Shakespeare's "Othello" is a rather controversial play in that it includes subjects such as racism, hate and murder. In the play, Iago plays on Othello's emotions and lies to him, prompting him to murder his lover. Some blame Iago for the events, but there is really no doubt that Othello is a weak man. On the outside, he's a fine gentleman, but on the inside, he's capable of killing an innocent woman. .
Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes Iago's plan as "motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity" (413). Iago is overbearing and tries to hurt Othello. He appears a great deal in the play and is rather unpredictable. Iago, a 28 year old Venetian man is, by all accounts, quite ordinary. Yet, beyond his "normalcy", he's an intriguing character, able to make things happen through manipulation.
Many have seen this character as evil, but what is Iago's motivation? It could in fact be that he is envious of Othello. Yet, he seems to be somewhat proud and enamored of himself. Iago is not the most honest individual, but he is able to get along with people and no one really knows what he is up to. At the same time, in reviewing the events of the play, one can distinguish what his true motivation really is. He is vengeful and wants a particular job he did not get. He feels dispossessed and even cheated (Weimann 109). While Iago has been behind it all, as he has had it in for Cassio from the beginning, it seems as if Othello is also out of control. It is Desdemona who ends up dead, and one cannot discount Othello's role in that outcome. It is by his hand that she is killed. Some of course do at least in part blame Desdemona for some of what goes on. Hunt writes: "Unfortunately her interest in her own self-worth and marital influence over Othello supersedes her concern for Cassio" (346).
It is rather troubling that Othello kills his true love simply because of something that is said. Why would he do such a thing? Why he is so quick to believe a lie? There does not seem to be anything in his character that would suggest that he would do something so terrible.
What exactly contributes to Othello's tragic heroism? ... Othello was also great, but was somewhat far from perfect. Which in turn, distinguishes a "fatal" flaw of his, which was his lack of self esteem; moreover, leading to his downfall. ... People have a good impression of Othello. ... Othello also happened to lack a considerable amount of awareness, particularly towards anybody around him. ...
A situation where Othello commits this error in reasoning is when he demands Desdemona to give him his handkerchief: OTHELLO. ... OTHELLO. ... OTHELLO. ... Ruggiero explains that, "it takes mental discipline to resist jumping to conclusions, and many people lack such discipline," (112). ... Since Iago manipulates and corrupts Othello from basically start to finish, it is safe to say that Othello is an uncritical thinker because he lacks the ability to recognize that he is being taken advantage of, and that his reasoning and thinking are flawed, thus resulting in his downfall....
On a secondary level, Othello is again struggling with his lack of power in the situation. ... Along with Othello's conflict about killing Desdemona and the lack of power he has, we begin to see his view of his wife. ... In this part of the speech we are seeing not only Othello's lack of power to change others' actions along with his own feelings, but also his true view of Desdemona now that his mind has been made up. ... " After talking about Desdemona's purity and how he views her, Othello kisses her. ... Othello kisses Desdemona once again and we see that Othello h...
He has hatred towards Othello for giving Cassio the lieutenant title instead of him, so he plots revenge to get back at Othello. ... Othello, whose tragic flaw is jealousy that derives from a lack of confidence, meets all the requirements of the Shakespearean tragic hero. ... Hamartia is a fatal flaw that leads Othello to his downfall. In this play, Othello's hamartia is jealousy. ... Since Othello an Iago are watching from afar but are not able to hear what they are saying, he gives Othello the idea that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. ...
Shakespeare isn't afraid to hold back and exploit the complexity of the terms black and white within Othello. ... He tells Brabantio "If virtue no delighted beauty lack, / Your son-in-law is far more fair than black" (1.3.285-286). Othello is black so he must intentionally be out to soil Desdemona and her virtues. ... But in the end, Othello ends up falling into the mold of the conceived notion that black men are just savages. ... In this case, it was Iago's black soul and shady intentions that tainted Othello's pure and light spirit. ...
It is true that Othello's lack of confidence allows this to happen. ... At the same time, Othello experiences more than a lack of confidence. ... They lack self-confidence. ... Yet, the lack of self-confidence experienced by Othello is a bit different. ... Does the character lack self-confidence? ...
Another form of imagery used is the idea that Othello lacks rationality to balance his emotions and reason before taking his actions. ... Another important image portrayed in the play is the idea of the Libra scale which Othello lacks to weight in his passion and reason before allowing Iago's seeds of jealousy and hatred to influence his heart. Aware of the Moor's vulnerability, Iago draws his plan and preys on Othello's insecurities. ... He wants to transform Othello in a dreadful monster. ... Othello is characterized as the tragic hero whose imperfection brings him down. ...
Heilman centers his argument on how critics have long called Othello's personality "simple," when it really is complex. He uses the murder scene in great context of Othello's personality. ... "(7) These are all the major reasons for Othello's anxiety about his blackness which lead to his downfall. According to Bradley, Othello is the "most painfully exciting and the most terrible" play of Shakespeare's. ... "(2) which led to Othello murdering his wife. ...
Was Othello a Good Man? In the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare, Othello had both some positive aspects and some negative aspects about him. ... Othello trusted Iago, an ensign to Othello. ... Othello's flaw was his trusting nature. ... One of Othello's negative aspects was that of jealousy. ...
