Othello: Noble Moor or Dangerous Savage?
Course work for AS English Literature March 2003 Othello: Noble Moor or Dangerous Savage? Angela Northfield Tutor: Tony Howard - Bromley College Othello: Noble Moor or Dangerous Savage? When looking at this question, we need to evaluate Othello's character throughout the events of the play and consider the different settings and ordeals to which he is subjected. In the opinion of A C Bradley, Othello is '...not naturally jealous but trusting in Iago' whereas F R Leavis considers 'the tragedy' to be ' ...Othello's character in action'. That Iago uses and manipulates the Moor during the play is obvious and Iago himself proclaims this '...in following him, I follow but myself.' ACT I.1.59. One must consider whether the radical change displayed by Othello is a result of Iago's manipulations and incitements. The natural trust in his ensign may have resulted in Othello's downfall or it may be possible that Othello truly was hiding his savage nature. By considering Othello a 'Noble Moor', he is then, a man with high ideals whose courage and selflessness are impressive to those around him. The reference to 'Moor' could be taken as a description of his origins (Moroccan) or a racial insinuation. For him to be labelled a 'Dangerous Savage', he would have to display primitive, violent and cruel actions. He would also have to be considered by others as a man who is
It is impossible to decide weather issues of race and gender should be central to a reading of Othello. Do you agree?
English 1a Major Essay Bec Ryles It is impossible to decide weather issues of race and gender should be central to a reading of Othello. Do you agree? The question of gender is even more pronounced in Othello than in most other tragedies because male sexuality is, by virtue of the hero's skin colour, as much as an issue as female sexuality (Callaghan, 36). Hence issues of race and gender can be seen throughout the Shakespearean play Othello. It can be said that binary oppositions are apparent in the reading of Othello, for example black versus white and woman versus man. It is common ideology that white is valued over black and man over woman. Black man is stereotypically associated with the animal and the dangerous while woman with sexual promiscuity and vengefulness. We see in Othello, the idealization and degradation of sexuality, the disintegration of male authority and the loss of female power, the isolation of men and women and the degeneration of Othello to prevailing generalisations about Black men. Throughout history blackness has been stereotypically associated with negative principles. The stereotypes that are most prevalent include the generalisation that black people especially men are angry, lustful, dangerous (especially towards women), threatening and primitive (Cowhig). However, in Shakespeare's Othello, the main character of the same name is seen
Othello's Deadly Error.
Chris Carrow English 367, Kentston Baumen 12/01/03 Othello's Deadly Error Once implanted, jealousy grows rapidly often resulting in destruction. Jealousy's devastating power derives from its myriad sources within the human psyche. Sexual tensions, financial greed, obsession for power all establish the foundation of jealousy among the male characters in Othello and eventually each is overwhelmed with resentful intentions. In some ways, Shakespeare's play, Othello is considered didactic in classical tragedy; the hero's downward fall transpires as the fault of hamartia on his part, a fault that troubles humanity. Under the deft ministrations of Iago, Othello endures a remarkable transformation. The man of judgment, the commander "whom passion could not shake (Othello 4.1.266)" becomes a credulous fool, transported with jealous fury, so infatuated that while he demands evidence of Desdemona's guilt he never sees anything save through male suggestion - especially the voice of Iago, so enticed that he keeps, "honest, honest Iago." The joining of socially awkward friendships, inherited insecurities, and reliance upon feeding his jealous appetite ultimately blind all reason and rational thinking in the mind of Othello. Othello, the general of the armies of Venice, is an eloquent and physically powerful figure. However, his military expertise, cultural differences,
How Effective Are the First Two Scenes Of Othello As An Introduction To The Two Main Characters And The Play As A Whole?
How Effective Are the First Two Scenes Of Othello As An Introduction To The Two Main Characters And The Play As A Whole? The passionate and emotional first two scenes of Othello almost immediately introduce the most important and controversial themes of the play, creating suspense and excitement for the audience, who become interested and involved in the play from the outset. The audience find themselves thrust into a heated conversation between two characters in the dead of night. This highly effective and engaging opening, forces the audience to simultaneously interpret the situation on stage and subconsciously establish a preference for one of the two characters immediately presented to them. Iago's impact on the audience is almost instantaneous, for his exclamation of ''Sblood' strongly differs from Roderigo's meek 'Tush' and similarly, the rhythm of Iago's lines is in stark contrast to the irritable whining of Roderigo. The obvious distinction between Iago and the apparently weak and foolish Roderigo causes the audience's admiration to lie with Iago. However, as the first scene progresses the tone and implications of Iago's speech become darker and more menacing, as he reveals that 'I follow [Othello] to serve my turn upon him'. The audience becomes aware of the fact that Iago may not be who he is first perceived to be as they heed to Iago's plainly spoken warning, 'I
Shakespeare the legend lives on
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - THE LEGEND LIVES ON Shakespeare stands out alone, both in his own age when so many were drawn to the form and circumstances were favourable to this kind genius, and in all English literature, as the one great and genuine dramatic poet. ----- Sri Aurobindo Centuries have passed after his death, but there is none to outweigh Shakespeare in his genius. This is certainly an astonishing fact. A person with fourteen years of formal education and with no academic ambition creating an epoch is a rare phenomenon. Shakespeare is one such person. Is Shakespeare an enigma? How was it possible for him to scale great heights with no academic back up? These queries have always been lingering in my mind. My queries found reply in Sri Aurobindo's writings. I am compelled to incorporate some of his ideas in this paper because I accede whole heartedly to his estimation of the great literary figure. The age to which Shakespeare belonged called the Elizabethan Age/Shakespearean Age is termed The Golden Age of English Literature .It is so called because rapid literary advancements took place during this period .Sri Aurobindo points out that the age suffered from certain inadequacies which made it inferior to other poetic periods and the ages of Greek and Roman poetry. The shortcomings were due to lack of aesthetic effect and vigour. However the presence of Shakespeare
There have been critics led by Dr Johnson who have wished away the first act of the play Othello. What is the importance of the first act?
There have been critics led by Dr Johnson who have wished away the first act of the play Othello. What is the importance of the first act? As in the majority of plays, the opening act is once which sets the mood, atmosphere and general location for the rest of the play. Some might say it is the more important of acts as it is the deciding factor of whether the audience will be interested in watching the play or not. The opening scene to Othello starts off in the midst of an argument between Iago and Roderigo. As it is in the middle of the argument the audience is unsure of what they are arguing about, this intrigues us and makes us want to find out. This method of the audience not knowing what has happened before the pay has started is called exposition. The play starts during an argument, so the atmosphere would be heated and tense, therefore making the audience excited and keen to know more. In Elizabethan times it would have been popular for a play to start very dramatically as this would have been the only signal to tell the audience that it had begun, therefore catching their attention. The purpose of the first scene is to give the audience a clue of what the rest of the play is going to be about. In scene one of Othello two characters are arguing about somebody whose name they never say, but they refer to him using derogatory terms so the audience are made aware of
"How does Shakespeare make an audience aware of the contrasting characters of Othello and Iago in the first two acts of the play?"
"How does Shakespeare make an audience aware of the contrasting characters of Othello and Iago in the first two acts of the play?" In the opening scenes of the play, Shakespeare immediately creates suspense and excitement, at once immersing the observer in intrigue and conspiracy. He throws his audience directly into some of the major themes and concerning issues of the play. Furthermore, by centering the dialogue and action around the characters of Othello and Desdemona, without yet having presented them to the audience in person, Shakespeare increases our desire to become more engrossed in the play. Shakespeare's decision to make a black man a tragic hero was bold although not original. In this play, Othello is the black man in a white man's society - the notion of black and white being the best contrast between the two characters, although the notional colours are inverted in the play (Othello/good = white; Iago/evil = black). It is true to say that in Elizabethan times, most theatre-goers would probably never have seen a black person, and the concept of such a person in a powerful position, let alone a powerful position in a white society, would have been totally alien to them. At the time, "black" was associated with evil and the devil, and in previous plays, Shakespeare had used "blackamoors" only as evil characters. The concept, therefore, of making the main
Discuss the representation of religious and racial differences in 'Othello' and 'The Jew of Malta'.
Discuss the representation of religious and racial differences in 'Othello' and 'The Jew of Malta'. Religion and race are both familiar themes in Elizabethan literature; Shakespeare and Marlowe among other playwrights included many characters of different races and religions throughout their theatrical work. In this essay I will attempt to explore the idea of representation of race and religion in two of the set plays. The plays I am studying are 'Othello', by William Shakespeare and 'The Jew of Malta' by Christopher Marlowe. I intend to look at the representation of race in 'Othello' and the problems it poses for the characters and how Othello is perceived because of his race and I will also look at the representation of Barabas's religion in 'The Jew of Malta' how he is portrayed as a Jew and how the other characters are portrayed in opposition to him. 'Othello' was written between 1601 and 1604; it was first performed in 1604 and first published in Quarto form in 1622. It was not the first play to portray a black character, Shakespeare wrote Aaron, an evil Moor, into Titus Andronicus. Moor's were not uncommon in Britain at the time of the play but they were still seen as second class citizens. 'The Jew of Malta' was written between 1589 and 1591 and first published in 1633. Jews were common in Renaissance literature, often to portray villains, as Jews were not well liked
Othello as a Tragic Hero.
Othello as a Tragic Hero Ever since it's definition by Aristotle as early as 250 B.C., the medium of tragedy is prominent throughout the course of classical literature and can be seen as a traditional hallmark of many great works produced over the centuries. Among other mediums such as comedy and chronicle, tragedy is diversely shown across the literary spectrum ranging from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex to Elizabethan theater as portrayed in plays such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Simply defined, tragedy always entails the death of the protagonist. As a common standard in tragedy, the protagonist, or "tragic hero" is of high standing who is faced with some opposing force whether internal or external. "Tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends...." This excerpt from Aristotle's Poetics illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works, including Shakespeare's Othello, are based. In Poetics, Aristotle expresses the writer's obligation to create what is known as a "tragic hero" in all forms of tragedy. He further explains that this persona must be dominated by a