Othellos role in the play. The Handkerchief in Othello by William Shakespeare 2022-10-24

The Symbolic Role of Handkerchief in Othello: [Essay Example], 552 words GradesFixer

His primary role within the play is to reconcile Othello and Brabanzio in Act I, scene iii, and then to send Othello to Cyprus. Iago has only to push Othello to the belief that he has been betrayed, and Othello does the rest, judging, condemning, and executing Desdemona. These are traits that reflect a status of being "inside. Some few minutes before Othello cries out for vengeance, he talks about blood so passionately, and both come to pass in the end. Just a few lines after hearing this news, Othello cries, ''O, blood, blood, blood'' and vows revenge. On the field of battle Othello is skilled and triumphant; in the drawing room he is reluctant until Desdemona takes the lead and encourages him to tell his life story. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.

Othello's Role In The Play

Iago then takes it and plants it in Cassio's room as proof that he and Desdemona are being unfaithful to Othello. No man has full control over his life, but a man can judge himself and perform the execution and die with his love. By the end, her situation is pitiable. The truth of the handkerchief comes out too late. The women in the story balance the narrative with complex social commentary on the state of women and marriage in Elizabethan England. When the colony of Cyprus is threatened by the enemy, the Duke and Senate turn to "valiant" Othello to lead the defense.

Emilia's Role in the Play Othello by Shakespeare

She idolizes Cassio and sees to his needs. Desdemona confesses her love for Othello to her father and the Duke of Venice. Emilia tries to voice her anguish but she is silenced by her husband who is under his skin a worse husband than Othello. He has courage, intelligence, the skill of command, and the respect of his troops. Emilia is fed up but can do little except complaining.

Women's Role in Othello

As the handkerchief makes its way from character to character, it leaves a trail of destruction in its wake. Desdemona would not speak a word against her husband and therefore is forced to court death. In her life, this possession gets transferred to her husband when she wilfully accepts in the court that she has married Othello of her own desire and not under pressure. The spotting of the red berries on the white silk cloth resembles a virgin's bedsheets after the evening of her marriage. Othello tells Iago that the handkerchief was given to his mother by an Egyptian who told told her that it would make her desirable to Othello's father.

Othello

Had these women appeared in more empowered roles, the story would have been different and while it would have been easier for Emilia to expose her evil husband, Desdemona too could raise questions regarding the accusations she faces. As a friend of Othello, Brabanzio feels betrayed when the general marries his daughter in secret. She does not find love but is mocked at. From the suspicious and jealous girlfriend's perspective, asking Bianca to make a copy of the handkerchief is like saying that she means nothing to him. The two murderers escape detection. Earlier in Act 3, Scene 3, in a fit of jealousy due to Iago's insistence that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio, Desdemona tries to use the handkerchief to help Othello, but he pushes it away, knocking it to the ground and, in that action, pushing away Desdemona and his trust in their relationship. Shakespeare also uses Othello to warn the readers against vengeance by presenting revenge as a bad idea in the text.

The Role of Women in Othello

We can safely say that what Othello is truly angry about is the idea that Desdemona has cheated on him with Michael Cassio. Othello is an outsider who is intelligent and confident in military matters but socially insecure. She is desperately in love with Cassio, who is more concerned about his career than he is about his lover, but he is also an innocent pawn in Iago's plan. As a crooked villain, Iago tries to strengthen the relationship between Emilia and Desdemona and he easily destroys the life of Othello with the help of his wife. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. He demotes him, and refuses to have him in his company. There are also sexual undertones to the handkerchief.

Othello: Setting

Finally, Othello represents the typical tragic hero. Through Othello, Shakespeare cultivates acceptable values and condemns evil human behaviors. The works of William Shakespeare: Othello: Act V. For instance, Othello seduces Desdemona, a fair lady, and manages to marry her by telling her about his vast successful experiences in war fields. Shakespeare weaves an intricate web ensnaring the characters in The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice.

Othello: Character List

The characters in the play, especially Iago and Roderigo, call Othello the Moor; a term used to refer to a dark-skinned person. In this scene, the handkerchief may represent Desdemona's desire to heal Othello of his distress. So, the social norms are like a noose around the necks of all the female characters in Othello. While in many ways stereotypically pure and meek, Desdemona is also determined and self-possessed. In his final speeches, Othello brings again a flash of his former greatness: his military glory, his loyalty to Venice, the intensity of his love, and his terrible realization that, by killing Desdemona, he has destroyed the best in himself.

Othello's Racial Insecurity and The Role Of Racism In The Play

We can also see how this is a perfect example of dramatic irony. The works of William Shakespeare: Othello: Act V. The life of early separation from home and family, followed by danger and adventure, is perhaps the life story of thousands of men down the ages who become soldiers of fortune and who end up as corpses in ditches at an early age, unwept, unpaid, and unrecorded. When Othello learns that Desdemona does not have the handkerchief, he becomes upset and believes that she had given it to Cassio. The Moor is arrested, transported from Cyprus to Venice, and tortured, but refuses to admit his guilt. In the professional field, Othello fights hard to retain his societal position by staying on top of his game as a captain of the Venetian military.