"Othello"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the claim that Othello's own weakness of character is responsible for his downfall. It uses Othello's feelings of jealousy and his low self-image as examples of this claim. It traces the way Othello's personality changes through the play in response to Iago's plot. The paper also looks at the animal imagery used in the play to describe the characters.

From the Paper:

"Othello is an accomplished military leader who has the trust and admiration of the duke and the senate, as well as that of Desdemona and her father, Brabantio. But his greatest battle and tragic failure takes place within him, his weakness of character, especially his response to the temptations of jealousy by the vile promptings of Iago, his ensign. Othello is prepared for the most difficult fights with strong opponents, but not when his opponent is his own reaction.
Despite his high rank in the military and the Venetian society, Othello remains insecure within himself and suddenly realizes his small self-regard when Iago dubiously suggests that fresh, young and beautiful Desdemona and his newly-stalled lieutenant Cassio are having a secret love affair. Othello becomes conscious of his perceived liabilities, namely his being a black man with "thick lips" and his being older than Desdemona, which perhaps make him not that attractive to her."

More papers on "Othello":

• Analytical Essay # 144824 : "Racism as a Theme in "Othello"
• Persuasive Essay # 133459 : "Iago's Successful Moral Degradation of Othello"
• Analytical Essay # 88465 : "Oedipus and Othello"
• Analytical Essay # 33531 : "Othello As A Tragic Hero"

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