William Shakespeare’s Elizabethan tragedy, ‘Othello’, resonates the damnation and inevitable dissolution of man in the face of compunction, facades, hubris and unbridled jealousy; extremities which foster the machinations of our humanity-the igniter of one’s hamartia. Through the use of dramatic irony, symbolism and soliloquies, Shakespeare journeys one through the complexities and subtleties of the human condition; accentuating the eponymous hero’s inexorable fall from grace which is centred on social drives towards aesthetic values and through this, the conversion of one’s noble truths into vice. Ultimately, through ones strengths and weaknesses, hopes and fears, passions and nobilities, Shakespeare pinpoints that “once war becomes a clash
…show more content…
Here, Othello’s inability to think judiciously slowly deteriorates as his trust in the “honest Iago”, ironically brings a “monstrous birth to the world’s light”. After “ensar[ing] as great a fly as Cassio”, and giving Othello “ocular proof”, of “Cassio wip[ing] his beard with” Othello’s priceless handkerchief, Iago converts Othello’s vehement passion for Desdemona into passionate jealousy over her alleged infidelity. Here, Iago’s ironic dialogue; “men should be what they seem or those that are not, what they seem none”, highlights Iago’s deceptive nature through the theme of appearance vs. reality which ignites sympathy for Othello’s misplace of trust. This deception sees the abandonment of Othello’s lyrical language where Shakespeare marks his descent into chaos; “Ill tear her all to pieces!”; where Othello’s sphere becomes governed by unruly sentiments. Here, the primal seems to be taking over the more cultured aspects of Othello; “my lord is not my lord”; highlighting the shift in rational thinking and the immiscibility of love and politics as just like oil and water, both constructs don’t seem to collude. Through; “And passion having my best judgement collied, assay to lead the way”; Othello’s dialogue encapsulates the journey in which his passions had shaped; giving us an insight into the notions of …show more content…
Othello’s devotion to his warrior values is the key catalyst for his hamartia-hubris and eventual fall from grace as his “brave” and “valiant”, self-perceptions instil in him an instinctual reaction to affairs; actions over words. Through the dialogue; “I will kill thee, and love thee after,” Othello experiences the ramifications of the merging worlds, where the public sphere overpowers the efficiency of his private. These evoking emotions impinge on Othello’s societal perceptions of ‘love conquering all’; but are overthrown after “all [his] fond love”; or concept of it remaining perpetual and untainted is “blown to heaven; tis gone”. However, through Othello’s transformation and eventual downfall, Shakespeare suggests the complexity of the human condition- how the continuity of the human condition allows the audience to console how Othello’s most suitable traits turn around quickly to become his ultimate flaws. Lodovico’s use of past tense; “O thou Othello, thou wert once so good”, verifies how even the noblest of characters can retain human flaws and how easily these can be played upon by another with “poisonous” intent. Iago’s constant reminder of Desdemona’s ‘infidelity’; “she did deceive her father, marrying you”, and the fruition of Brabantio’s rhetoric “trust not [my] daughter’s mind”; eventually leads
Here, Othello’s inability to think judiciously slowly deteriorates as his trust in the “honest Iago”, ironically brings a “monstrous birth to the world’s light”. After “ensar[ing] as great a fly as Cassio”, and giving Othello “ocular proof”, of “Cassio wip[ing] his beard with” Othello’s priceless handkerchief, Iago converts Othello’s vehement passion for Desdemona into passionate jealousy over her alleged infidelity. Here, Iago’s ironic dialogue; “men should be what they seem or those that are not, what they seem none”, highlights Iago’s deceptive nature through the theme of appearance vs. reality which ignites sympathy for Othello’s misplace of trust. This deception sees the abandonment of Othello’s lyrical language where Shakespeare marks his descent into chaos; “Ill tear her all to pieces!”; where Othello’s sphere becomes governed by unruly sentiments. Here, the primal seems to be taking over the more cultured aspects of Othello; “my lord is not my lord”; highlighting the shift in rational thinking and the immiscibility of love and politics as just like oil and water, both constructs don’t seem to collude. Through; “And passion having my best judgement collied, assay to lead the way”; Othello’s dialogue encapsulates the journey in which his passions had shaped; giving us an insight into the notions of …show more content…
Othello’s devotion to his warrior values is the key catalyst for his hamartia-hubris and eventual fall from grace as his “brave” and “valiant”, self-perceptions instil in him an instinctual reaction to affairs; actions over words. Through the dialogue; “I will kill thee, and love thee after,” Othello experiences the ramifications of the merging worlds, where the public sphere overpowers the efficiency of his private. These evoking emotions impinge on Othello’s societal perceptions of ‘love conquering all’; but are overthrown after “all [his] fond love”; or concept of it remaining perpetual and untainted is “blown to heaven; tis gone”. However, through Othello’s transformation and eventual downfall, Shakespeare suggests the complexity of the human condition- how the continuity of the human condition allows the audience to console how Othello’s most suitable traits turn around quickly to become his ultimate flaws. Lodovico’s use of past tense; “O thou Othello, thou wert once so good”, verifies how even the noblest of characters can retain human flaws and how easily these can be played upon by another with “poisonous” intent. Iago’s constant reminder of Desdemona’s ‘infidelity’; “she did deceive her father, marrying you”, and the fruition of Brabantio’s rhetoric “trust not [my] daughter’s mind”; eventually leads