Iago is a powerful predator who exploits those around him by infecting their perceptions of truth with carefully chosen fallacy.
When the slightest hint of doubt or suspicion is planted into someone's mind, the damaging effect of jealousy is left to ensue. William Shakespeare's "Othello" supports this idea. Jealousy and suspicion are Othello's major flaws throughout the play and foreshadow to the audience the eponymous hero's imminent downfall brought about by his ancient, the manipulative Iago. NP Shakespeare uses the technique of beginning "Othello" at night and in the middle of a conversation to create intrigue. Iago and Roderigo are discussing the elopement of Desdemona, who Roderigo loves, and Othello. Although this conversation takes place at a very early stage in the play, it is evident that Iago is manipulative and cunning as he is already taking full advantage of Roderigo's wealth: NP "That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine". NP The first word we hear Iago speak is "Sblood", a powerful word conveying his fury and hate. Iago tells Roderigo the reason he is angry is because Othello has appointed Michael Cassio the position of lieutenant instead of him: "One Michael Cassio, a Florentine... That never set a squadron on the field". It is clear Iago thinks Othello has made a mistake in his decision as Cassio is not only inexperienced, but he is from Florence. NP Iago's inability to contain his rage is further revealed when he vows revenge on Othello: "I follow him
Explore the role of hatred and/or grief in any work (or works) of literature of your choice.
4) Explore the role of hatred and/or grief in any work (or works) of literature of your choice. In their introduction of Aeschylus' 'The Oresteia', Robert Fagles and W.B Stanford include E.R Dodds' assertion that ancient mythology reflected the 'pathology of a culture ridden by its guilt' in the aftermath of many bloody wars and invasions. In Fagles' modern translation, he describes Aeschylus' trilogy ('Agamemnon', 'The Libation Bearers' and 'The Eumenides') as a work in which 'the dead pursued the living for revenge, and revenge could only breed more guilt.' If any other literary piece could satisfy such appraisal, it is Hamlet. If hatred and grief are the main aspects of tragedy, Hamlet is a tragic hero with a distinctly 'Senecan', flavour. (Arkins) For C. & M. Martindale, 'Seneca was the closest Shakespeare ever got to Greek tragedy.' Senecan translations may well have supplemented the Latin plays studied by Shakespeare at school in Stratford- indeed, Brian Arkins claims that the Greek's influence was 'in the Elizabethan air', and T.S Eliot wrote that 'No author exercised...a deeper influence upon the Elizabethan mind or...form of tragedy than did Seneca.' Cambridge itself was deeply influenced during the period, presenting two performances of 'The Trojan Women' and 'Medea' as well as another of 'Oedipus' between 1551 and 1563. (Arkins) The revenge aspect of
Analyse an extract of not less than 500 words from a text of your choosing, commenting upon the use of language and reflecting upon the relationship between the nature of the extract and the era from which it comes.
Analyse an extract of not less than 500 words from a text of your choosing, commenting upon the use of language and reflecting upon the relationship between the nature of the extract and the era from which it comes. My essay will be based on an extract by William Shakespeare, from his tragic play 'Othello'. I will analyse the language used in the pivotal part of the play, Act three, Scene three. I will look at it against the time of writing and also look at the effect Shakespeare's great use of language has left us with today. William Shakespeare is thought to be the greatest writer we have ever seen, but he is also the most written about. His chronicles and commentators spill over global tongues, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian etc. He is actually in more than fifty languages. He was not for an age, but for all time. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. Shakespeare's father, John, was an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. His mother, Mary Arden, came from a farming family. Shakespeare was the eldest of three sons and four daughters and was educated until he was sixteen. William Shakespeare was indeed lucky to survive to adulthood in sixteenth-century England. Waves of the plague swept across the countryside, and pestilence ravaged Stratford during the hot summer months. It is unclear what he did until he landed in London in 1591. He
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
A Comparison Of ‘Telephone Conversation’ And ‘Not My Best Side’
Anthony Grubert A Comparison Of 'Telephone Conversation' And 'Not My Best Side' For this essay I am to be comparing the two poems 'telephone conversation' and 'Not my best side'. First I shall begin by writing about the content of each poem separately, the first being 'Wole Soyinka's' 'Telephone conversation'. Telephone conversation is about two people from very different background orientations .One of the pair is a Black person whereas the other is a white landlady. The black person is a character attempting to find residence in a home that would accept him despite his inherent colour. The white landlady is a seemingly shameless woman who in regard of her attitude feels the need to speak to the man under false pretence of aristocracy. She quit obviously is no the aristocrat that she portrays with her accent. The black person is a well-educated gallant who makes his opinion and the facts of the issues concerning racism, which this poem makes reference to as soon as the conversation begins. 'Madam I hate a wasted journey I am African' this reveals that he has face great deal of rejection whilst in pursuit of a home which has been denied due to his colour. The man wishes for sanctuary in a place of residence away from the horrors that society's persecution have inflicted on him and those like him. He wants it all at a reasonable as well price as this extract will
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
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
In William Shakespeares Othello, we witness the tragedy of a man tormented by the fabrications of his own mind. Originally, Othello is tempted by Iago to believe in his wifes infidelity.
Damnation Doth Not Part In William Shakespeare's Othello, we witness the tragedy of a man tormented by the fabrications of his own mind. Originally, Othello is tempted by Iago to believe in his wife's infidelity. Following a relatively brief period of temptation, Othello marries the devil himself. From this point on, Othello has made up his mind and will unconsciously fabricate whatever evidence is necessary to prove Desdemona a whore. After Othello's marriage to the devil, there is no turning back from the tragic end or from damnation. Iago's devilish qualities become apparent through his own speech Speaking to Roderigo, he first invalidates the concept of loyalty, saying of Othello, "I follow him but to serve my turn upon him" (1.1. 39), and "In following him I follow but myself. / Heaven is my judge, not I for love or duty, but seeming so, for my peculiar end." (1.1.55-57) in which he invalidates not only duty, but also love. This also brings up the question of what Iago's "peculiar end" is. If Iago is the devil, his peculiar end would be the damnation of souls. Using other interpretations of Iago's characters, it is much more difficult to define what his "peculiar end" might be. Then, as if to dispell any doubt, he concludes with "I am not what I am" (1.1.63), which could be easily dismissed, if changed by one word to "I am not what I seem," as acknowledgement of his
A marriage of convenience? Othello.
Gabriela Martinez 6-24-03 Mr. Dave Borror A marriage of convenience? Lines 130 to 177 in act 1, scene 3 of the Othello play is what encompasses Othello's speech to the Duke, the senators and Brabantio. Othello and Brabantio were present in front of the Duke and the senators, basically because Othello was being accused of witchcraft, since there was no other reason why a beautiful Venetian white young lady like Desdemona would feel attracted to a moor. The main goal of Othello's speech is to prove that there was no witchcraft involved, and the love that Desdemona felt for him came upon naturally. Further more, Othello's intentions towards Desdemona were not to just have a sexual relationship with, he wanted to do the honorable thing of those times, and so he had married her. This speech plays a very important role in the play. It is usually the case that soldiers, army men of those times would probably not be as articulate as most educated people of those times. Furthermore, many people would not have expected Othello to be as articulate as he was, since he was not only a military man, but he was also a moor. He drops his soldier image to show a group of white older men his feelings, his emotions, his love for Desdemona (979). This of course is an action that was very difficult for a man to do the same way it is difficult for today's men to confide their feelings of
"Who is right and who is wrong in Sophocles' Women of Trachis"?
Ella Gilbert 263441 "Who is right and who is wrong in Sophocles' Women of Trachis"? The accustomed trait of all tragic heroes and heroines is to have a tragic flaw or hamartia, and it is Heracles' possession of hubris (excessive pride) that brings about the wrong doings of Deianeira and his eventual downfall. While there is often a discussion of the role of fate in the downfall of a tragic hero, there must be an element of choice in order for there to be a true tragedy. The tragic hero falls because they choose one course of action over another- evident in "Women of Tracis" from Deianeira's action to use supposed magic. Therefore it could be argued that none of the characters in "Women of Trachis" are essentially wrong, it is just natural human error and the innate qualities of a tragic hero and heroine. Even so one could reason that the characters should have thought of the outcomes before their actions and that the disastrous end of Heracles was inevitable as it was the predicament of the oracles Deianeira means no harm by her actions. She merely wishes to do good for the sake of herself and her family. Like Ajax's Tecmessa, Deianeira is a socially marginalized prize woman. In her opening speech we learn of her vulnerability and deepest fears. Achelous the river-god haunted her with horrifying images of masculinity, appallingly disturbing to a