Kiersten Mead

Othello Essay Othello is a tragedy that is filled with various elements that convey numerous messages. The entire story teaches a lesson about jealousy and manipulation. The plays author, William Shakespeare, created complex characters that still stand out in literature today. These characters are deeply flawed and are the cause of their own down fall and death. The setting that he picked perfectly represented the themes of the play and set the tone for what was to come in the storyline. Othello is still popular in modern day literature because it is a true work of art. Shakespeare had a gift for creating characters that were not only very complex, but also very symbolic and memorable. The star of the play, Othello is a character that is very much divided. Initially, he is conveyed as an outsider that is a strong, confident leader. He believes that his wife loves him, and he is just out to do his job and be the best military leader he can be. We learn later however, that Othello is easily manipulated and completely insecure. When he arrives at the island of Cyprus, Othello changes for the worst. He now unknowingly allows Iago to control the way he sees things. This tells readers that his jealousy blinds him to what is really going on. It is apparent that he is no longer the same person. The only thing that does remain the same is his pride. From the very beginning, Othello is a character that is very confident and proud. While the confidence fades, the pride does not. Even after killing his innocent wife, Othello is mainly worried about the way that others see him. He tells the men that are present When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, /Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate, /Nor set down aught in malice. (Shakespeare V.ii.337-339). Hes more concerned about the way that he will be seen by others that werent there to watch it all happen. Of course, all of this wouldnt have happened without the antagonist of the tragedy, Iago. Iago possesses the power to manipulate those who trust him the most. Hes a very intelligent character that allows his

Kiersten Mead

jealousy to motivate him. Othello only refers to him as Honest Iago because Iago has the power to hide his true motives from all of the other characters. Othello tells Cassio Iago is most honest. (Shakespeare II.iii.7) and repeats himself countless times throughout the course of the story. When planning this entire scheme, Iago takes this into account. He assumes that Othello will believe everything that comes out of his mouth, and he trusts that hes far more intelligent than anyone else involved in the situation so that he will be able to pull it off and get away with everything. The final main character, Desdemona is Shakespeares representation of a woman in this time period. She stands for the traditional gender rules during this time. She is a loyal daughter and wife which she displays when she says My noble father, /I do perceive here a divided duty. (Shakespeare I.iii.179-180). She is a very passive and submissive character which ends up being her downfall. She does as shes told and accepts all that is placed on her. Othello takes place during the later sixteenth century when Venice and Turkey were at war with one another. The overall mood of the setting is very tense. It is very apparent toward the beginning of the story that war could break out at any time. Venice was the land in which these characters came from, and was the land for which Othello and his men fought. Venice was also known for being a land of prostitutes, which symbolizes unfaithful women, which in a sense foreshadows the events with Desdemona that are yet to unravel. Cyprus, the island which the characters travel to is also symbolic. Being that it is an island, it is obvious that it is isolated from the rest of the country. When the characters travel here, the theme of isolation kicks in. For example, Othello becomes completely separated from the man he once was, and turns into a savage that acts as though hes been apart from the rest of the world forever. The themes of Othello carry over not only in the characters personalities, but also in their actions. The theme of jealousy is one of the most prominent. Throughout the course of

Kiersten Mead

events, jealousy is continually fueled by false evidence. Iagos entire scheme is started on the theme of jealousy. From the beginning, he had a problem with Othello and Cassio because Othello gave Cassio the promotion that Iago believed he deserved. He shared this with the audience when he said Mere prattle without practice/ Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had th election;/ And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof (Shakespeare I.i.23-25). Iago uses his jealousy to in turn make Othello jealous. Othello gets jealous over essentially nothing, and yet he allows it to blind him to what is really going on. He has numerous chances to try and fix things or even talk things out, but he instead allows his jealousy to literally turn him into some sort of monster. The second theme that goes hand in hand with jealousy is manipulation. Iago has the ability to make everyone believe that he is on their side, when in actuality, in Iagos mind, the only side is his own. He leads others to believe that they will work together or that hes only there to help them out, but essentially his only goal is to further himself. An example of this sort of power would be when he said With as little a web as this will I ensnare/ as great a fly as Cassio (Shakespeare II.i.166-167). Here, Iago is describing how easy it is to make Cassio fall into his trap. The act of manipulation becomes effortless to him and is what causes the entire story to fall apart. He even attempts to manipulate the audience several times throughout the play. He makes comments to the audience about Othello sleeping with his wife, and other nonsense, all in an attempt to get everyone on his side. Finally, the element that really causes Shakespeares masterpiece to stick out is his use of symbols. The symbol of the handkerchief is one of the most prominent. The handkerchief has the ability to mean several different things to each of the characters. To Othello, the handkerchief is a symbol of his marriage to Desdemona. It represents her devotion to him and the love which they shall share. When he learns that it is missing, it deeply angers him because it not only means

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that Iago is right, but it also signifies that she doesnt care about their marriage. To Desdemona, the gift is a symbol of Othellos love for her. When she learns that its missing, it upsets her deeply. She says And but my noble Moor/ Is true of mind, and made of no such baseness/ As jealous creatures are, it were enough/ To put him to ill thinking. (Shakespeare III.iv.26-29). She becomes worried what Othello will think of her. The handkerchief also symbolizes Iagos window of opportunity. At this point in his scheme, he needs proof that Desdemona is being unfaithful to Othello. When his wife finds the handkerchief his plans takes full effect. The second symbol that carries over greatly into the tragedy is the Willow Song. Desdemona remembers hearing her mothers old attendant sing the song, and recalls her singing it while she died at the hands of her husband. Desdemona says An old thing twas, But it expressed her fortune/ And she died singing it. (Shakespeare IV.iii.29-30) For Desdemona, this is a symbol of what is yet to come for her. At this point in the story, she is accepting her fate and accepting the fact that Othello will not believe her. The Willow Song foreshadows her death. The tragedy of Othello is by far one of Shakespeares most relatable tragedies. Its easy for people to understand how easily jealousy can consume a person. It is a very strong piece of literature that easily withstands the test of time. It conveys important moral messages and serves as a great work that is easily understood. While it isnt necessarily as well known as some of his others works of literature, it is very obvious why it is a good fit for upper level English classes.