Love Between Othello And Desdemona example essay topic

... sees or hears Othello or his bride. Yet, this kind of injustice and racism, whether hidden or public, is what Othello must deal with constantly. Later, Brabantio proclaims to Othello and the senate, ' A maiden never bold/... / To fall in love with what she feared to look on!' (act 1.3 lines 94 and 99). Such harsh words from Brabantio, Othello's father-in-law, no doubt damages Othello's pride and feelings. Yet, he must encounter them with the utmost respect and honor.

It is in this atmosphere that Othello the noble Moorish general of royal lineage must thrive. Eldred Jones has stated this well saying, 'Brabantio, ignoring the facts angrily classes Othello with bond slaves and pagans... Brabantio reflects popular prejudices' ('Othello- An Interpretation' Critical Essays 42). For these reasons, Othello is weary; he is always seen as an outsider despite constant effort and service to Venice. Shakespeare sets the tragedy of Othello in type of hostile environment to enable an audience to understand the unfairness and struggles that a person like Othello would have to cope with in real life. In the tragedy, sexism is in many ways seen as more acceptable than racism.

Iago openly jokes about a woman's worth by saying to Desdemona, Come on, come on! You are pictures out of the door, Bells in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchens devils being offended, players in your housewifery and housewives in your beds. (act 2.1 lines 108-112) Although a joke, Iago's speech represents a type of mistrust in all women. Furthermore Brabantio reminds Othello that Desdemona may be unfaithful to him. These kinds of perceptions make women very susceptible to the whims of men. However strong the emotional attitude of prejudices may be in Othello, Love is the most powerful emotion and ironically the emotion that leads to the most vulnerability. Loves of all kinds are tested in the tragedy and ultimately all fail to rectify the horrible situation.

Marital love for Othello and Desdemona serve as both a heaven and a hell on earth. As Othello portrays by saying, If I were now to die " There now to be most happy; for I fear My soul hath her content so absolute That not another comfort like unto Succeeds in unknown fate. (act 2.1 188-191) Such statement gives mixed messages suggesting happiness yet weariness about the future. Susan Snyder has cited the same irony in Othello's statement '... Othello celebrate his peak of joy, yet so markedly his invocations of death and fear make us apprehensive' ('Beyond the Comedy' Critical interpretations 24). Emilia's love for her husband, Iago, leaves her nothing but regret and deep despair. Emilia, out of love for her husband, Iago, betrays Desdemona and steals her precious handkerchief.

Emilia does this 'to please Iago's fancy' (3.3 lines 290-295). By the time Emilia realizes her horrible mistake, Desdemona is dead which could possibly be partly due to Emilia's misgivings. Cassio's love and admiration for Othello leaves him constantly striving to regain Othello's love and respect. Even after being demoted by Othello, Cassio still loves and shows the utmost respect for Othello by saying 'I would rather sue to be despised than to deceive / so good a commander with... so drunken... officer. ' Love is the central emotional attitude in the play, Othello. Yet, love does not help the characters workout their problems.

Feelings of insecurities, in the characters, further develop out of their love or attachment to a certain character character. Othello is already insecure about his place in Venetian society, but to face losing Desdemona love to a younger white male is just too much for him. Susan Snyder states 'Barbantio, Iago and finally Othello see the love Between Othello and Desdemona as unnatural, 'nature erring from it self'. ' Othello expresses this through his statement, ...

Haply for I am black and have no soft parts of conversation That chambers have, or for I am declined Into vale of years- yet that's not much-She's gone. I am abused, ... Furthermore Desdemona finds herself and her self-worth in question after Othello's cruel treatment to her. She says ' And his unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love' (4.2 line 159-160) Shakespeare makes the characters think love will bring them the most joy, but it actually brings them the most pain and suffering. This is done to portray that uncertainly of all that is in life and to make one think more about putting all ones faith, or hope in one object or person. In Othello, the most prominent emotions of love, jealousy and finally hate lead into one another to further intensify each and bring about a most tragic end.

Hate and jealously are a response to insecurities felt over the beloved of each character. In turn, all the emotions bring total destruction to any peace of mind or happiness that any of the major characters may have. By the end of the drama, Othello, the once loving husband, has become a green-eyed monster. He is so filled with jealousy that he does not even listen to Emilia's repeated denial of an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. He kills Desdemona, then afterwards kills himself due to regret and shame. Anthony Barthelemy claims, ' In other word the play undoes what it does: It turns a heroic Moor into a villainous Moor...

' (Introduction, Critical Essays, 2). This is exactly what Shakespeare wanted to prove, that love can turn to hate and admiration can turn to jealousy. Most importantly, Shakespeare demonstrated that everything good in life may turn into something bad. Othello is a tragedy about human nature and relationships.

One critic has written that the love of Othello and Desdemona is like the love of Adam and Eve before and after the fall (Barthelemy, Introduction Critical Essays 12). This is true because Othello commits a horrific act out of jealousy and self-insecurities. However he learns from his mistakes and regrets his actions. Shakespeare, through Othello, reminds humans how vulnerable they truly are and that they must accept themselves and other people as they are.

Bibliography

Barthelemy, Anthony G. ' Introduction ' Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
page 1-19) Bartels, Emily C. 'Strategies of submission: Desdemona, the Duchess, and the assertion of desire's tidies of English Literature Spring 1996: (Online) accessed.
April 27 1999 http: // .
Galileo. edu Bloom, Harold. ' Introduction ' Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987.
1-6) Hale, Steven. Class lectures. Georgia Perimeter College. April 20th -30th, 1999 Jones, Eldred.
Othello- An Interpretation' Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
page 39-55) Neely, Carol. 'Women and Men in Othello' Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.