... support the view of self-determinism while also showing the inconstancy of Iago's character - he only supports this view when it suits him to do so, and retracts it when Cassio is promoted above him, instead clinging to the "old gradation, where each second Stood heir to their first-. This is yet another example of his duplicity, and an indication that it permeates all aspects of his personality. ... Although his denial of love as anything ... dramatic exaggeration and hellish imagery would suggest, presenting an image of a person we could all become if we allowed ourselves to be conque...

• Word Count: 2807
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Graduate

... initial consideration of her character, we can assume that she herself did not want to die at the hands of her beloved husband. She was loving and devoted to Othello and envisioned a long marriage of prosperity and dedication that would lead to her ultimate happiness. She had achieved what is supposedly the epitome of a woman's role – she had found a husband who she could love with all her being ... the key. Similarly, Emilia is essential to the events of the play. Her role is important because she provides a female character that contrasts sharply with the character of Desdemona. The...

• Word Count: 4504
• Approx Pages: 18

... his sail with thine own powerful breath,/ That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,/ Make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,/ Give renew'd fire to our extincted spirits,/ And bring all Cyprus comfort." (II.i.90-95). This comment on Cassio's part shows how important he thinks Othello is. He implies that Othello will make life better for everyone ... deeply between these two old friends.  Cassio also holds reputation and honor in high esteem.  However, in his case, it is not a flaw because he holds honesty above all. He will not sacrifice his integrity to maintain a good ...

• Word Count: 2512
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... ; shows a dramatic and intense shame. "What remains is bestial" refers to the chain of being. This was the Elizabethan belief in the ranking of all forms of life. Cassio believed that losing his honour was equal to losing his humanity and falling to the rank of an animal. This belief in the chain of being is also shown in his attitude towards women. He greets Desdemona, a virgin ... be what allows her to stand up to Iago and remain loyal to Desdemona. Emilia puts her loyalty to her mistress and knowledge of her innocence before her duty to her husband. She subscribes to the male Elizabet...

• Word Count: 4511
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: High School

Othello is a fundamentally different character to all others in the play [1]. He is an outsider to Venice and therefore an outsider to the customs and society of Venice. In one way this is good for him. He is a renowned strong general who is much in demand from the Venetians. Rather than fight the war against the Turks for themselves, they hire Othello to do so, indicating that he ... its inhabitants (or at least Brabantios generation) believe it to be themselves.[ LINK TO 3] They live by a code of behavior and upbringing which views someone like Othello as barbarous, uncivilized, and almost ...

• Word Count: 3763
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

... affairs with his wife Emilia. Act II, Scene 2 There is a public announcement that the Turkish fleet has been destroyed, and the danger of attack is past. The occasion is to be celebrated. In addition, the festivities will be a celebration of Othello's marriage to Desdemona. According to his orders, all people are to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves at Othello's expense. Notes This brief scene invites the citizens ... him. The tragic hero is now thoroughly brainwashed about Desdemona and still trusting and praising of Iago. He is truly a pathetic character, especially when compared to th...

• Word Count: 6585
• Approx Pages: 26
• Grade Level: High School

... thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again-. This emphasises Desdemona's importance to Othello; she is the centre of his life. It also shows Desdemona is a pivotal character, all the other characters revolve around her and it gives the audience a foresight to future events. Desdemona appears very persistent and intense; she will not leave Othello alone until he has ... work out. This may lead to her seeming insensitive to Othello's feelings and persisting to talk about Cassio. She is young and playful and bound to be less mature then Othello, after all she is only sixteen. Desd...

• Word Count: 2631
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... and indirectly in both), either injure and outcast or kill themselves, and leave themselves with nothing, all because their tragic flaws came out in unfavorable circumstances, and they didn't make the right decision. The tragic flaws in each character come out many times in the course of the play. Sophocles sets up Oedipus' tragic flaw as pride. The prologue that the audience already ... rages and He disbelieves his wife's pleadings that she never had an extramarital affair, so he smothers her. The irrational acts and violent behavior encouraged the tragic flaws to emerge, and therefore...

• Word Count: 3079
• Approx Pages: 12

... old black ram" (I.i.88), and "a Barbary horse" (I.i.113). These all occur in Act I, setting a mood and tone for the remainder of the play. This shows that Othello not only has despicable adversaries, but also adversarial situations to overcome (Douthat n. pag.). At the other end of the spectrum are character's who respect Othello. This is required of the tragic hero in that if he is not respected ... play -- the tragic flaw. Without a tragic flaw, there would be no tragic hero or tragedies in general. It is the very essence of what drama is composed of. Of course, Othello's final and fo...

• Word Count: 2635
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... 's), most masterfully captivating, enigmatic and universally aware character. He is a man of radical contradictions and constant unpredictability. Hamlet repeatedly displays his propensities for being reckless yet cautious, courteous yet barbaric, angry yet manic, loving and tender yet ferocious and cold-hearted. On top of all that he somehow also manages to be sometimes driven, energetic and highly motivated, and at other times ... Othello from his love and eventually destroy him and all those around him. Like Hamlet, albeit to a much lesser degree, Othello exists as a very contradictor...

• Word Count: 3419
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... both acknowledge his military abilities and leadership. Even the evil Iago praises Othello's military genius. Since Othello has passed all his life in the fields of war, he has the innocence and simplicity of a child when it comes to social graces and worldly knowledge. In matters of life, he is simple, frank, and honest. He has no experience with the wickedness that exists in human ... husband till the end. Even after he smothers her and she is dying, Desdemona tries to protect Othello's good name, telling Emilia that she has killed herself. Cassio Cassio is a figure of great importanc...

• Word Count: 4125
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: High School

... 's). The soldier on guard duty obviously still had social and racial prejudices against Othello the character, indicated by his assertion that a "Negro- must not be allowed to murder a white woman, so atrocious he thought the act to be that he shot the actor. Negroes, in the social context of that soldier (1822), were not regarded highly in the class hierarchy, many being slaves in ... Othello, or "deceive- him as Brabantio forewarned, yet both he and Desdemona dies as a result of his trusting the "honest Iago-. In Othello, females are all figured in terms of their respective male patria...

• Word Count: 3595
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School