Yevgeniy Kotlovskiy
ENG360
Othello and Paradise Lost: The intrinsic virtue of intelligence
Othello by William Shakespeare and Paradise Lost by John Milton are among two of the most timeless, dynamic and profound texts of the 17th century, if not the hierarchy of literature. Othello is a tragedy in the truest sense of the word. Many of the characters in Othello vary in their moral standings, with some being portrayed as heroically virtuous while others are downright evil with no other word to describe them. Unfortunately, the nature of this Shakespearian tragedy is that good does not overcome evil. Evidently, Paradise Lost follows suit, the fall of mankind is by no means a tale of redemption, and can certainly be attributed to a tragedy. …show more content…
When Othello accuses Desdemona of infidelity, Iago is the one who comes to comfort her. Desdemona is distressed and begs Iago to help her, yet Iago is in fact the very source of all the trouble. Desdemona outright asserts to Iago her desires, she emotionally states that even if she suffers from this, she will always love Othello, and always do the morally right thing. The simple matter of Desdemona having the capacity to value Othello and morality averse atmosphere towards her shows a defiance in Iago’s wake – her love for Othello as well as her purity are beyond harm.
Based on Levenson’s analysis, one can see that Desdemona’s bodily suffering is not as significant as the purity of her soul is maintained, so conversely, one can apply this to Iago and realize that the villain does in fact receive just punishment. Paul Cefalu writes an analysis of Iago’s mental life, and claims that even though Iago is an adept mind reader and capable of manipulating the other characters freely, he is burdened by this and suffers as a result. Indeed, Cefalu makes frequent comparisons between Iago and the more pure and honest characters such as Desdemona and
ENG360
Othello and Paradise Lost: The intrinsic virtue of intelligence
Othello by William Shakespeare and Paradise Lost by John Milton are among two of the most timeless, dynamic and profound texts of the 17th century, if not the hierarchy of literature. Othello is a tragedy in the truest sense of the word. Many of the characters in Othello vary in their moral standings, with some being portrayed as heroically virtuous while others are downright evil with no other word to describe them. Unfortunately, the nature of this Shakespearian tragedy is that good does not overcome evil. Evidently, Paradise Lost follows suit, the fall of mankind is by no means a tale of redemption, and can certainly be attributed to a tragedy. …show more content…
When Othello accuses Desdemona of infidelity, Iago is the one who comes to comfort her. Desdemona is distressed and begs Iago to help her, yet Iago is in fact the very source of all the trouble. Desdemona outright asserts to Iago her desires, she emotionally states that even if she suffers from this, she will always love Othello, and always do the morally right thing. The simple matter of Desdemona having the capacity to value Othello and morality averse atmosphere towards her shows a defiance in Iago’s wake – her love for Othello as well as her purity are beyond harm.
Based on Levenson’s analysis, one can see that Desdemona’s bodily suffering is not as significant as the purity of her soul is maintained, so conversely, one can apply this to Iago and realize that the villain does in fact receive just punishment. Paul Cefalu writes an analysis of Iago’s mental life, and claims that even though Iago is an adept mind reader and capable of manipulating the other characters freely, he is burdened by this and suffers as a result. Indeed, Cefalu makes frequent comparisons between Iago and the more pure and honest characters such as Desdemona and