Othello is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, and it is easy to see why. The story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting emotions rule over reason. Othello, the play’s protagonist, is a perfect example of how human nature can lead to tragedy when left unchecked.
Othello is a Moorish general who has recently married Desdemona, a beautiful young Venetian woman. Othello is very much in love with his new bride, but he is also consumed by jealousy. When Othello’s ensign, Iago, starts to plant seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind about Desdemona’s fidelity, Othello starts to spiral into a jealous rage.
Othello’s jealousy ultimately leads him to murder Desdemona in a fit of rage. When Othello realizes what he has done, he is consumed with remorse and kills himself. Shakespeare uses Othello’s tragedy to illustrate the dangers of allowing emotions to control one’s Actions.
While Othello is certainly not responsible for all of the tragedy that befalls him, his tragic flaw is unquestionably his inability to control his emotions. Othello serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of human nature unchecked by reason. Shakespeare shows us that even the most level-headed people are capable of committing terrible acts when their emotions are allowed to run wild.
In Othello, Shakespeare creates a mood that challenges the way people see themselves and the world. Racism, sexism, love, hatred, envy, pride, and deception are all discussed in detail in Othello to allow the audience to view not just the characters but also themselves. The play of Othello was written at a time when racial tensions were high in England.
Jones also claims that Shakespeare is not only speaking to his time, but also “to all time about the tragedy of human nature” (39). Othello can be read as a play about race and racial difference, or it can be read as a play about human nature. Othello can also be read as both.
Othello is a play about human nature because it challenges the way people see themselves and the world. Othello is a black man who is in love with a white woman, Desdemona. This was very taboo during Shakespeare’s time. Othello is also a general in the Venetian army.
He is a successful man, but he is not respected by everyone because he is black. Othello is a tragic hero because he is a good man who makes a fatal mistake. He kills his wife, Desdemona, because he believes she is cheating on him with his friend, Cassio. Othello’s jealously and pride leads to his downfall.
Othello is also a play about race and racial difference. Othello is black and Desdemona is white. This was very taboo during Shakespeare’s time. People were not used to seeing mixed relationships. Othello is also from Africa and he is considered to be an outsider in Venice. Othello is judged by the color of his skin and he is not always given the benefit of the doubt. Othello faces a lot of discrimination because of the color of his skin.
It is in this context that Shakespeare began his masterpiece Othello, a tragedy about a good black Arab general, Othello, who falls in love with and marries Desdemona, the daughter of a senator. From the information given above, one may infer that Shakespeare wrote Othello to emphasize the fact that all people are essentially similar in nature. Giraldi Cinthio’s Italian love tale provided the source for Shakespeare’s concept. Shakespeare dwells more on the distinctions in color and age between Othello and Desdemona than Cinthio does.
Othello is an outsider, dark-skinned and a foreigner, while Desdemona is an insider, fair-skinned and a native. The contrast between Othello’s darkness and Desdemona’s light is symbolic of the difference between the natural order and the social order. Othello represents what is wild, passionate, and uncontrollable in human nature, while Desdemona represents the rational, civilized side.
The tragedy of Othello can be seen as a conflict between Othello’s animal nature and his reason. Othello succumbs to Iago’s suggestion that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him and kills her. Othello realizes too late that he has been deceived by Iago into committing a horrible crime. Othello’s tragedy is caused by his own weakness, which is his uncontrolled jealousy. Jealousy is a natural human emotion, but Othello allows it to control him and destroy his life.
Shakespeare’s Othello is not just a story about the conflict between good and evil, or between reason and passion. It is also a story about the tragedy of human nature. We are all Othellos, capable of great love and great evil. We are all victims of our own weaknesses and our own passions. The tragedy of Othello is the tragedy of us all.
In this case, the color of Othello’s clothes breaks his connection to the rest of Venetian society and emphasizes his vulnerability due to his race. In addition, not just is Othello vulnerable to flaws, but so are all key characters in the tragedy. The tragedy reminds us that even a person’s excellent nature can be exploited for evil.
The dramatic conflict in Othello, through connections and emotional dispositions, explores a theme that all people are vulnerable to loss even if they are in positions of authority and renown. The relationships in the play serve to illustrate the fragility of individuals who get personally involved with other individuals.
Iago is the perfect example of how people can be destroyed emotionally. Othello trusts Iago implicitly and gives him nearly complete control over his life but Iago uses this trust to manipulate Othello into believing that Desdemona is cheating on him. Othello falls for Iagos lies and ends up killing his wife as a direct result. Othello is not the only one who suffers in the play, Iago suffers as well. He gets what he wants in the end but it destroys him emotionally. Emotional vulnerability is one of the main themes of the play.
Characters put their emotions on display for others to see which leaves them open to possible exploitation by other characters in the play. Othello is an excellent example of a character who is destroyed by his own emotions. Othello is a tragic hero because he falls from a position of power and glory due to his own emotional weaknesses.