Desdemona, Counterpoint Of Mankind's Corruption
Desdemona, Counterpoint of Mankind’s Corruption
Themes of deception and slander characterize Shakespeare's unique tragedy, Othello the Moor of Venice. Shakespeare seems to be highlighting all that is wrong with the world via Iago, a paranoid and miserably jealous character determined to pull everyone down to his gloomy state. Another character, Roderigo pathetically seeks Desdemona’s love despite her marriage while Othello unreasonably remains suspicious of his wife’s fawning fidelity. Yet, the alluring, noble Desdemona contrasts sharply against Iago and her surroundings. She represents a respected woman with compassion and loyalty for her neighbors as exhibited by her resounding reputation, persistence in pleading on Cassio’s behalf, and her inhuman reaction to Othello’s pledge to murder her,.
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This respect for her character manifests itself when she witnesses in front of the duke. He makes a point of hearing Desdemona’s testament. “What would you, Desdemona?” (I.iii. 247). Iago’s cruel claims about Othello’s “witchcraft” are invalidated by Desdemona’s testament; her word is trusted over his. During a time in which women were discouraged from advanced education and were reduced to exclusively acting as child-rearers, Desdemona’s status is the exception and not the rule. Clearly, she had earned the respect of the community much more than the average
Vulnerability In Shakespeare's Othello
1384 Words | 6 PagesNow, Desdemona does not get to live out her life, all because of one man’s jealousy. These two examples reveal that Othello’s stupidity and his desire for revenge influence his decision to yell at and eventually kill Desdemona, showing how an innocent woman was caught in the crosshairs of a bigger
Identity In Brave New World
953 Words | 4 PagesIdentity is a crucial element of Othello, as the characters' perceptions of themselves and others lead to misunderstandings, mistrust, and violence in the play. Othello’s battle with identity is driven by his own insecurities and the manipulation of those around him. Othello is a Moor, a member of a group that has historically been marginalized and discriminated against. As a result, Othello is aware of his identity as an outsider and feels he needs to prove himself to those around him. His desire for acceptance and validation is exploited by Iago, who manipulates Othello into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful.
Julius Caesar Betrayal Essay
801 Words | 4 PagesHe manipulates Othello into seeing a completely different and false treachery. Due to Iago’s scheming, Othello was beyond convinced that Desdemona was sneaking around with Cassio behind his back. He felt she betrayed their “sacred” matrimony and irrationally thought his only solution was to smother her to death. This fake betrayal exemplifies the themes of jealousy and the fragility of the love between Othello and Desdemona. Iago made sure Othello’s jealousy ran so rampant that his mind was overtaken by anguish.
Self Confidence In Othello
1344 Words | 6 PagesUnfortunately, he trusted the wrong person due to his growing lack of self-esteem. Iago, a hypocrite who hid his evil thoughts by appearing as a man of extreme honesty, saw that he could erode Othello’s self-esteem because of who he was, a moor living in European society. He realized he could manipulate Othello for his own evil ends. He slyly used pathos to gain his trust, saying, “My Lord, you know I love you” (III.iii.118) to convince him of his honesty and reliability. Then he suggested the unpredictable nature of Desdemona by saying, “Ay, there’s the point: as, to be bold with you, not to affect many proposed matches of her own clime, complexion, and degree, whereto we see in all things nature tends - Foh!”
Theme Of Trust In Othello
1452 Words | 6 PagesDesdemona is a white, Venetian debutante that chooses to marry a black man, a Moor, over the wishes of her father. At the beginning of the play, merely six hours after being married, Desdemona’s father attempts to stop her from accompanying Othello on military duty. He relents when Desdemona pledges her allegiance to Othello by telling her father, “But here’s my husband, And so much duty as my mother showed to you, preferring you before her father, so much I challenge that I may profess due to the Moor my Lord”
Why Is Othello A Hero
1121 Words | 5 PagesDesdemona, daughter to senator Brabantio has spurned the advances of eligible young Venetian men, but is captivated by Othello chiefly because of his harsh experiences. We first come
How Othello's Character Changes
844 Words | 4 PagesNadia In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the title character is a valiant hero who is in love with his beautiful bride, Desdemona. The play’s villain, Iago, destroys this love by feeding Othello vicious lies about Desdemona, causing Othello to slowly go mad. By the end of the play, Othello, in a fit of jealous rage, murders his wife. This significant change in Othello’s character is not sudden; rather, it is a gradual transformation that takes place after a series of events that occur throughout the play.
Example Of Mistrust In Othello
773 Words | 4 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Othello the two main characters are Iago and Othello. The entire story centers around Iago 's plan to achieve revenge on Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant. Throughout the story Iago tries to convince Othello that his wife Desdemona has cheated on him with his lieutenant Cassio. Iago’s plan is successfully and easily executed. Othello is tricked into believing that desdemona has been unfaithful and in the end he kills her.
New Historicism In Othello
1636 Words | 7 PagesIn Othello, Othello and Desdemona are both characters that are struggling with their identities. In the beginning of the play we find Othello as a respectful man that is successful, but then we get Iago that manipulates him to make him seem as the bad guy. We also find Desdemona that turns against her father and the Elizabethan society to marry Othello, but we also find that she is respectful and obedient to Othello.
Theme Of Dishonesty In Othello
750 Words | 3 PagesIn the play Othello, William Shakespeare creates an elaborate tragedy with various in depth characters, enhancing the story with powerful characterization. Iago, the main antagonist of Othello, exemplifies Shakespeare’s use of characterization to create in depth and complex characters. Using his manipulative nature, intellectual mind, egotistical attitude, and dishonesty, Iago controls the other characters in order to achieve his goal, leading Othello to succumb to an overwhelming jealousy causing his downfall. In order for Iago to gain control of the characters in the play, he manipulates Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, and more to believe false information and turn on one another.
Crisis Of Identity In Othello Essay
1327 Words | 6 PagesOthello’s This rage at Desdemona’s infidelity signals destmetion of his identity as a successful and loving man. It shows that he now completely loses control of himself, he no longer is that gentle man. He has become so poisoned by the manipulation of Iago, he no longer hears out for his “fair
Effects Of Jealousy In Othello
621 Words | 3 PagesAlso, each relationship in Othello provokes jealousy in one partner. In a typical Venetian society, a woman was considered to be a man’s property, so if a woman was disobedient, it negatively impacted the man, while also questioning his masculinity. The hyperbolic soliloquy as Othello expressed he would “rather be a toad” than “keep a corner of the thing I love” is Othello’s justification of killing his wife, as her untrustworthiness challenged his masculinity and reputation. Referring to Desdemona as a “thing” emphasises the idea of women being property. Iago’s jealousy of Desdemona and Othello’s relationship is emphasised through the degrading comment of Othello, “an old black ram” “tupping” Brabantio’s “white ewe”.
Jealousy In William Shakespeare's Othello
665 Words | 3 PagesOver Desdemona and Othello’s time spent in Cyprus their love becomes utterly devastated. Not only is the trust of their relationship gone but also accusations of unfaithfulness are established. These untrustworthy thoughts involving his love, lead Othello into, not only a violent state, but also create an erratic attitude. He is no longer a reasonable man, but dwells only on the jealous thoughts rooted in his heart . Jealousy, in this case ,is like a monster, it stays in the dark until your guard is down and your insecurities allow it to control your life.
Sympathy For Women In Shakespeare's Othello
328 Words | 2 PagesIn his play “Othello,” Shakespeare is very compassionate towards the women of his era. He treats Desdemona with special sympathy. She is the victim of two crossed male aspirations — the devilry of villain Iago and the jealousy of her husband. The main cause of Desdemona’s tragedy is the total absence of women’s personal liberty. The lack of self-development without restrictions of society and family constricts the mind.
Desdemona In Shakespeare's Othello
115 Words | 1 PagesIn Othello, Desdemona has noticed a change of how Othello feels towards her. Othello has been so controlled by Iago that he considers “a man of honesty and trust” (I.iii.284), which lead him to doubt Desdemona’s faithfulness. Desdemona even wonders if a woman “would do such a deed for all the world” (IV.iii.65). Desdemona felt that all women in her society would never confront their husbands due to fear that was installed in them. Emalia explains to Desdemona that there are certainly women who would be unfaithful to their husbands.
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