The Development of Othellos Character in William...

The Development of Othellos Character in William Shakespeares Play Othello was first performed by the King’s Men at the court of King James I on November 1, 1604. Written during Shakespeare’s great tragic period, which also included the composition of Hamlet (1600), King Lear (1604–5), and Macbeth (1606), Othello is set against the backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey that raged in the latter part of the sixteenth century. Cyprus, which is the setting for most of the action, was a Venetian outpost attacked by the Turks in 1570 and conquered the following year. The story of Othello is derived from another source, an Italian prose tale written in 1565 by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinzio†¦show more content†¦Of course not all people within an audience would agree, there may be people in a modern day audience who would agree with how the majority of a 16th century audience would respond and vice versa. In act 2 scene 1, the setting changes to Cyprus and a flourish of trumpets signify the safe arrival of Othello. He comes and takes his wife in his arms, saying ‘it gives me wonder great as my content to see you here before me. O, my soul’s joy!’ This shows how much he loves his wife and has missed her while he has been away fighting, that she is the joy of his soul. We learn that Othello is now not afraid to show his love for Desdemona in public. Very different to how he has been more reserved in earlier scenes, now he feels he is able to show his love in public. Further in act 2 scene 3, Iago manages to get Cassio drunk enough to start fighting with Roderigo. When the governor steps in, he is wounded by Cassio. Othello is then woken by an alarm bell rung by Iago and when he arrives at the scene, Iago blames Cassio wholly. Othello is enraged and eventually says ‘Cassio, I love thee, But nevermore be officer of mine’ and he dismisses him. This scene reveals one of Othello’s tragic flaws, his trust in Iago. It is quite clear that he is using this to bring Othello to his downfall. Audience responses would be pretty similar to this scene because allShow MoreRelatedThe Development of Othellos Character in William Shakespeares Play1169 Words   |  5 PagesThe Development of Othellos Character in William Shakespeares Play At the start of the play Othello is presented as a very confident character. He is a high ranking general in the Venetian army. However during the course of the play Othello is betrayed and manipulated by Iago, and the audience observes the unravelling of his tragic flawRead MoreOthello: Good vs Evil1525 Words   |  7 PagesGood Or Evil: A Critical Analysis of Othello’s Main Characters William Shakespeare’s Othello is a classic depiction of a struggle between good and evil. In the play,, the characters are faced with the choice to either conquer or succumb to the overpowering force of evil. 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Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might—on the basis of the character’s actions alone—be considered evil or immoral.   In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we might otherwise think.   Avoid plot summary. A man falls into a violent epileptic shock from sheer anger and jealousyRead More Mindful Destruction of Order in Shakespeares Othello1023 Words   |  5 Pageshuman nature. Through the inter and intra personal dialogue between Othello and Iago, a certain image of the character becomes developed because of the continued additions and changes to the character’s situation. Seen as the stronger of the two, Othello holds less intelligence in common matters. Iago’s character shapes out to as more of cunning and strong-headed. Shakespeare uses the characters to effectively reaffirm the basic traits of human nature and show how the traits coincide with the theory The Development of Othellos Character in William... The Development of Othellos Character in William Shakespeares Play At the start of the play Othello is presented as a very confident character. He is a high ranking general in the Venetian army. However during the course of the play Othello is betrayed and manipulated by Iago, and the audience observes the unravelling of his tragic flaw (jealousy) which initiates the degeneration of his character into obsession, jealousy, insanity, anger and ultimately suicide. In this essay I will demonstrate how Shakespeare presents this development to the audience, and why†¦show more content†¦The play culminates with the murder of Desdemona, Iago and finally the suicide of Othello; this is by all accounts a tragic ending to the play. This play Othello was first performed at court in 1604. The play begins in Venice which was a powerful and wealthy state in the sixteenth century. Othello was a moor; the term moor was used rather broadly in Shakespearean times. The term moor now means Islamic Arabic inhabitants of Nigeria who invaded Spain in the eighteenth century Shakespeare uses language to present the decline in Othello’s character. At the outset Othello’s language is confident, poetic and flowery. He is a dignified and controlled general of the Venetian and his gift for oratory both inspires those under his command and makes Desdemona fall in love with him. He uses long and complex sentences and it is implied that his voice has a musical and lyrical tone. â€Å"I will around unvarnish’d tale deliver Of my whole course love; what drugs, what charms, What conjuration and what mighty magic, for such proceeding I am charged withal, I won his daughter† and â€Å"She wish’d she had not heard it, yet she wish’d That heaven had made her such a man: she thank’d me, And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her† Othello is noted for the beauty of his speaking about which makes falsely modest jokes, claiming to be rude in his speech â€Å"rude am I in my speech† Also hisShow MoreRelatedThe Development of Othellos Character in William Shakespeares Play1972 Words   |  8 PagesThe Development of Othellos Character in William Shakespeares Play Othello was first performed by the King’s Men at the court of King James I on November 1, 1604. Written during Shakespeare’s great tragic period, which also included the composition of Hamlet (1600), King Lear (1604–5), and Macbeth (1606), Othello is set against the backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey that raged in the latter part of the sixteenth century. Cyprus, which is the setting for mostRead MoreOthello: Good vs Evil1525 Words   |  7 PagesGood Or Evil: A Critical Analysis of Othello’s Main Characters William Shakespeare’s Othello is a classic depiction of a struggle between good and evil. In the play,, the characters are faced with the choice to either conquer or succumb to the overpowering force of evil. Shakespeare places his characters on a sort of spectrum in which a character’s amount of god or evil can be represented by a shade of color: black representing pure evil, white representing absolute goodness, and a shade of greyRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1599 Words   |  7 Pages William Shakespeare’s 16th century play Othello is a duplicitous and fraudulent tale set alternatingly between Venice in act 1, and the island of Cyprus thereafter. The play follows the scandalous marriage between protagonist Othello, a Christian moore and the general of the army of Venice, and Desdemona, a respected and intelligent woman who also happens to be the daughter of the Venetian Senator Brabantio. Shakespeare undoubtedly positions the marriage to be viewed as heroic and noble, despiteRead MoreRacism In Othello Analysis829 Words   |  4 Pagesthis theory to the play â€Å"Othello† by mentioning how Othello is suffering from primal scene but in the case of racism. Iago makes Othello suspicious of his wife, Desdemona, by putting the image of Desdemona and Cassio in Othello’s mind. Othello, because of this primal scene of racism, believes that Desdemona is cheating on him because he is not of the same race. This shows how Iago was able to easily manipul ate Othello. I will use this article to discuss how Iago exploits Othello’s race to stir up jealousRead MoreExamples Of Othello As A Revenge Tragedy1022 Words   |  5 Pages The development of revenge tragedy has brought the harsh truths of humanity to light and caused the literary world to be more accustom to grotesque natures revolving around vindictive motives. Lucius Seneca wrote a variety of closet dramas which were the models for the revival of tragedy in the Renaissance period. In the book Poetics the Greek philosopher Aristotle formulated his own theory of tragedy based on his observations of other successful tragedies of the time, possibly drawing from SenecaRead MoreSocial Context of Othello667 Words   |  3 PagesOn November 1, 1604, King James I and his court were the first to watch a production of William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello.† The famous playwright was in the midst of his tragedy period, penning such classics as â€Å"Hamlet,† â€Å"King Lear,† and â€Å"Macbeth.† The story of â€Å"Othello† has its roots in the historical events and cultural atmosphere of the late 16th and early 17th centu ries. It was a common practice of playwrights at the time to borrow or lift plot ideas from other preexisting stories, and ShakespeareRead MoreLove and Hate Expressed by Characters in William Shakespeares Othello696 Words   |  3 Pagesand Hate Expressed by Characters in William Shakespeares Othello In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, different characters contribute to the development of particular themes. Three strong themes portrayed by the characters are of; misplaced trust, love vs. Hate and jealousy, and shattered innocence. The first theme of misplaced trust is clearly evident in most of all the characters that are manipulated by the depraved Iago. Roderigo is the first character to be entangled in hisRead MoreHis Moorships Ancient: Iago as the Protagonist of Othello1658 Words   |  7 PagesThese unfavorable and evil attributes serve Shakespeares main characters by presenting them as realistically written men, and there always seems a degree, however small, of sympathy associated with their respective downfalls and tragedies. Othello, however, is an anomaly. While he is flawed by his paranoia and pride, Othello is only unstable and destructive after intricate deception. Indeed, he seems maddeningly perfect to his adversaries. Even Othellos greatest enemy, Iago, confesses in act I,Read MoreAp Lit- Othello Prompt-1979 Essay628 Words   |  3 PagesGalo Vasquez Mrs. Erichsen AP Literature 4/11/13 1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might—on the basis of the character’s actions alone—be considered evil or immoral.   In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we might otherwise think.   Avoid plot summary. A man falls into a violent epileptic shock from sheer anger and jealousyRead More Mindful Destruction of Order in Shakespeares Othello1023 Words   |  5 Pageshuman nature. Through the inter and intra personal dialogue between Othello and Iago, a certain image of the character becomes developed because of the continued additions and changes to the character’s situation. Seen as the stronger of the two, Othello holds less intelligence in common matters. Iago’s character shapes out to as more of cunning and strong-headed. Shakespeare uses the characters to effectively reaffirm the basic traits of human nature and show how the traits coincide with the theory