Since the time and place of the the play which is set in Venice, a city known to have a strong military and contract large numbers of professional foreign soldiers, it wouldn 't be a surprise for a moor like young othello to be one of them, Othello or what most people call him “the moor” is respected for his military prowess. However, because Elizabethans viewed outsiders different from themselves with fear and horror, Othello is disparaged for being a moor. When Othello was written, Venice was known for its military power and for military leaders to be leaders of the city as well; because of this, Othello’s military position makes him a well respected leader in the play. Venice was “so successful at preventing invasion or outside control (Geography of Othello)” because the city “ was known to contract large number of mercenaries (Geography of Othello)” like Othello. Othello’s skill at being a soldier and his background as a mercenary leads him to becoming a general for the Venice military and a greatly admired leader of the city. In the play, when Othello and Brabantio ran into the Duke’s chamber, the Duke ecstatically told Othello,"Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you against the general enemy Ottoman (I.iii 50-51)," showing how much the Duke appreciates Othello’s bravery to send him on another mission. Also, the Duke gave Othello the job to defend Cyprus from the turkish fleet because he felt like Othello was the right person for that job. For this, the Duke
‘Othello’, written in 1603 by William Shakespeare, can also be titled ‘Othello, the Moor of Venice’. This brings into question the exact meaning of the word ‘Moor’. The
In the beginning of book 2, Zeus sends a dream message to Agamemnon where he tells Agamemnon false information that gods are all united in seeing Troy fall and that Greeks should attack. Convinced by this message, Agamemnon calls for an assembly to convince the other leaders and the rest of the army to attack Troy. During the aftermath of this assembly, a very telling interaction between a great hero of this epic and the common soldiers happens when Odysseus is trying to rally the men back to fight after they were in the processes of leaving. Odysseus urges the men to fight by beating the common soldiers and yelling, “ You there, who do you think you are?Sit Still and listen to your betters. You’re a weakling, Unfit for combat, a nothing in
Othello’s Demise Othello, the lead character in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, is done in by the same character attributes, which propelled him to become a great military leader. He has accomplished great victories in battle to the likes, of no others. He is held in high regard throughout the nations as one of the greatest military leaders and is called upon to fight in the most challenging battles successfully. There is no deterrence, by Othello even though his is not of the same race or from the same country, whom he defends.
Regardless of their invalidity, however, simply the belief that these divisions are warranted is enough to render them truth, having a lasting impact of the health of a society and the individuals within it. In his work Othello, Shakespeare explores this concept—focusing on the city of Venice and the prejudices against the Moor. By the end of the
William Shakespeare’s “Othello” was a great example to showcase sacrifices made by characters to accomplish revenge or obtain power. Shakespeare told the story of Othello, a tragic hero, who was manipulated by Iago, which motivated him to kill his own wife. From this story, Shakespeare’s main goal was to portray characters making sacrifices for their ambitions. From this play, Shakespeare puts forth the idea of sacrifice through pointing out the importance of reputation and how sacrifices must be made to silence the truth.
The play’s protagonist and hero. Othello is the highly respected general of the armies of Venice, although he is not a native of Venice but rather a Moor, or North African. He is an eloquent and powerful figure, Othello shows to be a fearless soldier and general. and has been in the army for many years. He is used to the work of military life.
As soon as he leaves Venice, Othello can no longer rely on the Venetian senators to provide order and reason. Instead he assumes all roles, becoming judge, jury, prosecutor, and executioner. Though Othello tries to remain a Venetian, his character prevents him from doing so. To put it in Machiavellian terms, true Venetians, like the senators and Iago, are foxes while Othello is a lion. Acting as a lion, Othello is impulsive and obsessive and acts with force rather than careful reason.
The tragedy of “Othello” is the destruction of one’s integrity. The play is one of the great Shakespearean tragedies, which are all “a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character,” (Oxford Dictionary) who in this case is Othello. He was a Venetian general living in Cyprus with his lovely wife Desdemona. The play begins with one of his most trusting friends, Iago, who is furious about Cassio being appointed as Othello’s lieutenant rather than him. Given this, Iago forms the web that he would use to ensnare the characters that he would use to bring Othello down for him.
“Othello” written by William Shakespeare revolves around this protagonist who is depicted as strong and powerful. To everyone he is known as Othello or the Moor. Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays numerous counts of jealousy and manipulation around many of the characters. It is mainly illustrated through Iago, the antagonist of the play, who manipulates other to their downfall. Iago who is known for always being true and honest towards others has easily earned the trust of everyone around him, thus giving himself an advantage on his schemes.
Othello’s character undergoes a significant change due to a series of events at the hands of Iago, the play’s antagonist to enhance the fact that even a valiant heroes can become corrupt. In the beginning of the play, Othello adores
Othello was born a Muslim Turkish Moor. When he was older, he was “taken by the insolent foe/ And sold to slavery” (Shakespeare 698). It was likely during this time he found his way into the white-dominated Europe, where he eventually had to procure his own freedom. After this, he joined the Venetian military and ascended to the rank of General. In this position, his main war is with “the Turkish fleet.”
He relies completely on what he believes to be his merit (through status) rather than loyalty, which Othello favors. Another proprietor of power is Othello, who is more unexpected than the other characters to wield it. “I fetch my life and being from men of royal siege, and my demerits may speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune as this that I have reached” (Shakespeare,1280). As he is a non-European character he has had to have undeniable levels of experience to be appointed to his position, yet even then he is
During the Elizabethan Era, drama began to flourish in Western Europe. Plays have become more violent and dramatic as well as new ways of driving a performance. William Shakespeare’s Othello involves a man named Iago who wants to get revenge on Othello who is known as ‘the Moor of Venice’. Iago is able to get Othello to fully trust him and manipulates Othello to believe in false claims which eventually brings both of them to their downfall.
The exploitation of Othello’s race leads to the manipulation Roderigo, Cassio, Brabantio, the Venetians, and the audience to see Othello as inferior although, the only difference between him and the Venetians is his lineage. In the first act of the play, Iago and Roderigo go to Brabantio’s house to rile him out of his sleep. This is seen as the first step of defaming Othello’s character. The two
According to Kader Mutlu in “Racism in Othello,” Othello “has a harmony of racism. This harmony is provided by the tireless verbalization of ‘otherness’ in the words of ‘Moor’ and ‘Black’” (Mutlu 136). In addition to