After Othello smothered Desdemona she had an opportunity to tell Emilia that Othello had killed her before she died. However, Desdemona did not take the opportunity to accuse Othello. Instead when Emilia asked her who had smothered her, she said, "Nobody; I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell." Desdemona is either the most naive woman ever, or she is the most devoted. Some would argue that she is naive, because Othello treated her terribly before she died. After Othello believed that she was unfaithful he said cruel things to her, hit her, and smothered her. Sounds like abuse to me, and even murder. Some would argue that she is naive, because she does not try to get justice. It is interesting that there is a contrast between Othello's focus and Desdemona's focus. Othello's focus is on her supposed betrayal which causes him to murder her. Desdemona's focus is not on Othello's betrayal but on her love for him, which causes her undying devotion. I think Desdemona's love for Othello is admirable not naive. She did not let anything stop her from loving Othello. She loved him with a love that was not based on Othello's imperfection. She loved him freely, and without restraint. I think it is admirable, not naive, that she loved him despite his imperfections. I think this also contributed to the perfect woman that Desdemona embodied. Her love was pure just as she was pure.
Iago is a very jealous person. He is jealous of everything that Othello has done and is currently doing in his life, including marrying Desdemona. Iago wants Desdemona all to himself so he starts to plot Desdemona against Othello in hopes that he destroys Othello to get Desdemona. He is also trying to get back at Othello for naming a new lieutenant which is Cassio. Iago can't believe that Othello would name Cassio lieutenant over him. He doesn't understand why Othello didn't pick him, so an instant hatred comes over him. Instead of trying to talk it out with Othello, Iago just decides to basically ruin Othello's life. Iago's plan suddenly comes to life when he sets Desdemona up with the whole handkercheif situation. Iago plants the handkercheif to make it look like Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. Well, Othello is very trusting in men so he takes Iago's word and it crushes him. He cannot believe that his dear Desdemona would "cheat" even though she didn't actually cheat, it is just Iago destroying him. Othello's tone goes from being very formal and organized, to scattered and very confusing/angry. We can tell from the way he is talking, that he is starting to lose it, and all over something that isn't even true thanks to Iago. Iago's plan, unfortunately, works to destroy Othello, even though Iago had no reason for any of it since Othello fired Cassio in the first place. Iago's jealous personality just kept the grudge going and he never stopped the fight against Othello.
Desdemona's love for Othello is unconditional. Even when he hits her and calls her a whore, she still says she loves him. At the end, she says she killed herself rather than tell the truth and implicate Othello. Is Desdemona's overwhelming love admirable? Should we pity Desdemona rather than admiring her? What would your advice to Desdemona be?
I don’t believe Desdemona’s love is as admirable as it is foolish. For the time period, Desdemona would have been seen as more admirable because she stayed true to her husband regardless what he did, however with a more contemporary perspective, I don’t believe that was an appropriate reaction for the things he said and did to her. I pity Desdemona to a certain extent, but Othello had blatantly told her that he was going to kill her and she let him. She even defended him. Desdemona could have ran, yelled for help, or even told Emalia that Othello had killed her on her deathbed. I do not think someone should preserve their love for another who does not trust them, nor even communicate with them. But as mentioned in class, being a “military man” made Othello unschooled in relationships. My advice to Desdemona would be to go back to live with her family, without Othello. If Othello can’t trust women, only men, then he should not have a wife.
Cultural criticism might analyze whether she actually had the awareness or strength to challenge him? In terms of how an audience reads or views their relationship and tragedy, how does Desdemona's unwavering faith contribute to theme? How would meaning or effect change if he killed her after she yelled, ran, or implicated him?
13. Desdemona's love for Othello is unconditional. Even when he hits her and calls her a whore, she still says she loves him. At the end, she says she killed herself rather than tell the truth and implicate Othello. Is Desdemona's overwhelming love admirable? Should we pity Desdemona rather than admiring her? What would your advice to Desdemona be?
I believe Desdemona’s love for Othello is more pathetic than admirable, especially in the last scenes of the play. Desdemona puts up with a lot of abuse from Othello in the latter parts of the play all because Othello chooses to believe someone who is manipulating him into thinking Desdemona is cheating on him. However, Desdemona is truly innocent and has never strayed from Othello. Yet, she still lets Othello hurt her and call her derogatory names even though she has not done anything to deserve this unfair treatment. So, no I do not think we should pity her either since she consciously chose to put up with this treatment. My advice would have been to stand up for herself and not let Othello abuse her like this. She could have been a bit more like Emilia and be vocal in her opinions even though they differ from those around her. She could have left Othello for treating her badly and maybe if she was more vocal and had a bit more fight in her, she would not have been dead by the end of the play.
“O, who hath done this deed? Nobody; I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!” (127-129) Desdemona seems to admit this to enforce the idea that she is overwhelmingly in love with Othello and wants the best for him even though he killed her. Although some may say she is foolish for loving him, I think that it would give her a different character as well as a different story if she went against what Othello said. I also believe that she just wanted to give herself not only to Othello, but to God. She wanted to be free of sin completely since she was dying, so saying that she killed herself showed God her vulnerability and that she was apologizing for everything she had ever done. Although I wish that Desdemona had attacked Othello back and told him everything honestly, I enjoyed the mystery of her just letting him kill her. Of course my advice to Desdemona would be to be honest with the handkerchief in the first place, but also to not let a man’s love towards you define your life. I think she stopped fighting because how Othello felt meant more to her than her own self. Desdemona should have put herself first before she ever gave her love to someone else. Her relationship with Othello seems very loving, but it seems like that’s the only thing she was confined to. Othello kills her over absolutely nothing and yet she still continues to love him. I believe there is no other explanation behind this except that her love was so strong for him that she’d do anything for him. If it made him feel better for her to die, then so be it. I think her love is admirable. If someone threatened to kill me that I loved, I can guarantee that I wouldn’t just be going along with it; I’d fight back. I think Desdemona shows our generation something that has been lost; loyalty. Although you shouldn’t let someone just kill you, Desdemona is admirable in her loyalty towards Othello.
It is never perfectly specified why Iago hates Othello so much. While Othello's awarding of Lieutenant to Cassio is a reason he cites, this is more of just a way for Iago to justify to himself why he is doing this. There are plenty of other reasons which lead to Iago developing his plan. First off, Iago is jealous of Othello's happy marriage to Desdemona. His own marriage is devoid of love and intimacy, which makes him extremely bitter when seeing how much Othello and Desdemona love each other. Additionally, Othello is a very powerful man, and Iago may feel he deserves to hold his power. Lastly, even over something as trivial as being lieutenant, this was enough to push him over the deep end. Iago's jealously, paired with his intelligence and cunning, was enough to execute a plan so heinous and jaded it succeeded in destroying Othello and killing countless others in the process. However, it backfired when he was implicated of his crimes and ultimately sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment.
8. Who does Othello ultimately care about more – Desdemona or himself? Some critics have argued that Othello's love of Desdemona is ultimately self-centered. Would you agree? Does this mean that, without Iago, they would have lived happily ever after?
I would argue that Othello ultimately cares about himself more. This narcissism just demonstrates itself in Othello as an intense mix of infatuation and lust. I feel this way because of what acts as the foundation of Othello's love for Desdemona. The very foundation of their love is that Desdemona takes a deep interest in Othello's stories and she pities him for them. The entire relationship is centered around Othello's experiences. Once the stories grow boring to Desdemona there would be nothing left. Once there is nothing left for Desdemona there would be nothing left for Othello as well. We see this narcissism in the story when Othello's jealousy begins to take root. He is very obsessed with having a pure wife, and takes great offense when he believes she is not. He then begins to feel that if he can not have her then no one will. This ultimately becomes the reason why he decides to kill Desdemona.
10. In Othello, most of the action takes place between only two characters: Iago and Othello, and this "action" is basically intense conversation and plotting. What effect does this produce on us as a reader? What challenges does this pose for directors and actors? Is Othello a domestic drama? Does it feel claustrophobic? How does the scale and focus of the play reflect the themes of jealousy, hatred and obsession
Of the other Shakespearean plays and stories Othello is a more domesticated drama, focusing only on Othello and his relationships. The little contact that Othello has with any other character but Iago through the most intense parts of this play create a feeling of dread and frustration in the reader. If Othello would’ve simply talked to Cassio, Amelia, or even his own wife then I doubt they would all be dead. The build up and evolution in the wickedness of Iago through their conversation leaves the reader feeling almost helpless and sorry for Othello. I can imagine the actors playing Othello and Iago spent months going over their massive amount of dialogue while other important characters like Desdemona or Cassio had a much lighter work load to carry out. However, because these interaction are so condensed it is easier for the reader to watch and see how emotions like hatred and jealousy bloom into full blown monsters. Othello not having contact with others allowed himself to think his way to insanity, to sit and stew over his jealousy. This also allowed Iago to have more control in grooming Othello to a point of homicide. If Othello had more contact with the other characters they would’ve helped him see more realistically and talk him out of committing murder.
The play definitely refutes Iago’s opinion of women. Desdemona is clearly so head over heels for Othello, and that is seen in her actions when she asks Emilia if there are even such women that would ever cheat on their husband. However, there are all different types of people, and so not all women are the same. This is shown through the contrast between Emilia and Desdemona. When asks if such women exist, Emilia seems to be the type of person that would do such a thing. But the situation also depends on the man that the woman is with. If the man treats his wife horribly, like Iago did to Emilia, then I’m sure the women treated so would want to take over their husbands in the same way that Emilia does toward Iago. Iago directs his statement toward all women, and even if it may apply to some women, it mostly only applies to the women that are treated terribly by their husbands. So, in a way the play also supports Iago’s negative statement about women. Except it isn’t the woman’s fault for being so, just as Emilia states, it is the man’s fault for the woman’s flaws.
After Othello smothered Desdemona she had an opportunity to tell Emilia that Othello had killed her before she died. However, Desdemona did not take the opportunity to accuse Othello. Instead when Emilia asked her who had smothered her, she said,
ReplyDelete"Nobody; I myself. Farewell.
Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell."
Desdemona is either the most naive woman ever, or she is the most devoted. Some would argue that she is naive, because Othello treated her terribly before she died. After Othello believed that she was unfaithful he said cruel things to her, hit her, and smothered her. Sounds like abuse to me, and even murder. Some would argue that she is naive, because she does not try to get justice. It is interesting that there is a contrast between Othello's focus and Desdemona's focus. Othello's focus is on her supposed betrayal which causes him to murder her. Desdemona's focus is not on Othello's betrayal but on her love for him, which causes her undying devotion. I think Desdemona's love for Othello is admirable not naive. She did not let anything stop her from loving Othello. She loved him with a love that was not based on Othello's imperfection. She loved him freely, and without restraint. I think it is admirable, not naive, that she loved him despite his imperfections. I think this also contributed to the perfect woman that Desdemona embodied. Her love was pure just as she was pure.
How might or could Desdemona perhaps hold herself responsible for her death? "I myself." How?
Delete3. Why does Iago want to destroy Othello?
ReplyDeleteIago is a very jealous person. He is jealous of everything that Othello has done and is currently doing in his life, including marrying Desdemona. Iago wants Desdemona all to himself so he starts to plot Desdemona against Othello in hopes that he destroys Othello to get Desdemona. He is also trying to get back at Othello for naming a new lieutenant which is Cassio. Iago can't believe that Othello would name Cassio lieutenant over him. He doesn't understand why Othello didn't pick him, so an instant hatred comes over him. Instead of trying to talk it out with Othello, Iago just decides to basically ruin Othello's life. Iago's plan suddenly comes to life when he sets Desdemona up with the whole handkercheif situation. Iago plants the handkercheif to make it look like Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. Well, Othello is very trusting in men so he takes Iago's word and it crushes him. He cannot believe that his dear Desdemona would "cheat" even though she didn't actually cheat, it is just Iago destroying him. Othello's tone goes from being very formal and organized, to scattered and very confusing/angry. We can tell from the way he is talking, that he is starting to lose it, and all over something that isn't even true thanks to Iago. Iago's plan, unfortunately, works to destroy Othello, even though Iago had no reason for any of it since Othello fired Cassio in the first place. Iago's jealous personality just kept the grudge going and he never stopped the fight against Othello.
Desdemona's love for Othello is unconditional. Even when he hits her and calls her a whore, she still says she loves him. At the end, she says she killed herself rather than tell the truth and implicate Othello. Is Desdemona's overwhelming love admirable? Should we pity Desdemona rather than admiring her? What would your advice to Desdemona be?
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe Desdemona’s love is as admirable as it is foolish. For the time period, Desdemona would have been seen as more admirable because she stayed true to her husband regardless what he did, however with a more contemporary perspective, I don’t believe that was an appropriate reaction for the things he said and did to her. I pity Desdemona to a certain extent, but Othello had blatantly told her that he was going to kill her and she let him. She even defended him. Desdemona could have ran, yelled for help, or even told Emalia that Othello had killed her on her deathbed. I do not think someone should preserve their love for another who does not trust them, nor even communicate with them. But as mentioned in class, being a “military man” made Othello unschooled in relationships. My advice to Desdemona would be to go back to live with her family, without Othello. If Othello can’t trust women, only men, then he should not have a wife.
Cultural criticism might analyze whether she actually had the awareness or strength to challenge him? In terms of how an audience reads or views their relationship and tragedy, how does Desdemona's unwavering faith contribute to theme? How would meaning or effect change if he killed her after she yelled, ran, or implicated him?
Delete13. Desdemona's love for Othello is unconditional. Even when he hits her and calls her a whore, she still says she loves him. At the end, she says she killed herself rather than tell the truth and implicate Othello. Is Desdemona's overwhelming love admirable? Should we pity Desdemona rather than admiring her? What would your advice to Desdemona be?
ReplyDeleteI believe Desdemona’s love for Othello is more pathetic than admirable, especially in the last scenes of the play. Desdemona puts up with a lot of abuse from Othello in the latter parts of the play all because Othello chooses to believe someone who is manipulating him into thinking Desdemona is cheating on him. However, Desdemona is truly innocent and has never strayed from Othello. Yet, she still lets Othello hurt her and call her derogatory names even though she has not done anything to deserve this unfair treatment. So, no I do not think we should pity her either since she consciously chose to put up with this treatment. My advice would have been to stand up for herself and not let Othello abuse her like this. She could have been a bit more like Emilia and be vocal in her opinions even though they differ from those around her. She could have left Othello for treating her badly and maybe if she was more vocal and had a bit more fight in her, she would not have been dead by the end of the play.
How might feminist criticism interpret/explain her passiveness or complacency? Is it necessary to intensify the tragedy?
Delete“O, who hath done this deed? Nobody; I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!” (127-129) Desdemona seems to admit this to enforce the idea that she is overwhelmingly in love with Othello and wants the best for him even though he killed her. Although some may say she is foolish for loving him, I think that it would give her a different character as well as a different story if she went against what Othello said. I also believe that she just wanted to give herself not only to Othello, but to God. She wanted to be free of sin completely since she was dying, so saying that she killed herself showed God her vulnerability and that she was apologizing for everything she had ever done. Although I wish that Desdemona had attacked Othello back and told him everything honestly, I enjoyed the mystery of her just letting him kill her. Of course my advice to Desdemona would be to be honest with the handkerchief in the first place, but also to not let a man’s love towards you define your life. I think she stopped fighting because how Othello felt meant more to her than her own self. Desdemona should have put herself first before she ever gave her love to someone else. Her relationship with Othello seems very loving, but it seems like that’s the only thing she was confined to. Othello kills her over absolutely nothing and yet she still continues to love him. I believe there is no other explanation behind this except that her love was so strong for him that she’d do anything for him. If it made him feel better for her to die, then so be it. I think her love is admirable. If someone threatened to kill me that I loved, I can guarantee that I wouldn’t just be going along with it; I’d fight back. I think Desdemona shows our generation something that has been lost; loyalty. Although you shouldn’t let someone just kill you, Desdemona is admirable in her loyalty towards Othello.
ReplyDeleteThis is answering the 13th question
Delete3. Why does Iago want to destroy Othello?
ReplyDeleteIt is never perfectly specified why Iago hates Othello so much. While Othello's awarding of Lieutenant to Cassio is a reason he cites, this is more of just a way for Iago to justify to himself why he is doing this. There are plenty of other reasons which lead to Iago developing his plan. First off, Iago is jealous of Othello's happy marriage to Desdemona. His own marriage is devoid of love and intimacy, which makes him extremely bitter when seeing how much Othello and Desdemona love each other. Additionally, Othello is a very powerful man, and Iago may feel he deserves to hold his power. Lastly, even over something as trivial as being lieutenant, this was enough to push him over the deep end. Iago's jealously, paired with his intelligence and cunning, was enough to execute a plan so heinous and jaded it succeeded in destroying Othello and killing countless others in the process. However, it backfired when he was implicated of his crimes and ultimately sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment.
8. Who does Othello ultimately care about more – Desdemona or himself? Some critics have argued that Othello's love of Desdemona is ultimately self-centered. Would you agree? Does this mean that, without Iago, they would have lived happily ever after?
ReplyDeleteI would argue that Othello ultimately cares about himself more. This narcissism just demonstrates itself in Othello as an intense mix of infatuation and lust. I feel this way because of what acts as the foundation of Othello's love for Desdemona. The very foundation of their love is that Desdemona takes a deep interest in Othello's stories and she pities him for them. The entire relationship is centered around Othello's experiences. Once the stories grow boring to Desdemona there would be nothing left. Once there is nothing left for Desdemona there would be nothing left for Othello as well. We see this narcissism in the story when Othello's jealousy begins to take root. He is very obsessed with having a pure wife, and takes great offense when he believes she is not. He then begins to feel that if he can not have her then no one will. This ultimately becomes the reason why he decides to kill Desdemona.
10. In Othello, most of the action takes place between only two characters: Iago and Othello, and this "action" is basically intense conversation and plotting. What effect does this produce on us as a reader? What challenges does this pose for directors and actors? Is Othello a domestic drama? Does it feel claustrophobic? How does the scale and focus of the play reflect the themes of jealousy, hatred and obsession
ReplyDeleteOf the other Shakespearean plays and stories Othello is a more domesticated drama, focusing only on Othello and his relationships. The little contact that Othello has with any other character but Iago through the most intense parts of this play create a feeling of dread and frustration in the reader. If Othello would’ve simply talked to Cassio, Amelia, or even his own wife then I doubt they would all be dead. The build up and evolution in the wickedness of Iago through their conversation leaves the reader feeling almost helpless and sorry for Othello. I can imagine the actors playing Othello and Iago spent months going over their massive amount of dialogue while other important characters like Desdemona or Cassio had a much lighter work load to carry out. However, because these interaction are so condensed it is easier for the reader to watch and see how emotions like hatred and jealousy bloom into full blown monsters. Othello not having contact with others allowed himself to think his way to insanity, to sit and stew over his jealousy. This also allowed Iago to have more control in grooming Othello to a point of homicide. If Othello had more contact with the other characters they would’ve helped him see more realistically and talk him out of committing murder.
The play definitely refutes Iago’s opinion of women. Desdemona is clearly so head over heels for Othello, and that is seen in her actions when she asks Emilia if there are even such women that would ever cheat on their husband. However, there are all different types of people, and so not all women are the same. This is shown through the contrast between Emilia and Desdemona. When asks if such women exist, Emilia seems to be the type of person that would do such a thing. But the situation also depends on the man that the woman is with. If the man treats his wife horribly, like Iago did to Emilia, then I’m sure the women treated so would want to take over their husbands in the same way that Emilia does toward Iago. Iago directs his statement toward all women, and even if it may apply to some women, it mostly only applies to the women that are treated terribly by their husbands. So, in a way the play also supports Iago’s negative statement about women. Except it isn’t the woman’s fault for being so, just as Emilia states, it is the man’s fault for the woman’s flaws.
ReplyDelete