" As this metaphor suggests, jealousy is closely associated with the theme of appearance and reality.
Manhood and Honor.
Womanhood and Sexuality.
Critical approaches to Othello. There have been numerous interpretations of Othello over the last 400 years.
Virginia Mason Vaughan discusses four recent critical approaches: feminist, new historicist, marxist and post-colonial. Othello was crafted at the dawn of the 17th century, shaped by complex social and geopolitical issues that new historicist critics, who seek to place literary works within a historical framework, have recently sought to unravel. Yet from its first staging to the present, Othello has also been among the few Shakespearean plays to be repeatedly staged to enthusiastic audiences, not only in England, but across the globe. This continuing appeal suggests that the tragedy transcends the time and location in which it was written, provoking new interpretations from generation to generation, place to place. In order to fully appreciate Othello, we need to see it in its multifaceted historical context – then – and consider the myriad ways it speaks to audiences now.
View images from this item (3) Literature Essay Samples. Choose one non-dramatic text offered on the module, (an extract from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Literary Remains,) and show how it might help us understand Othello.
The extract presents a sustained attack by Coleridge on Shakespeare for his lack of realism in the ‘monstrous’ depiction of a marriage between a ‘beautiful Venetian girl,’ and a ‘veritable negro,’ in Othello. He sees Shakespeare’s transformation of a ‘barbarous negro’ into a respected soldier and nobleman of stature as ‘ignorant’, since at the time, ‘negroes were not known except as slaves.’
(Appendix) The extract seems to raise two questions – how central is the taboo of miscegeny to the play, and to what extent is Othello’s reputation able to counter this prejudice? It is certainly not hard to conclude that it is probably Shakespeare’s most controversial play. Main Themes of Othello - Video & Lesson Transcript. One of Shakespeare's more famous plays, 'Othello' is a classic tragedy featuring love, jealousy, and ultimately, death.
In this lesson, we will explore some of the play's strongest themes. Plot Overview Love, deception, jealous, murder; while these may sound like story lines from a Hollywood soap opera, they represent some of the big ideas from Shakespeare's classic play, Othello. In this play, Shakespeare tells the story of Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. Othello is married to Desdemona, the daughter of a Senator named Brabantio. Major Themes Let's explore some of the major themes in Othello that lead to its tragic conclusion, including racial prejudice, manipulation, and jealousy.
Racial Prejudice Prejudice is a major theme in Othello, mainly because Othello is black and Desdemona is white. Othello is frequently described as if he were an animal or a hypersexualized beast, descriptions that reflect the widely held beliefs about black men during this time. Manipulation. Theme of Jealousy in Othello by Shakespeare - 1643 Words. Introduction The play Othello is among the most famous tragic plays written by Shakespeare.
The story concentrates on four main characters namely Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Lago. Due to its varied nature and the fact that it addresses important themes such as betrayal, love, death and jealousy, it is still performed in many theatres today. It stands out as a unique play with a personal setting describing the aspirations and private lives of the main characters. The jealousy displayed by Othello and the villainous nature of Lago are some of the qualities that impress the readers of the play. In addition, the relationship among the characters makes the play unique (Sparknotes 1).Othello and Lago show close associations which make it difficult to figure out who has the greatest responsibility in the play.
The Theme of Jealousy in Othello Shakespeare was one of the most prominent writers who ever lived. The deeds of Lago and his words portray him as a manipulative character. Conclusion. Major Themes. Explore the different themes within William Shakespeare's tragic play, Othello.
Themes are central to understanding Othello as a play and identifying Shakespeare's social and political commentary. In Othello, the major themes reflect the values and the motivations of characters. Love In Othello, love is a force that overcomes large obstacles and is tripped up by small ones. It is eternal, yet derail-able. Othello finds that love in marriage needs time to build trust, and his enemy works too quickly for him to take that time. Iago often falsely professes love in friendship for Roderigo and Cassio and betrays them both.