In Othello Shakespeare presents a society in which there is one form of morality and justice for men and an entirely different one for women.
In Othello Shakespeare presents a society in which there is one form of morality and justice for men and an entirely different one for women. Do you agree? Examine IV.III In Othello the protagonists are subject to rigid divisions between male and female expectations and often have to sacrifice themselves for it. The play confronts traditional principles which would have been central to the Jacobean public. Throughout the play Shakespeare outlines the social obligations which drive the characters' lives as well as destinies. Men are expected to fulfil different roles in the society than women. The play challenges honesty and sexuality and tests moral values of the characters and the ideals of justice. Although initially presented as often being completely for men and women, visible links between the moralities' of the two sexes are drawn which forces the Jacobean audience and modern reader to reconsider their moral principles and judgements. In addition, Shakespeare reveals the influence of social standing on the character's morality, which often overrides that of gender. The differences in sexual morality and justice between men and women are explored in the play. The importance of sexual interactions is evident in all the relationships between the characters, however the attitude towards sexuality is not the same for men and women. In Scene IV.III during a discussion
What makes Act One of Othello powerful?
What makes Act One of Othello powerful? Shakespeare's 'Othello' was first published in 1622 and revolves around four central characters; Othello, Desdemona, Iago and Cassio. The central conflict evokes contrasting emotions of passion, hatred, envy and jealousy. Act One marks the night of Othello and Desdemona's elopement but it also initiates the pattern of night and day, dark and light, black and white, which is emblematic of the polarize debate centred upon the inter-racial marriage. From Act One Scene One, Shakespeare captures the audience's attention and presents us with an incredibly powerful opening. 'Othello' opens in media res with two characters engaged in a dispute; the scene is set for conflict, and a mood of confusion and intrigue immediately established. The audience does not know what the characters are talking about because the subject of so much of their conversation, Othello, is never referred to by name, heightening our anticipation. We learn Iago's name in the second line of the play and Roderigo's soon afterward, but Othello is not once mentioned by his name. Rather, he is ambiguously referred to as "he" and "him." He is also called "the Moor", "the thick-lips", and "a Barbary horse" -all names signifying that he is dark-skinned immediately drawing the audience's attention to the racial prejudice present. The location of this scene is significant, and
The women in Othello lack power and importance; they are purely used as dramatic devices to offset the tragedy of the main character. How far do you agree with this statement?
"The women in 'Othello' lack power and importance; they are purely used as dramatic devices to offset the tragedy of the main character." How far do you agree with this statement? In Othello, a play dominated by strong, high-ranked combatant males, female characters are the minority. Critics have argued that Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are mostly, if not only, seen in their relationships with men, whereas the male characters are also seen in their professional roles. This feeds the view that the women in Othello are employed as devices to help manipulate the men as part of Iago's plan. The mixed-race marriage between Desdemona and Othello, in context, would have been very controversial. Their relationship would stand out to an audience, not only simply for their relationship but also because of their apparent equal standing at the start of the play. When their relationship is revealed, Othello highlights their mutual respect for one another when he asks the Duke to 'send for the lady to the Sagittary, and let her speak of me before her father', challenging patriarchy and expressing that he believes his wife should be allowed to speak for herself. At the beginning of the play, Desdemona depicts the image of a powerful woman. She has publicly disobeyed her father using confident speech such as 'my noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty' which contrasts her father's
Do you think this is how Shakespeare wanted to portray or present the character?Samuel Taylor Coleridge once wrote that Iago's soliloquies are the "motive-hunting of motiveless malignity".
Samuel Taylor Coleridge once wrote that Iago's soliloquies are the "motive-hunting of motiveless malignity". Do you think this is how Shakespeare wanted to portray or present the character? 'The Arden Shakespeare', argues that Othello is the 'third of greatest tragedies, contains arguably the best plot and two of Shakespeare's most original characters'. Originating from a tale written by Cinthio, Othello is seen as one of the Bard's most passionate and intricate tragedies. The play, originally identified as The Tragedy of Othello-the Moor of Venice, can be easily differentiated from Shakespeare's other plays as Othello explores a sense of cruelty that lacks comic relief. Moreover, Iago's character greatly emphasises on an intense theme of unity of action that is revealed as there are no subplots throughout. A structuralist approach is discovered as the signifier and signified are inversed frequently during the play. Critics have said 'Othello subverts traditional theatrical symbolism, through the presentation of characters Othello and Iago'. The drama of the play is usually driven by Iago's machination to destroy his general. Iago possesses more lines than Othello does throughout the play and moreover uses the speech of soliloquies to communicate with the audience forming a mutual relationship, as the villain reveals other dimensions to his character and schemes. Although
Explore Shakespeare(TM)s presentation of the changes in Othello(TM)s character in the play Othello(TM)
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of the changes in Othello's character in the play 'Othello' 'Othello' can be described as a catastrophic play written by Shakespeare in Elizabethan times and represents the real-world themes of love and jealousy as well as racism. The play demonstrates the downfall in character of a noble general, Othello who at the beginning of the play is full of courage, discipline and authority. The influence of other characters, triggers the deterioration of Othello's great qualities as a result of his selfishness and jealousy. The continuous change of Othello's character creates reason for the audience and Desdemona to question what has happened because of the changes brought about by Iago and his deviousness which Othello falls for. This causes the several tragedies, which occur one-by-one gathering pace towards the end of the plot. At the beginning of the play (Act 1, Scene 1), before we are introduced to Othello, we are bestowed with some impression of him through the opinions of Iago and Roderigo. This is a clever technique used by Shakespeare to immediately show us what the other characters think of him as well as signal out Iago's negative personality; "an old black ram Is tupping your white ewe" instantly labelling Othello, the moor, as an aggressive beast 'mating' with a white, innocent woman, demonstrating the extreme level of racism at the
To what extent does Shakespeare present Iago as a tragic villain with no redeeming features?
To what extent does Shakespeare portray Iago as a tragic villain with no redeeming qualities? To say that Iago is a tragic villain with no redeeming qualities is a grossly over-simplified statement, which in no way accounts for the complexity of human behaviour or Shakespeare's skill in portraying it. The Aristotelian tragic hero is defined as essentially good with a single fatal flaw which helps lead to their undoing. Therefore the corresponding villain must logically possess a redeeming characteristic; if not only to provide balance then to be a realistic character in their own right. The role of Iago as villain depends largely on one's interpretation of the tragic genre, be it classical or modern. Seneca (4BC-AD65) developed Aristotle's theories that a tragic hero falls from high to low by also expostulating that evil may defeat reason during the play. Although Iago is usually classed as a villain, he could also be seen as an anti-hero of tragedy; he falls from high to low, from "honest Iago" to "viper" (at least in the other characters' estimations), and his malevolence evidently overcomes all other aspects of his character as the plot unfolds. Also, though he undoubtedly commits heinous acts against the other characters, the play seems to focus on him as opposed to Othello; it is his soliloquies which carry the most weight and his words which drive the action forward.
Discuss how Iago manipulates language to achieve his aims
Discuss how Iago Manipulates Language to Achieve his Aims Iago is often described as the narrator of 'Othello', he directly speaks to the audience, and they enjoy the privileged exposition of Iago's intricate schemes as he intertwines his network of lies around the rest of the unsuspecting characters. The audience witnesses this through soliloquy, and in the speeches early in the play, he gives several clues as to his motives, modus operandi and intentions. He is open to their scrutiny who, throughout the play, admire, horrified, the progress of his scheming. The first main speech of Iago's is directed to Roderigo in I.i.40-65. This speech exposes Iago's explicit delight in his treachery. The inferiority complex from which he undoubtedly suffers is most obvious at the beginning of the speech; he openly ridicules the 'duteous and knee-crooking knave' in a fashion that is both patronising and contemptuous. He sees men who are faithfully devoted to their masters as no more than a mere donkey, who 'wears out his time much like his masters ass'. Iago uses bestial imagery throughout the play (for example when he referring to Othello and Desdemona as a 'black ram' and 'white ewe' respectively) in a manner that is often very aggressive and insulting. In the Arden edition, this passage consists of several lengthy sentences; his manipulation of their structure reflects cunning nature
Re-read Iago(TM)s soliloquies at the end of Acts I and II. How might the actions here reverberate throughout the play? How might the actions be spoken, staged and filmed to create different emphasis and interpretations?
In my opinion Iago is a crude character with evil imbedded into his soul - a typical villain in a Shakespearian play. The line "put money in they purse" shows Iago as his manipulative self. I believe his mind is fixed on causing hurt and destruction, fuelled by his jealousy over Othello and his wife. This view is outlined well by the critic Helen Gardener. 'Malice is motiveless'. This view is shown well in operatic version of Othello, in which Iago states that 'vile is [his] my tissue', which just shows that Iago does this to Othello because he is evil, not through jealousy. In comparison to this the view of Neville Coghill is that Iago has been turned to this evil plot because of the actions of Othello. However I really don't think this is a feasible argument simply because, Iago continues with his evil plans after Cassio has been sacked and Othello tells Iago he can be 'his most trusted lieutenant' so it is absurd to believe that Iago is simply plotting a revenge attack on Othello. This is therefore why Iago's evil actions are so shocking because he has no real motive. He is clearly jealous of Othello and believes he should be in a better position than he is because of the line, "know my price". Shakespeare shows Iago at first to have strong feelings of jealousy and bitterness towards Othello. Lines such as 'his own pride and purposes' shows how Shakespeare wants
To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of Othello. Refer to context, concepts of the tragic hero, other tragedies and critical interpretations
To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of 'Othello'. Refer to context, concepts of the tragic hero, other tragedies and critical interpretations The famous Philosopher, Aristotle, explored what exactly is a tragic hero; he said, in his own words, "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." (1). Also, a man should have nobility from birth, as Aristotle says, yet Othello slowly climbed the ladder of hierarchy enabling him to stable that status as the Moor (Venetian Moor) yet he sets himself as a tragic hero because he isn't going to accepted into society due to his colour. Was his colour a conceit in a way, showing an anticlimax, foreshadowing the downfall of his status, making it less tragic? This is a mere criticism. Aristotle's theories are intriguing, and I will be discussing these in detail later on in the essay. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is that the hero's story must appeal to emotions. Clearly we are shown this in the first scene in act 1 where Shakespeare uses sibilance to characterise the main characters, Iago and Othello, in the play. The use of the word "his" automatically spits the word out in distaste. The word 'his' is degrading for the moor, but the sibilance and the iambic pentameter in the sentence "wears out his time, much like his master's ass" emphatically forces the 'his' out
How does Iago use language to assert powers over others?
How does Iago use language to assert power over others? "I am not what I am". Despite Iago's confession to Roderigo that he is not what he appears to be, this puppeteer of a character is still enabled to pull the strings of those around him, all the while preserving his reputation as the 'honest Iago'. This could be attributed to Iago's use of language as a persuasive, manipulative, emotional and rhetoric device. When attempting to rile up Brabantio, Iago uses bestial imagery such as 'a black ram is tupping your white ewe' and 'the Moor and your daughter are now making the beast with two backs'. This metaphor reflects the Elizabethan stereotype that a black man is power hungry, uncivilised, savage and a worthless outsider. In the period of time the play is set in, inter-racial marriages between black and white couples were unacceptable and Iago plays on this to enrage Brabantio. This animal references works not only work to craft Othello as an animalistic, violent, sexual being in Brabantio's eyes, but also to portray his daughter as innocent and pure with the use of the word 'white'. This causes a contrast between the two lovers, flaring a father's need to protect his daughter by victimising Desdemona and bestialising Othello. Similarly, Iago plays on the perception of a 'father's role' in the context of the play by using connotations of robbery to imply that Desdemona,
