This intellectual error thus prevents Othello from thinking clearly about his wife after Iago has planted the idea that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. Furthermore, "The Fall of Othello," John Arthos notes, "Othello fell into chaos before the murder was done" (95). Othello's confusion is evident as he tells Iago, "I think my wife be honest and think she is not;/I think that thou art just and think thou art not (Shakespeare 3.3.385-386). Iago manipulates Othello into believing women cannot be trusted based on his own prejudices against them. Iago, in a conversation with his wife Emilia claims that women "are pictures out of doors,/Bells in your parlours, wild-cats in your kitchens,/Saints in your injuries, devils being offended,/Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds" (2.1.111-114). Iago further exploits Othello's uncertainties about Desdemona to the point where he eventually convinces him that he must kill Desdemona for her "infidelity." After Desdemona inadvertently loses a handkerchief, which Othello later claims is enchanted, she puts herself in a position that raises the utmost suspicion, and irrevocably alters how Othello perceives his wife. As Desdemona is continuously chastised without reason, she can only defend herself by stating "I have not deserved this," as she is never given the proper forum to voice her concerns or explain herself (4.1.252). Desdemona becomes one of Iago's targets because he does not respect women and thus believes that they should be manipulated as they manipulate...
Desdemona was never able to establish her true identity with Othello because she was not allowed to due to both his stubbornness and the lies Iago fed him. Ultimately, Iago is able to successfully convince Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful, and is actually encouraged by his "loyal" friend to murder Desdemona when she cannot produce the handkerchief. Iago suggests, "Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even/the bed she hath contaminated," which Othello agrees upon (4.1.197-198).
Othello as Tragic Hero While Othello is not Greek and Shakespeare is not a Greek playwright, Othello embodies many characteristics of a tragic hero as outlined by Aristotle. What is a tragic hero? Person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor someone who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation. Othello is manipulated by Iago to murder Desdemona Iago uses Othello's trusting nature against him Hero
Othello, race and difference: Othello as the black 'other' The tragedy of the Moor Othello is that he becomes the man racist white society says he is by the end of the play. At the beginning of the story, the malicious Iago, who hates Othello for a variety of vague reasons (spanning from his failure to be promoted to his false contention that Othello cuckolded him), spurs Desdemona's father Brabantio into
The most important feature of Iago is his permanent dissembling and his distortion of reality. This is the tool that he uses to deceive the others and to make them comply to his plan. Iago's permanent dissembling is very important for understanding the motivations behind his acts. Even from the first scene of Act I, Iago declares that he acts so as to reach his own goals, and he
Iago notices this flaw at once and plots to exploit it almost immediately. This is evident when he tells Roderigo: The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by th' nose As asses are. (Shakespeare I.iii.393-6) Here we see that Iago intends on using Othello's open nature against him by allowing him to believe that Desdemona is
In fact, even when Othello enters their bedchamber and talks about killing her, entreating her to pray so that she does not die with a sin on her soul, Desdemona makes no effort to run from Othello, but questions him about why he is upset. (Othello, IV. iii, 45-51). Cassio's flaw is not as obvious in the beginning part of the play, but plays a major role in the downfall
They will go to far to hire a mercenary like Iago to pursue their goal for them. There are Othellos today as there was a shining one in Shakespeare's fiction or time. Military heroes like him have secret vulnerabilities, which reveal themselves in unguarded or trying moments. As a self-claimed victim of a foreign culture, Othello's cry of discrimination resounds in contemporary society despite his accomplishments. Contentment in life is
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