In Shakespeare’s tragedy, OTHELLO, (1604) and in the appropriation O directed by Tim Blake Nelson (2001) character is represented through a plethora of techniques such as language, symbolism, imagery and action. Shakespeare represents character through direct speech. Othello’s speech is lofty and noble and full of imagery. Othello first appears in the opening acts as the personification of self control, a man who has a strong sense of his own worth and duty: “I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege” Shakespeare portrays Othello as a romantic character who feels deeply and loves deeply. He achieves a climax of happiness with his love for Desdemona: ” If it were now to die, “There now to be most happy.” All his life he has been a gallant foreign adventurer who has seen little of the modern European world with its dark intrigues and sordid passions. Once he enters this sordid world he loses his self control to hysterical jealousy and so becomes the traditional tragic character of this drama.
He falls straight to the level of cruelty and violence. His agony is so intense that there is no stately rhythm in his speech and he falls into delirium and utters broken fragments of speech: “Lie with her – lie on her? … Lie with her… Handkerchief – confessions – handkerchief! Confess! Handkerchief! O devil!” The repetition of these words heighten the seriousness of this speech and Othello’s loss of control. At the beginning of Act 5 Sc 2, Othello’s speech patterns reveals how carefully Shakespeare writes to illuminate the state of a character’s mind. At first in this soliloquy Othello appears to be calm.
The Term Paper on "The Tragedy Of Othello" By William Shakespeare
In the play “The tragedy of Othello,” written by William Shakespeare, it can be seen that several of the main characters involved are subjected to the trials and tribulations in the spectrum of emotions experienced by human beings. The overall theme is a brilliant yet down to earth portrayal of frailties and strengths in the human condition–a condition that runs the gamut from a ...
The blank verse is smooth and measured. “I will kill thee and love thee after… So sweet was never so fatal.” The use of the oxymoron reveals Othello’s conscious decision to kill his beloved wife. The character of Othello is further represented through the use of hyperbole. Othello’s torture at the knowledge he has wrongly killed Desdemona is heightened by the exclamation: “Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!” It is at this stage that Othello becomes Shakespeare’s tragic hero, a man who has come to the realization that through his loss of control, he has acted wrongly, and must now pay for the consequences of his actions. In his last speech Othello regains his own voice.
Here Othello returns to the lofty and exotic imagery of the play’s beginning. He wishes to be remembered as .”.. one that loved not wisely but too well… .” Yet for every hero, there must be a villain and this is portrayed through the character of Iago. Iago is a cold and calculating killer who continues his icy self-control throughout the play. His speech is crude and filled with references to repulsive animals, devils and hell itself.
At the end of ACT 1, when Iago is left alone on the stage his true character is revealed: .”.. Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth To the world’s light.” The use of imagery in the form of hell, damnation, devils, goats and monkeys begins with Iago but is quickly picked up by Othello once he too has been poisoned and possessed by Iago.
