Throughout the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the characters experience the reputability of honour and just how far one would go to possess it. In the beginning of the play Othello is greatly respected by those around him, praised for his experience, and level-headedness. Othello is honoured because of his services to the people of Venice, constantly putting himself in danger for the greater good. These escapades are how he charmed his wife Desdemona, telling her stories of how he grew up in the military and all of the experiences he had, enticing her with his honour. “I saw Othello's visage in his mind, / And to his honour and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate" (Act 1, Scene 3, 252-254) Othello’s honour is a key
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He is constantly pursuing honour, but not in the conventional sense. He is always looking to strip others of their honourable status, not try to increase his. Iago does this by manipulating the people around him into doing things that they normally wouldn’t do. “If I can fasten but one cup upon him / With that which he hath drunk tonight already, / He’ll be as full of quarrel and offence / As my young mistress' dog.” (Act 2, Scene 3, 49-52) He pushed Cassio to drink too much so that he would start a fight, using his words to push him over the edge and causing him to lose his Lieutenant position. Everybody’s respect for Cassio dwindled when this occurred, therefore his honourable reputation also took a hit, especially when Iago indirectly told them that Cassio had a drinking problem. Iago also tried to smear Othello’s honourable image by making him think his wife was cheating on him, causing Othello to lose control of his soldier mentality and let himself be ruled by passion. This caused the people who believed Othello was a level-headed soldier to start to think that he couldn’t control himself and allowed himself to be overcome by emotions. Othello was once perceived to be an honourable man, but Iago manipulated the way people thought of him, causing him to further digress from his once honourable personality and spiral out of
He is constantly pursuing honour, but not in the conventional sense. He is always looking to strip others of their honourable status, not try to increase his. Iago does this by manipulating the people around him into doing things that they normally wouldn’t do. “If I can fasten but one cup upon him / With that which he hath drunk tonight already, / He’ll be as full of quarrel and offence / As my young mistress' dog.” (Act 2, Scene 3, 49-52) He pushed Cassio to drink too much so that he would start a fight, using his words to push him over the edge and causing him to lose his Lieutenant position. Everybody’s respect for Cassio dwindled when this occurred, therefore his honourable reputation also took a hit, especially when Iago indirectly told them that Cassio had a drinking problem. Iago also tried to smear Othello’s honourable image by making him think his wife was cheating on him, causing Othello to lose control of his soldier mentality and let himself be ruled by passion. This caused the people who believed Othello was a level-headed soldier to start to think that he couldn’t control himself and allowed himself to be overcome by emotions. Othello was once perceived to be an honourable man, but Iago manipulated the way people thought of him, causing him to further digress from his once honourable personality and spiral out of