Othello Themes and Nature of Tragedy

Othello Themes and Nature of Tragedy

  • Submitted By: mad80boy
  • Date Submitted: 02/26/2009 12:54 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 939
  • Page: 4
  • Views: 1

In the play Othello, Shakespeare’s employed many themes such as jealousy, corruption, lies, revenge, manipulation for self gain and prejudice. These themes together with the story of The Tragedy of Othello which is the tragedy of human nature and relationships, moves and challenges us as its still relevant today as our human nature is still the same as the Elizabethan era. The nature of the tragedy, involves so many passions that move us and we are challenged by the ideas about love and manipulation.

The biggest issue dealt within Othello is that of jealousy and revenge. Othello suffers the fate of the jealous which is seen as his tragic flaw. In Iago’s first soliloquy he mentions the goal of promotion and revenge, but puts emphasis on the rumour that Othello has cuckolded him “And I thought abroad that twixt my sheets/ H’as done my office”. This continues into his next soliloquy for he wants to be even with him “wife for wife”. In his keynote line “I am not what I am” he doesn’t present his true self to anyone, so the audience must assume that it’s his true self in his soliloquies. “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” In this quote Iago tries to break down Othello’s self control by talking of jealousy. This quote is metaphoric of jealousy being a monster and the person’s lover the “meat it feeds on”. Othello eventually enters a predicament whether to believe that Desdemona is honest or not “I think my wife be honest, and think she is not”. This apparent paradox puts him in an unbearable position. Othello’s “tragic flaw” takes over and he can not control his jealousy and eventually kills his lover Desdemona “A guiltless death I die”, for the greater the love the greater the potential for jealousy. The whole play is based on the dramatic irony that the audiences know what Othello does not; this is enhanced by Iago’s soliloquies. This issue challenges us with the fact that we ourselves can be...

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