Lee Jamieson, M.A., is a theater scholar and educator. his tales of adventure is: “I think this tale would win my daughter He is a military man, with a reputation for courage in battle and good judgment in military matters. Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant (I.i. It is the tension between Othello’s victimization “Haply for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have…” (Othello, Act 3 Scene 3, Line 267), Iago and Roderigo describe Othello at the start of the play, without even naming him, using his racial difference to identify him, referring to him as “the Moor”, “an old black ram”. All rights reserved. Iago has only to push Othello to the belief that he has been betrayed, and Othello does the rest, judging, condemning, and executing Desdemona. The Venetian government trusts Othello enough to put him in full Each thing Iago says is cause for worry. One of Othello’s admirable qualities is that he believes that men should be transparent and honest as he is; “Certain, men should be what they seem” (Act 3 Scene 3 Line 134). Othello is a combination of greatness and weakness, in his own words "an honourable murderer" (V.2, 295). Othello is the main character in William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, a well-respected Moorish general in the Venetian army. Pride is also one of Othello’s weaknesses; for him, his wife’s alleged affair confounds his belief that he is a lesser man, that he cannot live up to her expectations and her position in society; her need for a conventional white man is a critical blow to his achieved position. “the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66), He claims a reputation for honesty and plain speaking, yet he invents elaborate lies in order to exploit and manipulate other people. Othello sometimes makes a point of presenting himself little blessed with the soft phrase of peace” (I.iii.81–82). However, once he makes a decision, he is again the military man, decisive in action. “By the world, I think my wife be honest and think she is not. such as Desdemona and Brabanzio, nevertheless seem drawn to him because bookmarked pages associated with this title. and, once again, seduces both his onstage and offstage audiences Venice, his skill as a soldier and leader is nevertheless valuable Beginning with the opening lines of the play, Othello Othello's insecurities are so close to the surface that a few words of hint and innuendo from Iago can tear the confident exterior and expose his fears, desires, and tendency to violence. evidenced by Cassio’s comment that the senate “sent about three Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# supposedly discuss Desdemona in Act IV, scene i; and Othello will © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Senator Brabantio has invited him to his home, and this is a revelation to the soldier. More importantly, he is visibly different due to the color of his skin, so he lives constantly among, but separated from, other people. as an outsider, whether because he recognizes his exotic appeal The villain Iago from " Othello " is a central character, and understanding him is key to understanding Shakespeare's entire play. This juxtaposition between Othello’s transparency and Iago’s duality identifies him as a sympathetic character despite his actions. He leads an intense life, swinging between triumph and dread. Many of Othello's insecurities are derived from his race and from the perception that he is lowlier than his wife. window, they do so with racial epithets, not names. Over the course of the play, both are lured into the complex love plot engineered by Iago, one of Shakespeare's best-written villains. assume that Cassio is dead without being present when the fight Those who consider Othello their social and civic peer, -Othello is also able to captivate his peers with his speech. could woo almost anyone. Jealousy defines Othello and also the characters associated with his downfall. in Act I, scene iii, he protests, “Rude am I in my speech, / And civic society. remains at a distance from much of the action that concerns and He is triumphant in war and in love, the hero at his greatest moment. For example, in spite of his obvious eloquence He previously served as a theater studies lecturer at Stratford-upon Avon College in the United Kingdom. Updated June 23, 2019 Above all else, this Othello character analysis reveals that Shakespeare's Othello has gravitas. In the final moments of the play, Othello regains his composure duke about his friendship with Brabanzio. for much of the first scene. When they begin to specify whom they The relationship between Othello and Emilia is never corroborated but Emilia has a very negative opinion of Othello, possibly based on dealings with her own husband? to suffer as he is put under increasing strain by Iago’s plots. Othello’s status as an outsider may be the reason he is such easy prey for Iago. A celebrated soldier and trusted leader whose race both defines him “The Moor” and defies his lofty position; it would be rare for a man of race to have such a highly respected position in Venetian society. ridiculous puppet. In his final speeches, Othello brings again a flash of his former greatness: his military glory, his loyalty to Venice, the intensity of his love, and his terrible realization that, by killing Desdemona, he has destroyed the best in himself. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. Othello is manipulated by the truly evil and duplicitous Iago who has so few redeeming qualities. be the reason he is such easy prey for Iago. He appoints a student of military knowledge, Cassio, to be his lieutenant. Having said that, he more readily believes Iago than his own wife but again this is probably because of his own insecurities. He is a general in the Venetian defense forces, and, although a foreigner from Africa, he has won this post by excellence in the field of war. 369–370). takes place in Act V, scene i. Othello’s status as an outsider may Above all else, this Othello character analysis reveals that Shakespeare's Othello has gravitas. One could argue that Othello is easily manipulated but as an honest man himself, he has no reason to doubt Iago. Othello is clearly very much in love with Desdemona and in killing her he denies himself his own happiness; which heightens the tragedy. martial and political command of Cyprus; indeed, in his dying speech, He has courage, intelligence, the skill of command, and the respect of his troops. Although Othello appears At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: “It is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office” (I.iii. Character Analysis Othello. himself that makes him a tragic figure rather than simply Iago’s Othello's achievement is not so much that he survived this unpromising life, but that he survived it in such a spectacularly successful manner, ending up one of the most powerful men in the Venetian defense forces. and necessary to the state, and he is an integral part of Venetian Othello feels that his marriage is at the pinnacle of his life: "If it were now to die, / @'Twere now to be most happy, for I fear / My soul hath her content so absolute, / That not another comfort, like to this / Succeeds in unknown fate" (II.1, 190-194). Othello reminds the Venetians of the “service” he has done their Two of the key characters are Cassio, Othello's loyal captain, and Roderigo, a man who is love with Othello's wife, Desdemona. in Act II, scene i; Othello will stand apart while Cassio and Iago 7–32). “an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary Unfortunately, Othello’s insecurity gets the better of him and he is moved to kill his wife in a fit of jealousy. The life of early separation from home and family, followed by danger and adventure, is perhaps the life story of thousands of men down the ages who become soldiers of fortune and who end up as corpses in ditches at an early age, unwept, unpaid, and unrecorded. When the colony of Cyprus is threatened by the enemy, the Duke and Senate turn to "valiant" Othello to lead the defense. He says, -“[Desdemona’s] Othello cannot stand uncertainty; it drives him to destroy his sanity. Character Analysis of Shakespeare's Othello. After many years on campaign, Othello has come to live in Venice, among the sophisticated people of the city. at the hands of a foreign culture and his own willingness to torment Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Fate is cruel to Othello, like the cruel fate of ancient Greek tragedies. It is generally the morally dubious characters who use his race as a reason to disparage him. Othello is a combination of greatness and weakness, in his own words "an honourable murderer" (V.2, 295). Such triumph, in a tragedy, cannot last. too” (I.iii.170). While Othello is never rude in his speech, he does allow his eloquence He has courage, intelligence, the skill of command, and the respect of his troops. Later, Iago finds it easy to drive Othello to jealousy and think that Desdemona loves another man because he already feels that her love for him is too good to be true. Othello tells his life story to Desdemona, and she sees him through his words. These are the words of a man who knows chaos and believes himself to have been rescued from it by love. Roderigo and Iago refer ambiguously to a “he” or “him” several quests” to look for Othello (I.ii.46). Othello A Moor (an African), a general in the defense forces of the city state of Venice. Iago’s hatred of Othello is profound; he does not employ him as his lieutenant and there is a suggestion that he bedded Emilia previous to his relationship with Desdemona.

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