Othello and the Moor of Venice Essay

The play, the Tragedy of Othello and the Moor of Venice, written by William Shakespeare has many underlying and reoccurring themes through bulge. One major theme is that of subversiveness and loyalty. During the entire play perpetu entirelyyy reference is either loyal to, or betrays another mention. The theme of betrayal and loyalty is seen through every character and every act in the play especially in Iago, Desdemona, and Othello. every character that is portrayed as organism loyal is disloyal, and every character that is portrayed as being disloyal is loyal.No superstar ever knows who and who not to hope, and this adds a lot of drama and build up to the fib line. This play shows you that you basis never trust anyone, and that you should keep your friends close scarcely your enemies even closer. In such a web of hunch forward, hatred and betrayal, it is rightfully hard to take who are the protagonist and the antagonist. But, through these gray areas, one could see tha t sometimes such strong emotions could change one to another. withal with A. C. Bradley, the play was described as by far the most romantic figure among Shakespeares heroes(Shakespearean Tragedy, 1).This is an irony at play. The description is quite surprising since it is ab come forward a man who mangles his own wife. Nonetheless, it could be observed that this horror resulted from Othellos feelings of nauseate for Desdemona which had when their blood began, started as an everywherewhelming passion for her. The translation from do to hate that transpired within Othello as well as inflicted the characters Iago and Roderigo and hatred induced them to murder of innocent people as well. Roderigos love for Desdemona was transformed into hate towards any man that he thought was loved by her.Iagos love for his job and his wife, Emilia changed into a destructive hatred of Cassio and Othello. As a result of their hatred Cassio, Emilia, and at the end they were killed. The connect ion among love and hate in William Shakespeares Othello is the ugly feeling of green-eyed monster that lay downd such transformations. green-eyed monster can be described as a fear of losing something or someone that is valuable (Godfrey 2). As minor as this feeling appears to be by that definition, it can take on varying degrees of damaging behavior. Othello, Roderigo, and Iago had become paralyzed by overjealousy.Their thoughts, actions, and behaviors were ruled by it. Jealousy caused their inability to act rationally. They became paranoid and unable to love. Roderigo begins with a small jealousy of Othello for being married to Desdemona. It isnt until Iago makes Roderigo believe Desdemona does not really love Othello that Roderigo becomes destructive. Roderigo pays Iago for this false hope that he leave alone be with Desdemona (1162). When he believes he is acquiring closer to being with her, however, Iago tells him that it might not happen because Desdemona is in love with Cassio (1169-70).Roderigo is greatly angered by this and resolves to do what it takes to stop Cassio from bring aboutting Desdemona even if it means taking his life. His attempt to kill Cassio, however, is unsuccessful, and instead he is the one injured (1175). Roderigo is no longer consumed with thoughts of being with Desdemona. Instead he is consumed with feelings of hatred toward those who might have her love and attention. Othello had a deep love for Desdemona in the beginning of the play. He was however also very dubious of Desdemonas love for him (Mabillard 1).He doesnt understand why she would go against her father and her society by marrying a man that is black (1). The only(prenominal) reason that he can come up with is that she married him for his undaunted journeys (1). In make up I context iii he explains to the Duke, She lovd me for the dangers I had passd (Shakespeare 1157). In Act III horizon ii he tries to put his doubts to rest by telling himself that Desdem onas compassionate and virtuous nature makes it possible for her to love him (Mabillard 1).However, when Iago starts to plant ideas of her unfaithfulness into Othellos head the doubts resurface and his hazard becomes stronger than ever before (2). His insecurity about his worth to Desdemona combined with the reaffirmation from Iago of her encounter creates his heated jealousy. after Iago provides the terminal piece of proof that Othello needs (the handkerchief in Act IV mount i) Othello only has hatred for Desdemona. But it must be understood that, Desdemona, is a character of both betrayal and loyalty. Yet in a very different way, for when she is disloyal to a character it is out of loyalty and love for another character.She must lie to her father to be with her true love Othello Desdemona tells her father that she is loyal to him, but has to choose Othello over him (Othello, 1, 3, 208-220).. In relation to the history of the Moors in Europe, the Moors were looked down upon as with Desdemonas father looked down on Othello. Moors were seen as being barbaric and ruthless warriors, only bred for being ruthless warriors and nothing else. That is why it is so profound that Desdemona is so undeniably in love with Othello and will do whatever it takes to be with him, even turn her back on her own family.Desdemona is always loyal to Othello throughout the play and Iago does his best to confute this by pressting into Othellos mind. Othello believes Iago and says Desdemona is disloyal and cheats on him and does not trust her when she says, For twas this hand that gave away my heart. (Othello, 3, 4, 52) Desdemona does her best to prove to Othello that it is only he that she loves and no one else. Othello has been late brainwashed by Iago and is scared into believing that Desdemona may be cheating on him with Cassio.This causes Othello to strain revenge on Cassio, and ruins his relationship with Desdemona. Iago really is the mastermind of all betrayals and jeal ousy, and Othello falls for it badly. As Albert Gerard explained in his expression egregiously and Ass, The Dark Side of the Moor A View of Othellos Mind, if Desdemona failed him than everything failed him (5). He was dependent on her for representing truth in the world (5). She be an ideal image of purity to him (5). In Act III scene iii he exclaims, If she be false, O Then heaven mocks itself (Shakespeare 1191).Since the mountain of her is so highly valued, the possibility that she is a lie devastates Othello (5). D. R. Godfrey notes that Othellos jealousy is strong tolerable to make him crazy (Shakespeare and the Green-Eyed Monster 2). He loses the ability to think rationally which is why he doesnt seek the truth from those manticly involved and the circumstantial evidence is enough, in his eyes, to flop murder Desdemona (2). Godfrey further supports Othellos inability of rational thought by his idea that Desdemona and Iago have slept together a thousand times(3).If Othello were thought rationally, he would have known that there couldnt have been enough time for them to have that deep of an affair (3). His hatred of Cassio is apparent as he tells Iago Within these three days let me hear thee say that Cassios not a live on (Shakespeare 1196). Before he comes to believe that Cassio is having an affair with his wife, Othello valued him enough to appoint him as lieutenant. Othello transforms from a man who loves deeply and lives with honor into a man full of hatred and vengeance. Like Roderigo, such a transformation occurs because of jealousy brought on by the words of Iago.Iago makes the cause of his loathing for Othello and Cassio apparent in the first scene of Act I Cassios appointment as lieutenant being one (1145) and the act being his suspicion that Othello has slept with his wife, Emilia (1163). D. R. Godfrey describes these experiences to Iago as devastating, to the point of working a profound and sudden change in Iago, a virtual transfiguratio n (Shakespeare and the Green-Eyed Monster 6). Othellos trust of Iago shows that he had once been a loyal, honest man (Watkinson 2). He even refers to him as honest Iago on multiple occasions (2).Watkinson explains that Othellos dependency on Iago becomes even stronger when Iago brings the supposed affair to his attention ( The Ironic Interdependence of Othello and Iago 3). He also manipulates Roderigo into thought process that he is only looking out for his best interests. Iagos jealousy breeds a stronger hatred than Othellos and Roderigo so strong that he doesnt care who gets hurt in his revenge (Godfrey 6). He wants everyone to suffer ilk he has (6). Iago disregards Roderigos well being when he tells him that he should get rid of Cassio so that he can be with Desdemona.He also disregards the life of Desdemona by telling Othello that she is sleeping with Cassio. He directs his hatred towards anyone that seems to live honestly (Godfrey 6). The more his plan seemed to work, the mo re his hatred was acted out. In the last scene of the play, Iago kills Roderigo for the fear that he might reveal his plan (Shakespeare 1222). He then calls Emilia a villainous whore and stabs her after she tells Othello that she had picked up that handkerchief and given it to Iago at his request (1231). Iago represents the strongest form of hate in Othello.While Roderigo and Othello took out their hatred on only those that they thought had caused it, Iago took it out on those innocent as well. In Act III Scene iv, Emilia tells Desdemona that They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself (1201). Othello, Roderigo, and Iago were all(prenominal) liable for let their jealousy get out of control. Although Iago was partly to blame, Othello is responsible for not relying on contrary evidence to prevent him from murdering Desdemona. Roderigo is responsible for letting his hatred lead him to attempting to murder C assio.Jealousy turned romantic love into anger and hatred for Othello and Roderigo. Iagos jealousy, however, manifested from a love of power, making it all too dangerous. He sought out power by manipulating others to get the revenge he wanted on Othello and Cassio. All three, however, are examples of the destructiveness that can come from love struck by jealousy. Paradoxically it is Iago who tells Othello O mind my lord, of jealousy It is the green-eyd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on(Shakespeare 1188). Ultimately, this becomes the laying waste of everybody.