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What is the main theme of Othello?
Lesson Summary. Shakespeare’s classic play Othello is about a man who falsely accuses his wife of cheating on him, and believes this lie so strongly that he eventually takes her life. Some of the major themes in this play include racial prejudice, manipulation, and jealousy.
What is the most important line in Othello?
Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, All, all, cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.
Is love a theme in Othello?
In Othello, the major themes reflect the values and the motivations of characters. In Othello, love is a force that overcomes large obstacles and is tripped up by small ones. It is eternal, yet derail-able. It provides Othello with intensity but not direction and gives Desdemona access to his heart but not his mind.
What is Othello’s fatal flaw?
Some say that Othello’s tragic flaw was jealousy which flared at suspicion and rushed into action unchecked by calm common sense. A more modern interpretation would say that Othello’s tragic flaw was that he had internalized, that is taken into himself, the prejudices of those who surrounded him.
What type of tragedy is Othello?
Othello is also a domestic tragedy: the tragedy of marriage. Othello and Desdemona have a passionate love which could be seen as a threat to the rules established by patriarchal order: their intense, emotionally charged and equal marriage challenges ideas about class, race and the conformity of women.
How does Othello shape our world?
Overall, Othello successfully captures how human beings rely on stories to give meaning and make sense of their lives. Shakespeare reflects the importance of storytelling through themes such as rumours and lies, often created by Iago to shape the way characters give meaning to themselves and others.
How is the theme of jealousy developed in Othello?
The play is a study of how jealousy can be fueled by mere circumstantial evidence and can destroy lives. (In Othello, the hero succumbs to jealousy when Iago convinces him that Desdemona has been an unfaithful wife – in the end, Othello murders his wife and then kills himself.)
Why is the ending of Othello important?
The ending symbolizes the culmination of the violent forces put in motion by Iago at the start of the play. He aimed at “practicing upon [Othello’s] peace and quiet / Even to madness” (2.1.).
What makes Othello a tragic hero?
Othello is a tragic hero because he is noble, he suffers from a fatal tragic flaw and he goes through a tragic downfall. All these traits that Othello exhibits lead him to be known as one of the most well-known tragic heroes in all of literature.
Why Othello is a tragic hero?
What is the main theme of the play Othello?
Othello is the most famous literary work that focuses on the theme of jealousy. It runs through an entire text and affects almost every central character. One might even say that jealousy is the main theme of Othello. However, the exploration of racism, sexism, and deception is essential to the play.
How is jealousy shown in Othello?
Jealousy motivates the central conflicts of Othello: Iago’s resentment of Othello, and Othello’s suspicion of Desdemona. Iago is immediately revealed as a jealous character: in the first scene, he complains that Cassio has been promoted instead of him even though “I am worth no worse a place” (1.1.).
How does Othello feel he is being deceived by other characters?
In Othello, Othello simultaneously believes he is being deceived by characters who are honest while failing to see the deceit and treachery of characters who are tricking him. Othello refers to Iago as “honest” multiple times, showing that he is totally blind to the way Iago is tricking and manipulating him.
Why does the Othello end?
The demise of the Othello is based on Jealousy that results what Iago wants. What Iago reveals about the jealousy is, “O beware jealousy; / It is the green ey’d monster, which doth mock / That meat it feeds on” (Act III. scene3, lines 169–170).