Explore the different themes within william shakespeare's tragic play, othello. Themes are central to understanding othello as a play and identifying shakespeare's social and political commentary. It provides othello with intensity but not direction and gives desdemona access to his heart but not his mind. Othello finds that love in marriage needs time to build trust, and his enemy works too quickly for him to take that time. The immediate attraction between the couple works on passion, and desdemona builds on that passion a steadfast devotion whose speed and strength othello cannot equal. Iago often falsely professes love in friendship for roderigo and cassio and betrays them both. Desdemona's love in friendship for cassio is real but is misinterpreted by the jealous othello as adulterous love.

The true friendship was emilia's for desdemona, shown when she stood up witness for the honor of her dead mistress, against iago, her lying husband, and was killed for it. Appearance and reality appearance and reality are important aspects in othello. To prove something is to investigate it to the point where its true nature is revealed. Othello demands of iago villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, be sure of it, give me the ocular proof act 3, scene 3.

What iago gives him instead is imaginary pictures of cassio and desdemona to feed his jealousy. He looks at desdemona's whiteness and is swept up in the traditional symbolism of white for purity and black for evil. Whenever he is in doubt, that symbolism returns to haunt him and despite his experience, he cannot help but believe it. Iago thinks he knows jealousy, having rehearsed it in his relationship with emilia to the extent that emilia believes jealousy is part of the personality of men, but iago's jealously is a poor, weak thought compared to the storm of jealousy he stirs up in othello. Iago has noticed othello's tendency to insecurity and overreaction, but not even iago imagined othello would go as far into jealousy as he did. Jealousy forces othello's mind so tightly on one idea, the idea that desdemona has betrayed him with cassio, that no other assurance or explanation can penetrate.

Such an obsession eclipses othello's reason, his common sense, and his respect for justice. Up to the moment he kills desdemona, othello's growing jealousy maddens him past the recall of reason. Upon seeing that she was innocent and that he killed her unjustly, othello recovers.

He can again see his life in proportion and grieve at the terrible thing he has done. Once again, he speaks with calm rationality, judging and condemning and finally executing himself. Iago's scheme would not have worked without the underlying atmosphere of racial prejudice in venetian society, a prejudice of which both desdemona and othello are very aware. Shakespeare's desdemona copes with prejudice by denying it access to her own life. Her relationship with othello is one of love, and she is deliberately loyal only to her marriage.

Othello, however, is not aware how deeply prejudice has penetrated into his own personality. This absorbed prejudice undermines him with thoughts akin to i am not attractive, i am not worthy of desdemona, it cannot be true that she really loves me, and if she loves me, then there must be something wrong with her. These thoughts, inflamed by iago's hints and lies, prevent othello from discussing his concerns and fears directly with desdemona, and so he acts on panicked assumption. In order to survive the combined onslaught of internalized prejudice and the directed venom of iago, othello would have had to be near perfect in strength and self knowledge, and that is not fair demand for anyone. Previous william shakespeare biography from hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in shakesperean interpretation: hamlet merchant of venice othello king lear by alexander w.

The proper understanding of the relations of othello and desdemona is equally important with the question of the relations of lago and othello. The exposition of these two elements of the play is set forth by the dramatist with his usual clearness, and at considerable length, but has nevertheless escaped the notice of the critics, or has been discounted as a factor in the interpretation. But it is high time to learn that whatever shakespeare put deliberately into his dramas is to be considered in the interpretation. The meeting of the two search parties, each seeking othello for a different reason, brings the relations of othello and desdemona into prominence. The party of cassio, with the senate's hasty summons to othello, serves to give dramatic importance to othello's great ability as a commander, and to emphasize his military value to venice. Brabantio and his troop serve to bring out the private side of othello's character, hither to unsuspected. The cool words of othello prevent a clash between the two: keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.

The sudden danger from the turks at cyprus has made great dispatch necessary, and the duke has ordered othello before him even on the instant. Brabantio's appeal to the senate occurring at the same time, othello appears before the magnificoes in the double capacity of the general of the state entrusted with a great military exploit, and as an eloper with brabantio's daughter. The moor now finds that his old friend, the signior brabantio, formerly his admirer, has unexpectedly become his accuser before the senate. Formerly honored as a friend and as a great soldier, and gladly admitted to brabantio's house, othello discovers that he is now considered an enemy, and execrated as the husband of brabantio's daughter. For the first time, possibly, othello becomes aware of the fact that he is not accepted on terms of full and exact equality in all particulars with the venetians. It is likely, however, that othello had feared this, and so took desdemona in marriage without asking her father, evidently satisfied that as a black man he could not obtain brabantio's consent.

When the matter is brought before the senate, brabantio's objections to othello all have to do with his difference of race and color. He thinks it utterly unnatural for desdemona to accept him willingly and knowingly. He cannot conceive how his daughter, a fair maid of venice, could consent to marry a man of othello's color and nationality, unless in some way out of her senses. So preposterous does it appear to him that he must suppose othello has charmed her with drugs and magic. He cries out in his desperation: she is abus'd, stolen from me, and corrupted by spells, and medicines, bought of mountebanks for nature, so preposterously to err, being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense sans witch craft could not. He reiterates his belief that it is against all rules of nature, and speaks of othello's supposed magic as practices of cunning hell.

Brabantio, at least, thinks the marriage of moor and venetian, of black and white, to be utterly preposterous and unnatural, and doubtless the other senators shared this conviction. It seems likely that this was also the opinion of the dramatist, for there is abundant evidence that it was always so regarded on the elizabethan stage. Only the development of the drama will show how far shakespeare sympathizes with this opinion. Two deeds upon the part of othello have now brought him into active collision with other persons, and the two are related to each other. Because of his obligations to cassio in the matter of his love making with desdemona he has appointed him to an important position over lago, thus making an enemy of his faithful officer.

Othello Essay on Love Text

Help Writing An Abstract