What is the significance of Iagos Soliloquies in Othello?
What is the significance of Iago's Soliloquies in 'Othello'? 'Othello' is a Shakespearian tragedy written in 1604. Othello is a black African prince who is a general in the Venetian army. He wrongly falls in love with Desdemona, who comes from a noble family, where it is unacceptable to marry a black man. After Othello gives a promotion to Cassio, Iago gets extremely jealous. His jealousy gets the better of him, and he plans to break Othello. Because of his manipulation, Othello, Desdemona, Emilia who is Iago's wife and Roderigo who is a friend, all die. One of the main characters in 'Othello' is Othello. Othello is black and this makes him a victim of racism. The earliest experience of racism is when Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio to tell him "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe." By this, they mean that Othello is having sex with Brabantio's daughter Desdemona. This makes Othello seem like the perpetrator, and Desdemona as the victim. It puts Othello in the wrong straight away and makes him sound evil and horrible. Othello lives in a white society and this also contributes to the fact he is a haven for racism. He stands out in this society as a unique character. Othello falls in love with the very attractive Desdemona. Desdemona comes from a noble family and is extremely independent and faithful. Cassio is Othello's lieutenant and is used in Iago's plan to break
Is Iago The Perfect Villain?
Othello Essay 'Is Iago the perfect villain?' Few Shakespearian villains radiate evilness and jealously quite as much as Iago, the unbeknown nemesis of the play's title character, Othello. In other plays written by the bard of Avon the villains can come across as one-dimensional- weak, personified by a flaw in their genetic make-up or unattainable ambition yet Iago is a far more complex and compelling character. True, he has the power to both betray and murder those he once worked alongside, but Iago isn't the complete cold-blooded murderer in the same sense of Macbeth or King Claudius from Hamlet. True, he meticulously plans the death of Cassio but he plans it to be by hands of Rodrigo, his puppet. In the end opportunity presents itself to Iago and he seizes the moment to stab Cassio in the back but the blow fails to kill him. Iago also reveals a moral conscience through his three soliloquy's which I will explore in more detail later. In short Iago is like no other of Shakespeare's villains which makes him an utterly compelling and absorbing character. And like the other characters in the play, Iago delights in absorbing us, the viewer... The tragedy of Othello was believed to have been first performed in the early 1600's and is one of Shakespeare's more famous plays. The play is also rich in historical context and features the Moorish race heavily, leading many to believe
How does Shakespeare use language and stagecraft to show Othello's changing feelings towards Dedemona throughout Othello
How does Shakespeare use language and stagecraft to reflect Othello's feelings towards Desdemona throughout Othello? (Focussing on Act 2 Scene 1, Act 3, Scene3, and Act 5 Scene 2) Othello was written by Shakespeare in the year 1603. It was first performed in court, but not published until 1622. William Shakespeare took ideas from Giraldi Cinthio's Hecca Tommithi - an Italian collection of 100 stories which were popular at the time, and studied by many playwrights and scholars. The play is about love, jealousy, deceit, racism and lies, and is one of Shakespeare's tragedies. Othello is set in two places- the first act in Venice and the rest of the play at a sea port in Cypress. Venice was a powerful city, with a wealthy, law-abiding and formal society. In contrast, Cypress was rowdy, not law-abiding, and constantly fighting. It is an island, which was attacked in 1570 by the Turks, having belonged to Italy for more than 100 years. Women were thought of as stupid, silly, and objects only for having children, doing as they were told, and less intelligent. A wife was bought for a dowry, and parents would sell off their daughters to gain influence or money. Desdemona was Othello's wife - they have been secretly married before the beginning of the play. She is the daughter of Venetian senator Barbanzio, and typically pure and meek, while being determined and self possessed.
How does Shakespeare create an effective villain through his presentation of Iago in the soliloquies?
How does Shakespeare create an effective villain through his presentation of Iago in the soliloquies? Over 400 years ago, the theatre was one of the most popular and novel forms of entertainment around. The leading role model here was William Shakespeare, with his 40 plays that captivated audiences the length and breadth of 16th and 17th century England. His plays are divided into three different genres: Comedy, Tragedy and History. In the era that Shakespeare's plays started to earn the recognition we now see he deserved, tragedies were seen as the more popular with plays like Titus Andronicus and King Lear. One of his more famous tragedies was "Othello," the tragic story of a young, valiant and well respected Moor, who is driven to suicide as a result of the exploitation of his fatal flaw. In this case, it is his jealousy of his wife Desdemona supposedly sleeping with Cassio. In this essay I will be analysing the villain in the play, Iago, and his soliloquies, the numerous solo speeches to the audience. These establish Iago as the main villain and allow him to reveal his inner most thoughts. Even today many people still enjoy re-enactments of Shakespeare's plays, either on stage or through television or films. This is because many of the themes Shakespeare based his plays on, relate to many modern day events. In his first soliloquy, it is the first time the audience sees
How and why does Othello's character change during the course of the play? How does Shakespeare present this dramatically?
How and why does Othello's character change during the course of the play? How does Shakespeare present this dramatically? When Othello is sent to war in Cyprus, the Moor's character changes over the course of time. His language and attitude towards people, including his innocent wife, begins to differ for the worse. Othello's wild behaviour worries Desdemona incredibly as he changes a lot from his calm and gentle nature from before. Shakespeare presents this transformation through Othello's syntax and dramatic irony. His confused logic is evident in his actions whether they are violent or passionate. When Othello is in his home city of Venice, his attitude towards others is calm, shown when Cassio enters warning him that Brabantio is after him, he replies, "'Tis well I am found by you: I will but spend a word here in the house and go with you." Othello doesn't react to the words of Cassio, he stands confidently as he hasn't done anything wrong. He is a man of bravery and self-assurance. When Brabantio arrives, he orders his officers to seize Othello, but in reply, the Moor says, "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them." This humorous comment breaks the tense atmosphere and relaxes the viewers' thoughts on the situation. Shakespeare is clearly trying to show Othello's confidence and self-control as strangers approach him. This annoys Brabantio, as he feels
Examine the significance of Act 3 Scene 3 in Othello
Examine the significance of Act 3 Scene 3 in Othello Act 3 Scene 3 is the pivotal point in the play as we see Othello changes from an honest, noble man, who is happily married into a man prepared to kill his own wife based on the rumours he has heard from Iago. Iago is responsible for the change in Othello, because he is jealous of Othello and wants to ruin his life. Iago's plan to get Othello to kill Desdemona and for himself to kill Cassio begins properly in Act 3 Scene 3 as he starts to sow the seed in Othello's mind that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio: "O beware, my lord, of jealousy It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock" (Act 3 Scene 3 Lines 167 - 168) The way Iago uses the word "lord" shows the audience and Othello that Iago has great respect for him. This leads Othello into a false sense of security as he does not think that Iago will betray would betray him by lying to him as he admires him so much. Iago is warning Othello not to be jealous, but there is no previous mention of what he should be jealous of. This brings out a desperate side in Othello that we have not seen before, as he wants to know as much information as he can. The reference to a "green-eyed monster" is another link to jealousy as it is a commonly used personification of jealousy. The colour green is a connotation of envy this is the feeling that Iago is tying to warn Othello
Why Act 3, Scene 3 is a significant turning point in Othello
Act Three, Scene Three - Othello Choose a scene which you consider to be a turning point and explain in detail and with some reference to the rest of the play why it is dramatic and significant. Refer to language, themes and characterisation. A turning point is a time in a plot where actions cause a character to develop from their prior persona. A classic example of this is Act Three, Scene Three of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. This scene is crucial to the play, as it conveys the change in the moor, Othello's personality as a result of Iago's manipulation. In this essay I will describe this scene's dramatic nature and significance with reference to language, themes and characterisation. I will begin by describing Othello before Iago had interfered with his relationship. I will then give an overview of the structure and state why it is effective. I shall explore the key moments in manipulation and discuss how a climax is created. In conclusion, I shall relate the scene to the rest of the play, whilst discussing why it is dramatic with reference to the main themes portrayed, and its overall significance. Othello is a man of many complexities. Having being cast into a world of civilised Venetians, he is seen as an outsider; a 'black ram', 'The Moor'. His ethnicity is foreign to the people, and so it can be seen in his simple dialect. Yet, referred to as "noble Othello",
What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago's villainy?
What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago's villainy? The play Othello is a stereotypical Shakespearean tragedy and it uses characters that are stereotypical of the views people had during the Jacobean period. Othello is a tragedy because the main characters die at the end f the play, also throughout the play themes of prejudice; deceit and love/hate are introduced. Shakespeare has used other sources other that his imagination for his plays. 'Othello' was thought to have been taken from Hecatommithi, a collection of Italian short stories written by Giraldi Cinthio, the story seven contains many of the same names and situations as in Othello. In this essay I will analyze and comment on how Shakespeare uses techniques to reveal Iago's villainy. I will look at what effects the techniques Shakespeare uses have on the way Iago is presented to the audience. In act 2 scene 3 'Othello' we can clearly see the way Iago uses his surreptitious mind to persuade Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Casio. Due to Iago's manipulation of Othello, Othello starts to doubt Desdemona's loyalty and becomes under Iago's control. Iago uses a sly way to get Othello's attention and get him to believe what he has to say is true, he uses phrases such as "my noble lord" using both a personal pronoun by saying "my" and flattery by calling Othello his "noble lord" which would be
Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions.
Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. Iago's motivation is nothing more than jealously, self-absorption and hatred, yet his tact is presented in a decidedly and socially acceptable fashion, that is, until his true self is uncovered. In being so wrapped up in himself, Iago's vengeful attitude knows no bounds. His motivation becomes first known to us in the first scene of the play, in which he claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago states that he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: "It is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office". However none of these claims seems to adequately explain Iago's most deep hatred of Othello, and Iago's lack of convincing motivation or his inability or unwillingness to express his true motivation-makes his actions all the more terrifying and sinister. He is willing to take revenge on anyone, Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, even Emilia, at the slightest provocation and he enjoys damage that he causes. Iago's true power lays in his great talent for understanding and manipulating the desires and insecurities of those around him. Thus making him both a powerful and compelling figure. He seems to be the puppeteer of all the other characters in the
Give a detailed analysis of Othello's final speech,
Give a detailed analysis of Othello's final speech, "Soft you a word or two before I go..." as presented in the various screen interpretations you have seen. Discuss the effectiveness. Put forward alternative staging options which you feel would be more effective. Make links with different Literary - Critical interpretations, as well as with context material. Show how the passage picks up themes from the play as a whole. Andrew Mackay 12E WORD COUNT: 1606 DATE: 04/02/03 The five screen interpretations where all with the actors playing Othello as, Welles, Olivier, Hopkins, White and Fishburne. All five were produced on video format with a contrast of film and stage presentations. I have decided to focus on the three presentations of, Olivier, White and Fishburne. The final speech of Othello starts with Othello near to or cradling the limp lifeless boy of Desdemona after he has killed her. Iago has been arrested and Emilia is dead. The play is closing in the traditional Shakespearian way with an explosive and emotional ending similar to Romeo and Juliet with the loves killing themselves as a result of misfortune and lies. In the films there is a mixture of setting and performance styles and some of the Othello's are "blacked up" as they are of Caucasian natural skin. This speech is important as it is the culmination of the whole play and all the issues raised as to the love
