Othello and the Moor of Venice Essay

The play, the Tragedy of Othello and the Moor of Venice, written by William Shakespeargon has art objecty profound and reoccurring themes throughout. One major theme is that of treachery and doglikety. During the entire play both slip is either loyal to, or betrays another(prenominal) character. The theme of betrayal and loyalty is seen through every character and every act in the play especi totallyy in Iago, Desdemona, and Othello. Every character that is portrayed as be loyal is disloyal, and every character that is portrayed as organism disloyal is loyal.No one ever knows who and who not to trust, and this adds a rophy of drama and build up to the story line. This play shows you that you understructure neer trust anyone, and that you should keep your friends close but your enemies even closer. In much(prenominal)(prenominal) a web of love, detestation and betrayal, it is really hard to say who are the protagonist and the antagonist. But, through these gray areas, one could see that sometimes such strong emotions could vary one to another. Yet with A. C. Bradley, the play was described as by far the most ro patchtic figure among Shakespeares heroes(Shakespearean Tragedy, 1).This is an satire at play. The description is quite unexpected since it is about a man who assassinates his own wife. Nonetheless, it could be observed that this crime resulted from Othellos feelings of hate for Desdemona which had when their family relationship began, started as an overwhelming love for her. The transformation from love to hate that transpired inwardly Othello also inflicted the characters Iago and Roderigo and hatred induced them to murder of innocent people as come up. Roderigos love for Desdemona was transformed into hate towards any man that he thought was loved by her.Iagos love for his job and his wife, genus genus Emilia changed into a destructive hatred of Cassio and Othello. As a result of their hatred Cassio, Emilia, and at the end they were killed. The connection between love and hate in William Shakespeares Othello is the ugly feeling of green-eyed junky that caused such transformations. Jealousy peck be described as a fear of losing something or soulfulness that is valuable (Godfrey 2). As minor as this feeling appears to be by that definition, it can take on varying degrees of damaging behavior. Othello, Roderigo, and Iago had become inactivate by jealousy.Their thoughts, actions, and behaviors were ruled by it. Jealousy caused their inability to act rationally. They became insane and unable to love. Roderigo begins with a small jealousy of Othello for being married to Desdemona. It isnt until Iago becomes Roderigo believe Desdemona does not really love Othello that Roderigo becomes destructive. Roderigo pays Iago for this false hope that he will be with Desdemona (1162). When he believes he is getting closer to being with her, however, Iago tells him that it might not happen because Desdemona is in love with Cassio (1169-70).Roderigo is greatly arouse by this and resolves to do what it takes to stop Cassio from getting Desdemona even if it means fetching his life. His attempt to kill Cassio, however, is unsuccessful, and instead he is the one injured (1175). Roderigo is no longer consumed with thoughts of being with Desdemona. Instead he is consumed with feelings of hatred toward those who might bear her love and attention. Othello had a thick love for Desdemona in the beginning of the play. He was however also very insecure of Desdemonas love for him (Mabillard 1).He doesnt understand why she would go against her grow and her society by marrying a man that is black (1). The exactly reason that he can come up with is that she married him for his courageous journeys (1). In Act I scene iii he explains to the Duke, She lovd me for the dangers I had passd (Shakespeare 1157). In Act III scene ii he tries to puzzle his doubts to rest by say himself that Desdemonas compassionate and virtuous nature makes it possible for her to love him (Mabillard 1).However, when Iago starts to castt ideas of her infidelity into Othellos head the doubts come up and his insecurity becomes stronger than ever before (2). His insecurity about his worth to Desdemona combine with the reaffirmation from Iago of her affair creates his heated jealousy. After Iago provides the last piece of test copy that Othello needs (the handkerchief in Act IV Scene i) Othello however has hatred for Desdemona. But it must be understood that, Desdemona, is a character of both betrayal and loyalty. Yet in a very dissimilar way, for when she is disloyal to a character it is out of loyalty and love for another character.She must lie to her father to be with her true love Othello Desdemona tells her father that she is loyal to him, but has to choose Othello over him (Othello, 1, 3, 208-220).. In relation to the muniment of the Moors in Europe, the Moors were looked down upon as with Desdemonas fath er looked down on Othello. Moors were seen as being barbaric and ruthless warriors, only bred for being ruthless warriors and nothing else. That is why it is so profound that Desdemona is so undeniably in love with Othello and will do whatever it takes to be with him, even turn her back on her own family.Desdemona is always loyal to Othello throughout the play and Iago does his lift out to disprove this by getting into Othellos mind. Othello believes Iago and says Desdemona is disloyal and cheats on him and does not trust her when she says, For twas this hand that gave away my heart. (Othello, 3, 4, 52) Desdemona does her best to prove to Othello that it is only he that she loves and no one else. Othello has been deeply brainwash by Iago and is scared into believing that Desdemona may be cheating on him with Cassio.This causes Othello to seek revenge on Cassio, and ruins his relationship with Desdemona. Iago really is the mastermind of all betrayals and jealousy, and Othello falls for it badly. As Albert Gerard explained in his article egregiously and Ass, The Dark side of meat of the Moor A View of Othellos Mind, if Desdemona failed him than everything failed him (5). He was dependent on her for representing truth in the world (5). She represented an ideal image of rectitude to him (5). In Act III scene iii he exclaims, If she be false, O Then heaven mocks itself (Shakespeare 1191).Since the vision of her is so highly valued, the mishap that she is a lie devastates Othello (5). D. R. Godfrey notes that Othellos jealousy is strong enough to make him crazy (Shakespeare and the Green-Eyed Monster 2). He loses the ability to think rationally which is why he doesnt seek the truth from those supposedly entangled and the circumstantial evidence is enough, in his eyes, to justly murder Desdemona (2). Godfrey further supports Othellos inability of rational thought by his idea that Desdemona and Iago have slept unneurotic a thousand times(3).If Othello were thin king rationally, he would have cognize that there couldnt have been enough time for them to have that deep of an affair (3). His hatred of Cassio is apparent as he tells Iago Within these terzetto days let me hear thee say that Cassios not unrecorded (Shakespeare 1196). Before he comes to believe that Cassio is having an affair with his wife, Othello valued him enough to blame him as lieutenant. Othello transforms from a man who loves deeply and lives with honor into a man full of hatred and vengeance. Like Roderigo, such a transformation occurs because of jealousy brought on by the words of Iago.Iago makes the cause of his loathing for Othello and Cassio apparent in the first scene of Act I Cassios appointment as lieutenant being one (1145) and the second being his suspicion that Othello has slept with his wife, Emilia (1163). D. R. Godfrey describes these experiences to Iago as devastating, to the point of working a profound and sudden change in Iago, a virtual metamorphosis (Shakespeare and the Green-Eyed Monster 6). Othellos trust of Iago shows that he had once been a loyal, honest man (Watkinson 2). He even refers to him as honest Iago on multiple occasions (2).Watkinson explains that Othellos dependency on Iago becomes even stronger when Iago brings the supposed affair to his attention ( The humourous Interdependence of Othello and Iago 3). He also manipulates Roderigo into thinking that he is only looking for out for his best interests. Iagos jealousy breeds a stronger hatred than Othellos and Roderigo so strong that he doesnt care who gets hurt in his revenge (Godfrey 6). He wants everyone to suffer like he has (6). Iago disregards Roderigos well being when he tells him that he should get rid of Cassio so that he can be with Desdemona.He also disregards the life of Desdemona by telling Othello that she is sleeping with Cassio. He directs his hatred towards anyone that seems to live honestly (Godfrey 6). The more his plan seemed to work, the more his hatred was acted out. In the last scene of the play, Iago kills Roderigo for the fear that he might reveal his plan (Shakespeare 1222). He then calls Emilia a villainous whore and stabs her after she tells Othello that she had picked up that handkerchief and given it to Iago at his request (1231). Iago represents the strongest form of hate in Othello.While Roderigo and Othello took out their hatred on only those that they thought had caused it, Iago took it out on those innocent as well. In Act III Scene iv, Emilia tells Desdemona that They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself (1201). Othello, Roderigo, and Iago were each responsible for letting their jealousy get out of control. Although Iago was partly to blame, Othello is responsible for not relying on reverse evidence to prevent him from murdering Desdemona. Roderigo is responsible for letting his hatred lead him to attempting to murder Cassio. Jealousy turned romantic love into anger and hatred for Othello and Roderigo. Iagos jealousy, however, manifested from a love of power, making it all too dangerous. He want out power by manipulating others to get the revenge he cherished on Othello and Cassio. All three, however, are examples of the destructiveness that can come from love laid low(p) by jealousy. Paradoxically it is Iago who tells Othello O Beware my lord, of jealousy It is the green-eyd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on(Shakespeare 1188). Ultimately, this becomes the downfall of everybody.