William Shakespeare's "Othello"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that "Othello", like Shakespeare's other "big" plays, abounds in spectacular examples of theatrical effect, such as the brawls and the big pageantry;however, the theatrical effect of the rest of the play represents communication by gesture and look, the eloquent silences and whispered, spoken and shouted language. The author points out that jealousy in Shakespeare's "Othello" is a mask for the fear of death because what the jealous lover fears is that there will not be time or space enough for him. The paper relates that one of the peculiar splendors of "Othello" is that Othello's belated jealousy cannot be understood without first understanding Iago's primal envy of Othello, which is at the hidden center of the drama.

From the Paper:

"Shakespeare's Iago appears in two aspects: his external appearance, as he reacts with others and his inner life as revealed by the soliloquies. Forget the soliloquies for a moment, and examine the face that Iago turns to the world. Here is a clever, ambitious man coolly manipulating others for his own ends. The current theories of will and reason he voices belong to his character both "psychologically" and dramatically. He denies the reality of loving feelings, they are only a lust of the blood, a permission of the will; he asserts the supremacy of the will and intelligence, ..."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Evans, Robert C. "Flattery in Shakespeare's Othello: The Relevance of Plutarch and Sir Thomas Elyot." Comparative Drama 35.1 (2001): 1.
• Tsomondo, Thorell Porter. "Stage-Managing "Otherness": The Function of Narrative in 'Othello'." Mosaic 32.2 (1999): 1.
• Hassel Jr, R. Chris. "Intercession, Detraction and Just Judgment in Othello." Comparative Drama 35.1 (2001): 43.
• Marchitello, Howard. "Vesalius' 'Fabrica' and Shakespeare's 'Othello': Anatomy, Gender and the Narrative Production of Meaning." Criticism 35.4 (1993): 529.
• Vanita, Ruth. ""Proper" Men and "Fallen" Women: The Unprotectedness of Wives in 'Othello'." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 34.2 (1994): 341.

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