that he behaves in this way as he realises that he has lost all control, therefore believing that by killing his wife he will regain it and it’s not just an act of revenge. In Act 5, Scene 2 there are many suggestions that this is true. For example, Othello’s language returns to his poetic voice that we see at the beginning of the play. The allusion to her death of ‘When I have plucked thy rose, I cannot give it vital growth again’ reminds the audience of the once mellow creature that Othello was before Iago’s interference. Despite his anger towards Desdemona, he once again creates an imagery of beauty and perfect with the common noun of ‘rose’. There is a dramatic contrast to his psychotic state in Act 4, Scene 1 which perhaps supports the idea that Othello regains his power in the pivotal moment, thus suggesting that their love still remains. There is also heavy imagery of light as Othello suggests that he must ‘put out the light, and then put out the light’, the use of parallelism highlights the internal despair that he’s facing, with the declarative almost acting as a command to himself, thus demonstrating the power than he is regaining through the thought of killing Desdemona, as his ability of self-control has
This sense of disintegration primarily occurs in Act 3, Scene 3, which under Freytag’s Pyramid acts as the climax. The structure of a tragedy that ‘Othello’ conforms to allows a dramatic shift in power to occur, which confirms Othello’s character type as dynamic. The loss of power that Othello experiences mirrors his psychological state as Iago’s manipulation finally destroys his reputation and mind. Othello’s language dramatically changes as he is manipulated, it becomes more similar to that of Iago. For example, “I had rather a toad…” is an unusual lexical choice for Othello as he previously made references to ‘heaven’, but as his qualities have become more and more animalistic so has his language and the references he makes. Furthermore, as Iago’s techniques begin to work, Othello begins to use various complex sentences, whilst Iago resorts to using only short sentences. For example, the short sentence of “I am sorry to hear this” encourages Othello into thinking that Iago is genuinely concerned about his relationship. He lets Othello speak rapidly and freely about Desdemona and his usage of short sentences allows Othello to feel more dominant and superior, and therefore unaware of the manipulation that Iago is …show more content…
Due to Iago’s manipulation, Othello eventually resorts to killing Desdemona. Many critics believe that he behaves in this way as he realises that he has lost all control, therefore believing that by killing his wife he will regain it and it’s not just an act of revenge. In Act 5, Scene 2 there are many suggestions that this is true. For example, Othello’s language returns to his poetic voice that we see at the beginning of the play. The allusion to her death of ‘When I have plucked thy rose, I cannot give it vital growth again’ reminds the audience of the once mellow creature that Othello was before Iago’s interference. Despite his anger towards Desdemona, he once again creates an imagery of beauty and perfect with the common noun of ‘rose’. There is a dramatic contrast to his psychotic state in Act 4, Scene 1 which perhaps supports the idea that Othello regains his power in the pivotal moment, thus suggesting that their love still remains. There is also heavy imagery of light as Othello suggests that he must ‘put out the light, and then put out the light’, the use of parallelism highlights the internal despair that he’s facing, with the declarative almost acting as a command to himself, thus demonstrating the power than he is regaining through the thought of killing Desdemona, as his ability of self-control has