Iago, who is known as the Machiavellian villain perpetuates the tragedy by bringing forward a hamartia or a fatal flaw from Othello. As soon as the play begins, Shakespeare used dramatic irony to illustrate Othello’s view of Iago as an honest and trustworthy man through his repeated description of “honest Iago” and “a man of exceeding honesty” to the audience. Of course that is not the case, the audience views Iago to be “Janus-faced” and deceptive through his constant declaration of “I am not what I am” and how he “hates the moor”. This juxtaposition is created so that the audience can empathise with Othello. I know I can definitely empathise with him.
. centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will" ("Existentialism"). The character Hamlet from Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet explores these existential questions, seeking truth and understanding as he tries to come to grips with his father's death. In the end, Hamlet proves to be an exceedingly existential character. Prince Hamlet is a university student who enjoys contemplating difficult philosophical questions.
. centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will" ("Existentialism"). The character Hamlet from Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet explores these existential questions, seeking truth and understanding as he tries to come to grips with his father's death. In the end, Hamlet proves to be an exceedingly existential character. Prince Hamlet is a university student who enjoys contemplating difficult philosophical questions.
A man whoʼs twisted conscious haunts him by placing him in a state of paranoia, confusion, and weakness. He wants to ease his conscious, but can not seem to take the action to do so. There is a battle within him and while he does lose, there is a sense that deep inside he wishes he had the strength to win. In the entrance of Claudius, we have a king who seems to be competent in caring for the kingdom. This raises the first question of his moral motives.
This lets the audience gain an understanding of the motifs such as evil intentions, thoughts and counterparts in the human nature behind both corresponding literature. Earthly desires erupt from aspects of human nature as we gain the tendency to ponder on malignant thoughts. Shakespeare’s use of archetype in the play Othello examines this concept. He has manifested one of literature’s most complex archetypical villains, Iago, as a vehicle to convey the harsh and self-centred human nature that lies within us. Having not received the promotion, recurring motifs such as jealousy, greed and revenge overcloud Iago’s mind.
In Iago’s soliloquy, Shakespeare masterfully uses language so to encourage the audience to both respect and resent him simultaneously. Although Iago is malevolent and deceitful, his ability to fool others around him leads to a level of respect and admiration in an audience. The language Shakespeare employs in Iago is practical and direct, contrasting to Othello’s heroic and epic speech patterns. This is especially shown through Iago’s use of base and simplistic imagery presented when describing Roderigo as “poor trash of Venice”, causing Iago to appear more relatable than Othello. Through Shakespeare’s use of animal imagery when Iago articulates that he will make Othello “egregiously an ass”, the audience is forced to begrudgingly admire Iago for his astuteness and his ability to warp a situation to his own advantage.
The Fools songs, riddles and jokes are a source of comic relief, used to break up the intensity of scenes. The Fool appears to have a deceptively simple part in the play when in actual fact his role is of key significance. The Fool and Lear have a fascinating relationship throughout the play. Lear seems to depend on his Fool increasingly to be his voice of reason or his conscience, because he reminds Lear of all his mistakes and manipulates his feelings into realising them. This is a great irony as the King who is supposed to be wise is in-fact a fool, yet the Fool himself is full of
From these thing, it is made clear that Lear is not only rash and insecure but also thoughtless and stupid. Based on these pieces of textual evidence, I think it is clear that King Lear is motivated by his self-concern, and nothing more. Shakespeare causes us to think this through both his words and his actions throughout Act
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. Shakespeare does not dance around with back stories for the characters; rather he launches straight into Lear’s grand mistake in the first scene, and leaves the characters actions to imprint on the audience’s mind, introducing them. Lear’s flaws become evident immediately, even if the consequences of such flaws are not fully unveiled until later. Lear’s pride can be dismantled to have many layers; too proud to accept the truth in Cordelia’s words, seeking only mindless, false flattery; too proud to listen to Kent’s wise warnings, hearing only ignorant interruptions. ‘In thy best consideration check this hideous rashness.’ Lear does not only ignore the good advice his good friend Kent is giving him, he also
Hamlet’s soliloquy functions to attract the audience, and to reveal important information about the tragic hero: himself. Hamlet’s blatant thoughts of suicide are shocking, but with further analysis, they seem to be logical, when coming from his mental point of view. His propositions challenge human rectitude, and give insight into his current emotions. Though he behaves quite bewilderingly to the audience and to himself, this soliloquy allows onlookers to determine that his mental state is intact, though he is certainly on the brink of panic, for he is in a very stressful situation. This soliloquy perhaps raises more questions than answers, and the answers may be shaded grey, but it is in that respect that “To be, or not to be” is such a success as a work of art.