... becomes vulnerable to manipulation and corruption, which then ultimately leads to his downfall. Firstly, one of the logical fallacies that led to Othello's downfall is the error of unwarranted assumptions. Ruggiero defines the fallacy of unwarranted assumptions as, "ideas that are merely taken ... for granted too much rather than produced by conscious thought," (99). In Othello's case, he makes an unwarranted assumption when he presses and trusts Iago for answers about what he thinks about Cassio, his lieutenant, and ... implores him to explain why he thinks she is unfaithful: OTHELLO. H...

• Word Count: 1372
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... Iago's plan becomes so broad that he involves too many people for the result to be favorable to him. His aggression against Othello starts when Othello names Michael Cassio his lieutenant rather than Iago. This motive would have been valid if he had not involved Desdemona and Emilia. He ... considered a dramatic villain. Given uses examples such as Iago and Cassio's conversation concern! ing Bianca being interpreted to be Desdemona by Othello. Also, if Othello and Cassio had talked one time, Iago's entire plan would have been foiled. Given also uses Roderigo's lack of self-confidence as ...

• Word Count: 1715
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... leaves his present life, absent of Desdemona, in the hope to rejoin her in the afterlife. The noted Shakespearean critic, Phyllis Rackin, concludes quite appropriately, Othello saw a simplified universe defined by grand ideals, with himself as the noble protagonist of heroic adventures. Iago saw an equally partial vision of a chaotic universe ... But in the end, Othello is able to see his own guilt and still retains his faith in external order - a double vision that Iago never achieves (Rackin 84). WORKS CITED Bloom, Harold. "William Shakespeare's Othello,"" Blooms Notes. Broomall, PA.: C...

• Word Count: 1660
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... is ironic in a story of deceit and jealousy the apparent preoccupation with courtesy that is displayed by Iago. Hunt claims the "soft- Venetian Renaissance values that sadistic impulse overwhelms in Othello are a more generalized effeteness, a super-refinement entailing pusillanimity (162). Iago is cynical and obsessed with his own personal gain. His manipulative and spiteful behavior leads to the thirst for revenge ... demonstrates the prejudices that existed over four hundred years ago. Controversy of the teaching of Othello in schools has escalated during the past decade. Many teache...

• Word Count: 1786
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• Has Bibliography

... the end (http://web.signet.com.sg/~yisheng/notes/shakespeare/othello_b.htm). By depriving himself of that initial venting process, Othello gives his jealousy the perfect culture on which his jealousy can turn cancerous and grow out of control. Othello does not spit out the seed that Iago has ... airy trifles into "confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ- [III.iii.323-324] (Scott, 418) Without understanding the inner mechanics of Othello's mind, one could never hope to fully understand the level of stress that he underwent (Rosenburg, 413). The essential connection between this speec...

• Word Count: 2187
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... as a sexual object. This language seems to correlate with the exploitation of his mind, done by Iago. As the play unfolds, Iago frequently describes Othello and his relationship with Desdemona through the use of animal imagery. When speaking with Brabantio, Iago says: " an old black ram | Is tupping ... and gender in! "(4.2.61-2). In these lines, he compares her to a woman who allows any man to copulate with her. The character of Othello experiences perhaps, the most dramatic change, and Shakespeare's done well to reflect this in the character's language. The hero in a play can never make...

• Word Count: 2433
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... out in Venice, Italy, which features the first two character, Largo, and Rodrigo. Lago and Rodrigo are having a conversation Lago expresses his anger at Othello who is the general of the Venetian army and had just chosen a man named Cassio to be his lieutenant instead of himself Lago and Rodrigo decide to ... room he sees Bianca a friend of Desdemona's and asks her to take the handkerchief and copy the embroidery for him. Lago's plan to make Othello jealous and Othello is so consumed with jealousy and rage that he has a fit of epilepsy and as he lays on the ground, Cassio comes by and .....

• Word Count: 1807
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... again the destructive influence jealousy has on the human mind. Jealousy and its destructive influence in making irrational decisions is also shown by Othello. Iago tells Othello that he suspects Desdemona of infidelity, pointing out that Desdemona and Cassio are too close with one another and that it is ... one to make irrational decisions. ultimately depicting the level of corruption caused by the most destructive emotion. Another idea brought forward by Shakespeare in Othello is that jealousy eats away at the mind limiting functionality. This is exemplified by Iago, who is extremely o...

• Word Count: 1497
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... whiter than "snow" and smooth like "alabaster," which in the footnotes is defined as "stone used in tombs," Othello is showing some initial reluctance to hurt someone he has seen as being so pure and almost angelic, like a fresh snowfall or even peaceful and spiritual ... Though cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat That thy light can relume" (5.2.10-13). In this instance, Othello is saying that once Desdemona has been killed, there will be no way to bring her back because her life can't "relume," or be ... I have plucked thy rose I cannot give i...

• Word Count: 1803
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... firstly the handkerchief and more importantly solid first hand evidence of Desdemona's affair with Cassio. Immediately after the conversation between Desdemona and Emilia, Othello enters and starts to calmly interrogate Desdemona on the location of the handkerchief. After finding Desdemona has lost it as Iago claimed he storms ... ever more angry at his boastful comment of marriage and Bianca's obsession with him. After discovering solid, undeniable prove of Cassio's affair with his wife Othello is finally seen as a broken man, no longer a general of morals but a ruthless cuckolded man,...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... only add to the mood and tone of the play. Without doubt, Shakespeare uses imagery intelligently and with great effect in his play Othello, illustrating the personalities of characters and their opinions of the other characters around them. Imagery of animals is used frequently throughout the play, ... the dangerous elements of life choose not to harm Desdemona and that her ˜divine' qualities tame nature's destructive qualities. The triumphs of Othello and Desdemona over high seas and roaring winds are also emphasised. The storm is also symbolic of violence and chaos, foreshadowing the ...

• Word Count: 1852
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... his murder of Desdemona. It ranges from line 8 to 14. Shakespeare again uses the same structure in presenting his rhetorical question as in part one. Othello states the question and then gives a short but meaningful answer to it as seen in line eleven where he says "Do you go back dismayed? 'tis ... his journey's end and by that punishing himself. Both part one and two are representations of the tragic hero. He talks about everything honourable that Othello has done in the first part, presenting him as a hero then following this, speaks of his wrong-doings and by that adding the tragic a...

• Word Count: 1509
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... examination will proceed in chronological order starting with an opening scene, moving to the dead middle of the action, and finally the scene where Desdemona is murdered. Othello starts the play on top of the world. He is the man that everyone wants to be: married to a beautiful woman, the head of the Venetian ... go wrong, and alone with his thoughts after his decision making. After reading Act I, the audience is left with a sense of innocence and goodness in Othello's character, however, it doesn't take an investigator to realize that the unstableness and malleability of his soul wi...

• Word Count: 1345
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... twelve years. These performances took place at many places, often at the Globe Theater, or elsewhere before royalty. The first recorded production of Othello was in 1604, at the Banquetting House in Whitehall before King James I (Barnet, 217). There are also references to the play being performed ... stark contrast to modern Shakespearean productions, many of which must make the play understandable to someone who has no idea what it is about. Salvini's Othello is described as very "African", again portraying the violent, aggressive side of the lead character. His was described as an "ani...

• Word Count: 1708
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... is no chance in breaking up the marriage, but Iago assures him that "blood is made dull with the act of sport," she will lose interest in Othello and seek sexual satisfaction elsewhere. (II.i.222) Iago leads him to believe Des will cheat with Cassio, to deter this Iago tells Roderigo he must start ... Emilia secretly picks up and gives to Iago to start a plan of devastation. Iago then plants the handkerchief in Cassio's room as evidence of the affair. Othello demands "ocular proof that Des is cheating." (III.iii.365) Iago mentions that he has seen Cassio "wipe his beard" (III.iii.444) wit...

• Word Count: 1520
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... heroism to combat the evil of Iago. It is for about only one act that this play is without a truly honorable hero. It is because Othello looses his trust for Desdemona that his heart is turned to madness. However it is because Emilia keeps her trust in Desdemona that allows her to be heroic ... breath she says that she killed herself. Emilia is again quick to trust her friend, "She said so: I must needs report the truth" (5.2.156). After some confusion Othello finally reveals that it was he that had killed his own wife and Iago who told him about Desdemona's deception. It is at this poin...

• Word Count: 1287
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... there is a dichotomy between the person Iago presents himself as and who he actually is. Iago has a lot to do with the transformation of the character Othello throughout the play. Iago even says in the beginning: "The Moor is of a free and open nature, that thinks men honest that but seem to be ... the fair devil.   Now are the my lieutenant" (III, iii, 475-479). Here we see the anger and violent rage that is beginning to grow in Othello's character. He is not the passive Moor that he used to be. He becomes transformed into a cruel and tense man because of the lies Iago plants in him ....

• Word Count: 1504
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... , such as word usage and imagery may be associated. Cocco 3 Niccolo Machiavelli as well as William Shakespeare incorporate the literary device of imagery through their works The Prince and Othello. Bibliography Term Papers, Essays, Book Reports DataBase Custom Term Papers Free Term Papers Free Research Papers Free Essays Free Book Reports Links Search for Essays at 1MillionPapers.com Spring Break ... Machiavelli's idea of "...[how to] adopt what is bad..." to an extreme level by altering his entire personality. An example of this particular analysis occurs in act 3 scene 4 of Othello, whe...

• Word Count: 1458
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• Has Bibliography

... Iago's plan. In this scene the reader learns that Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, because he threatens to drown himself when he learns that Othello and Desdemona are engaged. Uses Roderigo's weakness to help him remove Cassio from his lieutenant position. Iago tells Roderigo to "put money in thy purse" ... is directly in love with [Cassio]" (215). From there previous discussion, Roderigo believes that he will be with Desdemona when she is no longer with Othello. Here, Roderigo learns that he has competition, and this information is given to Roderigo only because Iago hopes that Roder...

• Word Count: 2354
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... wealthy woman. Obviously, Shakespeare uses black man for the role of important character. Besides, Shakespeare creates a romantic relationship between black and white (Othello & Desdemona) but most people think that their relationship is wrong. At the time the play was written, 1604, even the Queen of ... England was associated with evil and wickedness. Therefore, in theatres blacks were usually portrayed as stereotyped wicked guys. But it is different in "Othello". Othello as a character portrayed in a different way. He is in higher position which is not common in those times. He is a c...

• Word Count: 1299
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... there is a dichotomy between the person Iago presents himself as and who he actually is. Iago has a lot to do with the transformation of the character Othello throughout the play. Iago even says in the beginning: "The Moor is of a free and open nature, that thinks men honest that but seem to be ... the fair devil.   Now are the my lieutenant" (III, iii, 475-479). Here we see the anger and violent rage that is beginning to grow in Othello's character. He is not the passive Moor that he used to be. He becomes transformed into a cruel and tense man because of the lies Iago plants in him ....

• Word Count: 1506
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... very noble, civilised and dignified. He handles the situation in a calm manner. In Scene 1, it is worth noticing that throughout, a distinctly unflattering portrait of Othello emerges. In this scene he is only referred to as the "moor" thus stressing his racial difference. This is a point that is underlined further when Roderigo ... daughter cover"d with a Barbary horse; you"ll have your nephews neigh to you; you"ll have coursers for cousins, and gennets for germains" Othello has stolen his daughter away by force of charms and magic to seduce and violate her and give him beasts of the d...

• Word Count: 1432
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... adventures, and loved him for that. He, on the other hand, was glad that a woman truly appreciated all that he had done for his country. Othello states in Scene III of the First Act, lines 166-167, "She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did ... As long as she has the handkerchief, their marriage will remain intact. Of course, it is silly to believe a handkerchief can keep a marriage together, but Othello takes this to heart, and immediately questions Desdemona regarding its whereabouts. When she does not instantly produce the handkerchief as "proof- of her fa...

• Word Count: 1558
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... to have deep suspicions and fears about each other. This jealousy over a period of time starts major rivalry between characters. The jealousy in Othello is revealed in several ways with the most major being sexual jealousy. However, position, cruel and angry jealousies also occur and help add to ... I heard him say, "Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves"." (Act 3, scene 3, 420-21). In telling him these lies, Othello grows more and more aggressive in his relationship with Desdemona, "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul. But I do love thee! And when I love thee not...

• Word Count: 1955
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... chose me". Here he is telling Iago that Desdemona could of chosen any man to fall in love with but she decided to choose him. Othello's attitude towards jealousy changes dramatically when Iago convinces him to believe that his wife is cheating on him. This tells the audience no matter what ... for Desdemona and even if something was to come along and damage their love, the chaos would never come again. Frustration would also be involved here. Othello sees Iago as a trusting person. We see this in his words". "I know thou art full of love and honesty". Here he is saying that ... her to ...

• Word Count: 1309
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School