Othello Themes
Themes:
Love: In Othello, love is very deep and pure. Othello and Desdemona truly love each other from the heart. But this love is destroyed by misunderstanding and jealousy. Othello loves Desdemona more than his own life, yet he believes Iago’s lies. Here, love is not joy but a path of pain and death. The play shows that even true love can be ruined by doubt. Jealousy: Jealousy is the most dange...
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Othello Character
Characters:
Major Characters
Othello – Protagonist, General in the Venetian military, a noble Moor Desdemona – Othello's wife; daughter of Brabantio Iago – Antagonist, Othello's trusted but jealous and disloyal companion Cassio – Othello's loyal and most beloved Lieutenant Emilia – Iago's wife and Desdemona's maidservant Bianca – Cassio's lover Brabantio – Venetian senator and Desdemona's father...
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Othello Literary Devices
Literary Terms:
Soliloquy: Iago's soliloquies are key in revealing his true intentions and thoughts to the audience, while other characters remain unaware of his evil plans.
Symbols:
The Handkerchief: The handkerchief that Othello gives to Desdemona symbolizes their love and faithfulness. When it is lost and later found with Cassio, it becomes a symbol of Othello's mistrust and jealousy. The W...
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Othello Summary
Background: Shakespeare's main source for the story of Othello is a tale about a Moorish Captain from a book called Gli Hecatommithi by Cinthio (Giovanni Battista Giraldi). This book has one hundred short stories about love, organized into ten groups. The third group is about cheating in marriage. In Cinthio's story, only Disdemona (who is similar to Shakespeare's Desdemona) has a name; the other...
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Othello Quotes
Quotes:
"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." (Iago, Act 3, Scene 3, Metaphor) ✪✪✪
"Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!" (Cassio, Act 2, Scene 3, Repetition)
"Men should be what they seem; Or those that be not, would they might seem none!" (Iago, Act 3, Scene 3) ✪✪✪
"Then must you speak of one that...
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Notes (16)
- Comment on the view that Iago is more interesting than Othello.
- Consider “Othello” as a domestic tragedy
- Write a note on Shakespeare’s use of intrigues in “Othello”
- Discuss Othello as a tragic character. Or, sketch the character of Othello.
- Othello is the greatest tale of a man who loved excessively but loved not wisely.” - Elucidate.
- Why does Iago stand for motive-hunting of motiveless malignity?
- What are the dramatic ironies in Othello?
- Discuss the element of chance/fate in Othello.
- Discuss Iago as a Machiavellian character/artistic villain.
- Write a short note on Iago as a Machiavellian character.
- Discuss the point that Desdemona is partially responsible for the tragedy in “Othello.”
- Brief Questions in Othello
- How does Iago use the handkerchief to prove Othello’s jealousy?
- Why was Othello duped so easily by Iago?
- Why did Desdemona fall in love with Othello?
- To what extent is Desdemona responsible for her tragedy?