This is a compendium of timed responses, vocab stories and other personal written responses by students in Ms. Reyes's English 12 class.
“Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.” ~William Faulkner
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Othello response
Analyze a theme, a character, or a symbol in Othello.
Curtis Stickler Ms. Reyes English 12 5/5/15 Analyze a character from Othello Iago worked for Othello who was a general in the military. There relationship seemed to be good at the beginning of the book through Othello’s view. At the start of the book Iago tells Desdemona’s father that she had ran off with Othello. Desdemona was Othello’s wife and her father did not approve and went to court because he thought she didn’t want to be with him, but later found out that she loves him to. Iago was plotting against Othello because he didn’t like how he was so high in the military ranks and he was in a lower class. Iago was coming up with a plan that would make Othello do something that would get him into serious trouble. Iagos wife Amelia got Desdemona’s handkerchief from his wife and then gave it to Cassio. Then later Iago told Othello that Cassio had Desdemona’s handkerchief and told him that he thought that she was sleeping with Cassio. Othello was very upset and didn’t know how she could cheat on him. This was all part of Iagos plan because he wanted Othello to let his rage take over. When he went to Desdemona she had no idea about any of this and tried to tell Othello that she would never cheat on him. He did not believe her and said that she has to suffer. He strangled her and had killed her and Amelia came into the room and called for help. Iago eventually came into the room and Amelia finally figured out why Iago wanted the handkerchief. When Amelia told Othello that she had gave the Handkerchief to Iago and Iago gave it to Cassio Othello could no believe what he had done. Iago had lied to him the entire time and was just pretending to help. Othello had stabbed him self because he could not live with what he had done and Iago was sent to be tortured and get the truth out because he would not admit to anything.
An interesting point was brought up in the section in the back of this book, asking the reader questions about Iago; is there a biblical corellation between Iago and Satan? Satan has always been portrayed as someone who is decietful, and if anyone fits that bill it's Iago; the book itself calls Iago a demon or devillish many times, although that could simply be because that was a common corellation to make with a wicked person in that time period. Lucifer, the angel that became Satan (basically), was thrown out of heaven for trying to take control of heaven, and Iago similarly used all his cunning to seize a title of power that he coveted. They both were then punished for their actions when they were inevitably caught. Neither, as far as I'm aware, ever grew attached to another-- which of course brings up the concept of Iago being gay, which at this point I don't really believe to be true; if anything Iago is probably asexual, as he seems unable to have true warmth or desire towards another person, as shown by the lack of care towards his wife and his conning of fellow men. (In fact, there's a scene that shows him using the same powers on his wife, wherein he pretends to be lusting over her until he snatches the handkerchief and no longer has a reason to keep up the charade.) Would the other characters fit into this reference? Desdemona would, certainly, as an angel; she's absolutely pure in every way, it's actually a bit scary how gentle and honest she is-- or she could represent Jesus, because she's such a holy creature among man. As for anyone else, they're not so easy to place. I suppose that Cassio is the closest thing to a God in this story, as he (other than his prostitute lover) seems to be a pretty honest man and brings Iago to justice in the end. Othello would likely symbolize Man in this case, because he is easily wooed by the devil's lies, or perhaps even more likely Judas because of how he fell into the lies and ended up betraying-- and ultimately killing-- Jesus, aka Desdemona. But that seems to be reading into the story a little more than one should; it could be as straightforward as it seems, and the biblical references are just there because they're expected to be there. --Bodine
Cheyenne Helmers Period 3 Othello Response The character that I would like to analyze is Othello. Othello, being a Moor, was a really strong character, which surprised me. Given his high status as Captain, he had a lot of respect from every one around him. He was not afraid to stand against the “whites” and prove himself innocent. He is very grandiloquent and uses that to charm those he speaks to. Othello was a friend to everybody, being loved by all for his exotic persona and bravery. I feel that back in his time, most Moors were considered out-casts in Venice yet, Othello was able to advance quickly in the ranks, being appreciated by people such as the Duke. Othello is very strong willed. Watching Iago slowly rip Othello’s very personality and traits to pieces was heartbreaking. To see a person as strong as Othello was, catch the deadliest disease of all mankind. Jealousy. In Othello we saw how no matter how sure Othello was that Desdemona wouldn’t cheat on him, Iago planted doubt and once it is there, it wont go away. It just gets worse and worse, consuming your every being. I feel that it was disappointing at the end of Othello, as Othello realizes that Iago had been playing him and that Desdemona hadn’t actually cheated on him; therefore he killed her for nothing. He just gave up, and killed himself. I feel like that was kind of a cowardly move, though maybe he thought he was being brave… I think of it more as an act of shame, not wanting to face what was to come. If he had stayed alive all of those people who once cared for him and respected him would look at him as a murder. He would be known not only as the jealous husband who killed his wife, but as the lowly Moor who killed a beautiful highborn white lady. He would be stripped of all his titles and maybe even banished from Venice like the rest of the Moors. At the beginning of the book, I would have thought for him to face his shame and make Iago regret ever destroying his life. That shows you even more how Othello was already gone. It was just a shell of what he once was.
The character I am going to analyze would be Iago. Iago was positioned as an ensign that got promoted to lieutenant for telling the commander Othello about his mistress! Iago is a very persuasive, slimy, and tyrant character who will say anything and do anything to win. He tells Othello the husband of Desdemona that she is cheating on him with his best friend Cassio. Iago keeps feeding and feeding Othello all these lies and plants the seed of corruption and doubt into his head. Othello gave Desdemona a handkerchief with strawberries on it, its a one of a kind handkerchief. Desdemona dropped it and Iago got possession of it through his wife and planted evidence that portrayed proof that Cassio was banging Desdemona behind Othello moorish back. This shows that he is willing to separate and get people killed just so he can be of higher status than everyone else. Iago goes farther and when he gets found out he stabs his wife in the back for she has exposed him of his wrong and devilish ways. Iago also didn't like black people the evidence shows that he didn't like Othello because he has hailed from moor origin. Othello is targeted by Iago due to the fact he is a black commander over an all white army. Iago also has another agenda to get Othello to kill Desdemona. Iago was also paid by Ramondo, so when Cassio dies the position Cassio has goes to Ramondo. Iago thought that it would be better if he killed both and he became the lieutenant instead. This is a classic story from shakespeare. Has a strong love in the beginning and then a gigantic climax to make almost all the main characters turn against each other and die. Even against all odds they decide to kill each other.
Iago is the most devious person by far in The book Othello, Iago is interesting because of his terrible characteristic: his lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for not giving him the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia. Iago mentions this theory again at the end of Act II, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello. None of these theories explain Iago's hatred of Othello, and Iago's lack of motivation makes his actions all the more devious. He is willing to take revenge on anyone at the smallest issue and enjoys the pain and damage afterwards. Most other Shakespearean characters do bad things in order to achieve a goal; usually ambition or revenge. What's different about Iago is that we never really know why Iago wants to destroy Othello. Throughout the play he claims different reasons for his hate. At one point he says he hates him because he passed him over for a promotion and another time he claims he's mad because he had an affair with his wife Emilia. Because of his lack of motives we could conclude that Iago is just plain evil or he could be viewed as a "vice" meaning that his behavior is immoral and tempting. However Iago's character is much more complex than most vice characters in other plays. It is Iago's talent for manipulating the needs of people around him that makes him both a powerful and a compelling figure. Iago is able to take the handkerchief from Emilia and know that he can deflect her questions; he is able to tell Othello of the handkerchief and know that Othello will not doubt him; he is able to tell the audience. Though the most compulsive liar in the play, Iago inspires all of the characters the trait that is most important to Othello: trust.
Iago was once a great man, and for a long time everyone thought he still was one. A true follower of Machiavelli's teachings he is a conniving, cunning, opportunist who stops at nothing to ruin the lives of Othello, Desdemona, and even Roderigo. While his motives are not exactly clear, and there are many possibilities as to why he did what he did; I have my own theory. Iago is what he is because he knows what he was. He is angry and jealous that he is not the handsomest nor strongest nor the most powerful and he thought he was. It’s kind of like a mid-life crisis. He knows that he is the most intelligent person around and he thinks he can use this to be on top again; because thats where he thought he was. He was a hero, he was handsome and strong and powerful, and know he is just someone's advisor. Iago is the incarnate of the worst sin of all; Pride. Pride is the cause of all his hubris. It started when he was a soldier, fighting along side Othello and being the one who saved the day with his best friend, and now he is lesser. He deserves more than this! He is Iago! At least, that is what I think he thinks. He sees all the success of all the people around him and then looks at his own and realizes that he needs more. And he’s probably a sociopath. But maybe he is not the villain. Perhaps he is just misunderstood. Maybe he had a rough childhood. Or, maybe he is gay… No, only one of those statements is true: He is misunderstood. No one really knows his motives and his drive, and we never will. We can only theorize. The End.
Othello Othello is a general in the defense forces in the city-state of Venice who happens to be African. Being African caused him to separate him from others because of his color and where he is from. But even though he was African he had a high status in Venice. He has good judgment being in the military and has good courage in battle. He falls in love with Desdemona and ends up marrying her. During the campaign against the Turks, he is tricked by Iago into believing that his wife has been cheating on him by his lieutenant. I don’t really think he trusted anyone. It was important for him to see proof before he believes. He investigates until he finds answers. I think Iago was very jealous of him and that is why he tricked Othello into thinking his wife isn’t a loyal person. If Othello didn’t get the promotion over Othello the whole story would of honestly been so different. I would not of expected to think that Othello would kill Desdemona because she was trying to show Othello that she really cared. I think Desdemona’s dad didn’t really like his daughter’s choice because of where Othello’s from. When I first met Othell, I didn’t think he would be the jealous type. Othello’s jealousy and Iagos hate is what made this play. I think Othello is very smart for not judging too quick and had to look for evidence before he assumed. Knowing it was a play for Shakespeare I expected everyone to die but I didn’t know that Othello would be the one to kill Desdemona.
Othello is one of the best Shakespeare’s novels. It is very amazing that it can be true to life. Othello as a Moore that has the power, money, and most especially, they call him their Lord. He has his wife who is beautiful and faithful to him. Those things began this hatred and insecureness of Iago to Othello. He became so desperate and jealous about everything of Othello. He planted doubtful, hatred, jealousy, and anger to Othello's mind. He don't care who could be affected even the innocents. The handkerchief that has significance to the love between Othello and Desdemona was used against them. When Iago's wife, Emilia, who don't know about her husbands plans, took Desdemona's handkerchief and handed to Iago. He intentionally let Cassio get it to prove that Desdemona and Cassio were having affairs. First, Othello won't believe Iago and ask him to prove and give some evidence and Iago used the handkerchief and Othello saw it on his own eyes, Cassio's holding the handkerchief. The hatred rises, anger explodes, jealousy overflows. Othello who was very mad, confronted Desdemona, who was innocent and faithful to him and forced her to admit the the sin that we all know she never did. Othello didn't get the answer he wanted to hear and murdered her. Emilia, who spoke up was murdered by his husband Iago. When Othello discovered the truth he felt very sick and sad, wounded Iago and killed himself. He realized what he have done to his wife l, his truthful wife, faithful and loving that he loved the most but killed because of the sin that was untrue. He died beside his wife's corpse. Iago who was the root to this deaths, wounded by Othello, stared at the 3 corpse and slowly died. Love begins the hatred and hatred lasted with love.
Othello is the protagonist in the story. At the beginning of the play, Othello is away from mostly all of the action that concerns him. Roderigo and Iago refer aimlessly to “him” for much of the first scene. When they begin to explain who they are talking about, especially when they do with racial statements or labels, not any name in particular. Like the Moor, the thick lips, and an old black ram. I think they don’t mention his name for that long while because he is frowned upon and he is disrespected even though he is the main character in the play. But Othello appears at the beginning of the second scene, they still do not state his name for a while. Othello stands apart while Cassio and Iago discuss Desdemona. Iago then talks with Othello about all of the things that Cassio had said. Othello wants Cassio to be killed because of the information that Iago had given him about Desdemona’s handkerchief that he had given to her. Which leads him to believe that they had some type of affair with one another. He assumes that Cassio had been killed without actually being there or seeing it. Othello’s place as an outsider is the reason he is such easy victim for Iago. Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice, his skill as a soldier is valuable and he is an essential part of Venetian society. Those who consider Othello their social peer, for example Desdemona and Brabanzio, seem drawn to him because of his bizarre aspects. I would consider Othello to be a romantic man because of the way he spoke of Desdemonda and the way he viewed her parents’ opinions of him. Othello admits to such for example when he tells the duke about his friendship with Brabanzio. He says, “Desdemona’s father loved me.” Othello is able to grip his fellow peoples attention with his speech. In my opinion, at times he can be rude with his choice of words. The speech that anticipates his death is a story that could catch any individuals attention and could get to anyone. So in the end Othello kills Desdemona by suffocating her, which is very weird to me and also kills himself after his sob story speech. In conclusion, this play was weird and the part of Othello (which I read) was different and stood out because of the way he chose to handle all of the situations that came about.
Stephanie Dalton Period 3 One theme in Othello that occurs most is jealousy. “O, beware, my lord of jealousy! It is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” This quote was kind of a warning for Othello but not only him also roderigo and Iago. Jealousy is a state of fear, suspicion, revenge or envy caused by a real or imagined threat or challenge to one’s possessive instincts. It is evident that jealousy is the cause of most of the dramatic actions, which take place in the play. It is Othello public insecurity that makes him jealous of Cassio and allows him to believe that Cassio has slept with Desdemona. Iago’s crimes define pathological jealousy and sheer desire of revenge. Iago’s jealousy of Othello drives him to destroy both Othello and Desdemona. Iago masters duplicity, even remarking himself “ I am not what I am.” He present definitive motive for his vengeful desires to ruin Othello. Roderigo is infatuated with Desdemona and has been for some time. He is willing to do anything to win her love. He is jealous that Desdemona loves Othello and not him. This is why I think that this was the biggest theme in the book. William Shakespeare is known for composing plays full of revenge and jealousy.
The handkerchief symbolizes a few different things in the story of Othello as it passes from person to person. It originally was Desdemona’s confirmation of Othello’s love for her. An Egyptian woman had given the handkerchief to his mother swearing that as long as she had it, it would enslave her husband to love her. As soon as she lost or gave it away, her husband would look at her with hatred and stray from her bed. He trusted that she could cherish it with all her ability, and never loose sight of it. If so, their love would be compromised. It was the first gift he had given her and she kept it with her constantly. When the handkerchief makes its way into Iago’s knowledge, he manipulates it’s meaning into Desdemona’s faith and chastity. It is what proves her allegiance to their marriage. He jumps to the assumption that Desdemona is not faithful because she was unable to guard the handkerchief with the precision that Othello trusted her with, resulting in her infidelity. How the handkerchief is constructed is very important too. It is described as a white background with a pattern of strawberries. The 200-year-old prophet used silk from sacred worms and dye from mummified virgin hearts. The strawberries are a symbolism of blood on white sheets, resembling newlyweds on their wedding night. The fact that they are dyed with actual blood from virgins ensures virginity from the woman and loyalty to stay only with her husband. The idea of Desdemona giving away Othello’s handkerchief was as if she had given away her devotion to Othello. She was essentially sharing her “virginity” with another man. To Iago, the handkerchief was a key instrument in his devious plan. He knew that Othello would cling on to any last piece of evidence that his perfect wife was not being unfaithful. By manipulating a sacred gift that each of them confided in, he was able to break a whole relationship on a believable lie. When Cassio found the handkerchief, he couldn’t possibly know its importance because he had never loved like Othello and Desdemona. It was a personal oath to one another that only Iago knew about, which is why his scheme was so successful.
Iago is the most devious person by far in The book Othello, Iago is interesting because of his terrible characteristic: his lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for not giving him the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia. Iago mentions this theory again at the end of Act II, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello “wife for wife”. None of these theories explain Iago’s hatred of Othello, and Iago’s lack of motivation makes his actions all the more devious. He is willing to take revenge on anyone at the smallest issue and enjoys the pain and damage afterwards.
Most other Shakespearean characters do bad things in order to achieve a goal; usually ambition or revenge. What's different about Iago is that we never really know why Iago wants to destroy Othello. Throughout the play he claims different reasons for his hate. At one point he says he hates him because he passed him over for a promotion and another time he claims he's mad because he had an affair with his wife Emilia. Because of his lack of motives we could conclude that Iago is just plain evil or he could be viewed as a "vice" figure, meaning that his behavior is immoral and tempting. However Iago's character is much more complex than most "vice characters in other plays.
It is Iago’s talent for manipulating the needs of people around him that makes him both a powerful and a compelling figure. Iago is able to take the handkerchief from Emilia and know that he can deflect her questions; he is able to tell Othello of the handkerchief and know that Othello will not doubt him; he is able to tell the audience. Though the most compulsive liar in the play, Iago inspires all of the characters the trait that is most important to Othello: trust.
Definitely a theme in the book is love & race. Types of love and what it means are different between different characters. Othello finds that love in marriage that needs time to build trust, and his enemy works too quickly for him to take that time. For Iago, love is difficult. Desdemona's friendship with Cassio is real but is heard wrong by the jealous Othello as adulterous love. The true friendship was Emilia's for Desdemona, shown when she stood up witness for the honor of her dead mistress, against Iago, her lying husband, and was killed for it. Race is a very important theme, as it leads to Othello's insecurity, which Iago is able to manipulate. Back then, when this book was made, people were NOT big fans of black people. Othello never feels comfortable in Venice because of the fact that he is different from everyone else. He is constantly stereotyped as "savage" or "animal", even though he speaks very nice and displays more gentlemanly qualities than those who judge him. Othello perceives himself to be a rough outsider, though he is nothing like that. Othello's race sets him apart, and makes him very self-conscious, it makes him work hard and look carefully at how people see him, so he is regarded as equal to the white people that surround him. This could have led to his success, but the harm that surrounds him, especially with respect to his marriage to Desdemona , he has tragic consequences.
Iago was one of the main characters in the play Othello, he was also an ensign to the general Othello. Iago seemed to be Othello’s friend in the beginning but then started to go behind his back to ruin the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. An example of this is when he convinced Emila to take the handkerchief that meet a lot to Othello and made sure Cassiao got it, then it looked like Desdemona was secretly seeing Cassiao. At the same time Iago was telling Othello that Desdemona was cheating on him. Othello didn't want to believe that Desdemona was cheating on him but Iago kept on giving him reasons to doubt her. Then once Othello saw the handkerchief with Cassio that is when he lost it and said he was going to kill his wife. This is also the part that Othello starts to believe more of what Iago tells him because of the proof he saw. This is when Iago starts to make a plan to have Cassio killed. On the night that Othello was going to kill Desdemona, Iago was going to have Rodrigo kill Cassio. Then Iago helps kill Cassio and then Iago also killed Rodrigo because no one could know that Iago had him killed. These are also the people that could of gotten Iago in trouble and straightened out the lies he was telling. Othello in the mean time had killed Desdemona in bed. Emilia came in and was horrified by what Othello had done and why he did it. He explained his reasoning and she realized that she had helped Iago with his plan. She told this to Othello and he was furious, then Iago came in and killed Emilia. After this Iago was caught and everyone found out about his terrible plan.
In the book Othello, the object that has the most meaning is the handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona. The handkerchief symbolizes their love for one another and their devotion to each other. As the story starts to unfold the handkerchief plays a huge roll. The handkerchief gets passed around into the wrong hands from Emilia to Iago and from Iago to Cassio. Iago has a plan that if Othello sees the handkerchief in Cassios possession he will become livid and threaten Cassio with his life. This would later come to mean that Iago could become a general in their army. Iago soon tells Othello that he has seen the handkerchief in Cassios room. Othello confronts Desdemona and asks of what her was told was true, she denied Othello’s questions, but later realized that the handkerchief Othello gave her was now gone. Othello finally sees the handkerchief with Cassio and completely goes berserk. He soon goes on a rampage killing Cassio, Emila, Desdemona, and himself. Meanwhile Iagos plan of becoming a general fails and is taken away to be tortured and sent to jail. The meaning of this story comes to be that love can truly influence and cloud the judgment of someone’s actions. However under it all the handkerchief is the object that influenced it all. In my opinion this story is telling people be careful of who your real friends are and how they would treat you if you were in love. Thos story comes out to be a classic Shakespeare romantic where the hopeless romantic kills everyone who has hurt him and where he dies beside his lover. In conclusion this story could be pictured as a love-crazed individual who is did everything in his power to save the all the emotion of his true love. What a dramatic ending to such a sad story.
What can be said about Desdemona, the wife of Othello, a kind and gentle soul who loved her husband with all her heart. But how far will that kind heart be push when the man that she loves more than life itself, thinks she is betraying him for another man. While Iago was planting the seeds of drought in the mind of Othello, that his loving wife shared bed with his ex-general Cassio. During that time Desdemona only crime she ever commit was love a man who, didn’t have enough trust to believe that she wouldn’t lay in bed with anther man, less then Cassio, Who by the way mad a mistress named Bianca. Desdemona, trusted Othello and tried him the right thing, she loved him so mush she left her father and home to live with Othello in his home that was far away from her family and friends and her home village, that’s a lot of love to give someone for only know for what, a few months. She knew tat Cassio felt bad for what he did, the fight, and that he was to drunk to think rightly, that all his moral lift him during that fight. Desdemona knew that when Othello kick Cassio out of the arm and his spot, he would regret it, and for the most part was right, it was a big mistake on both part. Desdemona to me was a good wife to Othello, she care for him and took care of him when he needed it and helped him with most of everything, she trusted him with her life and with her love, though I couldn’t say that same thing for Othello, the second that Iago and that Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio, he slightly believed him but not fully till he got proof, was a cloth with strawberries on it, that was it a small cloth that he had not seen with his own eyes with Cassio, all he had was a word for a friend ( who by the way hated him, Iago hated Othello). Othello believed him then his own loving wife, Desdemona loved Othello with all her heart till her last breath, even when Othello tried to kill her she loved him and he couldn’t see though the red and heated to hear her words of truth, even with her last breath she loved him.
Justice Harris 5-5-15 Reyes English 12 Period 3 Othello
He was a kind guy to start of with but then he got jealous and enraged over the fact that his wife is having an affair with Cassio. Othello was a man of his word. He married his wife, but then he had troubles that went along with their marriage thanks to Iago. If Iago didn't get into the mess of his marriage the he would of had a nice happy marriage but Shakesphere wan't the type to write happy stories. Othello was enraged when Iago told him that Cassio was with his wife.
When Othello sees what Iago is talking about with the missing handkerchief that he had given his wife on the night of their marriage. Iago made Othello go crazy with thoughts of his wife having her way with another man. He was locked in a celler well not really locked Iago put him in there so he could see Cassio and his wife talk about the handkerchief that was indeed Desdomona's gift from Othello. At that time Othello wanted to confront his wife about her giving the handkerchief to Cassio. Othello wanted to kill Cassio but instead went after Iago but he could not kill him. Why, well he needed him.
To find out what his beloved wife was doing with Cassio. After all that went down between Othello and Desdomona and Cassio and even Iago they all ended up killing each other well except for Cassio and Iago got stabbed but he did not die. Othello killed his wife by putting a pillow over her face until she died. Then Othello witnessed the killing of Iago killing his own wife because she knew to much. So after witnessing this Othello couldn't handle the guilt of knowing everything he did was a lie, the guilt of all this made him kill himself. So that is why i chose to analyze and see what was really going on in his life.
Erika Tripp Reyes English 12 5-5-15 IAGO Iago was a pretty terrible villain. He’s pretty lame when he tries to explain his actions. He tries to explain the hatred he has, in the deep pit of his soul, for Othello. Iago says that he doesn’t like Othello, first because he suspected that he slept with his wife, so Iago says he wants to sleep with Desdemona. I think that’s dumb, but whatever. He seems like such a sensitive villain. If someone says one wrong thing to/about him, then he wants to get revenge on you. He was a pretty relatable villain, which might sound worrisome because he wants to kill everyone. But isn’t that what everyone says everyday? “Oh my god, I severely dislike you. I want to kill you.” - Tyrnan Hazelton People often say that they dislike others and, while they’re not like Iago and actually kill others (most of the time), we still say we’re gonna kill them. He seems like he’s a pretty sexist dude. Iago often makes conflicts dealing with the troubles of women. He takes Desdemona’s handkerchief, the one that Othello gave her as a symbol of his love, plants it Cassio’s room, then tells Othello that he saw Cassio with the handkerchief. So Othello gets hella pissed and things go down and people die, because Iago. And Iago kills his wife because he hates women and people have speculated that he is in fact a homosexual and is in love with the general, but really that’s just a speculation. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he did turn out gay because Shakespeare is a pretty open dude with lots of sex jokes in his plays. Don't get me wrong, I love Shakespeare, but dude has got no chill. He's just writing tragedies back and forth and making people sad. C'mon Shakespeare.
Sailor “The Sailor is an attention “ho” ~Erika Tripp We shall call the Sailor “Phillipé” Phillipé is a “man/ woman” that wants as much attention as “he/ she” can in the little amount of time that “he’s/ she’s” got, though quite loyal also. When Phillipé is introduced to the story of Othello “he/ she” is never specified as male or female making the reader have to decide on a gender and in a “study” it shows that most readers chose to make “him/ her” male showing that inside we are all sexist to a point, assuming that a sailor must be male or, that when unspecified, we must assume a character is male, when in actuality “he” could be a “she” and our “Phillipé” could be a “Phllipa”. “What ho, what ho, what ho!” is Phillipé’s/ Phillipa first line before even being seen. “He/ she” is obviously trying to get attention no matter what, interrupting everyone and drawing the reader to “his/ her” entrance, making it seem like “he’s/ she’s” more important than “he/ she” actually is. With only two lines in the entire play and none of the characters actually interacting with “him/ her” Phillipé/ Phillipa is obviously one of the least needed characters in the entire play of Othello. Signior Angelo had told Phllipé/ Phillipa to report to the government that the Turkish fleet was headed for Rhodes, and guess what Pillipé/ Phillipa did. “he/ she” went straight to the government to do what “he/she” was told that is incredibly loyal for a simple, unimportant, unneeded, gender neutral sailor to do. To conclude, Phllipé/ Phillipa is a rude, attention seeking, possible transgender, loyal af sailor who is completely unnecessary character, who really should be removed from the play/ story of Othello, and this would change literally nothing in the entire story.
Othello, an army General of Venice, a powerful and respected figure is faced with a crippling jealousy when Iago reveals that his wife Desdemona is having an “affair” with Othello’s lieutenant Cassio.
Iago was Othello’s “ensign” or a junior low rank of the army. He despises Othello for passing home over for promotion as lieutenant, and putting cassio as lieutenant despite the fact that unlike Iago, Cassio has no military experience. Imagoes idea was to get rid of cassio by making Othello believe Cassio was having an affair with his wife Desdemona. Iago asks his wife Emilia to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, which was Othello’s first gift to her. Iago then plants the handkerchief in cassios room as “proof” so when Othello asks for proof he has it.
Othello is pushed farther into his jealousy when he receives a letter from Venice acquiring his return, and making Cassio his replacement. Iago promises to kill Cassio and send Rodrigo to do so but fails and ends up being killed. At this point Othello is pushed over the edge and strangles Desdemona while she was laying in bed, even despite her efforts to plea her innocents. Emilia comes in and finds her murdered and is mortified but after weeping, asks Othello why he had killed her and he then explains it was because she was unfaithful. Emilia then explains what really happened and how it was her who stole the handkerchief for Imago and Desdemona really was innocent which crushed Othello. Othello tries to kill Imago but has no weapon but Iago kills Emilia and flees. He is caught and is sentenced to execution, while Othello is told he must be sent back to Venice to be tried but in turn kills himself.
Othello is the character I choose to analyze. Like I said before, he is a powerful and respected leader. He is a General of the Army and trusted by many. Not to say his race did not affect him, because it did and he often seemed self-conscious about it. I think some of those around him, despite his higher authority, judged him. Iago and Rodrigo in the beginning of the book referred to him as “the moor” a name, which applied to the Arab and Berber peoples of the North Africa, “thick-lips”, and “ an old black Ram.” He knew his differences and often seems withdrawn. One of the things that often drew attention and respect was his speech, and the ability to captivate the audience and those around him.
Othello is one of the best Shakespeares novels. It is very amazing that it can be true to life. Othello as a Moore that has the power, money, and most especially, they call him their Lord. He has his wife who is beautiful and faithful to him. Those things began this hatred and insecureness of Iago to Othello. He became so desperate and jealous about everthing of Othello. He planted doubtful, hatred, jealousy, and anger to Othello's mind. He don't care who could be affected even the innocents. The handkerchief that has significance to the love between Othello and Desdemona was used against them. When Iago's wife, Emilia, who don't know about her husbands plans, took Desdemona's handkercheif and handed to Iago. He intentionally let Cassio get it to prove that Desdemona and Cassio were having affairs. First, Othello won't believe Iago and ask him to prove and give some evidence and Iago used the handkerchief and Othello saw it on his own eyes, Cassio's holding the handkerchief. The hatred rises, anger explodes, jealousy overflows. Othello who was very mad, confronted Desdemona, who was innocent and faithful to him and forced her to admit the the sin that we all know she never did. Othello didn't get the answer he wanted to hear and murdered her. Emilia, who spoke up was murdered by his husband Iago. When Othello discovered the truth he felt very sick and sad, wounded Iago and killed himself. He realized what he have done to his wife l, his truthful wife, faithful and loving that he loved the most but killed because of the sin that was untrue. He died beside his wife's corpse. Iago who was the root to this deaths, wounded by Othello, stared at the 3 corpse and slowly died. Love begins the hatred and hatred lasted with love.
The historical inaccuracy in Othello is abhorrant. In most parts of the western civilization in the 17th century a black man would be lucky to be a butler with at least the illusion of freedom, and absolutely would never be allowed to hold a position of any power such as that of a general. Furthermore, for him to have sexual relations with a white woman -- much less marry one -- would be akin to being thrown into a tank full of SHARKS WITH FRIKKIN' LASER BEAMS ON THEIR HEADS, although to be honest you would probably live longer in the shark tank. Additionally, both Rhodes and Cyprus were Turkish territories at the time, a fact that Shakespeare completely glossed over. Cyprus should have been crawling with Turks, not Venetians, not to mention the fact that the Venetians would have been on the offensive sailing that direction, not trying to repulse an invasion on an island they didn't control. And while we're on the topic of sailing, barring gross incompetence there is no way a fleet of 17th century galleons over 200 strong could be completely obliterated by a storm on an inland sea such as the Mediterranian, at least not in the span of two days. Speaking of two days, it is approximately 1000 miles from Venice to Rhodes by boat, and another 300 Miles from there to Cyprus. If Othello sailed 24 hours a day he would have had to average about 30 miles per hour, a speed unobtainable by vessels of that era. By contrast, to get from Rodes to Cyprus, the Turks would only have had to average less than 7 miles per hour, a speed that can be accomplished by a strong swimmer. Even if Othello could somehow miraculously pull off the 30 mile per hour average speed, and Cyprus was somehow magically under Venetian control, there is no way in the sphincter of hell he would have beat the Turks there.
The major theme in Othello is love. Love is a force that overcomes large obstacles and is tripped up by small ones. It provides Othello with intensity but not direction. This gives Desdemona access to his heart but not his mind. Othello finds out the hard way that love in marriage needs time to build trust. Othello’s enemy was to quick for him to take that time. Othello loves Desdemona but lost himself because of it. Love did horrible things to him. Love is very powerful. Iago planted imaginary pictures of Cassio and Desdemona in Othello’s head making him lose all control of himself and his mind. Othello always saw Desdemona as a loving angel and now he saw her as black and evil. His thoughts and worries took over. Love was no longer enough to overcome his horrible thoughts for Desdemona. Othello let his jealous mind tell him false stories about Desdemona and that’s all he believed. Iago often falsely professes love in friendship for Roderigo and Cassio and betrays them both. For Iago, love is leverage. He does not know the true meaning of love and friendship. Desdemona’s love in friendship for Cassio is real but is misinterpreted by the jealous crazy Othello as adusterous love. Othello loved Desdemona, but thought she was secretly in love with Cassio. all because Iago planted false images into his head. This whole story is a giant love triangle and shows once you love something or someone it truly can take over you. This happened to be Iago’s plan all along. He wanted Othello to lose control over himself and he was successful. Othello had no real proof that Desdemona loved Cassio. Jealousy completely took over him. Othello saw that Desdemona betrayed him and never even gave her the chance to prove him wrong. This shows everyone that love and jealousy can truly take over ones mind.
Curtis Stickler
ReplyDeleteMs. Reyes
English 12
5/5/15
Analyze a character from Othello
Iago worked for Othello who was a general in the military. There relationship seemed to be good at the beginning of the book through Othello’s view. At the start of the book Iago tells Desdemona’s father that she had ran off with Othello. Desdemona was Othello’s wife and her father did not approve and went to court because he thought she didn’t want to be with him, but later found out that she loves him to. Iago was plotting against Othello because he didn’t like how he was so high in the military ranks and he was in a lower class. Iago was coming up with a plan that would make Othello do something that would get him into serious trouble. Iagos wife Amelia got Desdemona’s handkerchief from his wife and then gave it to Cassio. Then later Iago told Othello that Cassio had Desdemona’s handkerchief and told him that he thought that she was sleeping with Cassio. Othello was very upset and didn’t know how she could cheat on him. This was all part of Iagos plan because he wanted Othello to let his rage take over. When he went to Desdemona she had no idea about any of this and tried to tell Othello that she would never cheat on him. He did not believe her and said that she has to suffer. He strangled her and had killed her and Amelia came into the room and called for help. Iago eventually came into the room and Amelia finally figured out why Iago wanted the handkerchief. When Amelia told Othello that she had gave the Handkerchief to Iago and Iago gave it to Cassio Othello could no believe what he had done. Iago had lied to him the entire time and was just pretending to help. Othello had stabbed him self because he could not live with what he had done and Iago was sent to be tortured and get the truth out because he would not admit to anything.
An interesting point was brought up in the section in the back of this book, asking the reader questions about Iago; is there a biblical corellation between Iago and Satan? Satan has always been portrayed as someone who is decietful, and if anyone fits that bill it's Iago; the book itself calls Iago a demon or devillish many times, although that could simply be because that was a common corellation to make with a wicked person in that time period. Lucifer, the angel that became Satan (basically), was thrown out of heaven for trying to take control of heaven, and Iago similarly used all his cunning to seize a title of power that he coveted. They both were then punished for their actions when they were inevitably caught. Neither, as far as I'm aware, ever grew attached to another-- which of course brings up the concept of Iago being gay, which at this point I don't really believe to be true; if anything Iago is probably asexual, as he seems unable to have true warmth or desire towards another person, as shown by the lack of care towards his wife and his conning of fellow men. (In fact, there's a scene that shows him using the same powers on his wife, wherein he pretends to be lusting over her until he snatches the handkerchief and no longer has a reason to keep up the charade.)
ReplyDeleteWould the other characters fit into this reference? Desdemona would, certainly, as an angel; she's absolutely pure in every way, it's actually a bit scary how gentle and honest she is-- or she could represent Jesus, because she's such a holy creature among man. As for anyone else, they're not so easy to place. I suppose that Cassio is the closest thing to a God in this story, as he (other than his prostitute lover) seems to be a pretty honest man and brings Iago to justice in the end. Othello would likely symbolize Man in this case, because he is easily wooed by the devil's lies, or perhaps even more likely Judas because of how he fell into the lies and ended up betraying-- and ultimately killing-- Jesus, aka Desdemona.
But that seems to be reading into the story a little more than one should; it could be as straightforward as it seems, and the biblical references are just there because they're expected to be there. --Bodine
Cheyenne Helmers
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Othello Response
The character that I would like to analyze is Othello. Othello, being a Moor, was a really strong character, which surprised me. Given his high status as Captain, he had a lot of respect from every one around him. He was not afraid to stand against the “whites” and prove himself innocent. He is very grandiloquent and uses that to charm those he speaks to. Othello was a friend to everybody, being loved by all for his exotic persona and bravery. I feel that back in his time, most Moors were considered out-casts in Venice yet, Othello was able to advance quickly in the ranks, being appreciated by people such as the Duke.
Othello is very strong willed. Watching Iago slowly rip Othello’s very personality and traits to pieces was heartbreaking. To see a person as strong as Othello was, catch the deadliest disease of all mankind. Jealousy. In Othello we saw how no matter how sure Othello was that Desdemona wouldn’t cheat on him, Iago planted doubt and once it is there, it wont go away. It just gets worse and worse, consuming your every being.
I feel that it was disappointing at the end of Othello, as Othello realizes that Iago had been playing him and that Desdemona hadn’t actually cheated on him; therefore he killed her for nothing. He just gave up, and killed himself. I feel like that was kind of a cowardly move, though maybe he thought he was being brave… I think of it more as an act of shame, not wanting to face what was to come. If he had stayed alive all of those people who once cared for him and respected him would look at him as a murder. He would be known not only as the jealous husband who killed his wife, but as the lowly Moor who killed a beautiful highborn white lady. He would be stripped of all his titles and maybe even banished from Venice like the rest of the Moors. At the beginning of the book, I would have thought for him to face his shame and make Iago regret ever destroying his life. That shows you even more how Othello was already gone. It was just a shell of what he once was.
The character I am going to analyze would be Iago. Iago was positioned as an ensign that got promoted to lieutenant for telling the commander Othello about his mistress! Iago is a very persuasive, slimy, and tyrant character who will say anything and do anything to win. He tells Othello the husband of Desdemona that she is cheating on him with his best friend Cassio. Iago keeps feeding and feeding Othello all these lies and plants the seed of corruption and doubt into his head. Othello gave Desdemona a handkerchief with strawberries on it, its a one of a kind handkerchief. Desdemona dropped it and Iago got possession of it through his wife and planted evidence that portrayed proof that Cassio was banging Desdemona behind Othello moorish back. This shows that he is willing to separate and get people killed just so he can be of higher status than everyone else. Iago goes farther and when he gets found out he stabs his wife in the back for she has exposed him of his wrong and devilish ways. Iago also didn't like black people the evidence shows that he didn't like Othello because he has hailed from moor origin. Othello is targeted by Iago due to the fact he is a black commander over an all white army. Iago also has another agenda to get Othello to kill Desdemona. Iago was also paid by Ramondo, so when Cassio dies the position Cassio has goes to Ramondo. Iago thought that it would be better if he killed both and he became the lieutenant instead. This is a classic story from shakespeare. Has a strong love in the beginning and then a gigantic climax to make almost all the main characters turn against each other and die. Even against all odds they decide to kill each other.
ReplyDeleteIago is the most devious person by far in The book Othello, Iago is interesting because of his terrible characteristic: his lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for not giving him the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia. Iago mentions this theory again at the end of Act II, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello. None of these theories explain Iago's hatred of Othello, and Iago's lack of motivation makes his actions all the more devious. He is willing to take revenge on anyone at the smallest issue and enjoys the pain and damage afterwards.
ReplyDeleteMost other Shakespearean characters do bad things in order to achieve a goal; usually ambition or revenge. What's different about Iago is that we never really know why Iago wants to destroy Othello. Throughout the play he claims different reasons for his hate. At one point he says he hates him because he passed him over for a promotion and another time he claims he's mad because he had an affair with his wife Emilia. Because of his lack of motives we could conclude that Iago is just plain evil or he could be viewed as a "vice" meaning that his behavior is immoral and tempting. However Iago's character is much more complex than most vice characters in other plays.
It is Iago's talent for manipulating the needs of people around him that makes him both a powerful and a compelling figure. Iago is able to take the handkerchief from Emilia and know that he can deflect her questions; he is able to tell Othello of the handkerchief and know that Othello will not doubt him; he is able to tell the audience. Though the most compulsive liar in the play, Iago inspires all of the characters the trait that is most important to Othello: trust.
Othello Analysis; Iago
ReplyDeleteLiam Porter-Bell
Iago was once a great man, and for a long time everyone thought he still was one. A true follower of Machiavelli's teachings he is a conniving, cunning, opportunist who stops at nothing to ruin the lives of Othello, Desdemona, and even Roderigo. While his motives are not exactly clear, and there are many possibilities as to why he did what he did; I have my own theory.
Iago is what he is because he knows what he was. He is angry and jealous that he is not the handsomest nor strongest nor the most powerful and he thought he was. It’s kind of like a mid-life crisis. He knows that he is the most intelligent person around and he thinks he can use this to be on top again; because thats where he thought he was. He was a hero, he was handsome and strong and powerful, and know he is just someone's advisor.
Iago is the incarnate of the worst sin of all; Pride. Pride is the cause of all his hubris. It started when he was a soldier, fighting along side Othello and being the one who saved the day with his best friend, and now he is lesser. He deserves more than this! He is Iago! At least, that is what I think he thinks. He sees all the success of all the people around him and then looks at his own and realizes that he needs more. And he’s probably a sociopath.
But maybe he is not the villain. Perhaps he is just misunderstood. Maybe he had a rough childhood. Or, maybe he is gay… No, only one of those statements is true: He is misunderstood. No one really knows his motives and his drive, and we never will. We can only theorize. The End.
Patrick Benin
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
English 12
5/5/15
Othello
Othello is a general in the defense forces in the city-state of Venice who happens to be African. Being African caused him to separate him from others because of his color and where he is from. But even though he was African he had a high status in Venice. He has good judgment being in the military and has good courage in battle. He falls in love with Desdemona and ends up marrying her. During the campaign against the Turks, he is tricked by Iago into believing that his wife has been cheating on him by his lieutenant. I don’t really think he trusted anyone. It was important for him to see proof before he believes. He investigates until he finds answers. I think Iago was very jealous of him and that is why he tricked Othello into thinking his wife isn’t a loyal person. If Othello didn’t get the promotion over Othello the whole story would of honestly been so different. I would not of expected to think that Othello would kill Desdemona because she was trying to show Othello that she really cared. I think Desdemona’s dad didn’t really like his daughter’s choice because of where Othello’s from. When I first met Othell, I didn’t think he would be the jealous type. Othello’s jealousy and Iagos hate is what made this play. I think Othello is very smart for not judging too quick and had to look for evidence before he assumed. Knowing it was a play for Shakespeare I expected everyone to die but I didn’t know that Othello would be the one to kill Desdemona.
Theme: Hatred and Love
ReplyDeleteOthello is one of the best Shakespeare’s novels. It is very amazing that it can be true to life. Othello as a Moore that has the power, money, and most especially, they call him their Lord. He has his wife who is beautiful and faithful to him. Those things began this hatred and insecureness of Iago to Othello. He became so desperate and jealous about everything of Othello. He planted doubtful, hatred, jealousy, and anger to Othello's mind. He don't care who could be affected even the innocents. The handkerchief that has significance to the love between Othello and Desdemona was used against them. When Iago's wife, Emilia, who don't know about her husbands plans, took Desdemona's handkerchief and handed to Iago. He intentionally let Cassio get it to prove that Desdemona and Cassio were having affairs. First, Othello won't believe Iago and ask him to prove and give some evidence and Iago used the handkerchief and Othello saw it on his own eyes, Cassio's holding the handkerchief. The hatred rises, anger explodes, jealousy overflows. Othello who was very mad, confronted Desdemona, who was innocent and faithful to him and forced her to admit the the sin that we all know she never did. Othello didn't get the answer he wanted to hear and murdered her. Emilia, who spoke up was murdered by his husband Iago. When Othello discovered the truth he felt very sick and sad, wounded Iago and killed himself. He realized what he have done to his wife l, his truthful wife, faithful and loving that he loved the most but killed because of the sin that was untrue. He died beside his wife's corpse. Iago who was the root to this deaths, wounded by Othello, stared at the 3 corpse and slowly died. Love begins the hatred and hatred lasted with love.
Analyze a character- Othello
ReplyDeleteOthello is the protagonist in the story. At the beginning of the play, Othello is away from mostly all of the action that concerns him. Roderigo and Iago refer aimlessly to “him” for much of the first scene. When they begin to explain who they are talking about, especially when they do with racial statements or labels, not any name in particular. Like the Moor, the thick lips, and an old black ram. I think they don’t mention his name for that long while because he is frowned upon and he is disrespected even though he is the main character in the play.
But Othello appears at the beginning of the second scene, they still do not state his name for a while. Othello stands apart while Cassio and Iago discuss Desdemona. Iago then talks with Othello about all of the things that Cassio had said. Othello wants Cassio to be killed because of the information that Iago had given him about Desdemona’s handkerchief that he had given to her. Which leads him to believe that they had some type of affair with one another. He assumes that Cassio had been killed without actually being there or seeing it. Othello’s place as an outsider is the reason he is such easy victim for Iago. Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice, his skill as a soldier is valuable and he is an essential part of Venetian society. Those who consider Othello their social peer, for example Desdemona and Brabanzio, seem drawn to him because of his bizarre aspects. I would consider Othello to be a romantic man because of the way he spoke of Desdemonda and the way he viewed her parents’ opinions of him. Othello admits to such for example when he tells the duke about his friendship with Brabanzio. He says, “Desdemona’s father loved me.” Othello is able to grip his fellow peoples attention with his speech. In my opinion, at times he can be rude with his choice of words. The speech that anticipates his death is a story that could catch any individuals attention and could get to anyone. So in the end Othello kills Desdemona by suffocating her, which is very weird to me and also kills himself after his sob story speech. In conclusion, this play was weird and the part of Othello (which I read) was different and stood out because of the way he chose to handle all of the situations that came about.
Stephanie Dalton
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One theme in Othello that occurs most is jealousy. “O, beware, my lord of jealousy! It is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” This quote was kind of a warning for Othello but not only him also roderigo and Iago. Jealousy is a state of fear, suspicion, revenge or envy caused by a real or imagined threat or challenge to one’s possessive instincts. It is evident that jealousy is the cause of most of the dramatic actions, which take place in the play. It is Othello public insecurity that makes him jealous of Cassio and allows him to believe that Cassio has slept with Desdemona. Iago’s crimes define pathological jealousy and sheer desire of revenge. Iago’s jealousy of Othello drives him to destroy both Othello and Desdemona. Iago masters duplicity, even remarking himself “ I am not what I am.” He present definitive motive for his vengeful desires to ruin Othello. Roderigo is infatuated with Desdemona and has been for some time. He is willing to do anything to win her love. He is jealous that Desdemona loves Othello and not him. This is why I think that this was the biggest theme in the book. William Shakespeare is known for composing plays full of revenge and jealousy.
The handkerchief symbolizes a few different things in the story of Othello as it passes from person to person. It originally was Desdemona’s confirmation of Othello’s love for her. An Egyptian woman had given the handkerchief to his mother swearing that as long as she had it, it would enslave her husband to love her. As soon as she lost or gave it away, her husband would look at her with hatred and stray from her bed. He trusted that she could cherish it with all her ability, and never loose sight of it. If so, their love would be compromised. It was the first gift he had given her and she kept it with her constantly. When the handkerchief makes its way into Iago’s knowledge, he manipulates it’s meaning into Desdemona’s faith and chastity. It is what proves her allegiance to their marriage. He jumps to the assumption that Desdemona is not faithful because she was unable to guard the handkerchief with the precision that Othello trusted her with, resulting in her infidelity.
ReplyDeleteHow the handkerchief is constructed is very important too. It is described as a white background with a pattern of strawberries. The 200-year-old prophet used silk from sacred worms and dye from mummified virgin hearts. The strawberries are a symbolism of blood on white sheets, resembling newlyweds on their wedding night. The fact that they are dyed with actual blood from virgins ensures virginity from the woman and loyalty to stay only with her husband. The idea of Desdemona giving away Othello’s handkerchief was as if she had given away her devotion to Othello. She was essentially sharing her “virginity” with another man.
To Iago, the handkerchief was a key instrument in his devious plan. He knew that Othello would cling on to any last piece of evidence that his perfect wife was not being unfaithful. By manipulating a sacred gift that each of them confided in, he was able to break a whole relationship on a believable lie. When Cassio found the handkerchief, he couldn’t possibly know its importance because he had never loved like Othello and Desdemona. It was a personal oath to one another that only Iago knew about, which is why his scheme was so successful.
Iago is the most devious person by far in The book Othello, Iago is interesting because of his terrible characteristic: his lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for not giving him the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, Iago says he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia. Iago mentions this theory again at the end of Act II, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello “wife for wife”. None of these theories explain Iago’s hatred of Othello, and Iago’s lack of motivation makes his actions all the more devious. He is willing to take revenge on anyone at the smallest issue and enjoys the pain and damage afterwards.
ReplyDeleteMost other Shakespearean characters do bad things in order to achieve a goal; usually ambition or revenge. What's different about Iago is that we never really know why Iago wants to destroy Othello. Throughout the play he claims different reasons for his hate. At one point he says he hates him because he passed him over for a promotion and another time he claims he's mad because he had an affair with his wife Emilia. Because of his lack of motives we could conclude that Iago is just plain evil or he could be viewed as a "vice" figure, meaning that his behavior is immoral and tempting. However Iago's character is much more complex than most "vice characters in other plays.
It is Iago’s talent for manipulating the needs of people around him that makes him both a powerful and a compelling figure. Iago is able to take the handkerchief from Emilia and know that he can deflect her questions; he is able to tell Othello of the handkerchief and know that Othello will not doubt him; he is able to tell the audience. Though the most compulsive liar in the play, Iago inspires all of the characters the trait that is most important to Othello: trust.
Definitely a theme in the book is love & race. Types of love and what it means are different between different characters. Othello finds that love in marriage that needs time to build trust, and his enemy works too quickly for him to take that time. For Iago, love is difficult. Desdemona's friendship with Cassio is real but is heard wrong by the jealous Othello as adulterous love. The true friendship was Emilia's for Desdemona, shown when she stood up witness for the honor of her dead mistress, against Iago, her lying husband, and was killed for it. Race is a very important theme, as it leads to Othello's insecurity, which Iago is able to manipulate. Back then, when this book was made, people were NOT big fans of black people. Othello never feels comfortable in Venice because of the fact that he is different from everyone else. He is constantly stereotyped as "savage" or "animal", even though he speaks very nice and displays more gentlemanly qualities than those who judge him. Othello perceives himself to be a rough outsider, though he is nothing like that. Othello's race sets him apart, and makes him very self-conscious, it makes him work hard and look carefully at how people see him, so he is regarded as equal to the white people that surround him. This could have led to his success, but the harm that surrounds him, especially with respect to his marriage to Desdemona , he has tragic consequences.
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of Iago
ReplyDeleteIago was one of the main characters in the play Othello, he was also an ensign to the general Othello. Iago seemed to be Othello’s friend in the beginning but then started to go behind his back to ruin the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. An example of this is when he convinced Emila to take the handkerchief that meet a lot to Othello and made sure Cassiao got it, then it looked like Desdemona was secretly seeing Cassiao. At the same time Iago was telling Othello that Desdemona was cheating on him.
Othello didn't want to believe that Desdemona was cheating on him but Iago kept on giving him reasons to doubt her. Then once Othello saw the handkerchief with Cassio that is when he lost it and said he was going to kill his wife. This is also the part that Othello starts to believe more of what Iago tells him because of the proof he saw. This is when Iago starts to make a plan to have Cassio killed.
On the night that Othello was going to kill Desdemona, Iago was going to have Rodrigo kill Cassio. Then Iago helps kill Cassio and then Iago also killed Rodrigo because no one could know that Iago had him killed. These are also the people that could of gotten Iago in trouble and straightened out the lies he was telling. Othello in the mean time had killed Desdemona in bed. Emilia came in and was horrified by what Othello had done and why he did it. He explained his reasoning and she realized that she had helped Iago with his plan. She told this to Othello and he was furious, then Iago came in and killed Emilia. After this Iago was caught and everyone found out about his terrible plan.
Joe Greenough
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of the handkerchief
In the book Othello, the object that has the most meaning is the handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona. The handkerchief symbolizes their love for one another and their devotion to each other. As the story starts to unfold the handkerchief plays a huge roll. The handkerchief gets passed around into the wrong hands from Emilia to Iago and from Iago to Cassio. Iago has a plan that if Othello sees the handkerchief in Cassios possession he will become livid and threaten Cassio with his life. This would later come to mean that Iago could become a general in their army. Iago soon tells Othello that he has seen the handkerchief in Cassios room. Othello confronts Desdemona and asks of what her was told was true, she denied Othello’s questions, but later realized that the handkerchief Othello gave her was now gone. Othello finally sees the handkerchief with Cassio and completely goes berserk. He soon goes on a rampage killing Cassio, Emila, Desdemona, and himself. Meanwhile Iagos plan of becoming a general fails and is taken away to be tortured and sent to jail. The meaning of this story comes to be that love can truly influence and cloud the judgment of someone’s actions. However under it all the handkerchief is the object that influenced it all. In my opinion this story is telling people be careful of who your real friends are and how they would treat you if you were in love. Thos story comes out to be a classic Shakespeare romantic where the hopeless romantic kills everyone who has hurt him and where he dies beside his lover. In conclusion this story could be pictured as a love-crazed individual who is did everything in his power to save the all the emotion of his true love. What a dramatic ending to such a sad story.
Sativa Sumner
ReplyDelete5/5/2015
English 12
What can be said about Desdemona, the wife of Othello, a kind and gentle soul who loved her husband with all her heart. But how far will that kind heart be push when the man that she loves more than life itself, thinks she is betraying him for another man.
While Iago was planting the seeds of drought in the mind of Othello, that his loving wife shared bed with his ex-general Cassio. During that time Desdemona only crime she ever commit was love a man who, didn’t have enough trust to believe that she wouldn’t lay in bed with anther man, less then Cassio, Who by the way mad a mistress named Bianca.
Desdemona, trusted Othello and tried him the right thing, she loved him so mush she left her father and home to live with Othello in his home that was far away from her family and friends and her home village, that’s a lot of love to give someone for only know for what, a few months. She knew tat Cassio felt bad for what he did, the fight, and that he was to drunk to think rightly, that all his moral lift him during that fight. Desdemona knew that when Othello kick Cassio out of the arm and his spot, he would regret it, and for the most part was right, it was a big mistake on both part.
Desdemona to me was a good wife to Othello, she care for him and took care of him when he needed it and helped him with most of everything, she trusted him with her life and with her love, though I couldn’t say that same thing for Othello, the second that Iago and that Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio, he slightly believed him but not fully till he got proof, was a cloth with strawberries on it, that was it a small cloth that he had not seen with his own eyes with Cassio, all he had was a word for a friend ( who by the way hated him, Iago hated Othello).
Othello believed him then his own loving wife, Desdemona loved Othello with all her heart till her last breath, even when Othello tried to kill her she loved him and he couldn’t see though the red and heated to hear her words of truth, even with her last breath she loved him.
Justice Harris
ReplyDelete5-5-15
Reyes
English 12
Period 3
Othello
He was a kind guy to start of with but then he got jealous and enraged over the fact that his wife is having an affair with Cassio. Othello was a man of his word. He married his wife, but then he had troubles that went along with their marriage thanks to Iago. If Iago didn't get into the mess of his marriage the he would of had a nice happy marriage but Shakesphere wan't the type to write happy stories. Othello was enraged when Iago told him that Cassio was with his wife.
When Othello sees what Iago is talking about with the missing handkerchief that he had given his wife on the night of their marriage. Iago made Othello go crazy with thoughts of his wife having her way with another man. He was locked in a celler well not really locked Iago put him in there so he could see Cassio and his wife talk about the handkerchief that was indeed Desdomona's gift from Othello. At that time Othello wanted to confront his wife about her giving the handkerchief to Cassio. Othello wanted to kill Cassio but instead went after Iago but he could not kill him. Why, well he needed him.
To find out what his beloved wife was doing with Cassio. After all that went down between Othello and Desdomona and Cassio and even Iago they all ended up killing each other well except for Cassio and Iago got stabbed but he did not die. Othello killed his wife by putting a pillow over her face until she died. Then Othello witnessed the killing of Iago killing his own wife because she knew to much. So after witnessing this Othello couldn't handle the guilt of knowing everything he did was a lie, the guilt of all this made him kill himself. So that is why i chose to analyze and see what was really going on in his life.
Erika Tripp
ReplyDeleteReyes
English 12
5-5-15
IAGO
Iago was a pretty terrible villain. He’s pretty lame when he tries to explain his actions. He tries to explain the hatred he has, in the deep pit of his soul, for Othello. Iago says that he doesn’t like Othello, first because he suspected that he slept with his wife, so Iago says he wants to sleep with Desdemona. I think that’s dumb, but whatever. He seems like such a sensitive villain. If someone says one wrong thing to/about him, then he wants to get revenge on you. He was a pretty relatable villain, which might sound worrisome because he wants to kill everyone. But isn’t that what everyone says everyday?
“Oh my god, I severely dislike you. I want to kill you.” - Tyrnan Hazelton
People often say that they dislike others and, while they’re not like Iago and actually kill others (most of the time), we still say we’re gonna kill them. He seems like he’s a pretty sexist dude. Iago often makes conflicts dealing with the troubles of women. He takes Desdemona’s handkerchief, the one that Othello gave her as a symbol of his love, plants it Cassio’s room, then tells Othello that he saw Cassio with the handkerchief. So Othello gets hella pissed and things go down and people die, because Iago. And Iago kills his wife because he hates women and people have speculated that he is in fact a homosexual and is in love with the general, but really that’s just a speculation. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he did turn out gay because Shakespeare is a pretty open dude with lots of sex jokes in his plays. Don't get me wrong, I love Shakespeare, but dude has got no chill. He's just writing tragedies back and forth and making people sad. C'mon Shakespeare.
Sailor
ReplyDelete“The Sailor is an attention “ho” ~Erika Tripp
We shall call the Sailor “Phillipé”
Phillipé is a “man/ woman” that wants as much attention as “he/ she” can in the little amount of time that “he’s/ she’s” got, though quite loyal also.
When Phillipé is introduced to the story of Othello “he/ she” is never specified as male or female making the reader have to decide on a gender and in a “study” it shows that most readers chose to make “him/ her” male showing that inside we are all sexist to a point, assuming that a sailor must be male or, that when unspecified, we must assume a character is male, when in actuality “he” could be a “she” and our “Phillipé” could be a “Phllipa”.
“What ho, what ho, what ho!” is Phillipé’s/ Phillipa first line before even being seen. “He/ she” is obviously trying to get attention no matter what, interrupting everyone and drawing the reader to “his/ her” entrance, making it seem like “he’s/ she’s” more important than “he/ she” actually is. With only two lines in the entire play and none of the characters actually interacting with “him/ her” Phillipé/ Phillipa is obviously one of the least needed characters in the entire play of Othello.
Signior Angelo had told Phllipé/ Phillipa to report to the government that the Turkish fleet was headed for Rhodes, and guess what Pillipé/ Phillipa did. “he/ she” went straight to the government to do what “he/she” was told that is incredibly loyal for a simple, unimportant, unneeded, gender neutral sailor to do.
To conclude, Phllipé/ Phillipa is a rude, attention seeking, possible transgender, loyal af sailor who is completely unnecessary character, who really should be removed from the play/ story of Othello, and this would change literally nothing in the entire story.
hmm...a mock-analysis that should fall under parody rather than this final entry.
DeleteOthello analysis.
ReplyDeleteJanae Parker
3rd period
Othello, an army General of Venice, a powerful and respected figure is faced with a crippling jealousy when Iago reveals that his wife Desdemona is having an “affair” with Othello’s lieutenant Cassio.
Iago was Othello’s “ensign” or a junior low rank of the army. He despises Othello for passing home over for promotion as lieutenant, and putting cassio as lieutenant despite the fact that unlike Iago, Cassio has no military experience. Imagoes idea was to get rid of cassio by making Othello believe Cassio was having an affair with his wife Desdemona. Iago asks his wife Emilia to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, which was Othello’s first gift to her. Iago then plants the handkerchief in cassios room as “proof” so when Othello asks for proof he has it.
Othello is pushed farther into his jealousy when he receives a letter from Venice acquiring his return, and making Cassio his replacement. Iago promises to kill Cassio and send Rodrigo to do so but fails and ends up being killed. At this point Othello is pushed over the edge and strangles Desdemona while she was laying in bed, even despite her efforts to plea her innocents. Emilia comes in and finds her murdered and is mortified but after weeping, asks Othello why he had killed her and he then explains it was because she was unfaithful. Emilia then explains what really happened and how it was her who stole the handkerchief for Imago and Desdemona really was innocent which crushed Othello. Othello tries to kill Imago but has no weapon but Iago kills Emilia and flees. He is caught and is sentenced to execution, while Othello is told he must be sent back to Venice to be tried but in turn kills himself.
Othello is the character I choose to analyze. Like I said before, he is a powerful and respected leader. He is a General of the Army and trusted by many. Not to say his race did not affect him, because it did and he often seemed self-conscious about it. I think some of those around him, despite his higher authority, judged him. Iago and Rodrigo in the beginning of the book referred to him as “the moor” a name, which applied to the Arab and Berber peoples of the North Africa, “thick-lips”, and “ an old black Ram.” He knew his differences and often seems withdrawn. One of the things that often drew attention and respect was his speech, and the ability to captivate the audience and those around him.
Othello is one of the best Shakespeares novels. It is very amazing that it can be true to life. Othello as a Moore that has the power, money, and most especially, they call him their Lord. He has his wife who is beautiful and faithful to him. Those things began this hatred and insecureness of Iago to Othello. He became so desperate and jealous about everthing of Othello. He planted doubtful, hatred, jealousy, and anger to Othello's mind. He don't care who could be affected even the innocents. The handkerchief that has significance to the love between Othello and Desdemona was used against them. When Iago's wife, Emilia, who don't know about her husbands plans, took Desdemona's handkercheif and handed to Iago. He intentionally let Cassio get it to prove that Desdemona and Cassio were having affairs. First, Othello won't believe Iago and ask him to prove and give some evidence and Iago used the handkerchief and Othello saw it on his own eyes, Cassio's holding the handkerchief. The hatred rises, anger explodes, jealousy overflows. Othello who was very mad, confronted Desdemona, who was innocent and faithful to him and forced her to admit the the sin that we all know she never did. Othello didn't get the answer he wanted to hear and murdered her. Emilia, who spoke up was murdered by his husband Iago. When Othello discovered the truth he felt very sick and sad, wounded Iago and killed himself. He realized what he have done to his wife l, his truthful wife, faithful and loving that he loved the most but killed because of the sin that was untrue. He died beside his wife's corpse. Iago who was the root to this deaths, wounded by Othello, stared at the 3 corpse and slowly died. Love begins the hatred and hatred lasted with love.
ReplyDeleteThe historical inaccuracy in Othello is abhorrant. In most parts of the western civilization in the 17th century a black man would be lucky to be a butler with at least the illusion of freedom, and absolutely would never be allowed to hold a position of any power such as that of a general. Furthermore, for him to have sexual relations with a white woman -- much less marry one -- would be akin to being thrown into a tank full of SHARKS WITH FRIKKIN' LASER BEAMS ON THEIR HEADS, although to be honest you would probably live longer in the shark tank. Additionally, both Rhodes and Cyprus were Turkish territories at the time, a fact that Shakespeare completely glossed over. Cyprus should have been crawling with Turks, not Venetians, not to mention the fact that the Venetians would have been on the offensive sailing that direction, not trying to repulse an invasion on an island they didn't control. And while we're on the topic of sailing, barring gross incompetence there is no way a fleet of 17th century galleons over 200 strong could be completely obliterated by a storm on an inland sea such as the Mediterranian, at least not in the span of two days. Speaking of two days, it is approximately 1000 miles from Venice to Rhodes by boat, and another 300 Miles from there to Cyprus. If Othello sailed 24 hours a day he would have had to average about 30 miles per hour, a speed unobtainable by vessels of that era. By contrast, to get from Rodes to Cyprus, the Turks would only have had to average less than 7 miles per hour, a speed that can be accomplished by a strong swimmer. Even if Othello could somehow miraculously pull off the 30 mile per hour average speed, and Cyprus was somehow magically under Venetian control, there is no way in the sphincter of hell he would have beat the Turks there.
ReplyDeleteThe major theme in Othello is love. Love is a force that overcomes large obstacles and is tripped up by small ones. It provides Othello with intensity but not direction. This gives Desdemona access to his heart but not his mind. Othello finds out the hard way that love in marriage needs time to build trust. Othello’s enemy was to quick for him to take that time. Othello loves Desdemona but lost himself because of it. Love did horrible things to him. Love is very powerful.
ReplyDeleteIago planted imaginary pictures of Cassio and Desdemona in Othello’s head making him lose all control of himself and his mind. Othello always saw Desdemona as a loving angel and now he saw her as black and evil. His thoughts and worries took over. Love was no longer enough to overcome his horrible thoughts for Desdemona. Othello let his jealous mind tell him false stories about Desdemona and that’s all he believed.
Iago often falsely professes love in friendship for Roderigo and Cassio and betrays them both. For Iago, love is leverage. He does not know the true meaning of love and friendship. Desdemona’s love in friendship for Cassio is real but is misinterpreted by the jealous crazy Othello as adusterous love.
Othello loved Desdemona, but thought she was secretly in love with Cassio. all because Iago planted false images into his head. This whole story is a giant love triangle and shows once you love something or someone it truly can take over you. This happened to be Iago’s plan all along. He wanted Othello to lose control over himself and he was successful. Othello had no real proof that Desdemona loved Cassio. Jealousy completely took over him. Othello saw that Desdemona betrayed him and never even gave her the chance to prove him wrong. This shows everyone that love and jealousy can truly take over ones mind.