Shakespeares Othello is considered an outsider within renaissance Venice. He is an outsider who is clever and certain in military matters but is socially insecure. He is demonized by the European society because of his fixed ideas, racial and cultural differences. Within the play, Othello is portrayed as the stereotypical alien, mistrusted and feared for his black skin and ethnic characteristics. Throughout the play he is constantly referred to as the Moor. When others call him black, they refer to his physical stature but also to the idea of symbolism within Elizabethan principles: White is honour, black is wickedness; white is innocence, black is guilt. The use of animal imagery is also used by Iago to help express Othello as a fiend and the choices of animals shows the underlying racial discrimination: Old Black ram and Barbary horse. In addition to this the references to witchcraft and the devil emphasise Othellos differences: The devil will make a grandsire of you, the beast with two backs.
However at the same time Othello is considered to be an insider as he is respected and honoured by those in authority for his disposition and for the services he performs for Venice yet the wider society are xenophobic. These positive impressions are reinforced in the Council chamber when Brabantio presses charges against Othello for marrying his daughter Desdemona, a young European woman. Through marrying her Othello develops a sense of belonging with the white population yet, Othellos lack of experience with love has left him poorly prepared for marriage. Brabantio complains that witchcraft must have been used as she has fallen in love with what she feared to look on. Othello then proves his innocence and abstinence from black magic by retelling the tale of their love with genuine eloquence and articulation. She loved me for the dangers I had passed and I loved her that she did pity them. Brabantio who despises the outsider warns Othello, look to her Moor, if thou hast eyes to see She has deceived her father and may thee, this plays a fundamental role to Iagos plot.
The Essay on Othello As An Outsider
... Describing the act of Othello and Desdemona sleeping together, (to Brabantio) Iago tells, “An old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” In this ... Shakespeare explores the concept of the relationship of an outsider to society in Othello in a number of different ways. He plays ... him and those around him. While describing his and Desdemona’s love, Othello tells (about himself): “Rude am I in speech/ And ...
Iago plays the Machiavellian within this play. He can also be seen as an outsider who places himself within this category. Othello and Iago are binary opposites of each other. Iago is trusted by all in the play where he is known as honest Iago. He has a calculated wickedness with every move he makes. He turns aspects of truth and good qualities, which he does not possess, and uses them as weakness for his own scheme. He deceives people to follow his plans by telling them the truth and what seems to be good advice. By standing on the side and watching people he seems to learn more about them then they even know themselves.
He seems to envy people within the play and the relationships that they possess, because he will never know what these connections feel like. He uses peoples strengths as their weaknesses to bring them to their doom. He causes much destruction and is driven by a force that the reader cannot even understand. Iago makes himself an outsider by not realizing that his ego causes him to hate and disrespect all of humanity. He strives to get revenge on Othello for choosing Cassio, a Florentine, an arithmetician, who is also an outsider, over himself. This is what we are told within the play is his motivation.
Once the play has moved to Cyprus Iagos starts to unravel his plot and Othello starts to transform. This can be seen throughout his emotion and language. At the beginning of the play Othello spoke poetically but during his process of being corrupted by Iago he mimics Iagos tone and style of language and talks in proses and uses animal imagery which was not apparent in his speech in the beginning. This reflects Iagos control within the play. This is prominent towards the end when he about to kill Desdemona. The eloquence and poetic rhythm we heard at the beginning is no longer there.
The Essay on Contrast Between Iago And Othello Is The Most Important Contrast In The Play
How far do you agree with the view that the contrast between Iago and Othello is the most important contrast in the play? In the play Othello, there are many forms of contrast, one of which is the contrast between the characters of Othello and Iago, which could be argued as being the most important contrast in the play. In this essay I am going to discuss various contrasts between these two ...
Shakespeare has emphasized the role of the outsiders within the play even with location. Although the majority of the people are Venetians the play is generally situated inside Cyprus. In the Elizabethan times Cyprus was on the edge of the empire and was disputed territory. It is here were the break down of education and sophistication which is viewed in Venice appears. This expresses the barbarity of Cyprus which assists in developing Othello primitive behaviour.
It is in Cyprus that Iago gets Cassio drunk and makes him lose his role as Othellos personal lieutenant and it also were Iago plants the seed of jealously within Othellos mind about Desdemona and Cassio. However, Othellos insists that Iago provides him with ocular proof for such allegations. This is shown by the handkerchief scene were Bianca is seen with the handkerchief which she found within Cassios chamber. It is as this stage of the play which Othellos jealously is prominent as he now believes that his beloved wife has been unfaithful.
In the play all the characters in one way or another are outsiders. By having their own insecurities they allow others to manipulate them and ruin the lives of those who are who the closest to them.
