In what ways does Shakespeare create his impression of life in Venice and in what ways does he emphasize Othello’s differences from the Venetians? How do you as a modern reader respond to the society depicted here?
Shakespeare portrays Venice as incredibly advanced for its time. This is seen especially though its democratic justice system, as we are shown that in Act One everybody has a voice regardless of their colour or sex. The fact that Othello has obtained the high position of “general” within the army suggests that his chances have by no means been restricted by the colour of his skin. Also the fact that he is treated with the utmost respect from the Duke, the highest authority in Venice, shows that the colour of ones skin is not seen as a disadvantage in Venetian society. We are aware of its reputation as a very sexual city through the booming sex trade and it is viewed as a very cosmopolitan city due to its importance as a trading port.
The white Venetians in “Othello” do for the most part exemplify the good qualities of their city and culture, which oozes civility and sophistication. This can be seen through the Duke’s language: “Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you against the general enemy ottoman. (To Brabantio) I did not see you: welcome, gentle signor”. However in Act One, Shakespeare uses the words of three Venetians to emphasise differences in Othello’s character from other Venetians. Shakespeare chooses these characters to highlight Othello’s differences, as they are infested with anger, jealousy and bitterness, therefore their descriptions of Othello are deceiving. The playwright uses these characters to paint a picture of Othello as the embodiment of the black stereotype held by people at this time, labelling him as “different” to everyone else. The use of animal imagery is used to help convey Othello as a monster and the choices of animals shows the underlying racism: “Old Black ram” and “Barbary horse”. The references to witchcraft and the devil also help to emphasise Othello’s differences: “The devil will make a grandsire of you”, “the beast with two backs”. As we do not see Othello until near the end of Act One, we base our opinion on these comments from Brabantio, Iago and Roderigo and therefore we are set up to believe that Othello’s character is very different to that of a typical Venetian.
The Essay on Othello in Shakespeare’s play
Othello is manipulated to trust Iago rather than his wife. Iago uses fake evidence against Desdemona in an attempt to prove she is cheating on her husband. Iago uses racism and past experiences to persuade Othello into believing he is not good enough for his wife as well as her not being good enough for him. Othello choses to believe Iago over his wife for the reason that she has only her word to ...
These characters all speak about him with contempt and without respect, undermining Othello’s senior position as General. Not only do two noblemen of Venice; Roderigo and Brabantio disrespect him; but Iago, one of his senior officers, does also. Therefore we assume that Othello is not respected by anyone in Venice because he is a monster and therefore “different” to everyone else. They extinguish any possibilities of pure love between Desdemona and Othello through suggesting that he tricked her into marriage by use of witchcraft: “if she in chains of magic were not bound…” and the excessive use of sexual imagery exposes Othello as very sexual, rampant and violent: “an old black ram is tupping at your white ewe”.
However when we are finally introduced to Othello we see that these differences are completely unfounded as he is genteel, exceptionally articulate, powerful, calm and respected. When confronted by Brabantio’s anger Othello remains calm and dignified: “hold your hands”. Othello also reveals in one of his speeches that he has had very little experience with women as all he has ever known is fighting and war, which shows that Iago’s description of Othello as a rampant monster is completely false: “For since these arms of mine had seven years pith till now some nine moons wasted, they have used their dearest action in the tented field”. He also radiates modesty: “Rude am I in my speech” and addresses Brabantio and the Duke with the utmost respect: “My very noble and approved good masters”. The only difference, which we can verify is his skin colour but in every other aspect he is the complete gentleman who exudes typical Venetian qualities like the Duke. Shakespeare used the comments of Iago, Brabantio and Roderigo at the beginning of Act One, so that we had preconceived ideas of Othello and were prepared to observe him as “different”, however as we learn about his true personality we feel terrible about forming such prejudiced opinions and therefore we place Othello high up on a pedestal.
The Essay on Othello – Analysis of Iago
Shakespeare’s Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most complex villains. At first glance Iago’s character seems to be pure evil. However, such a villain would distract from the impact of the play and would be trite. Shakespeare to add depth to his villain makes him amoral, as opposed to the typical immoral villain. Iago’s entire scheme begins when the “ignorant, ill-suited” Cassio is given the position ...
This is Shakespeare’s intention for his Tragedy, as this provides the central character, Othello, with a further distance to fall, adding significance to his disintegration later on in the play. We learn that the Duke, the highest authority in Venice, holds the utmost respect for Othello proving that the words of Iago, Brabantio and Roderigo do not reflect the opinion of all Venetians: “Valiant Othello”. We now begin to unravel that these particular characters are all biased against Othello, due to personal problems. Brabantio’s discovery of Othello’s marriage to his daughter sparks a hatred within him and his references to piracy and witchcraft exposes a racist element in his character: “O thou foul thief! Where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her”.
Although he was happy for Othello to dine at his house with his daughter many times before, the intimacy of marriage proves a step too far for Brabantio and aided by Iago’s manipulation, he turns against Othello, despite the fact that he is a very successful and respected general. This shows how strong emotions such as jealousy, bitterness and anger have the power to make people prejudiced in order to give them ammunition for their attacks. As a modern reader I can relate to this because although Venetian society in general is not a racist society it does not mean that racist or any kind of prejudiced thoughts do not pass between the minds of individuals. This is the same in our society as people form their own prejudices in private although they would not make a spectacle of it as many people may find their views offensive. Our first insight into Act One is through a private conversation between Roderigo and Iago, which takes place at “night” in secret. Therefore when Othello arrives we see that in public and in front of the Duke, Othello is a respected individual where the colour of his skin is of little importance. The Duke has little patience for Brabantio’s comments about Othello and changes the topic of conversation as well as entering into prose, showing that the matter of war is far more important: “The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for Cyprus”, showing that he does not see anything wrong with a respected black man entering into matrimony with white woman. He is far more interested in the protection of Venice.
The Essay on Of Mice And Men Character Analysis
The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry. This statement explains a major theme in the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Everyone has dreams, and the characters in the novel are no different. But sometimes these dreams and aspirations can be shattered. The theme of broken dreams reoccurs in this novel through many characters, such as Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks. Lennie and ...
Desdemona’s genuine love for Othello also proves his innocence. He is a far cry from the rampant monster, who tricked Desdemona into marriage through the use of witchcraft: “I saw Othello’s visage in his mind”. Their love can be seen as beautiful and pure through how she exclaims that she was attracted to Othello’s personality, which she places above everything else. There is no impression that she was tricked or forced: “Let me go with him”, indeed her words are commanding, monosyllabic and forceful showing how desperately she wants to be with him. Othello’s language towards Desdemona is equally pure. “Let her have her voice”, firstly he shows his respect for her and then: “vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not to please the palate of my appetite nor to comply with the heat – the young effects in me – defunct – and proper satisfaction; but to be free and bounteous to her mind”, shows that their relationship is not merely about sex but he also that he is also attracted to her mind which shows purity in their love. As a modern reader I am shocked to find Desdemona so outspoken for her time as women during this period were usually subservient to men and had to ask permission before asserting her opinion. She is very bold and ambitious in the company of men and the fact that nobody silences her shows how Venetians respected the views of all people regardless of their sex, showing a democratic system similar to our own. However Desdemona is still referred to as a possession which shows how although free to express her view, she is still a prisoner in her fathers home, which is evident in her father Brabantio’s speech: “How she got out?” As a modern day reader I find this kind of attitude towards women offensive as women in this modern age have so much more freedom and are treated with respect as we are considered equal to men.
The Essay on Othello Desdemona Man Iago
Othello In the play "The tragedy of Othello," one character that I thought clearly changed during the course of the play was the main character, Othello. Othello was a man of great dignity and honor. He was noble of birth, both a captain and a general, the foremost officer in the state of Venice and the new General of Cyprus. He had the respect of all men and women surrounding him, he identified ...
Shakespeare uses prejudiced comments from Iago and Brabantio to emphasise Othello’s differences from other Venetians. He uses their descriptions of Othello as a rampant, violent monster to shape our opinions, as we do not see Othello until near the end of Act One and therefore these comments form our initial impression of Othello’s character. However when we discover Othello’s true character we transform our opinions and place him high up giving him a further distant to fall. We discover that in actual fact, despite the colour of his skin, Othello is no different to the Venetians in Act One at all. He is a polite, well-mannered and sophisticated man who has succeeded in his profession and is respected by Venetians.
