Othello Analytical Essay
William Shakespeare's early 17[th] Century play, Othello, explores the characteristics of Shakespearean tragedy, focusing on the downfall of the tragic hero, Othello, a result of the main notions of jealousy and deception. These two concerns are integral themes of the play, where jealousy serves as the trigger for the tragedy, as well as the fatal flaw of the hero, and where deception is a principal catalyst in the process of his downfall.
Iago, being, by nature, a man consumed by jealousy and possessing an obsessive hatred of good, emerges as a villain determined to remorselessly destroy Othello's life. Iago's intense envy is reflected through his claims of having his military skill ...
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the verb `gnaw' supports the idea of jealousy being a `green-eyed monster' that eats away at one's heart, whilst portraying the concern as both a motive and a tool for revenge against the tragic hero. Despite this, the play reveals no real cause for Iago's claim that Othello had mistreated him as his suspicions of the adultery committed with his wife are unfounded. 19[th] Century poet and critic, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, commented that Iago was simply `... motive-hunting of motiveless malignity... a being next to Devil, only not quite Devil', in other words, a man without motive and evil by nature. Nonetheless, his jealousy towards Othello, no matter the validity of his purposes, are evident in his refusal to accept Desdemona's love for Othello, nor to accept the celebration that he is `more fair than black'. He admits, `The Moor, (howbeit that I endure him not) / Is of a constant, loving, noble nature', insinuating his acknowledgement on the agreement of Othello's respectable ...
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Othello Analytical Essay. (2012, November 2). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Othello-Analytical-Essay/101801
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"Othello Analytical Essay." Essayworld.com. November 2, 2012. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Othello-Analytical-Essay/101801.
"Othello Analytical Essay." Essayworld.com. November 2, 2012. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Othello-Analytical-Essay/101801.
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