- Shakespeares dramatic presentation of conflict in the play Othello.

Born to John Shakespeare, a glovemaker and tradesman, and Mary Arden,

the daughter of an affluent farmer, William Shakespeare was baptized on
April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon. At that time, infants were baptized
three days after their birth, thus scholars believe that Shakespeare was
born on April 23, the same day on which he died at age 52. As the third of
eight children, young William grew up in this small town 100 miles
northwest of London, far from the cultural and courtly center of England.
Shakespeare attended the local grammar school, King's New School,
where the curriculum would have stressed a classical education of Greek
mythology, Roman comedy, ancient history, rhetoric, grammar, Latin, and
possibly Greek. Known as the Bard of Avon, his plays and poems have
had a tremendous impact on the literary diaspora.

Conflict can be defined as a state of open, often prolonged

fighting; a battle or war. Opposition between characters or forces in a
work of drama or fiction. This opposition is what motivates or shapes the
action of the plot. There are many ways in which this definition is
represented in Othello. The main conflicts in Othello are Othellos inner
conflict and conflict brought about by cultural and racial differences. To
dramatically express these conflicts, Shakespeare uses many techniques.
Shakespeare presents conflict in the play Othello by utilizing the
techniques of dramatic irony, animal imagery, foreshadowing and
symbolism.

Perhaps the most influential close reading of the language of Othello

remains William Empson's 1951 essay "Honest in Othello." Noting that the
word "honest" appears so often throughout the play, Empson explores
how this key term is used by various characters at significant junctures in
the action, locating his discussion within an analysis of shifts in the word's
meaning over time. Iago is a soldier under Othellos command. At the
beginning of the play Iago explains to Roderigo (who is in love with
Desdemona, Othellos wife) his hatred for Othello for choosing Cassio as
his officer and not him as he had expected. Iago informs in Act One
through a soliloquy that his intentions are to use Roderigo for money and
to get revenge on Othello. I hate the MoorCasios a proper man. Let me
see now: To get his place, and to plume up my will in double knavery
After some time, to abuse Othellos ears that he is too familiar with his
wife. He hath a person and a smooth dispose to be suspected framed to
make women false. This is the birth of the conflict that leads to the
couples tragic fates of both Othello and Desdemona.

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said No conflict, no drama.

Conflict is the basis of all good theatre. Audience will testify from the
outset that drama cannot exist without conflict. Shakespeare uses
Dramatic Irony to create tension and suspense. Dramatic irony makes
parts of a story more interesting for the audience to know something the
characters don't. One example of dramatic irony which plays out
throughout the play is the fact that the reader/viewer knows that
Desdemona is innocent. Along with this, the audience also knows that
Iago is not trustworthy. The audience knows all of Iago's schemes and lies.
Othello knows none of these things. He believes that Iago is honest and
that his wife is guilty of adultery. More instances of dramatic irony show
up as characters think aloud to the audience through asides. Dramatic
irony is exciting as it makes the audience feel like part of the play.
Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony as a useful plot
device for creating situations where audience knows more about the
causes of conflicts and their resolutions before leading characters or
actors.

The Animal Imagery in Othello also serves to enact the conflict in the play.
Because Othello is black, he is an out-sider and it is through his colour
that Iago manipulates his reputation within society. He basically uses
Othellos blackness to say that he is an uncontrolled, lusty, mindless
animal who cannot contain his emotions. This paired with Othellos flaws
of being ruled more by his heart than by his head gives for a rather
dramatic deterioration of Othellos character. Othello is black, Desdemona
is white. This is powerful imagery, symbolizing the societys opinion of
interracial marriages as good vs. evil where Othello (being black) is the
evil. When Iago shouts to Brabantio an old black ram is tupping your
white ewe it is a very strong metaphor where Othello is again degraded
to evil due to his colour. Othello is controlled by his emotions; he is very
susceptible to manipulation as he is a very trusting man. Iago uses
Othellos colour to emphasize this making him seem incredibly lusty as
an old black man. The pure white of Desdemona versus his own
'blackness' is a source of insecurity for Othello, leaving him more open to
jealousy. These images bring to mind all of humanities basest qualities,
and cause the audience to instinctively look for the characters flaws, be it
the jealousy of Iago, the gullibility of Othello, or the ignorance of
Desdemona. In a way, it puts the audience into a state of anticipation;
they are just as quick to see the beast in Othello as Iago is, and just as
doubtful as Othello of Desdemona when she pleads for Cassios
reinstatement.

In his essay Of Two Minds, Charles Keim remarks upon the final use of
such references in Act 5, The animal imagery invoked earlier by Othello
and earliest by Iago reaches its grim end in the Moors definition of
himself as a circumcised dog. As he awaits imprisonment for the murder
of his wife, Othello appears to be telling the story of an instance when he
saw a Turk attacking a Venetian, and defended him: I took by th throat
the circumcised dog, / And smote him, thus. With those words, Othello
stabs himself. He appears to be revolted by his own nature and the
beastliness that has overcome him. In killing himself, he both redeems his
humanity and kills that animalistic temper which Iago worked into a flame.

Similarly, foreshowing is another pivotal technique used to highlight

conflict in Othello. As a Moor, or North African, who is living in the
European city of Venice, Othello faces disbelief when he first marries the
beautiful, and much younger, Desdemona. Desdemona's father,
Brabantio, goes as far to accuse Othello of witchcraft in his seduction of
Desdemona. In a famous speech from Act I, Scene 3, Othello defends
himself from this charge by explaining how he wooed Desdemona
practically by accident, through telling stories of his many exotic
adventures while having dinners with Brabantio. He ends with the lines,
'She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did
pity them' (act 1 scene 3). In the context of the scene, this is a beautiful,
romantic story. But it also foreshadows the trouble to come by highlighting
that Othello and Desdemona's relationship is based on their differences
and Othello's exotic background. Later, under the manipulations of Iago,
Othello will assume it is exactly these qualities Desdemona loved -- his
age and experience, foreign origin, and dark skin -- that have led her to
cheat on him. Therefore, Shakespeare uses animal imagery to foreshadow
the actions of Othello in the latter part of the play.

Finally, Shakespeare uses symbolism as a means of creating in the plot

very cleverly. The handkerchief symbolizes different things to different
characters: Since the handkerchief was the first gift Desdemona received
from Othello, she keeps it about her constantly as a symbol of Othellos
love. Iago manipulates the handkerchief so that Othello comes to see it as
a symbol of Desdemona herself her faith and chastity. By taking
possession of it, he is able to convert it into evidence of her infidelity. But
the handkerchiefs importance to Iago and Desdemona derives from its
importance to Othello himself. Othello claims that his mother used it to
keep his father faithful to her, so, to him, the handkerchief represents
marital fidelity. 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.
Shakespeare effectively utilizes the techniques of dramatic irony, animal
imagery, foreshadowing and symbolism to enact the conflict in the play
Othello. These techniques work seamlessly in creating a theatrical
appeal to the audience.