Othello essay plans

Conflict between what power represents and what represents power, Iago lives through the fictions he has fabricated, sets in motion the representation of power

-Iago's godlike sense of power, fades towards end (loses voice)?, reaches peak in climax (his power matches play's power, representative of the play), power is a consequence of jealousy and malignity, Honigmann 'humour either intends to give pain or to allow him to bask in his own sense of superiority and enjoys a godlike sense of power, whilst Iago does excel in short-term tactics, he doesn't in long-term strategy. He doesn't understand love' => has become so far a Machiavellian villain and devilish character that he doesn't understand human qualities anymore and that is what brings him down (Emilia), context=evil spirits, vice stock, Machiavellian, merely repeats Othello's thoughts by refusing to reveal his, only 60 lines separate 'By heaven, thou echoest me' and 'By heaven, I'll know thy thoughts'

-WAY IN WHICH WORDS ARE USED AS WEAPONS Storytelling and language, how Othello gains power, how Iago gains power over him, his language, soldiership and Des is what makes him a man (D defines him by storytelling, lover and solider), by climax isn't soldier and is losing D, I takes away the very last part of his manhood and power, contrast between beginning and end as Othello depends more on Iago's power than his own, poetic language deteriorates from climax onwards (follows Iago's power, dependent on him), regains when reaches anagnorisis and regains power over own thoughts, power is consequence of language, methods=breakdown of language and references to stories, still uses lang (calls D 'strumpet' and 'that cunning wh*re of Venice' but is now the puppet of I, lang doesn't hold power anymore, doesn't take away lang but the power it held), alternatively his self-dramatising manner hints that that his language may be hollow, an instrument of self-deception - and that Iago may be partly right when he refers to the Moor's style as 'bombast'. Flatterers and liars can succeed because words are inherently limited in their capacity to represent the world., Shimizu 'It is the self-evidential power of the narrative that founds the basis of Othello's self-fashioning'

-Emilia and Desdemona powerless wives, power lies w/ men, power is consequence of associations with men, Vanita 'Emilia is not killed by Iago alone, as Desdemona is not killed by Othello alone', 'The scene presents Emilia as Desdemona's only ally, but Emilia is a powerless wife like Desdemona herself', context=role of women, ownership, silent victims, Lynch 'Desdemona's virtue, faithfulness, and simplicity make her an ideal in the patriarch's private world of women, yet she cannot hold her own in the world of men. Of all the characters, Emilia shows the greatest change as she moves from tolerating men's fantasies to exploding them and from prudent acceptance to courageous repudiation.'

use of power and powerlessness

Shakespeare uses the character of Cassio to emphasise how an outsider can be accepted by wider society and how the way outsiders are perceived can differ dramatically. This allows him to draw attention to the idea that race is what truly sets outsiders apart in society, as Cassio can be so accepted despite being a

Florentine.

-Shakespeare uses Cassio to represent how outsiders can be accepted within society, how the prejudice against Othello in the play in fact comes from racial prejudices in society, not just the fact he is an outsider. Cassio is multiple times referred to as a Florentine, and a mathematician rather than a soldier but because of his race being more acceptable by society, he is used as a contrast against Othello to prove that outsiders who stick to their role and position with conformity can still be accepted but ultimately an outsider in society will result in tragedy despite innocence

-Acts as a foil character to Iago, his gallantry contrasts I's misogyny, makes Iago's predatory nature clear, I cannot bear human goodness and seeks to destroy it, Workard 'I wishes to show that C's weakness goes beyond even that of a woman'

-Represents gallantry and confidence w/ women that Othello lacks, C is not completely damned because he is not absolutely married, 'almost damned in being married to a handsome woman' (I), North 'Othello believes that Cassio is said to entertain an intention of marrying Desdemona, and infers that, as a preliminary, he must be pit out of the way'

-Represents arithmetic and civil matters, 'a great arithmetician', 'a counter-caster', 'debtor and creditor', soldier from Florence famous for its bankers throughout Europe and for invention of bills of exchange, book-keeping and counting-houses, Malone 'Iago means to represent Cassio [...] merely conversant with civil matters, and who knew no more about a squadron than the number of men it contained'

presentation of Cassio

-represents fidelity

-tension between magical and primitive and civilised, 'spotted with strawberries' menstruation and defloration, marriage bed

- only prop and accessory which iago needs for suggestive theatricals, vision gone wrong, can subdue husband 'entirely to her love' proof that she is a virgin, context blankets - turns out to be her death bed

-In European medieval and renaissance love poetry, the handkerchief is typically a symbol for a woman's romantic favor. For instance, there was a particular ritual in which a lady would drop her handkerchief for a knight to pick up and keep as a token of her regard. symbolize the illusions that Iago is "casting" through his plotting and subterfuge.

- Reflects Othello's body, O describes marriage token as 'dyed in mummy' (black bituminous substance), white actors would wear black cloth to mimic black skin

-Since the handkerchief was the first gift Desdemona received from Othello, she keeps it about her constantly as a symbol of Othello's love. Iago manipulates the handkerchief so that Othello comes to see it as a symbol of Desdemona herself—her faith and chastity.

-The significance of red is love, red strawberries like red hearts on the love token handkerchief, and like the red stains from Othello and Desdemona's first night of love on the marriage sheets. Such red on white is private and dear to the heart of Othello, and he expects it to be similarly dear to his wife. It is the belief that Desdemona gave away his handkerchief, and the sexually implications of the gift, that drives him to kill her.

-'magic in the web', gift of handkerchief is directly associated w/ perdition of love, loss of handkerchief directly symbolises loss of love, sees handkerchief as continuation of his love for D not hers for him, tells D it was given when fate would have him marry, O sees his terrible error as forced upon him from outside not simply own responsibility, Rymer: 'So much ado, so much stress, so much passion and repetition about an handkerchief? Why was not this called the Tragedy of the Handkerchief? [...] Had it been Desdemona's Garter, the Sagacious Moor might have smelt a Rat: but the Handkerchief is so remote a trifle, no Booby, on this side of Mauritania, could make any consequence from it.', when O speaks of the magic quality of the handkerchief he has given Desdemona, he inadvertently falls into ancient pre-Christian beliefs. As his despair increases, his pagan ancestry claims him., Its very triviality highlights the infectious, irrational nature of jealousy and in so doing, highlights the weak foundation of this tragedy: which is, in its essence, that a piece of mundane fabric can destroy even the most loving of relationships. Such is the fragility of the tragic hero.

-'antique token my father gave my mother', Coghill 'the better this speech is spoken and acted, the more it must deceive the audience' (audience is more willing to accept handkerchief as authentic element from O's exotic and fabulous past

-"Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof.", "Her honor is an essence that's not seen;They have it very oft that have it not."

use of the handkerchief

-I am not what I am', he is the motivator of Othello, the inside of O (Fineman), Iago empties him out'that's he that was othello, here i am' as in i am not what i was - Othello submits to his jealousy and to Iago, 'he foams at the mouth, and by and by breaks out to savage madness', seduces Othello with his storytelling later on (people aren't who they seem, roles in society switched), Macaulay 'Iago needs to diminish Othello because he feels himself diminished, while Othello needs to feel that Desdemona has especially selected and chosen him as her lover and her husband', Cavell 'Othello's eager insistence on Iago's honesty, his eager slaking of his thirst for knowledge with that poison, is not a sign of his stupidity in the presence of poison but of his devouring need for it', Iago knows him so well that he is able to work on the tiniest flaw, to engender that niggle of doubt which in time destabilises Othello and opens the floodgates of jealousy., tragedy of Othello but play of Iago

-Macaulay 'Both characters [Iago and Othello] play off one another extensively, acting out a kind of dance between them'

-Iago presents Othello to audience, Shakespeare's audience would most likely have recognized that the anglicised version of Iago was James, that St James was the patron saint of Spain, and hence have been aware of the general history of St James as 'Santiago Matamoros, St James the Moor-killer', Everett 'Every time the name 'Iago' drops with helpless unconsciousness from the Moor's lips, Shakespeare's audience remembered what we have long forgotten: that Santiago's great role in Spain was as enemy to the invading Moor, who was figurehead there of the Muslim kingdom', most lines in any Shakespeare play: Iago has 31% of all lines, while Othello has 23%, Iago depends on the audience because the audience is the only person he trusts, Othello cannot recognise that Iago is his enemy and instead recognises himself as an enemy when he kills himself, Racial differences are of little import, but the cultural differences between Desdemona and

Othello are what destroyed them. Those differences made Othello an easy pawn for Iago because Othello couldn't understand her friendship with another man, Iago's tragedy is that he is perpetually overlooked. Firstly, by Othello, then by his wife and, ultimately, by the play which denies him the starring role. The play is called Othello not Iago, though he has more lines.

presentation of the relationship between Iago and Othello

-Sight:Othello, though he demands "ocular proof", is frequently convinced by things he does not see: i) he demotes Cassio as lieutenant based on the story Iago tells; ii) he relies on Iago's story of seeing Cassio wipe his beard with Desdemona's handkerchief; and iii) he believes Cassio to be dead simply because he hears him scream.Blindness:The action of the play depends heavily on characters not seeing things: i) Othello accuses his wife although he never sees her infidelity, and ii) Emilia, although she watches Othello erupt into a rage about the missing handkerchief, does not "see" what her husband has done.

-handkerchief, you cannot see essence sin any empirical way, vision gone wrong, period of true vision lasts approx 30 lines, i almost effortlessly transforms doting into doubting, he can make 'seeling' feel like 'seeming', Lodovico's last words to iago are 'the object poisons sight' the triumph of evil - is given job of lieuteant but wants 'ancient' a flag-bearer, takes on role to 'show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but a sign' - stories of Brabantio - In Othello, Shakespeare highlights the fundamental philosophy of 'appearance versus reality' in a number of different scenes ranging from Iago's faked loyalty, to the lost handkerchief that Othello believes to have been gifted by Desdemona to Cassio. Shakespeare uses this perception of appearance to warn the audience of the rashness of certain decisions and how not all is what it seems.

Shakespeare uses the theme of appearance throughout the novel as a tool to present the warning that reputation and being too involved with images and how people in Jacobean society are perceived can allow false judgements and mistakes to be made as seen in how it led to many characters' tragic downfall in Othello due to trusting someone they shouldn't

- Harris 'To Elizabethan Londoners the appearance and conduct of the Moors was a spectacle and an outrage, emphasising the nature of the deep difference between themselves and their visitors, between their Queen and this 'erring barbarian'', Othello puts on as much of a false appearance as he can, shifting without ethical concern from being to seeming he augments confusion instead of finding light

- 'story', 'tale', 'The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief, he robs himself, that spends a bootless grief.' (AISiii), Othello explicitly asserts that storytelling has a seductive power and Iago seduces Othello with his inventions later on, people aren't who they seem, roles in society switched

- Heilman 'Iago's manipulation of appearances raises the problem of appearance and reality', 'tragic protagonist struggles with appearance and reality when another agent is deliberately confusing them', 'reality is either relative or meaninglessly undifferentiated, and appearance is fluid and controllable', Iago's jocular description of women as 'pictures out of doors, bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchen, saints in your injuries' clearly implies an essential shiftingness of character, a fluidity of appearance which allows no sense of a stable reality, 'I am not what I am' deeply committed to belief in irrationality of all appearance and hence peculiarly gifted for evil-doing by the manipulation of seeming

presents the difference between appearance and reality

-iago feeds othello word 'monster' which is jealousy as emilia says 'it is a monster', iago's child - Shakespeare uses Othello to present why jealousy is so prominent in society and where it stems from. Throughout the play, Shakespeare emphasises the two sides of jealousy, and whether it truly stems from 'motiveless malignity', and whether the characters and wider society are truly 'jealous for they're jealousy,' as Emilia suggests in Act 3 Scene 4, and if jealousy is truly a rational feeling when throughout the play no 'ocular proof' is ever given to provoke such evil emotion.

Many characters throughout 'Othello' show some form of jealousy, be it Roderigo or Othello, and each character is ultimately punished somehow for their jealousy. Othello's jealousy is presented as the most disturbing, as it causes his character to become violent, wishing to "tear [Desdemona] all to pieces" upon

being told that she could be cuckolding him. By "tear[ing]" his wife to "pieces", Othello implies to the audience that he will completely destroy all traces of her being, as her female form will become nothing more than fragmented remains. His murderous thoughts mirror his desire to preserve his masculine honour, as her actions have, in his view, disgraced his name and manly image. Through "tear[ing]" Desdemona to "pieces", Othello will successfully remove the blemish upon his reputation, ensuring that she can no longer "betray more men". Othello's quick descent into using such violent, barbaric verbs like "tear" can be seen throughout as his language deteriorates following Iago's manipulation, perhaps mirroring the deterioration of his emotional wellbeing as his jealousy fuels his mental instability. Similarly, the primal

connotations associated with killing somebody using only your hands to "tear" them to pieces unleashes Othello's barbaric side that some characters, such as Brabantio and Iago, would argue 'The Moor' has internalised within. The disturbing aspects of Othello's jealousy of course culminate in Othello killing

Desdemona so that she cannot "betray more men"; the action of murdering his wife as a result of his jealousy is presented to us as extreme. Even Iago suggests that jealousy is disturbing, referring to it as a "green eyed monster" which suggests it is a creature that intends to do harm.

-Iago is both jealous and able to manipulate Othello's jealousy, 'nothing can or shall content my soul till I am even'd with him, wife, for wife', 'I put the Moor, at least into a jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure' (A2S1), Iago is motivated by love, hate and a bitter/broken jealousy born out of extreme love

-play shows that anyone, no matter how great, can so easily have their perception warped by this dangerous emotion of jealousy, achieved success and recognition as a capable general in the very sophisticated and venal Venice, but in relationships with subordinates and women he lacked judgement and a sense of self worth, so he could be manipulated into raging jealousy and self destruction, Iago knows him so well that he is able to work on the tiniest flaw, to engender that niggle of doubt which in time destabilises Othello and opens the floodgates of jealousy, in Shakespeare's time epilepsy was considered the sickness of great men, since Caesar supposedly suffered from it, showing us how overwrought Othello was by the emotion of jealousy, contrasting with his military side that is the calm cool collectiveness of a skilled leader. Soldiers have to contain and manage emotion and suddenly he is cast into a domestic relationship with intense good and bad passions and is thrown for a loop as he has not learned how to cope with these. But this may be a modern perspective. If

medieval Europeans thought epilepsy was a sign of demonic possession or witchcraft, then showing Othello having a seizure may be a signal to the audience that Othello was 'reverting' to his 'pagan' roots, and 'turning Turk', Suspecting Desdemona of infidelity appears to be enough to make Othello question his career, his reputation, and to distress his 'tranquil mind'. His entire occupation - his military prowess and everything he staked his identity on - is gone. Questioning his identity and his faith in the world is perhaps the strongest clue that Othello will, ultimately, suffer the most in this tragedy, handkerchief's very triviality highlights the infectious, irrational nature of jealousy and in so doing, highlights the weak foundation of this tragedy: which is, in its essence, that a piece of mundane fabric can destroy even the most loving of relationships. Such is the fragility of the tragic hero, He appears to ignore his own guilty part in the tragedy, describing himself as 'not easily jealous' when from the audience's perspective the opposite seems true.

Vanita, 'Of all Shakespeare's jealous husbands, the one who is black is the one who wins most sympathy and admiration'

Quarshie (currently plays Othello), Shakespeare seems to suggest that his colour and his race explain his credulity, his jealousy and his violence.'

'away at once with love and jealousy' (A3S3), As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad; and his own unbookish jealousy must construe poor Cassio's smiles, gestures and light behaviours quite in the wrong' (A4S1)

presents jealousy

Shakespeare demonstrates the innate flaws and injustices in society through the loss of Othello's personal identity leading to his psychological deterioration. through the theme of identity Shakespeare expresses the importance of self stability and confidence in maintaining social order. Othello's lack of personal

identity is essential to the plays tragedy as the catalyst for his isolation and dependence on other characters, - othello is most commonly referred to as 'the moor' rather than his name , and even 'desdemona refers to him as the moor removing him of all personal identity and implicitly acknowledging his unsightly nature' as hogan says.

-Iago as stage director, Greenblatt: Othello submits to 'narrative self-fashioning' on Iago's part because he himself engages in such self-fashioning 'his identity depends upon a constant performance of his 'story''

-understanding others' identities: there are questions about identity in the sense of the characters truly understanding themselves and others. Brabantio and Othello, for example, are both very mistaken in their understanding of Desdemona. Brabantio thinks she is a 'maiden never bold', meanwhile, Othello thinks Desdemona loves him for the hero that he is in these same tales. In actuality she loves him for his fundamental nature, his 'very quality, not his deeds'; Iago may be the only character that understands other people well enough to manipulate them. However, he is sadly mistaken in the control he has over Emilia, who falls to pieces at the end and is

so full of blame he can do nothing but kill her. Maybe he even misunderstands the limits of his own self control. Iago, the opportunist, is backed into a corner and can think of no way out other than kill his wife and resolve never to say another word.

-identity in culture and religion: D is only character to not refer to O by ethnicity; It is not just the fact that she has become, in his mind, one of these women, but that she was at first a virtuous woman beyond reproach. So the passion is present and strong enough to make him want to commit murder. However, he has been portrayed up until now as a converted Christian, no longer a Muslim, but a defender of the Christian faith for the Venetians against the Turks. So if he kills Desdemona, he is in essence renouncing his Christianity because he is renouncing Christian mercy. He is turning Turk: 'Set you down this; And say besides, that in Aleppo once, Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk Beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by the throat the circumcised dog' => It is interesting that Othello is writing his own epitaph, skilfully crafting what his memory should be, while Iago says nothing. He sees the Turks as barbarous and has fought them for many years, but finally he sees that this is a basic part of his own identity and he can only kill this part of himself he deplores by killing himself - and killing himself with the Moorish sword so killing the Christian Venetian part of himself too; His entire occupation - his military prowess and

everything he staked his identity on - is gone. Questioning his identity and his faith in the world is perhaps the strongest clue that Othello will, ultimately, suffer the most in this tragedy.

presents identity

-Othello: the tragedy of Othello was that he was an outsider, a convert to the western mores, who achieved success and recognition as a capable general in the very sophisticated and venal Venice, but in relationships with subordinates and women he lacked judgement and a sense of self worth, so he could be manipulated into raging jealousy and self destruction, about being an outsider and seeing acceptance in an unfamiliar setting. Othello has distinguished himself as a soldier and military commander but in unfamiliar with how to secure domestic happiness. He is an outsider to domesticity not principally because he is a Moor but because he is first and foremost a soldier, comfortable in the battlefield. This is why he is susceptible to Iago's wickedness - he

is unsure of himself in these surroundings. His wooing of Desdemona is unconventional but he is nonetheless hankering for conventional personal happiness - a beautiful, rich well-

connected wife. He wins her yet is uncertain in how to keep her; that is his tragedy. Shakespeare signals his outsider status by making his character a Moor; not the other way around, Loomba 'Venice's opponents could be viewed as dangerous by a society itself fairly suspicious of outsiders.'

presents outsiders

In Othello, Shakespeare uses the character pairings of couples to present that women are not only bound to men but oppressed by them. This suppression of women by their male counterparts results in the downfall and death of many characters in the play. In this sense, Shakespeare reflects on the contemporary gender roles, women being the property of and under the dominance of their male partners. The way that the female characters act in the play almost directly links to the ideology of Elizabethan society as well as the patriarchal Venetian society that the play is set in.

Within the play, Shakespeare seems to present the idea of women inevitably becoming victims within a patriarchal world, regardless of their looks, choice of husband or social standing. There are only three female characters in the entirety of the play and they are all resigned to become victims at one point or another - this seems to be representative of the idea that, no matter who a woman was or what she did at the time, the patriarchal nature of society meant that she would be forced into the role of a second class citizen. Through orchestrating the murder of the two married female characters, Shakespeare forces his audience to consider the strategies that women must use to survive in such a patriarchal society: it is no coincidence that Bianca, who exists outside the restrictions of an Elizabethan marriage, is the sole female survivor. Though differing to the subservient Emilia and Desdemona, Bianca's character is bound to the same fate: all three are unable to free themselves from scorn and mistreatment at the hands of men, general condemnation of women is part of tragedy, women in many cultures and times are property to be disposed of by the honourable husband, Othello has to decide whether to kill Desdemona because jealousy has convinced him that she is an unfaithful wife just like all the other Venetian women, who commit such acts and keep them 'unknown' to their husbands. It is not just the fact that she has become, in his mind, one of these women, but that she was at first a virtuous woman beyond reproach.

-childish imagery (Desdemona), "Desdemona is not killed by Othello alone" (Vanita)

-vomit (Emilia), foil for Desdemona's character, Kastan questions whether there are reasons for the "intolerable suffering" and

whether it is the result of "tragic human motor error or capricious fate"

-As Loomba puts forward "female openness was seen as dangerous and immoral" (Bianca)

presents women

-Cyprus is suspended between civilised imperial Venice and southern barbarous exotic Africa, home of Aphrodite, sexual references are constant, Venice and Africa mate and then meet in Cyprus but the mating does not work and they are destroyed - Throughout Othello, the setting acts as a mirror to the changing relationships between characters. From things such as the political climate to the weather, the turbulent nature of the ever-changing setting serves to incorporate the wider themes of the play by pinpointing particular moments of change and representing the constant struggle between power and love.

-Venice, Fike: "Othello, a black man who has travelled through primitive lands, finds himself in Venice where his psychic limitations prove to be stronger than Europe's civilizing influence", Othello, because of his blackness, possesses such a powerful primitive nature that the more "civilizing" European influence cannot change him, about being an outsider and seeing acceptance in an unfamiliar setting. Othello has distinguished himself as a soldier and military commander but in unfamiliar with how to secure domestic happiness. He is an outsider to domesticity not principally because he is a Moor but because he is first and foremost a soldier, comfortable in the battlefield. This is why he is susceptible to Iago's wickedness - he is unsure of himself in these surroundings. His wooing of Desdemona is unconventional but he is nonetheless hankering for conventional personal happiness - a beautiful, rich well-connected wife. He wins her yet is uncertain in how to keep her; that is his tragedy; Venice is a Maritime trading city that's governed by an oligarchy rather than monarchy. So Venice looks like where London might be going. We are summoned to the Senate house; we're seeing the command centre of the big Christian control power in the Mediterranean.

-Cyprus: The Elizabethan and Jacobean stage is significant because it can signify both a whole world and just a space as big as itself. We start off with the play gesturing to the entire map of the Mediterranean and people coming from all over the world to report on the war against Cyprus. And gradually that stage just comes to indicate a space no bigger than itself; down to the very bed chamber in which Othello takes Desdemona's life. The tragic loading of this bed becomes a very literal confined space, from

which Othello is never going to escape. People coming to The Globe are coming to expect news from other countries and vision of what's happening in the world. It's very helpful to understand that the topic of the Turkish takeover was very much in the news for Shakespearian audiences. However, rather than being about war, the play is really going to be about the war within marriage. Cyprus is one of the places that Shakespeare's audiences would be well aware had fallen to the Turks many years ago. When we see a Venetian army going to Cyprus, we know that whole enterprise is doomed from the start. It casts a prophetic shadow of tragedy over everything they're trying to do there. In fact, the only conflict we actually see in Cyprus is a brawl among the soldiers themselves. There is a sense that you can't be sure that even those on your own side are actually on your own side - a theme which haunts the play. Othello cannot recognise that Iago is his enemy and instead recognises himself as an enemy when he kills himself. This Cypriot Garrison provides a claustrophobic place where conflicts occur.

-Internal rather than external setting: Othello's personal tragedy has no impact on the fate of Venice or Cyprus. This marks Othello as unique in Shakespeare's career. Although its setting is war and imperial occupation, it is largely a domestic tragedy, unlike Hamlet for example. If we include people outside of Othello and Desdemona, Iago and Emilia for instance, the play becomes a private tragedy about disappointment and disillusionment. Everyone loves someone or something that turns out to be less

than perfect. No state systems or kingdoms are at stake. In other words, Othello takes the audience from a public sphere to a deeply and heartbreakingly private world. It's in that private sphere that we find out those weak foundations are fundamental to any tragedy. This is a domestic tragedy, it's arguably Shakespeare's most painfully exciting and most terrible of all his tragic plays, because it is so close to home.

use of setting and place

-Of all the tragic flaws in Shakespeare's characters - pride, procrastination, ambition, among others - credulity is the least likely to engage sympathetic understanding. (Quarshie). There are so many tragedies within Othello, all of them the results of failings of human nature no matter how intelligent or noble the characters seem. Othello's jealousy, Iago's jealousy and hate, Rodrigo's desire and lack of honour, the general condemnation of women, etc. I suppose the greatest tragedy is Desdemona's fate since she was entirely innocent, inasmuch as anyone may be described as innocent (as Iago points out, she did deceive her father to meet with O) - of the deed ascribed to her. The ultimate tragedy is the baseness of human nature.

-In fact, the only conflict we actually see in Cyprus is a brawl among the soldiers themselves. There is a sense that you can't be

sure that even those on your own side are actually on your own side - a theme which haunts the play.

-Othello cannot recognise that Iago is his enemy and instead recognises himself as an enemy when he kills himself. This Cyrpiot Garrison provides a claustrophobic place where conflicts occur. The patriarchal, racist universe of Othello confronts in 'damned Iago', the 'inhuman dog', not its demonic antithesis but its grotesque epitome.

uses conflict to expose human flaws

-leaves area vague and undecidable, 'what you know, you know' audience must question what is the origin of passion and energy for destructive evil which can erupt into world through human agents, touch of satanic immortality about him - pretends to bring light when he brings darkness, introduces dirt into the clean and makes them 'grimy', administers poison whilst pretending to heal, delights in causing madness whilst pretending to bring mental clearness, 'I would change my humanity with a baboon' his pleasure and intent is to change men into beasts, 'exchange me for a goat', degenerative transformation - Shakespeare uses the character of Iago as the driving force in the play and arguably without him there would be no conflict, through his meticulous plans, Iago is able to manipulate the other characters to act in a way that benefits him. Shakespeare uses Iago to show the consequences of acting against reputation, he claims to be honest yet creates lies in order to exploit the other characters, when his actions are discovered his reputation is ruined.

-i is barabian within venice and within othello - turns o into man of blood so they are bth awash with the word - Shakespeare's recreation of Iago from the original story in Hecatommithi is remarkable. The original Iago is a competitor of Othello's for Desdemona's love and, when he loses, turns from love of Desdemona to hate. Shakespeare reconstructs the original Iago into the suitor Roderigo, who then becomes a foil for his own Iago. Shakespeare's Iago, rather than being a rational albeit wilful man, is a man who views everything is degraded terms. His hate, although centred on Othello, is also generalized. Iago presents himself as a man in rambling hate with the world. Iago in the Hecatommithi is a pragmatic being who takes advantage of situations. He is not responsible for Cassio's demise, nor for suggesting that Cassio seek Disdemona's interference with Othello. Cassio is responsible for his own downfall, while Disdemona independently sues on Cassio's behalf. Furthermore, it is Othello who initiates conversation with Iago, telling him how forcefully his wife seeks his reconciliation with Cassio. Iago in the Hecatommithi uses Othello's already existing concern about Disdemona's behaviour. While Iago in the Hecatommithi also employs the verbal strategy of putting off requests to encourage Othello's curiosity and suspicions, this strategy is never dramatized but only stated. Othello, after speaking further with Disdemona, returns a second time to Iago to get some satisfaction of the jealousy he now feels. At this point

Iago explicitly indicates to Othello that Disdemona takes pleasure from Cassio's company while he is at his house and that she has also come to dislike Othello's complexion. Iago in the Hecatommithi exploits Cassio's demise and Othello's already existing jealousy to destroy Disdemona, who has simply ignored his attempts at seduction. In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello rather than Desdemona is Iago's target. Desdemona is simply a pawn; Iago is interested in seeing how far he can push Othello even to madness. As a marked agent, he first manipulates Cassio and

then Desdemona, expecting further to manipulate Othello. Thus, in Shakespeare's narrative, Iago initiates conversation with Othello rather than vice versa.

presents Iago as driven by 'motiveless malignity'

-'loved' D for her 'pity' and how she listened to his adventures not anything sexual - For Othello to have denied Desdemona her marriage bed in the holy union, is to go against Religion and traditional marriage rites. The traditional (and deeply religious) act of consummation was prevented by circumstance foreshadowed the eventual breakdown of the marriage at its symbolic end, where instead of procreating, Desdemona dies on the marriage sheets.

In Othello, marriage is tantamount to death. Othello suggests that, as long as men view women as being promiscuous and disloyal, the institution of marriage is doomed. The marriage between Othello and Desdemona may act as a reflection of the societal values of both the Venetian society within the play as well as the Elizabethan audience at the time it was written. The concept of an interracial marriage was viewed as extremely scandalous as it was 'nature, erring from itself', suggesting that Othello and Desdemona's marriage was unnatural and immoral. Women were expected to remain virgins till marriage, yet Desdemona challenges both her Father and social conventions by taking an active role within her marriage claiming 'I did love the Moor'. Newman believed the act of marrying Othello was "heroic rather than demonic" as Desdemona is completely defying the social order by refusing the maintain her 'obedience' towards her Father and marry the man she truly 'loves'. Shakespeare challenges the "demonic" view of the interracial marriage as writing in the renaissance perhaps inspired him to challenge social conventions which is evident within the play as Desdemona is a woman of power and Othello who should be a "noble savage", isn't as he is deemed 'more fair than black'.

-D+O: is Othello more in love with the IDEA that Desdemona is in love with him? Is he flattered by this? They do not make war in this play and they don't make love either. Why does he delay the consummation of the marriage? he chose to send her on a separate ship. Is he afraid of consummating this marriage? Does he fool himself into believing that he is really and truly in love with her? There are actually very few lines in which Othello and Desdemona talk of their love for each other face to face. We have Othello saying how they fell in love when he relates the story of his adventures, but Desdemona has not yet entered that scene. Then we have a reuniting of the two after a perilous journey on different ships to Cyprus. The marriage is still not consummated and all he can say to her is: 'If it were now to die, Twere now to be most happy, for I fear My soul hath her content so absolute', His natural disposition is to be free and unhoused, so not tied to a home. He doesn't talk about marriage as something liberating and enjoyable, rather it's confining and something that puts his natural desires into circumscription. In other words, although he loves Desdemona, Othello is fighting his soldier's instinct, something he's had since the age of seven, just to be with her, In addition, Othello and Desdemona's marriage acts as an opportunity for society to voice their racists and discriminative views. Othello is dehumanises to a mere 'thing' and Shakespeare continuously uses zoomorphism as characters degrade Othello to a 'black ram', implying the narrow view society holds, depicting Othello as a primitive, black, violent male. This is further shown as Brabantio is told 'the black ram is tupping your white yew', the metaphor hinting at the sexual relations between Othello and his daughter Desdemona. The contrast between 'black' and 'white' conveys the corruption of the innocent, vulnerable female, constructing Othello as a destructive force. Therefore, their marriage can be argued to act as a true reflection of the sheer struggle of an interracial marriage within the time period, Duke of Venice uses odd phrase to O 'be content to slubber the gloss of your new fortunes', O is happy to go as he finds 'steel couch of war' the 'softest bed of down', replies 'with all my heart' the typical form of marriage not bride, I asks 'are you fast married?' and O has no straight answer, 'why did i marry?', speaks about D in terms of stone, 'monumental alabaster' but never as actual human, 'love thee after' death can he only love her when she's stone, cassio asks who he's married to and iago doesnt answer, introduces doubt about marriage

-E+I: Emilia says 'It is their husbands' faults If wives do fall' because' they set the example; steals handkerchief - 'I nothing but to please his fantasy', to fulfil her husband's desires, to get Iago's attention. First instinct is to have it copied and give him the copy, but when she sees her husband she gives it straight to him in order to please him, Emilia's relationship with Iago is a chilling example of marital disharmony. Whatever love is left is felt by Emilia, who tries to please Iago by giving him the handkerchief. Iago's attitude towards his wife is proprietorial and controlling. Iago is suspicious that Othello has cuckolded him, and dislikes the courtesy Cassio shows Emilia when she first arrives in Cyprus. Iago is jealous not because he loves Emilia, but because he feels his own position is being threatened. We see the couple alone together only once, in Act III Scene 3. Iago treats Emilia contemptuously. He asks her sharply what she's doing alone, implying that her movements should be directed entirely by him. He also insults Emilia as 'a foolish wife' (III.3.308), but when he realises she has the handkerchief, his tone softens: now Emilia is a 'good wench' (III.3.317).

Iago's public treatment of Emilia is as dismissive as the way he speaks to her in private. In Act IV Scene 2, Iago is annoyed when Emilia refers to Iago's false suspicion that Othello cuckolded him. Iago's short lines sound like threats: 'Speak within doors' (IV.2.146) and 'You are a fool, go to' (IV.2.150). In Act V, Iago's verbal abuse intensifies just before he kills her. When she betrays the truth about the handkerchief he calls Emilia a 'Villainous *****!' and 'Filth' (V.2.227, 229). These words encapsulate the disrespect Iago feels for all women. The audience will be pleased that it is his abused wife who brings about her villainous husband's downfall. - I+O 'I am bound to thee forever' and 'I am your own forever' this is the marriage we see and ocular proof - QUOTES 'the profit's yet to come 'twixt me and you', 'he hath not yet made wanton the night with her', 'when i have pluck'd the rose'

presents marriage

In Othello, male friendship is an agent of destruction. Early modern discourses of friendship elevated the bond between two men above all else, but in Shakespeare's tragedy, master manipulator Iago marshals the privilege of so-called 'counselor' and 'friend' to turn Othello against Desdemona, and to destroy them both. In contrast, the play's central female friendship between Desdemona and Emilia inspires resistance and the courage to speak the truth, resulting in Iago's exposure and Desdemona's exoneration. Friendship offers protection, solace, and—finally—redemption as Desdemona and Emilia struggle to navigate and survive in a violent, male-dominated world.

-Desdemona and Emilia turn to each other for companionship and comfort, and discover an equal in intelligence, virtue, loyalty, and generosity. As the play progresses, the bond between Desdemona and Emilia is strengthened by shared experiences of abuse and increasing fear of male violence. Emilia herself offers a symbol of hope: years trapped in an abusive marriage have not robbed her of wit or strength. Emilia represents what Desdemona might become: a wife whose individual character and identity remain intact. As the world Desdemona thought she understood and the man she thought she loved unravels, and the play descends into violent madness, Emilia's friendship represents a lifeline for Desdemona. (WILLOW SONG, one of the few scenes in Shakespeare's canon where women occupy the stage alone and unobserved), Desdemona draws strength from Emilia as a friend, protector, healer, and would-be saviour—but Emilia cannot save her, Her voice passes instead to Emilia, and she endows Emilia with the exalted power to speak truth, as only true friends can, Her faith and love for Desdemona command her to expose Othello and to redeem Desdemona as an 'angel,' 'heavenly true,' 'the sweetest innocent / That e'er did lift up eye'

-Emilia's true speech uncovers the 'Villainy, villainy, villainy!' at the core of Othello and Iago's friendship, Emilia and Desdemona's bodies haunt those that remain onstage: a testament to friendship between women and witness to the dangerous threat of false, faithless friendship among men, Death and destruction are tragedy's inevitable end, but female friendship in Othello retains its power even in death, Their bodies lying side by side, Desdemona and Emilia recall fourteenth- and fifteenth-century English monuments and tombs carved with images of male friends who chose to spend eternity buried together, cementing a bond more sacred than blood or marriage. In Othello, female friends inherit the legacy of friendship's power in early modern culture: Desdemona and Emilia are protectors from slander, defenders of honor, and the only speakers of truth.

-false friendship of Iago to others but Roderigo in particular

presents friendship

Throughout Othello, honour is presented as the defining factor of man and equally as the catalyst for the tragedy. The male character's search for honour is shown to be their hamartia and is utilised in exposing the harmful ways this has impacted society. For a contemporary audience, this displays itself as what we understand to be the patriarchy, whereas an Elizabethan audience would view it rather as a social warning against allowing status and prejudice to overcome love and lead to ruin.

Shakespeare shows the destructive nature of honour and how social constraints are considered to be more important than life itself

honour as a measure of self worth and how it leads to instability in Othello's character and provides a pathway for destruction - mainly illustrated with Othello's plan to kill Desdemona (Vanita - the legitimised murder of an adulterous wife) and the failure of the other male characters eg - Lodovico as a family member and Othello as a husband APPEARANCE VS REALITY

-Throughout the play, various male figures seek to assert and protect their manhood and their honour. Iago asserts—however genuinely or disingenuously—that reputation is more valuable than anything in the world: "good name in man and woman [...] is the immediate jewel of their souls". Though military exploits are one way for men to build their honour, when not in war the primary means by which men define their honour is their ability to command the faithfulness of their women; Othello laments of himself: "A horned man's a monster and a beast" (animal imagery). That is, in his view, to lose control of the woman in his life is to lose everything that makes him human. In other words, without his honour, he sees himself in the same terms that the prejudiced characters see him: as an animal., But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed" (Iago), 'Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away Richer than all his tribe' (Othello)

-In each case, the animal language is connected to prejudice. Describing a person or group in animal terms is a way of defining that person or group as being less than human, something that deserves to be humiliated and controlled: thinks men honest that but seem to be so;And will as tenderly be led by th' noseAs asses are.", "I'll [...] make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward meFor making him egregiously an ass.", I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.", "A horned man's a monster and a beast."

honour

-Shakespeare presents women as tragic victims at the hands of men, particularly their husbands. Both Desdemona and Emilia are killed through no fault of their own and instead their death is a punishment for man's jealousy. By presenting a play controlled by men he highlights the clear gender division present. Desdemona is victim of patriarchal and chauvinist society, capacity to be hurt by those they love

-Othello gives own epitaph, victim?, early on speaks too fluently, Adamson 'image of himself as unruffable, utterly self-composed'

-setting as domestic interior

-we are all victims and victimisers, Iago is like us 'essentially simple mind' (Adamson) wit stereotyped, tone inflexible, plotting repetitive, less of a villain than like us

victims

Emilia serves to epitomise the ultimate female victim in a chauvinist society that views male honour as the pinnacle of humanity. She mirrors Desdemona's subservient role in many ways until the very end when she breaks free from the societal boundaries in order to implicate her husband. Basically, her role reveals the toxic and destructive elements of male misogyny. Emilia's speech represents a powerful feminist perspective, elucidated at a time when women were subordinated and oppressed as a matter of course—legally, socially, and politically.

-Shakespeare presents Emilia's character as the strong female in the play who, due to frustration, grief and long lasting abuse, stands up to the male characters for the behaviour and exploitation of the patriarchal power they receive at birth, no matter their race or position. The female love Emilia shares with Desdemona is stronger than any other love in the play, their mutual experiences and presumed expectations mean that Emilia, in the final scene, isn't just standing up for the death of her friend at the hands of masculine power, but all women in Jacobean society.

-the play's central female friendship between Desdemona and Emilia inspires resistance and the courage to speak the truth, resulting in Iago's exposure and Desdemona's exoneration. Friendship offers protection, solace, and—finally—redemption as Desdemona and Emilia struggle to navigate and survive in a violent, male-dominated world., Desdemona and Emilia turn to each other for companionship and comfort, and discover an equal in intelligence, virtue, loyalty, and generosity. As the play progresses, the bond between Desdemona and Emilia is strengthened by shared experiences of abuse and increasing fear of male violence. 'Tis not a year or two shows us a man.They are all but stomachs, and we all but food;They eat us hungerly, and when they are fullThey belch us. WILLOW SONG

-relationship with Iago: Emilia's relationship with Iago is a chilling example of marital disharmony. Whatever love is left is felt by Emilia, who tries to please Iago by giving him the handkerchief. Iago's attitude towards his wife is proprietorial and controlling. He also insults Emilia as 'a foolish wife' (III.3.308), but when he realises she has the handkerchief, his tone softens: now Emilia is a 'good wench' (III.3.317), 'Speak within doors', 'You are a fool, go to', 'Villainous wh*re!', 'Filth' (V.2.227, 229). These words encapsulate the disrespect Iago feels for all women. The audience will be pleased that it is his abused wife who brings about her villainous husband's downfall.

Emilia

Flatterers and liars can succeed because words are inherently limited in their capacity to represent the world.

-Othello's romantic speech is colourful, even enthralling, but his self-dramatising manner hints that that his language may be hollow, an instrument of deception - especially self-deception - and that Iago may be partly right when he refers to the Moor's style as 'bombast'.

-every character in the play has referred to him as "honest Iago", successfully gets Roderigo to wake Brabantio and tell him of the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. Brabantio learns of Roderigo's name but not of Iago's. Iago also manages to manipulate Othello, when talking of killing Cassio

deception

central female friendship between Desdemona and Emilia inspires resistance and the courage to speak the truth, resulting in Iago's exposure and Desdemona's exoneration. Friendship offers protection, solace, and—finally—redemption as Desdemona and Emilia struggle to navigate and survive in a violent, male-dominated world.

-Desdemona and Emilia turn to each other for companionship and comfort, and discover an equal in intelligence, virtue, loyalty, and generosity. As the play progresses, the bond between Desdemona and Emilia is strengthened by shared experiences of abuse and increasing fear of male violence, Emilia herself offers a symbol of hope: years trapped in an abusive marriage have not robbed her of wit or strength. Emilia represents what Desdemona might become: a wife whose individual character and identity remain intact.

-feminism of WILLOW SONG

-Desdemona draws strength from Emilia as a friend, protector, healer, and would-be savior—but Emilia cannot save her. Ultimately, Desdemona dies at Othello's hands, begging for a few more minutes, for one more prayer, for the right to die with an unburdened soul; she fights to be seen as the faithful, innocent woman (and friend) she is, rather than as a 'strumpet' (V.ii.97). Othello does not merely murder Desdemona, he silences her: he robs Desdemona of breath, and the ability to speak the words that would exonerate and liberate her. Her voice passes instead to Emilia, and she endows Emilia with the exalted power to speak truth, as only true friends can. Emilia and Desdemona's bodies haunt those that remain onstage: a testament to friendship between women and witness to the dangerous threat of false, faithless friendship among men. Death and destruction are tragedy's inevitable end, but female friendship in Othello retains its power even in death. Their bodies lying side by side, Desdemona and Emilia recall fourteenth- and fifteenth-century English monuments and tombs carved with images of male friends who chose to spend eternity buried together, cementing a bond more sacred than blood or marriage. In Othello, female friends inherit the legacy of friendship's power in early modern culture: Desdemona and Emilia are protectors from slander, defenders of honour, and the only speakers of truth.

relationship between Desdemona and Emilia

-'is the immediate jewel of their souls', belongs to lasting values, immortal part - SYMBOL jewels - In Othello, Shakespeare uses reputation to demonstrate the role of masculinity in society. The male characters are essentially trapped by their need to maintain their reputation and the female characters are trapped by their duty to protect their husband's reputation. For a Jacobean audience, it would be the standard to

see a wife like Desdemona exist to elevate her husband and his position in society, but Shakespeare criticises this standard through the presentation of her suffering under Othello and the passivity of her character in response to it. The true tragedy lies in her final defence of Othello prior to her death and the lack of poetic justice in Othello's suicide, as Shakespeare's message to his audience is

that reputation takes priority over all else.

Shakespeare presents reputation as being the tragic downfall of the central protagonist, Othello. Across the play, Othello's character is preoccupied with preserving his masculine reputation at the detriment to his judgement and reasoning. Due to his fragile place within Venetian Society, as a 'moor' and an outsider, Shakespeare explores how Othello's character particularly relies on his reputation in order to survive within this ruthless context. Mirroring Elizabethan society's obsession with reputation, which was intrinsically linked with masculine honour, Shakespeare uses the villain of Iago to expose the vulnerability of characters who rely upon reputation for social survival; the villainous Iago delights in dismantling Othello's public image. Once lost, reputation cannot be regained, however Shakespeare prompts his audience to consider if the loss of reputation should actually be viewed as the worst possible fate, or if it is more tragic to in fact lose true love, something that was considered to be very rare at this time. Cassio and Othello strive to preserve notable reputations while Iago intends to use reputation as a tool for manipulation, and as the play unfolds they get exceedingly desperate to defend their reputations. This obsession ultimately leads to their downfall. Pursuing a notable reputation can be detrimental to people, leading to their demise, and should not be the lone ambition in life

-Othello: Othello maintains an excellent reputation for most of the play, but loses it when he believes Iago's claims that Cassio and Desdemona are in love with each other, and he acts out of character. This change in character prompts a surprised reaction from many characters in the play. When Othello hits Desdemona, Lodovico is astonished because he had previous perceptions of Othello's kindness and composed nature, not loyal to the Venetian state, simply serving his own reputation, career and ultimately his legacy even as he dies a suicide rather than face justice. When he declaims at the end that he 'loved not wisely but too well' was he speaking of Desdemona or Iago?, Shakespeare recognised the destructive power of a spoken slur (racial, religious, sexual,

social) upon one's reputation, and Othello serves as a powerful reminder of the way in which words can be used as weapons, Suspecting Desdemona of infidelity appears to be enough to make Othello question his career, his reputation, and to distress his 'tranquil mind'. His entire occupation - his military prowess and

everything he staked his identity on - is gone. Questioning his identity and his faith in the world is perhaps the strongest clue that Othello will, ultimately, suffer the most in this tragedy.

-Iago uses his reputation as an honest man to deceive others and manipulate them to satisfy his needs, "I am an honest man", "I protest, in the sincerity of love and honest / kindness", "[Cassio] (in good time) must his lieutenant be / and I, bless the mark, his Moorship's ancient" (I.i.31-32). Iago conveys that he has a better reputation as a soldier and should be selected as the lieutenant

-Cassio: "reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have / lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of / [myself], and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, / my reputation!", cannot gain reputation since people are unable to erase what they just observed

importance of reputation

significance of the ending

Shakespeare's characterisation of Roderigo illustrates the inadequacy of infatuation as a form of love, and represents compromised masculinity in a form of dependence on Iago . Throughout the entire play Rodrigo has been dismissed as a tertiary villain who represents the antithesis of Othello.

-Roderigo is a gull and a simpleton, whose primary role is to enable the audience to gain insight into Iago's modus operandi. In his exchanges with the 'poor trash of Venice' (II.1.301) the ensign's cynical world view is revealed. As a disappointed suitor Roderigo also represents the 'curled darlings' (I.2.68) that Desdemona has rejected, providing us with a point of comparison with Othello, the successful wooer. However, even if we partially sympathise with the view that Othello proves to be, as Emilia suggests a 'most filthy bargain' (V.2.153), we can hardly agree with Brabantio when he says that he wishes he had given his daughter to Roderigo rather than see her married to the exotic outsider. Roderigo is not worthy of Desdemona. He exercises extremely poor judgement and his actions are generally despicable; he shares responsibility with Iago for prejudicing Brabantio's view of his daughter's elopement, eggs Cassio on to a fight which disrupts order in Cyprus and then participates in an attempt on the lieutenant's life without feeling entirely convinced that his intended victim deserves to die. We also question Roderigo's continued pursuit of Desdemona; he blindly chases an adulterous liaison and thinks that he can buy favours with jewels. Roderigo's racist descriptions of Othello also go against him.

-However, there are grounds for believing that Roderigo is corrupted and not wholly bad, merely weak; lacking resolution or volition, he even has to be directed off stage on a number of occasions. He is suspicious of Iago, but allows himself to be talked round. He is the ensign's first victim. It is possible to see Roderigo as another outsider in Othello; Iago keeps him on the fringes of the action in Venice and Cyprus, ensuring that he remains powerless. Roderigo can also be played as a comic figure: his description of being cudgelled can be amusing. Roderigo's miserable end seems a cruel fate; like Othello he realises the truth about his manipulator too late and pays the price.

the character of Roderigo

-letter o , 22 times in act 5 - Shakespeare uses the downfall of the plays tragic hero Othello to demonstrate the consequences of racial prejudice within society, as his character changes from a highly respected member of society, to the monster that he was initially wrongly viewed as. Shakespeare demonstrates the dangers of assumptions based on appearance, through the shift between Othello's original

characterisation against the final one, presenting him as the embodiment of the assumptions made about outsiders in society, which he only became because of society's lack of acceptance. -discourse is initially martial and exotic so is bound to go astray in fog of forensic terminology of justice

-Many of Othello's insecurities are derived from his race and from the perception that he is lowlier than his wife, more readily believes Iago than his own wife but again this is probably because of his own insecurities, "By the world, I think my wife be honest and think she is not. I think that thou art just, and think thou art not."

-believes that men should be transparent and honest as he is; "Certain, men should be what they seem", sympathy, 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. "For naught, I did in hate, but all in honour"

-Jealousy defines Othello and also the characters associated with his downfall.-presented in ambiguous light as military hero but also sexual villain, racially unvenetian and deep threat to domestic order

Othello

-"a huswife that by selling her desires / Buys herself bread and cloth"

-Shakespeare expresses the societal roles and prejudice shown towards women like Bianca, who hold a lower social role and status than others. The characterisation of Bianca to be in love with Cassio, while his disregards her, presents the naivety of women in this play, yet the disregard and blame the character receives from Emelia, the strong and supportive woman in the play, causes the audience to reflect on their prejudice not only towards people of

different races, but also between women due to disreputable statuses, a societal trope of Jacobean England, and also today.

-Bianca helps the audience decipher the play's action by creating a triptych of romantic couples, providing a better picture of the main character by serving as his foil, and by providing catharsis for the audience, cementing the interpretation of the drama as tragedy, brings humanity. Placing the Cassio/Bianca pairing at the same level as Othello/Desdemona and Iago/Emilia elevates the play from a simple domestic revenge story of marriage upset by an interloper/paramour to a rich and complex tragedy, Shakespeare simultaneously illuminates the passivity of the other female characters and highlights the irrationality of the men.

-Bianca also provides a deeper understanding into Othello's actions by serving as his foil. She is the only other character who gets jealous of her lover and her reaction to that emotion showcases the preventability of Othello's bloody deeds, "Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca make up a triad of women who all suffer from their men and from a disquietingly representative range of male attitudes" (Bradshaw), Aside from Othello, Bianca is the only other character in the play who is directly accused of jealousy, 'You are jealous now That this is from some mistress', Despite Bianca and Othello discovering their 'green-eyed monsters' through similar means (namely Cassio brandishing a handkerchief), their reactions could not be more disparate, she immediately shares this with Cassio and questions his behaviour, Grennan "[Bianca's] directness of speech contrasts with Othello's convoluted response to his own jealousy", Unlike Othello, Bianca does not view herself as an outsider despite also bearing the social brand of "other." This self-awareness protects her from outside influence. She possessed the clarity to swiftly address her feelings simply because they are her feelings, "instead of corroding within, [jealousy] is quickly vented and dissipates, leaving her affection for Cassio essentially untouched (Neely) => Bianca succeeds in being "other" without being monstrous

-The primary thing women "suffer" at the hands of men in this play is verbal abuse, with Bianca serving as the main target, Just as Desdemona and Othello began the play clouded by their elopement, Bianca enters under the shadow of this abasing title of 'whre', Bianca is called "strumpet" by another woman whereas Desdemona and Emilia are named "***" by their husbands. It is marital status, not personality that dictates both how the women of Othello react to disparagement and what follows, Bianca separates herself from the other women, the wives, by doing what they cannot: she challenges her alleged 'whredom' and survives, Both Emilia and Bianca are instructed by their male partners to copy the handkerchief. Metaphorically, both women are being told to copy Desdemona's likeness, to remake themselves for the benefit and at the direction of their men, Bianca is the only one who openly rejects it, "in placing a value on her affections and her identity that is different from her worth in men's eyes" (Gajowski)

-Unlike Othello and Desdemona, neither Cassio's masculinity nor Bianca's life are threatened by her accusations

Bianca

affects the outcome of the tragedy because it causes characters to hear and believe whatever they are told; isolation eventually causes people to believe ideas, reasoning, and even lies that anyone tells them, and their misunderstanding leads them to their own tragic fate.

-setting

-Emilia

-Desdemona

-Othello

isolation

-sense that one's skin is too black for anyone to accept, one's skin blots out one's soul, everywhere he turns he sees racism, succumbs to racist vision of those around him - referred to as Moor almost twice more than by name, perceived as instance of race rather than by name - Shakespeare demonstrates the dangers of prejudice within society through the downfall of the plays tragic hero Othello from an educated and elegant member of the military, to a physical embodiment of society's prejudice towards outsiders, which occurs due to Iago's prejudice. Othello's jealousy is also shown to be caused by an internal sense of prejudice, as he is shown to believe that he was unworthy of his wife, causing him to act out in anger.

-Iago's racist abuse shows that Venetian society accepted racial abuse and as they were inherently prejudiced against Moors.

-The tragic sequence of events is triggered by the elopement of Othello and Desdemona. The fact that they are obliged to elope makes the illicit nature of their relationship in the eyes of Venice immediately clear. But in their eyes and in Shakespeare's there's nothing illicit about their love, to which they regard themselves, and the play regards them, as fully entitled. Undeterred by the paternal wrath and widespread disapproval they are bound to incur, Othello and Desdemona act as if a black man from Africa and an upper-class white woman from Venice have every right to fall in love, marry and be left to live happily together. They act, in other words, as if they were already free citizens of a truly civilized future, instead of prisoners of a time when racial prejudice and sexual inequality are so ingrained that even their heroic hearts are tainted by them.

-Othello incurs resentment for many reasons. He is from a land that Venetians consider exotic and mysterious, he has had unique adventures, and his military accomplishments far exceed those of the men around him. The most visible indicator of his outsider status is also the one that provokes the most poisonous responses: Othello is a black man in white Venice. Whenever characters such as Iago feel jealousy, fear, or simple hatred toward Othello, they give vent to their feelings by using racist slurs. For much of the play, Othello resists, ignores, or seems indifferent to the racism that dogs him. But eventually he internalizes Iago's and others' idea that his blackness makes him barbarous. This belief, as much as his conviction of Desdemona's guilt, allows Othello to kill his wife. When he turns the race weapon against himself, he dooms both himself and Desdemona. Only when Othello buys into the absurd idea that his race inherently makes him dangerous does he begin to creep toward the possibility of doing violence to his wife. When he sees himself through society's eyes, as a barbaric interloper, Othello begins to despise himself, and it is that self-hatred that allows him to kill what he loves most

prejudice

The theme of betrayal in Othello, is used by Shakespeare, to highlight characters' insecurities and how manipulation of events and relationships can lead to betrayal, or in many scenarios perceived betrayals. Iago's character leads and creates ideas of betrayal, in Othello's relationship with Desdemona and others,

such as Cassio, yet ultimately it is a betrayal, by his wife, in the name of female friendship and unity which leads to Iago's downfall. Shakespeare draws on the betrayal of trust or vows within the play to demonstrate how essential trust and loyalty is in everyday life, relevant both in the Jacobean eras and today, causing the audience to see the ease in which you can betray someone or be betrayed by someone you trust (Iago, the chief betrayer is referred to as 'honest Iago' throughout the play). supposed betrayal destroys, for him (Othello), the very meaning of existence, Betrayal is often depicted through struggle

-Betrayal is presented through the character of Desdemona, Her defiance against Brabantio and her public appraisal of Othello, sees her choose between husband and father. She does "perceive here a divided duty". For Elizabethan women, her response becomes ambiguous - she acknowledges through her privileged youth that she remains "bound for life" for all she has learned, it is this tie which prevents her removal from the boundaries of her father's protection as his daughter, "life and education" that allowed her to abuse her inferior status and elevate her response to the audience. Professor Allardyce Nicoll proposes she is "introduced to us as practising deceit" yet the discomfort she feels from such public humiliation towards her father is striking, and thus, the audience discovers her true motive for this betrayal: her "heart's subdued" and she has internalised this feeling of ownership so that her love has 'divided her duty'.

-The end of Othello and Desdemona's relationship (the murder)

Essentially, her affiliation lies with Othello and this is reiterated consistently throughout the play, even at her final utterance.

"Commend me to my kind lord: O, farewell" and a "guiltless death" she dies, are both enhanced by the proud lexical field: she remains devout to her husband beyond her life. Muir argues "the lie demonstrates her love and loyalty more effectively than the truth could have done" and her call for justice is perhaps further indicative of the lack of resonance her previous pleas for Cassio's "present reconciliation" held. Having already been the perpetrator of betrayal against her father, to repeat the same defiance is perhaps too far for Desdemona and therefore, rather than convince him against an infidelity, her silence betrays her candour and fabricates a disgraceful death.

-Betrayal is presented through Iago. AC Bradley - Iago's 'artistry'; ultimate puppeteer of the performance. His attempts to garner attention and present his revelations- "Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves, thieves, thieves" - are merely irrelevant where Othello is "hotly called for" and required for more important political agitations. The evolution of Iago, how far his failures agitate him: this desire for betrayal causes him to become more closely intertwined with the 'Moor' and with this "triumphant exertion of abilities...his delight would be consummated" (Bradley). Iago's progression from an immature awaking to a position of far more superiority, sees him commanding Othello, "Do not rise yet". His controlled and sustained articulation has grown away from his previous lack of coherence, and complementing this astute awareness, is Othello's total approval. Remarking "I am your own forever", Iago sees all obstacles removed from his vision and his betrayal truly infiltrates their society.

-Shakespeare's acknowledgment of Iago's influence is crucial to the plot. Elizabethan audience aligned from the onset with Iago's intentions and motives to "follow him to serve my turn upon him", it would seem appropriate for a black, supposed inferior character to be the victim of such complex white supremacy action - explosion of deception is perhaps the most vital element of Othello's betrayal of his love for Desdemona. False accusations inspire him to believe despondently that he is "bound to thee forever" and the apparent resentment of his burdensome "curse of marriage" ignites a consequential downfall of their vows. Skewed vision of their future and apparent entrapment in the relationship inevitably persuades Othello's personal judgement to waver, and thus, it would be expected for a fellow like himself to regard Iago's information as sound in comparison to the meek voice of Desdemona, his wife. Dostoevsky argues "Othello was incapable of making up his mind to faithlessness" - perhaps more evident that his resentment could well have been rendered if Iago had not been so manipulative. "What noise is this?- Not dead? Not yet quite dead?" - repetition of such doubt displays a contorted performance of Iago's direction, and his internal battle to make such a decisive betrayal against his wife's defense is exemplary of his synthesis with Iago.

betrayal

Shakespeare's Othello ultimately arrives at its tragic climax due to the fundamental loss of control by its central, eponymous protagonist, The Moor of Venice. As the trajectory of the play descends towards tragedy, Othello loses control over his military position, his temper, his reputation, his sanity and, as a catalyst to it all, his wife. Male authority over Desdemona - and, crucially, the lack thereof - is perpetuated throughout the play by the innate patriarchal values of the Venetian (and Elizabethan) society in which it operates. Both Brabantio and Othello, as father and husband to Desdemona, respectively, suffer profoundly due to their loss of authority over the "gentle mistress" whom they otherwise assume, and assert, possessive control over. In the words of Elizabeth Finn, England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was a highly patriarchal society with a structured

hierarchy, "both in the greater society, with limited mobility between the classes, as well as within family units" and this is something which, taken as an expected social norm, destroys

the men of the play utterly when disrupted. This essay will focus on the paternal authority over Desdemona in Act One of Othello, in which Desdemona most ostensibly attempts to assert her own authority in front of her male counterparts and yet, instead, subconsciously presents her complicit endorsement of a patriarchal world - or, at least, her inability to ever separate herself from it. Instead of breaking free from her authoritarian father who accuses Othello of property theft, Desdemona's elopement merely shifts her "divided duty" from one man to another.

-Didactic literature of the period emphasised the image of the ideal woman as one who was "weak, submissive, charitable, virtuous and modest" according to Mary Beth Rose

-As posited by Frey, tragic results in Shakespeare's dramas are generated by "the system of near- absolute male authority [and] the inability of an authoritarian, aggressive male to enter reciprocal fruitful relations with women"

relationship between authority and individual

-the Turk represented all that was barbaric and demonic, in contrast to the Christian's civil and moral rightness

-Cyprus was logical target for any power that wished to engage in trade between east and west

-1600 Moroccan envoy and E discuss trade relations, english relations were mixed with some mariners refusing to transport 'infidels' and some fascinated by exotic qualities, english ambivalence multifaceted with private and public as some were disgusted by foreigners but also wanted ally against popish Spain

-venice also alien, epitome of ordered and prosperous republic, ideally combined freedom and order, mirror of what england aspired to be under james, virginity, locus of rational deliberation

-roderigo is epitome of venice's 'curled darlings

-in contrast to othello, venice seems sure of its own identity'

-cyprus is uttermost edge of western civilisation, simultaneously vulnerable to attack from without and subversion from within, mirrors othello's psychic situation, like cyprus he can be colonised by venice but can never be wholly venetian, v lost c to turks 1572, cyprus must belong to venice or turks therefore othello must be venetian or a turk

-when the larger threat disappears, the threat from within surfaces

-O=D don't just threaten family but all social order

-by destroying o, i leaves republic vulnerable to external, military enemies, drastically undercuts lodovico's final ordering of affairs which seeks to reimpose myth of venetian governance, if venice is so easily destroyed wouldnt england be under unknown new scottish king? - catgorised people according to skin colour, analogised nonwhites to animals, judged nonwhites inferior to whites, shakespeare recognised when people were not treated as humans, focussed on devastating effects of racism, defies stereotypes as he is more reasonable than venetians (roderigo overpowered by lust) and less passionate, cassio is deceived into inebriation, brabantio runs havoc, iago craved with jealousy, 'put up thy sword' very similar to gethsemane, initially as far from stereotype of passionate moor as he could be

context

As she prepares for bed in Act V, Desdemona sings a song about a woman who is betrayed by her lover. She was taught the song by her mother's maid, Barbary, who suffered a misfortune similar to that of the woman in the song; she even died singing "Willow." The song's lyrics suggest that both men and women are unfaithful to one another. To Desdemona, the song seems to represent a melancholy and resigned acceptance of her alienation from Othello's affections, and singing it leads her to question Emilia about the nature and practice of infidelity.

willow trees are often associated with the death of women

"Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve." Desdemona, though innocent, tries to accept the blame for her own death. In addition, the topic of infidelity provides Desdemona a chance to express her belief that nothing, even Othello's betrayal, could make her unfaithful to Othello.

the song 'willow'

The candle Othello blows out just before he murders Desdemona symbolizes him extinguishing her life.

candle

Beginning in Act 1, Scene 1, Iago introduces the animalistic imagery. According to Iago, there is something bestial and animalistic about Othello ("The old black ram"); he's base and beastly, somehow beneath everyone else in Venice because of his North African heritage. The animal imagery permeates the play, often referring to Othello's "otherness."

animals

"the green-eyed monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on." Green symbolizes the jealousy that will ultimately undo Othello's marriage, sanity, and life. Iago also uses plant images to explain his own role in the action of the play. He sees the will of a person as the gardener of the body: "Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners."

Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme . . . the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills (A1,S3)ii) Though other things grow fair against the sun, / Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe (A2,S3)iii) And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand, / Cry 'O sweet creature!', then kiss me hard, / As if he plucked kisses up by the roots, / That grew upon my lips (A3,S3).Characters in this play seem to be the product of certain inevitable, natural forces, which, if left unchecked, will grow wild. Iago understands these natural forces particularly well: he is, according to his own metaphor, a good "gardener," both of himself and of others.Many of Iago's botanical references concern poison:i) I'll pour this pestilence into his ear (A2,S3)ii) The Moor already changes with my poison. / Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons (A3,S3).Iago cultivates his notions so that they become lethal poisons and then plants their seeds in the minds of others. The organic way in which Iago's plots consume the other characters and determine their behaviour makes his conniving, human evil seem like a force of nature. That organic growth also indicates that the minds of the other characters are fertile ground for Iago's efforts.

the colour green

-convey a sense that the laws of nature, rather than those of society, are the primary forces governing the characters in this play. When animal references are used with regard to Othello, as they frequently are, they reflect the racism both of characters in the play and of Shakespeare's audience.

-"Barbary horse" is a vulgarity particularly appropriate in the mouth of Iago, but even without having seen Othello, the Jacobean audience would have known from Iago's metaphor that he meant to connote a savage Moor.

-'Plague him [Brabantio] with flies', With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio'

-Othello is infected by this imagery and begins to speak in the same terms. But the animal imagery in Othello's speeches reveals the hero's misery, rather than sneering triumph.I had rather be a toad, 'Or keep it as a cistern for foul toadsTo knot and gender in!', 'Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys,As salt as wolves in pride', horribly ironic that Desdemona, who, we are informed could 'sing the savageness out of a bear' (IV.1.186) cannot convince her husband that his suspicions are false.

-Iago tells Othello to beware of jealousy, the green-eyed monster which doth mock/ The meat it feeds on (A3,S3).Likewise, Emilia describes jealousy as a monster / Begot upon itself, born on itself (A3,S4).Imagery of hell and damnation also recurs throughout Othello, especially toward the end of the play, when Othello becomes preoccupied with the religious and moral judgment of Desdemona and himself. After he has learned the truth about Iago, Othello calls Iago a devil and a demon several times in A5,S2.Likewise, his vision of Desdemona's betrayal is monstrous, monstrous! (A3,S3).Shortly before he kills himself, Othello wishes for eternal spiritual and physical torture in hell, crying out, Whip me, ye devils, / . . . roast me in sulphur, / Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! (A5,S2).The imagery of the monstrous and diabolical takes over where the imagery of animals can go no further, presenting the jealousy-crazed characters not simply as brutish, but as grotesque, deformed, and demonic.

-Characters in the play speak of the devil as a liar and a hypocrite, as one who both tempts people to sin and punishes their sins. Cassio thinks that the devil is in drink, Othello comes to think that the devil is in Desdemona, and Iago thinks that Othello is the devil simply because he's black.

animal

'Witchcraft' is referred to first in Act 1, when Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. Later in the play, Othello himself uses similar language to describe the effect Desdemona has on him. In Act 3 Scene 3, when Othello talks about the handkerchief he gave to Desdemona, he says a 'charmer' gave it to his mother and 'she told her, while she kept it / 'Twould make her amiable and subdue my father'.

magical

The ideas of sin and forgiveness are really important in Othello and this language is tied into images of light and dark, and white and black. Desdemona, for example, is described as 'fair' and 'heavenly' with Emilia telling Othello 'O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil!', when he admits to killing his wife.

religious

Brabantio uses the metaphor of a 'jewel' to describe the two roles Desdemona plays in his life, as beloved daughter and as possession. Another example is Othello's characterization of himself as a falconer to Desdemona's falcon; he wishes to let her fly freely, but she is tethered to his heart. If I do prove her haggard,Though that her jesses were my dear heartstrings,I'd whistle her off and let her down the windTo prey at fortune.

metaphor