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",
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 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
Imagery in Othello
Write about the use of imagery in 'Othello' and its contribution to the overall effect of the play. In Shakespeare's Othello, the use of imagery, and especially symbolism, is most important in expressing meanings and builds the major themes of the play in order to create dramatic atmosphere. The function of imagery was predominately to generate characterisation and to define the themes in the play. Shakespeare's application of imagery is vital in affecting the reaction of the audience and allows the audience to understand the play in more depth. There are many ways in which imagery is used in Othello and it is conveyed in many different areas. Poison is a key area in which Shakespeare more than dips into with the play. The idea of poison is most strongly associated with Iago, the heinous villain of the play that controls everyone around him, as a sort of puppeteer, manipulating both their thoughts and their actions. Iago's main agenda is to ruin the life of Othello, his master and general, and he achieves this by blackening and poisoning people's minds with his power of persuasion. Poison is a recurring image in the play and it first appears near the beginning of the play, where Iago and Roderigo go to inform Senator Brabantio that Othello has married his daughter, the fair Desdemona, and Iago most certainly goes in order to blacken Brabantio's idea of Othello. 'Call up her
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
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.
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of jealousy in 'Othello'
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of jealousy in 'Othello' Shakespeare uses jealousy as a central theme throughout the play, without this aggressive and destructive emotion, there would be no solid plot. Shakespeare demonstrates how terrifying jealousy can be and that its has perhaps unnatural qualities. Shakespeare often refers to jealousy as a devouring emotion, "O beware, my lord of jealousy! It is the green eyed monster which doth mock, The meat it feeds on." Shakespeare uses this to give the emotion a sense of being devoured or devouring. This fits in extremely well with Iago's description of Othello as being "eaten up with passion." This suggests exactly how strong Othello's monumental jealousy really is, once Othello becomes convinced that his wife is unfaithful Iago continues to feed his jealousy which causes Othello to indeed behave like a monster. However, its dramatic irony that Iago says this to Othello. The audience knows that Iago is perhaps the one "eaten up," with jealousy and Othello is none the wiser to this. However unlike Othello, Iago has a different forms of jealousy he holds; the form of personal and professional jealousy. This is linked to a feeling of envy which sets the play in motion. Iago says that hatred and jealousy "gnaw at his inwards" like poison, however his ultimate aim is to poison Cassio and Othello and make them suffer as he is.
Discuss the significance of Act III sc. iii with particular reference to how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension
Othello coursework Discuss the significance of Act III sc. iii with particular reference to how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension Act III sc. iii is one of the most important acts in the play because in one scene, Othello goes from being a happily married man, at the start, to being, by the end, a man who isn't in control and is getting confused and doesn't know what's going on. In this scene we also witness a devastating display of manipulation of Othello by Iago and the downfall of Cassio. One of the ways in which Shakespeare creates dramatic tension is by Othello using very short questions such as "What dost thou say?" and "What dost thou think?" and "What dost thou mean?" which indicate that is he slowly becoming more and dependent on Iago and relying on what he is thinking as he has no previous experience of Venetian society-this is shown where Iago says "In Venice, they do let God see the pranks they dare not show their husbands" which is a reference that Venetian women go behind their husband's backs a lot and their husbands don't know about it. Othello also uses a lot of short sentences such as "O misery" and "Ha?" and could indicate anger and also that he is not thinking clearly and that, because he is black and a 'moor', not fluent with the language and feels ill at ease and he can't fit in with the rest of society and feels an 'outcast' and so might be more
How Do Iago's soliloquies set the play up for act 3 scene 3?
Jo Winter Year 10 Shakespeare Coursework Othello III.iii How does Iago transform Othello's character in III.iii and in what ways does Shakespeare show us this change William Shakespeare's works have stood the test of time, and this is definitely not due to coincidence. The use of language throughout his plays to portray ideas and intentions are what set him aside from other play writes of his time, and the tragic Othello is no exception. The play is driven by the depiction of the transformation of the play's leading role, Othello, whose love for his wife Desdemona is manipulated and twisted by the antagonistic Iago. The outcome of the ordeal is that Othello's character drastically changes. It is this change that creates this masterpiece. The setting of the play is a vital part in defining the character Othello, as it places him against a back drop of political chaos which acts as a perfect catalyst to the confused marital issues faced by the character due to the clash of his public and private life. Initially the play is set in Venice, where all is well. A land of peace without confusion and conflict, it is here where Othello is regarded as a highly respected general, and a war hero. His status is shown by the articulate nature of his speech, which is apparent in his meeting with the Duke in Act one, scene three "Most potent grave and reverend signors," "my very noble
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
