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Othello
Wiliam Shakespeare
Contributed by Karim Chandra
Content
Overview
Context
Characters
Motifs
Themes
Symbols
Plot Summary
Chapter Summaries
Act 1 Scene 1
Act 1 Scene 2
Act 1 Scene 3
Act 2 Scene 1
Act 2 Scene 2
Act 2 Scene 3
Act 3 Scene 1
Act 3 Scene 2
Act 3 Scene 3
Act 3 Scene 4
Act 4 Scene 1
Act 4 Scene 2
Act 4 Scene 3
Act 5 Scene 1
Act 5 Scene 2
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Themes
Themes are described as ideas that dominate a particular piece of literature. In almost all cases, pieces of literature will be centered a theme or a number of them.
Love
Love id the primary theme around which this play is constructed. In this play, Love is a powerful weapon that forces its way through even the most formidable obstacles in the world. However, love is tripped by minor things. Through love, Othello can marry Desdemona against the wishes of her father. As a senator in the government, Desdemona's father had the opportunity to stand his ground and refuse to accept the occurrence of such a thing. However, the love between the two is too great to be hindered by any force. On the other side. Roderigo has also fallen in love with Desdemona, and he is trying everything possible to make sure that that the relationship between Desdemona and Othello Collapses. He has spent his money on Iago with the hope that Iago is capable of making the marriage between Othello and Desdemona collapse. He dies while trying. While the force that bound Othello was so great that it passed through the toughest of obstacles, it is the minor things of lies and mistrust that destroyed the marriage and led to the death both Desdemona and Othello. Othello was not strong enough to reject Iago's manipulation.
Appearance and Reality
Appearance and reality are a critically essential issue for consideration in Othello. For Othello, seeing is believing. At no circumstance does Othello accept a thing before seeing the inner details and evidence. When Iago comes up with allegations against Desdemona, he demands proof. Othello says to Iago that, "Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, be sure of it, give me the ocular proof" (Act 3, Scene 3). To feed Othello's jealousy, Iago presents a visual picture of Desdemona and Cassio. The picture that Othello has witnessed has bruised his ego, and he is seething. Othello has lost his senses as a result of the image he has just seen. As he looks at the accuser of his wide, Othello sees the image of white which symbolizes purity and the dark which stands for evil. The evidence that Iago has brought before him is irrefutable. What Othello does not understand is that the mage that he is seeing has been made up and does not represent any reality. In some cases, human beings see may not necessarily be the reality.
Jealousy
Jealousy has destroyed Othello. Othello cannot stand the sight of his wife is having a sexual relationship with another man. It is this kind of thought that ultimately leads him to kill Desdemona. That is jealousy its purest form. From the manner in which Iago manufactures the whole of this plot, it is evident that he has an incredible understanding of the effects of jealousy among men. When Iago looks at Othello, he sees an insecure man who is easy to provoke. It is as a result of jealousy that Othello believes sticks to the idea that Desdemona is betraying him with Cassio. Even when Desdemona pleads her innocence, Othello will not change his mind. The obsession with the thought of a cheating wife clouds the mind of Othello to the extent that he refuses to reason or even see the circumstances in a different light. It is only upon the realization that he has killed Desdemona out of trumped-up charges that Othello recovers and regains his ability to see things in a clear perspective. Initially, jealousy had clouded the mind of Othello to the extent that he could not see the trick that Iago was pulling, neither could he think that Iago could be up to some revenge Othello failed to promote him. Othello has suddenly become rational and is capable of judging situations soberly. He sees the mistake and decides that the best punishment is for him to die.
Prejudice
The level of prejudice in Othello's Venetian society has reached shocking levels. The racial prejudice against Othello is devastating and is this aspect that Iago exploited to destroy Othello's marriage. Instructively, both Desdemona and Othello are aware of this prejudice as had been manifested by the refusal of Desdemona's father to accept the marriage. However, Desdemona is pushed by pure love for Othello, and that aspect has been incredibly important in maintaining their relationship. Apart from the racial prejudice that Othello experiences from the members of the society, it is also evident that Othello is suffering from a self-inflicted prejudice. When his marriage is headed south, Othello thinks that the misfortune is a result of his ethnic background. The thoughts of Othello have taken the angle of suggesting that, "I am not attractive," "I am not worthy of Desdemona," "It cannot be true that she loves me," and "If she loves me, then there must be something wrong with her." These issue of self-created prejudice, in the long run, leads to the devastating collapse of Othello. Had he thought positively about his life and his capabilities, Othello would have lived much longer. In most cases, people are capable of seeing only the prejudice that comes from the outside society but then fail to appreciate the fact that self-inflicted prejudice is much more dangerous than societal prejudice.
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