The Themes of Othello (The Assigment)

“OTHELLO”

William Shakespeare is one of the famous writers of Victorian centuries. The famous play that knows one can forget is the play ‘OTHELLO’. Othello was a story that teaches many people about life. There are many themes in Othello but the most well known theme in Othello is jealousy. Othello shows us the incidents that might happen because of jealousy.

 

In the play Othello , Iago displays his jealousy of Cassio. He says that Cassio, has steal the job Iago wanted, while Iago has to keep on being "his Moorship's ancient”. A little later, Roderigo, who is desperately in love with Desdemona, expresses his jealousy of Othello's marriage to Desdemona by exclaiming, "What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe” this is where Roderigo show his jealousy towards the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. 

After Desdemona makes it clear that she loves and honors her husband, Brabantio remains vindictive, and bitterly warns Othello that Desdemona may turn out to be a betrayal. No father has ever expressed a more hateful jealousy of his son-in-law. In a soliloquy at the end of the first scene in Cyprus, Iago speaks of his own motivations. He says he also likes Desdemona but not out of sex feeling but he wants to take revenge on Othello. This revenge is for his own suspicion that Othello has gone to bed with Emilia. The phrase "even'd with him, wife for wife," seems to mean that he has some notion that he might have sex with Desdemona, but it's not the sex that's important. Othello must feel that same poisonous jealousy that Iago feels. This shows that the suspicion that Iago has on the relationship between his wife Emilia and Othello turns him into a jealousy person to take revenge against Othello.

After having delivered a series of  telling bad about Desdemona, Iago encourages Othello to think about them by saying that they may not be worth thinking about.  Iago has shown his "jealousy" in its general sense of "suspicion," but  whether he knows it or not  he has also told the truth about himself. We have already seen that his jealousy has made a false statement about Emilia, he suspects that she is sleeping with both Othello and Desdemona.

 Othello will face with this problem until he kills Desdemona; he has no way to resolve his doubt. He says to Iago that he will not concern himself with such betrayal In short, Iago's inferences are disgusting exaggerations. However, Iago has not actually made any inferences; he's implied much, but he's been very careful not to make any accusations, not to say anything that could be refuted or disproved. Instead, it's Othello who is making jealous inferences even as he's denying that he can be jealous.  An outgoing personality doesn't make a woman loose. But he wouldn't have to remind himself of that if he weren't jealous. Similarly, he says, “Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw / the smallest fear or doubt of her revolt; / for she had eyes, and chose me". Again, Othello is right. Before her father and the world Desdemona proclaimed her choice, but if he weren't jealous he wouldn't have to remind himself that she chose him.

Othello already has strong suspicions, not from seeing anything, but just from listening to Iago. Still worse, Othello is prepared to hear and believe whatever Iago says next. Othello believes that he's not the jealous type and he believes that Iago is his honest friend, so he believes that Iago couldn't be lying and he believes that he himself can't be mistaken. Iago then uses more reverse psychology, telling Othello to "Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; / Wear your eye thus, not jealous nor secure".In other words, Othello shouldn't be jealous, but if he's not, Desdemona is likely to take advantage of him.

Later in the scene, alone on the stage after Emilia has given him Desdemona's handkerchief, Iago reveals his plan for using the handkerchief to deepen Othello's jealousy. He will put the handkerchief in Cassio's room, where Cassio will find it. This will serve Iago's purpose because  when Othello sees Cassio with the handkerchief he thinks that he has seen the proof that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. When Desdemona can't find her special handkerchief she feels guilty, and she's glad that "my noble Moor / Is true of mind and made of no such baseness / As jealous creatures are," because otherwise the loss of the handkerchief might be  enough to put him into suspicious on Desdemona . Emilia seems to have a doubt about Othello not being jealous, but Desdemona says confidently, "I think the sun where he was born / Drew all such humours from him". Desdemona is sure that something have made Othello a jealous man.

However, when Othello arrives, ask  Desdemona about the handkerchief, and then storms out, Emilia asks, "Is not this man jealous?". Desdemona tries to convince herself that Othello is only upset by something that happened at work, but Emilia, unconvinced by Desdemona's reasoning.  Emilia clearly thinks that Othello could be leaving  with the stupid idea that Desdemona is unfaithful to him  A little later in the scene Cassio asks his prostitute girlfriend Bianca to copy Desdemona's handkerchief for him. Bianca is already unhappy with Cassio because he hasn't been to see her in a week, and the sight of a woman's hankderchief gives her an attack of jealousy. She teases Cassio that "is some token from a newer from”. Cassio goes on to explain that he found the handkerchief in his chambers. Although that's true, it sounds like a lame excuse, but Bianca copes with her jealousy. She takes the handkerchief and wants to talk about when she'll see Cassio again.

Later in the scene the will be apart that Iago will ask Cassio about Bianca and he teases cassio with his intimate relationship with Bianca but Iago ask Othello to listen to their conversation secretly so that Othello will know the real character of Desdemona. It  works as Iago plans and Othello thinks that the conversation is about Cassio and Desdemona’s secret relationship.

The jealousy that builds in Othello made him until to kill Desdemona. Later Emilia got to know about the handkerchief matter and she told Othello that Iago is the wan ask her to take the handkerchief. Othello couldn’t do anything because Desdemona is already death by the time Emilia tells the truth. Later knowing the truth Othello kills Iago.

As a conclusion, jealousy is a silent killer. It will poison a person to their worst tragedy. From this play as a human we should know the way to solve a problem in a correct manner rather than being jealous on somebody and wasting our own life.   

From 

Sankari

Biblography:

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Wordsworth Editions. 12. Retrieved from Google Books on November 5, 2010. ISBN 1-85326-018-5,

 Ackroyd, Peter (2006), Shakespeare: The Biography, London: Vintage, ISBN 9780749386559.
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