As I read Othello I paid close attention to each line written by Shakespeare. One thing I noticed was the way Shakespeare connected the beginning of the play to the end when Othello dies. The connection I am discussing refers to the idea of Othello being seen throughout the play as a hero who bestows the qualities of a medieval knight: honor and duty. Othello is so keen on the idea of honor that he even admits in Act 5, Scene 2 that he killed Desdemona out of honor and not hate: "An honorable murderer, if you will,/For naught did [Othello] in hate, but in all honor" (pg. 162 ). In continuance, in the same act and on page 164, Othello's speech, before he commits suicide, refers back to that same idea of honor. In his last long speech, Othello admits he was a fool for killing Desdemona, "Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away/Richer than all his tribe" (pg. 164). He ends his speech referring back to the honorable qualities he was known for. "And I say besides that in Aleppo once,/Where a malignant and tubaned Turk/Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,/I took by th' throat the circumcised dog,/And smote him, thus" (164), before killing himself. Othello dies professing his loyalty to the Ventians. He ends his life with a tale of honor and duty. This connects back to the beginning of the play because this is the way Othello "won" Desdemona. He was known as an extremely loyal Venetian and his tales of his past adventures and loyalty to the state won Desdemona's heart. In the same way, and at the end of the play, Othello ends with a tale of valiance, respect and admiration. I feel that in doing this, Shakespeare wants the reader to keep in mind that Othello really was a good and innocent character. It was manipulation and trickery that drove him crazy and ultimately resulted in the killing of Desdemona.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
From Beginning to End
As I read Othello I paid close attention to each line written by Shakespeare. One thing I noticed was the way Shakespeare connected the beginning of the play to the end when Othello dies. The connection I am discussing refers to the idea of Othello being seen throughout the play as a hero who bestows the qualities of a medieval knight: honor and duty. Othello is so keen on the idea of honor that he even admits in Act 5, Scene 2 that he killed Desdemona out of honor and not hate: "An honorable murderer, if you will,/For naught did [Othello] in hate, but in all honor" (pg. 162 ). In continuance, in the same act and on page 164, Othello's speech, before he commits suicide, refers back to that same idea of honor. In his last long speech, Othello admits he was a fool for killing Desdemona, "Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away/Richer than all his tribe" (pg. 164). He ends his speech referring back to the honorable qualities he was known for. "And I say besides that in Aleppo once,/Where a malignant and tubaned Turk/Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,/I took by th' throat the circumcised dog,/And smote him, thus" (164), before killing himself. Othello dies professing his loyalty to the Ventians. He ends his life with a tale of honor and duty. This connects back to the beginning of the play because this is the way Othello "won" Desdemona. He was known as an extremely loyal Venetian and his tales of his past adventures and loyalty to the state won Desdemona's heart. In the same way, and at the end of the play, Othello ends with a tale of valiance, respect and admiration. I feel that in doing this, Shakespeare wants the reader to keep in mind that Othello really was a good and innocent character. It was manipulation and trickery that drove him crazy and ultimately resulted in the killing of Desdemona.
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I like the identification of the theme of heroism. I was thinking about this aspect even as he murdered his own wife, a deed that does not seem heroic. I think that in a way, he saw the murder as necessary, and therefore honorable. What Othello thought Desdomona did to him brought him dishonor, something that a war hero could not live with. In order to maintain his valor and significance in society, he would not be able to associate with such a woman as Desdamona was portrayed to be by Iago. The idea of honor is very evident in this play.
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