Reputation And Honor In Shakespeare's Othello
Reputation and honor creates for the most riveting theme in Shakespeare’s Othello. Evidently, no character speaks of themselves as an honorable person; instead they boast and use their reputation to unveil their superiority. Foremost, it defines a character and how they are perceived in society. Allows for the influencing or manipulation of others at the same time, concealing any wrongful acts. Eventually, in the long run it even determines the ending results. An esteemed position in society should be valued above all other qualities, justifying that individuals desperate enough will risk all their redeeming traits for a prestigious status.
How can what others think, affect a person? Significantly it does, a reputation or the way one is perceived as, can be a practical asset. Day in and out, through social media or physical interactions, people are always aiming to get their name out. Through the public, one can argue that a reputation stipulates what value they have in a community. Yes, there will be those who
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Who began this? On thy love, I charge thee (II.iii.156-57)
Signifying that someone at Othello’s caliber trusts the monstrous Iago. In addition, to be frankly honest, how many people do we claim to know, however, have never met? Undoubtedly, it is a limitless number, validating that any individual does not have to know the person, as long as the representation of their role in society is exceptional then it can be assumed they are what they say. To clarify, Cassio too, acknowledges the perceptions of others when he claims “O, I have lost my / reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains / is bestial” (II.iii.241-42). Demonstrated by these two men, they ironically trust a man with no honor, under the impression he is essential and supportive but, in actuality Iago’s perceived righteous actions are only beneficial to himself in hopes of furthering his own
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