Self Confidence In Othello
William Shakespeare, the 16th to 17th century English playwright, dwelt on themes dealing with human nature: love, hate, power, jealousy, humour, discrimination and self-respect. He made the often-quoted observation that “our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we might oft win by fearing to attempt”, voicing the danger of doubt which could ultimately lead to loss of self-esteem. In his play, Othello, the moor, who was perceived as a courageous military hero, met his downfall due to the erosion of his self-esteem, and as a result, tragedy ensued. In the play, Othello trusted Iago unconditionally, to the extent that he came to seriously question himself and the trustworthiness of Desdemona, his wife, whom he genuinely cared …show more content…
Unfortunately, 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!” (III.iii.230-234). Thus he reminded Othello that possibly he was not considered suitable for her love. Knowing that his blackness placed him in society as an outsider, Othello began to suspect that his personality and accomplishments could never overcome his inferior background. He questioned his confidence in the reputation and social standing he thought he had gained, and he failed to notice the presence of evil and dishonesty in others. Iago’s appearance, as a
Othello Archetype
1008 Words | 5 PagesWritten in 1603 by William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice tells the story of Othello, an esteemed foreign general, who after marrying Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of a Venetian senator, is manipulated into extreme paranoia by Iago, a spiteful ensign. Having been led to think that Desdemona has committed adultery, Othello murders Desdemona, and upon realizing his deception by Iago, subsequently commits suicide. Though the plot itself is relatively simple, the subjects addressed throughout the writing constitute a story of utmost complexity and depth. At the heart of Othello is the titular character himself, a man torn between tenderness, hate, trust and jealousy. As a major player in his own tragic downfall, Othello fits multiple key aspects of the tragic hero archetype: he is essentially a virtuous person that nevertheless possesses a critical flaw, a flaw that ultimately culminates in his consumption by the worst aspects of his
Power Of Manipulation In Michael Ende's The Neverending Story
980 Words | 4 PagesThese insecurities are just what Iago needs to manipulate Othello. Throughout the play Othello is referred to several times as “the Moor” because of this race. During this time period interracial marriage was controversial. Since interracial marriage was rare and not as accepting as it is today, it caused Othello to feel doubtful about his marriage wife Desdemona. Iago implies that Desdemona has been unfaithful.
Sam Wood's Article Response To Othello '
679 Words | 3 PagesIn Othello, the manipulation that Iago drags out causes all of the others to have distrust. The article points towards distrust towards Othello, Emelia, Desdemona, and an even greater distrust towards Iago. Iago builds upon the infidelity of Desdemona by using his own wife to produce misleading evidence. For Othello, his sense of belonging was to feel in control of his own standing, his wife, and his ranking. Being deceived would make him look nothing short of a fool.
Othello Passage Analysis
923 Words | 4 PagesThe following passage is significant to the play ‘Othello’ in retrospect to the plot progression, as it reiterates themes and introduces important facets to the plot development. Through Iago’s cunning manipulation and Shakespeare’s crafting of language, this passage is constructed as a pivotal point of the play, marking the transition of Othello’s personality and revealing his deepest insecurities that eventually lead to his downfall and tragic ending. Iago wields a lot of power over all the characters throughout the play, but in this passage in particular he is presented at his most powerful. The passage is riddled with subtle suggestions and insinuations by Iago to raise Othello’s suspicions of his wife’s fidelity, opening with the admonition to “beware, my lord, of jealousy!
Theme Of Trust In Othello
1452 Words | 6 PagesShakespeare’s Othello chronicles the downfall of a noble Moor, Othello, who is deceived by a man he considers his friend, Iago. Throughout the course of the play, Iago toys with Othello and eventually leads him to murder and lose his love, his new wife Desdemona. Iago exploits the unquestioned trust Othello places in him to achieve evil ends. As such, trust is a central theme in the story.
Friendship In Othello
1474 Words | 6 PagesThroughout the play, he would often talk about Iago in the same manner as in Act 2, scene 2, “a man he is of honesty and trust”( II,ii. 323-324). Given that Othello trusted who he thought was his best friend, it was easier for Iago to bring Othello down. The root of Iago’s evil intentions is jealousy, which he describes to be like a “green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (III,iii. 196-197). He speaks of it in a way that captures how it affects man because that is what he was going through after Cassio got the lieutenancy.
Jealousy In Othello
1026 Words | 5 PagesSimilar to using Othello’s fear of Desdemona cheating, Iago uses Brabantio’s fear of his daughter marrying a black man to encourage conflict between him and Othello. Even Though Othello kept his composure throughout his entire encounter with Brabantio, he was later affected by the words uttered by Brabantio: “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see/She has deceived her father, and may thee”(1.3.333-334). Although, at the time Othello thought little of what Brabantio said, it may have had some effect on his actions throughout the latter half of the play such as, killing Desdemona. Through, Iago’s cunning intelligence he was able to manipulate people to stir up conflict and further his
How Othello's Character Changes
844 Words | 4 PagesHe trusts him and believes the lies that he tells about Desdemona. In one scene, Iago tries to protect Othello from Brabantio, even though he is the one who told him that Desdemona and Othello married in the first place. He exclaims: He prated, And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms Against your honour That, with the little godliness I have, I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir, Are you fast married?
Iago's Psychopaths In Othello
757 Words | 4 PagesIago’s constant animalistic language shows that he views others as animals rather than people, thus, Iago dehumanizing the other characters. In Act One, scene one, Iago describes Othello as an “old black ram” (Shakespeare 1276). This description of Othello is comparing him to a ram, and such animalistic references show that Iago does not view Othello an equal. In his view of Othello as unhumanistic, Iago is most likely willing to treat him as an animal. The audience sees this treatment through his constant manipulations of Othello’s mind, planting seeds of jealousy.
Blind Trust In Othello
1545 Words | 7 PagesThroughout the play Othello’s blind trust in Iago led him to a perplexed state in which he was vulnerable to flaws that he did not usually struggle with. In a perplexed state Othello “becomes jealous and eventually a murderer” (Kliger 222). Without Othello’s blind trust in Iago Othello would never have become perplexed and would not have led to flaws that resulted in the murder of Desdemona. Othello recognized his growing problem as he said “There is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy” and yet Othello was still unable to shake his jealousy as Iago kept feeding him lies (Shakespeare III.iii.222-223). Othello became so jealous that he began to think he would be “happy if the general camp, pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body, so [he] had nothing known” (Shakespeare III.iii.397-400).
Comparing Othello And In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez
846 Words | 4 PagesOthello’s confidence for a loyal man to maintain honesty and morals are contradicted through Iago’s actions: “in a man that’s just / They are close dilations, working from the heart, / That passion cannot rule” (3.3.123). Iago, due to the understatement to his name, is not perceivable as hateful. Othello’s willingness to sense Iago’s distress, and to believe his accusations, is because of the lack of awareness Othello has for his vengeance. Iago is of such little power and relevance within societal ranking that if he were to have intentions to sabotage anyone, which he does, are not considered, thus making him easily trustworthy to those of greater dominance. Society’s view of an individual determines how others consider and surmise their persona, though these conclusions may be false.
Iago Character Analysis
918 Words | 4 PagesIn the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, Iago appears to be a clever and manipulative character from the beginning. He attempts, and succeeds, to sabotage the Othello’s, relationship with his wife Desdemona. Throughout the play, he conceals his true character and as a result, other characters see him as honest, reliable, and trustworthy. He gains Othello’s lieutenant Cassio’s trust, then backstabs him. He also uses Roderigo, a Venetian, as a piece in his puzzle to ultimately take down Othello.
Effects Of Jealousy In Othello
621 Words | 3 PagesShakespeare’s play, Othello, deeply explores the effects of jealousy on a person. Shakespeare also portrays the different types of jealousy and alludes to the causes of them. Othello is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare around 1603, about a man, Iago, who plots to take revenge on a Moorish soldier, Othello, for he has “done my (Iago’s) office”. The deaths of several people, including Othello’s wife Desdemona, Iago’s wife Emilia, Othello and Iago’s companion Roderigo, were all directly linked to Iago’s actions. Othello illustrates that jealousy often leads to revenge, jealousy can prevent a successful relationship, and jealousy leading to one’s downfall.
Examples Of Discrimination In Othello
473 Words | 2 PagesThese factors contribute to the envious and malicious actions that motivate Iago's evil plan. Iago narrow mindedness cannot accept the fact that Othello deserved the job promotion due to the fact that he worked for it and think he himself should have deserved it based solely on the fact that he himself is white, so Iago becomes jealous and seeks to ruin every good thing in Othello's life. Iago plays the role of a fake friend with malicious intent and is the leading cause of Othello and Desdemona's marital issues that ultimately leads to their
Iago Manipulation In Othello
708 Words | 3 PagesWhile Iago fills the characters’ minds with lies, the characters will act according to the lies thinking he is honest. Although his lies are sometimes subtle it affects the Othello is one of the victims who believed Iago. You can already tell that Othello has been fooled when he calls him “a man [of] honesty and trust”. The audience already knows that Iago is a liar and loathes Othello, so the audience can tell when Iago is being two-faced and that Othello truly believes in him. Iago’s impact on Othello makes him lose control of his
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