Othello Character Analysis Essay - 801 Words

Hugo Baptiste English Comp 102 Professor Berry 12/12/2017 A Character Analysis of Othello in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† The main character, Othello, in the Shakespearean play Othello, is a man of many strengths, but also a man of great weakness. The play is center around Othello’s downfall despite Shakespeare presenting him as a distinguished and respected soldier. He is also depicted as courageous and loving to his wife Desdemona. However, Othello starts to show his insecurities and weaknesses during the play. Indeed, Othello becomes a belligerent, aberrant and jealous husband who brutally strangles his wife. The cause of such a disaster is one of his lieutenants, Iago, a precarious and jealous soldier. This piece is a tragedy that†¦show more content†¦Othello’s race is brought to the forefront by an angry father’s distain. Even as General, his ship arrives last to Cyprus, the audience may take this as a symbol of Othello belonging to a lower class. The more jabs that are made towards Othello, the more uncomfortable, nervous and stressed he becomes. When Iago arrives to supposedly help, Othello starts to believe everything Iago says, including the lie that Desdemona is cheating on him. Desdemona is innocent with Cassio, but Othello is convinced by Iago that she is cheating. To paraphrase Hacht, there is a huge passion between Desdemona and Othello, but the insecurities that Othello shows drives him to madness. When Othello loses control, he begins to speak in prose which displays a break in his outward facade. â€Å"It’s possible? Confess! Handkerchief! O devil!† (Shakespeare 1, 2, 47). Indeed, he feels dishonored by Desdemona and because of this dishonor, Othello makes an enormous decision after he killed Desdemona: Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely but too well, Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes, Albeit unused to the melting mood, Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees Their medicinable gum. Set you down this, And say besides that in Aleppo once, Where a malignant and aShow MoreRelated Character Analysis of Othello Essay1653 Words   |  7 PagesCharacter Analysis of Othello â€Å"Othello† is a tragedy and Othello is a tragic hero. Othello is a general in the service of Venice. He is good, courageous, brave and trustworthy. However he has some weaknesses such as insecurity; he is too open, naà ¯ve, and gullible, Iago plays on his weaknesses which brings about his downfall and he kills himself. 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This excerpt foreshadow events in which Othello will begin to question the actions and morality of Cassio and Desdemona, all orchestrated by Iago’s scheming nature. This is a very important concept to showcase because Othello devoutly loves Desdemona and trusts Cassio until conniving language from Iago causes him to think otherwise. Drawing on Shakespeare’s source story by Cinthio and otherRead MoreMajor Concerns Of Othello By William Shakespeare Essay1085 Words   |  5 PagesConcerns of Othello Overshadowed by Race Othello speaks to Iago in Act Three of the play saying, â€Å"certain, men should be what they seem† (3.3.131). This excerpt provides a foundation for Othello to later question the actions and morality of Cassio and Desdemona established in lieu of Iago’s scheme. This is a very important concept to showcase because Othello devoutly loved Desdemona and trusted Cassio until conniving language from Iago caused him to think otherwise. In this essay, I will