Othello

Shakespeare’s “Othello” is a whirlwind of a story as it follows the emotional roller-coaster of an army general in the midst of love. The role-character, Othello, is an articulate, passionate and intelligent African-American who finds himself blinded by the love he has for his wife, Desdemona. Although Othello seemed to many as the epitome of strength and confidence, every superman has their kryptonite. Othello was punctual, knew just the right words to say at the precise moment, he was a…

underneath its shimmering surface societal problems. Women were treated as second class citizens brought down much lower under men. Men were regarded as the noble provider in a family and women were the submissive housewives. In Shakespeare's play Othello it is set in the same era Shakespeare lived in along with all of its ideals . The ideas and societal norms of the time are reflected in the play. The oppressive views of women and the male dominance over the three female characters Desdemona,…

“Abroad it is thought that [Othello] ‘twixt [his] sheets” (1.3.368) instigating his hate for Othello, which he brutally referred to him as “an old black ram…the devil…lascivious moor” due to his race (1.1.89-125). Although I had heard this myth around the island of Cyrpus, until Iago was “…evened with [Othello], wife for wife…or failing so…put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong” his aim was to manipulate a number of people, including myself, in order to get back at Othello for what…

Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Shakespeare Through the Ages Othello: Bloom’s Literacy, NY: 2008. Print. 1-311 The central thesis of Bloom’s book argues that the Shakespeare play Othello has not changed through the ages. However, the way people perceive it has changed. Bloom begins his book with a study of the first play that written then breaks it down throughout the ages. Bloom starts by stating, “The first recorded performance of Othello was November 1, 1604” (45) Bloom then states, ‘all…

The idea of fate plays a major role in the play, Othello by Shakespeare, so much so that it set the entire story from beginning to end. Fate is the predetermination state or end and is something that is foreordained. Iago is best known for his acts against fate, trying to intentionally dominate what should already be. Fate, as we know from other works of literature such as The Odyssey and Oedipus Rex, cannot be changed or messed with because what is meant to be will always find it’s way. Iago,…

Moors struggled to find harmony in Shakespeare’s time in Venice, England, and throughout Europe. Othello, the Moor, plays the Other in Shakespeare’s play Othello. The Other is an interesting character that is seen throughout Shakespeare’s plays including Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Caliban in The Tempest. The Other is usually an outsider, someone who can be mocked, abused, or condemned. Little says, “But, as Othello’s countrymen will finally have it, no amount of rhyming or coupling…

From an outsider’s perspective, it is almost unrealistic how every character is able to fall prey so easily to Iago’s ploys and tricks. Perhaps it is Othello’s honesty and trusting heart that ironically blinds him from the deceitful manners of Iago. Othello is portrayed as one who follows the regulations and expectations established by the society, thus it would make sense that he chooses to believe in the good of everybody. He is a well-respected and seemingly intelligent general, however, he…

Literature is clearly seen to be the voice of the oppressed in both Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ and Ibsen’s ‘Hedda Gabler’. Literature has its own voice; words are not spoken physically but are read and processed in the natural way. The author has the ability to convey any chosen message, whether simply a story line or more seriously to highlight subtly or forcefully the position or plight of an oppressed group. In Othello written around 1603 and set against scenes in Venice in the seventeenth…

Shakespeare 's Othello there are three women in the whole play each one symbolizing the ideal woman and what they truly are. Though the play is only centered around one woman, Desdemona. It can be said that Emilia and Bianca also play an important part as well by showing the restriction placed on woman during the Elizabethan times. In which Shakespeare is showing off the power of woman, this theory also known as the feminist theory. As Shakespeare manages to show different viewpoint about…

William Shakespeare’s “Othello, the Moor of Venice” (reprinted in Greg Johnson and Thomas R. Arp, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 12th ed.) is one of the most well known tragedies across literature. In the famous play, Othello is the Moor that came into the Venetian city as somewhat of an outsider and acquired a high rank so quickly that it bothered many other men at the time. In addition to this, at the start of the play Othello marries Desdemona without her father’s…