How Is Othello’s Loss of Control and the Depravity of His Mind Reflected in the Change in His Language?

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It is through the comparison of the Othello’s language at the start of the scene and his language as the story progresses that Othello’s loss of control and depravity of his mind is reflected. At the start of the scene, Othello presents himself as confident: in his love with Desdemona and within himself. He is loving and devoted towards his new wife stating that he “will deny thee nothing”; although as the scene progresses, it is clear that Othello is losing control of his mind as he is overcome by jealousy and rage. The man behind this calculating act is Iago. Shakespeare uses the dramatic device of the Machiavel to portray Iago who manipulates Othello in order to prompt jealousy within him. Iago reveals his plot to make the Moor jealous by marring Desdemona’s virtue in the eyes of Othello. As Iago’s plot unveils, Othello begins to descend into a kind of madness and seems to be in two states of mind about Desdemona’s fidelity and is tormented by the information Iago has manipulated. Othello highlights his change in attitudes towards Desdemona explaining that “Her name that was as fresh as Dian’s visage is now begrimed and black as mine own face.” This darkness/light imagery highlights how Othello feel separated to Desdemona by his ‘black’ face. This rapid change in language, portraying Desdemona as his ‘sweet’ Desdemona at the start of the play then later going on to call her an ‘excellent wretch’. The contrasting of Othello’s language at the start of scene and the end of the scene laments the loss of his sanity, rationality and his loss of interest in his life with

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