These include the exploration of human nature and emotion, such as jealousy, manipulation, deception, trust, and innocence; as well as the concept of “good versus evil”. The references to Othello’s colour and origins is one aspect where contemporary audiences would have a differing outlook to those of Shakespearean audiences. In Shakespearean times, it would appear from the play that there was some acceptance by all, even Othello (“haply, for I am black…” III, iii, 267) of the references made to distinguish him from “white” culture. In modern times, this is seen as racism. To the contemporary reader, Othello is frequently marginalised by references to him as “the Moor”, and at a baser level, by direct colour references in a derogatory way: “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe…… or else the devil will make a grandsire of you”(Iago, Act 1, i, 88), and his race being related to unnatural things (“..and must be driven to find out practices of cunning hell….” Brabantio, I,ii,102).
To convey Othello’s disdain for Desdemona’s supposed infidelity, Shakespeare uses an animal motif which is present throughout most of the play. Ironically, the motif is usually used to describe Othello who uses it describe Desdemona’s animalistic desires, when in reality the many comparisons of Othello to a beast dehumanize him and label him as stupid which proves that one should never be too trusting of others as Othello trusted Iago. The symbolism of Othello’s handkerchief also reflects Desdemona’s demise because of its evolution as a symbol throughout the play; initially, the handkerchief is a symbol of Othello’s love for Desdemona, but once manipulated by Iago, it becomes seen as a symbol of faithfulness in marriage or rather the lack of it. Shakespeare employs dramatic irony when Iago tells Othello that he has discovered the handkerchief in Cassio’s chambers though the audience knows that to be false which enrages Othello and ultimately drives him to kill his own wife, which
As a general, Othello is seen as someone who has power but as a Moor he is given no respect. Thus, the people in the play call Othello by the name the Moor rather than by his name. Most characters that call Othello “the Moor” are usually the ones that have hatred or anger towards Othello. Iago told Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Desdemona could have never married Othello. And the reason why she married Othello was because Othello was using spells on her.
Andres Chacon Andres Chacon Role of Race in Othello by William Shakespeare Role of Race in Othello by William Shakespeare The theme of race plays a significant role in Shakespeare’s portrayal of Othello. In "Othello" Othello is called a moor, a Moor is a dark skinned man with a Muslim background. He is treated differently than others because of his skin color. People use his skin color as a way to attack him. Although Othello is wildly respected because of his hard work to become general, Iago uses Othello’s skin color to try and destroy his reputation.
Richard overcompensates his inferiority. Richard is directly influenced by a society that does not respect him, and so he does not respect himself or society. Richard is a slave to his devilish nature, and acts on his animal instinct throughout the play. These animal characteristics are emphasized by the various metaphors in the play. The other characters liken Richard “to wolves, to spiders, toads, or any creeping venom’d thing that lives.” Shakespeare portrays Richard as a monster and a beast.
Madness in Hamlet and King Lear The subject of madness is a major theme in two of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, “Hamlet” and “King Lear”. In both of these plays, a character feigns insanity to carry out a motive - Hamlet and Edgar respectively. However, while it is made quite clear to the audience that Edgar is only pretending to be a mad beggar (“Whiles I may escape I will preserve myself, and am bethought to take the basest and most poorest shape that ever penury, in contempt of man brought near to beast”), it is somewhat less clear whether Hamlet has crossed the line and lost control of his “antic disposition”. Shakespeare gives evidence which suggests that Hamlet is sane by having three other men also witness the manifestation of the ghost of Hamlet’s father. If Hamlet were to have seen his father’s ghost by himself, there would be a greater argument for him being insane from the outset of the play.
How far do you agree that ‘The play King Lear presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers us no comfort at the end?’ Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ falls under Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, with the fact that the characters are royal, and therefore have an enormous amount to lose. Moreover, the destructive downfall of not only King Lear but most of the characters in the play is due to the fatal flaw of pride in the king. The embellished language in the play is mainly in verse, and coupled with the unusual language forms of The Fool and Edgar as ‘Poor Tom’, this further links the play with the traditional definition of tragedy. ‘This fellow has banished two on’s daughters and did the third a blessing against his will.’ Untangling the meaning on The Fool’s words can be difficult, but it is clear he is the voice of reason and wisdom whispering in Lear’s ear throughout the play. Despite all this negativity, it would be a great over-simplification to assume that the overall play ‘presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers no comfort at the end’, though this is an easy assumption to make given the obvious bleakness that infects the play throughout.
In this essay, I will look at the role of Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet – in particular, the eventual tragic deaths of the “star-crossed” lovers – and the manner in which Shakespeare uses Friar Lawrence as a means to challenge ideas of fate and light/darkness through his use of language, imagery and metaphor. From the first appearance of Friar Lawrence in Act 2 Scene 3, we can see that he uses a lot of contrasts which help to depict the dramatic contrasts in the entire play. His statements such as, “eastern clouds with streaks of light; and flecked darkness like a drunkard reels” and “baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers” show that Friar Lawrence helps to set-up the contrasts within the entire play, and that he hints towards the eventual deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The contrasts between ‘tomb’ and ‘womb’ in the line “the earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb; what is her burying grave, that is her womb”, also show for the audience that the fate of Romeo and Juliet is almost foretold and that despite the play resulting in their deaths, their families will begin a new ‘life’ as allies. Friar Lawrence
In his tragedies Shakespeare is concerned with seeming and being, with appearance versus reality, which in Othello these are epitomized in the hypocrite Iago: Hypocrisy is the only evil that walks invisible except to God alone. Shakespeare has held back from introducing Othello directly. Instead Othello had been presented in fiercely racial terms such as “thick lips”, “old black ram”, “Barbary horse”, “lascivious Moor”, “devil”, in the first scene. (Act 1, scene 1) Nevertheless in the second scene through his manner and bearing, Othello immediately counters the uncomplimentary image which has been so painstakingly constructed. He is presented as a man who rejects impulsive action in a way that is soothing and calming.
It should be seen as a tragedy/comedy. Life is not always 100% happy, so why should a play be ? We have to remember that in Elizabethan times, Jews were universally hated. The audience couldn't feel any sympathy for Shylock's fate but instead find it laughable instead of tragic just because he's a Jew. Furthermore, the play is set in far away Venice, which makes it less real for an English audience and makes them less able to relate to the tragic elements of the play.