Othello Death by Difference - 1935 Words

For a long time we have been obsessed with one most tangible feature of Shakespeares Othello: the heros color. This we have done with good reason, for Othellos skin color is explicitly mentioned in the text from the very beginning. The fact that this tragic hero is black (when Shakespeares other heroes are white) is so intriguing that we seek to make sense of it. Writing in 1811, Charles Lamb insists that Othello is essentially unstageable, for there is â€Å"something extremely revolting in the courtship and wedded caresses of Othello and Desdemona† (221), earlier describing Othello as â€Å"a coal-black Moor† (221), his italics showing his disgust at the thought. Samuel Taylor Coleridge only a few years later asked if Shakespeare could be â€Å"so†¦show more content†¦She herself never directly refutes her fathers claim that she is under the influence of witchcraft; however, she does quite eloquently defend her new allegiance to Othello in 1.3. Brabantio loc ked her into a stereotype of passivity which she broke. Iago similarly tries to lock her into a stereotype of adultery in 3.3, as he carefully plants the seeds of doubt in Othellos mind. â€Å"Look to your wife† (3.3.199), he tells Othello, claiming that â€Å"In Venice they do let God see the pranks / They dare not show their husbands† (3.3.205). Arguably, Desdemona is innocent of any adultery. If so, she is breaks Iagos stereotype of the Venetian wife. This â€Å"typical† Venetian wife, Iago implies, would unquestionably and unashamedly sleep with Cassio. Since Desdemona breaks these stereotypes, she is different just as Othello is, but in a less visible way. Cassio, too, is different—something we may not always notice. â€Å"A Florentine† (1.1.17) and not a Venetian, Cassio is, like Othello, a foreigner. Like Othello, he gets hurt. Of course, he is a foreigner to a much smaller degree than Othello, and likewise his hurt is much smaller than Othellos. Also, like Desdemona, he breaks a gender stereotype: he cannot hold his liquor very well. We wouldShow MoreRelatedOthello Character Analysis905 Words   |  4 Pages1. Throughout the drama, â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello†, Iago successfully manipulates Cassio various times. In the writing, Shakespeare creates Iago’s plan to demote Cassio from being Othello’s lieutenant, the role Iago dreamt of, by tricking Cassio to get drunk so that he will raise chaos and result in Cassio being demoted. This worked out for Iago when Cassio accepts Iago’s encouraging words and began to drink heavily, this would result in Cassio ultimately fighting and stabbing Monta no in a drunkenRead More The Theme Of Death In Othello and A Dolls House Essay example1070 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The theme of death is present in many works of literature. It is given metaphors and cloaked with different meanings, yet it always represents an end. Every end signifies a new beginning, and every death gives rise to a new birth. Physical death â€Å"...is mere transformation, not destruction,† writes Ding Ming-Dao. â€Å"What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. What dies is only our human meaning† (49). Figuratively speaking, death symbolizes aRead MoreOthello Tragic Flaw1643 Words   |  7 PagesOthello’s Own Faults In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a highly acclaimed general and because of his many achievements he has transcended stereotypes projected upon Moors in Venetian society. Desdemona and the nature of her affair, although it is false, is considered to be the root cause of Othello’s downfall and violent demise. Othello feels anxious about the racist nature engrained in Venetian society and eventually projects this manner upon his identity. The differences gave to his rise of paranoiaRead MoreComparison of Othello and Oedipus the King Essay525 Words   |  3 Pages *INTRO*The character Oedipus in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and the character Othello in the play Othello the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare are both tragic characters. Oedipus ends up killing his father, and marrying and having children with his mother, whereas Othello ends up mistrusting and killing his wife. These two individuals have similarities and differences in several aspects such as the roundness of their characters, the retribution that they incur upon themselves and uponRead More Is Falling Failure or Freedom? Essay1279 Words   |  6 Pagesauthority over you. The falls in book nine of â€Å"Paradise Lost† and â€Å"Othello† both have parallels in the reasons and methods in which revenge was carried out and perfection was destroyed. But these stories end with different victors and very different balances of power. The fall of â€Å"Paradise Lost† does have motives and patterns common with the fall of â€Å"Othello.† Each story establishes the authority of a Supreme Being, God the creator and Othello respectively. God the creator made everything that exists, andRead MoreComparing and Contrasting Sophocles Antigone and Shakespeares Othello964 Words   |  4 Pagestragedies of Antigone and Othello were written with great depth and are structured in such a way that both characters are victims, in spite of their crimes. Antigone and Othello are tragedy plays created by using many techniques to create the feelings of fear and pity. There are differences and similarities in characters, action, and themes between Antigone and Othello. First, the major characters in both of the plays are suffering through great pain and end up with death. The drama Antigone whichRead MoreThe Theme of Death in Othello and a Doll House1095 Words   |  5 PagesThe theme of death is present in many works of literature. It is given metaphors and cloaked with different meanings, yet it always represents an end. Every end signifies a new beginning, and every death gives rise to a new birth. Physical death ...is mere transformation, not destruction, writes Ding Ming-Dao. What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. What dies is only our human meaning (49). Figuratively speaking, death symbolizes aRead MoreLoves Destruction: Oedipus the King Essay1149 Words   |  5 Pagesultimately destroys him and results in her death. Sophocles helped shape the heroic ideal that is later embodied in medieval romance, which Shakespeare traditionally uses in Othello (Zerba). William Shakespeare wrote Othello in about 1604 (The Theater of Shakespeare). In the play, Othello, Emilia is a companion to the main character, Othello’s wife Desdemona. Emilia’s love for her husband, Iago, ultimately destroys Othello and results in her own death. Othello is a dramatic play in which ends in ironicRead MoreMedea and Othello1559 Words   |  7 PagesTwo tragedies from two different time period, Medea and Othello show similarities and differences in their characters, story plots and settings. Euripedes’ Medea written in the classical period and Shakespeare’s Othello written in the romantic era, the two tragedies shows different feel of what tragedies are. First of all, the most obvious difference between these two play is how Medea shows unities (time, place and action) whilst Othello has none. It’s clearly shown in the first scene, as soonRead MorePractice HSC essay1060 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ and the contemporary appropriation of a film ‘O’ by Tim Blake Nelson are based on the societal values and morals of their time. Issues such as racism, the use of language and deception are timeless making them evident throughout both contexts, hence the engagements in both textual forms. Differing contexts convey concerns in different ways through the use of diverse techniques. For example ‘Othello’ is a play which uses props, stage positioning and lighting compared