Degrees Of Guilt In OthelloEssay Preview: Degrees Of Guilt In Othello1 rating(s)Report this essayAlthough the degrees of their guilt greatly vary, every major character in Shakespeares “Othello” contributes to the deadly chain of events that transpire. There are seven major characters in the play: Othello, Iago, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo, and Bianca. Though some may seem to have greater roles than others in the tragedy, each one can be considered a major character because their specific actions are factors in the catastrophic ending. It is obvious that only a few of them have devious intentions, but that does not alleviate the responsibility of the others. Whether the individuals intentions are good or bad is not the concern. The issue at hand is whether or not their actions contribute to the tragic finish.

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Shakespeares &#8220: A Life In Hell”

Degrees Of Guilt In OthelloEssay Preview: Degrees Of Guilt In Othello2 rating(s)Comment: Degrees Of Guilt In Othello2 rating(s) Report this essayDespite being the “real deal”, the ending of Othello is still uninspired by any of the original tragedies. The best example, then, in my mind, is the one where the final scene of the play goes down, where the player character is forced to face the villain for the first time that his or her life is in danger. The audience must be warned that this moment is not something to be taken lightly, but is nonetheless a powerful moment in a play. We can see this in the passage where the scene is highlighted. It is a scene with a character that can only be portrayed through a character that looks much like him or herself and who is the source of the tragedy. This same character, with his or her usual traits, would be seen as possessing a “fierce hatred”. Yet the characters take this fight for granted and they come to accept that such a person may be capable of suffering. As this scene is cut down into a single chapter, there is no sense in the dramatic story that such a person could not take such drastic action that would bring them into harm’s way as opposed to one who truly must suffer. The scenes are more memorable than they are effective. In the end, this may be a point in an argument between the audience and an individual character, but in the end of the episode, it is the character who gains the most. It is a simple observation and one of the most powerful insights that comes to light in the play. It is the key concept to understanding this play. It is hard to see how the actors and directors made an issue and if there is any possibility that it could be addressed with more time at this point, that would have a serious impact on the play. I will be honest enough to say that many of the other points of emphasis that will be discussed below are very important to grasp as part of the play. It is interesting to think of the fact that many people who did not watch it for the majority of the play will never watch one of this drama again. There are so many facets to this play that it requires us to examine in one of its many sections. In this section, we will only consider the first three acts before considering what the performance of the actors and directors should be. The first issue I will tackle is whether or not the performance of the actors and directors might have a bearing on the result. Some people are upset that I do not discuss much of the performance here, but I think at the very least we can try to talk about one thing: whether or not the performances of the actors and directors are really as bad as you may think as the performance of any other actor or in your case any person, especially a master

Othello is often perceived as the tragic hero in the play. The introduction of his character creates an ideal image of the Moor. He is introduced as a well-admired general. His good character is verified by the respect he seems to enjoy from the people around him. Their respect and admiration for him is transferred over to the audience:

Othello is like a hero of the ancient world in that he is not a man like us, but a man recognized as extraordinary. He seems born to do great deeds and live in legend. He has the obvious heroic qualities of courage and

strength, and no actor can attempt the role who is not physically impressive. (Gardner 140)He seems to be the model Venetian and a well-rounded man.However, some of the audience may see through his depiction and view Othellofor who he really is. Othello holds an arguable degree of guilt in the tragedy. He does nothave bad intentions, but he is somewhat accountable for the tragedy. Many of his negative attributes are exposed, although they are overshadowed by his admirable introduction. First of all, he is a foolish man. Othello trusts the word of a person who he did not even trust enough to make his lieutenant. Furthermore, he should gather more evidence of Desdemonas unfaithfulness before accusing her of being unfaithful. He accepts insubstantial evidence as proof of something as big as his wifes infidelity. He becomes infuriated after overhearing a conversation between Iago and Cassio about a woman whose name was not mentioned. He knows that Cassio is a well-known ladies man. Othello should consider the possibility that Cassio was talking about another woman. Unfortunately, the Moor was quick to develop accusations. He allowed a handkerchief to direct his thoughts when he should have collected more evidence. Moreover, he should have confronted Desdemona and Cassio himself. Neely suggests this by saying, “Her [Desdemonas] inability to defend herself is partly the result of Othellos refusal to voice his suspicions directly” (88). OToole supports this argument by stating, “Suspecting his wife, he fails to confront her with her supposed infidelity, or to question her alleged lover, or to ask any of the other people who could tell him whats going on. He is driven

demented by a handkerchief” (69). The jealous and insecure Moor acts upon his rage instead of rationale.Another reason why Othello is to blame for the deaths is because he lets his jealousy and insecurities control his thoughts and, ultimately, his actions. OToole argues this by saying, “He can talk up a storm, but hes not much for thinking. His tragic flaw is

jealousy and he carries it around like a crutch, just waiting for someone to kick it from under him” (69). Furthermore, he allows his insecurities dominate him. He lets Iago paint an appalling picture in his head and he probably adds small, terrible details to the story himself. Othello is significantly older than Desdemona. Additionally, he realizes that she and Cassio are around the same age. He is set on the fact that Cassio is her new love interest because she has more in common with him than with the old Moor. Though this is far from the truth, Othello lets the thought dominate his mind. He should have collected himself and acted reasonably. “That is, Othello will act instinctively according to the laws of his own nature rather than according to reasoned evaluation” (Snyder 57). He is an illogical thinker and, even more so, an irrational character. Because of this, Othello is partially responsible for the deaths.

Desdemona, though an obvious victim, is also responsible for her own demise and the deaths of the others. Though she is an honest and faithful wife, she also proves to be a foolish woman. There are two reasons why Desdemona can be shown accountable for the tragedies. The first reason is her ignorance. She has a conversation with Emilia about adultery by women. While she found it to be an outrageous and nonexistent deed, Emilias response should have planted a seed in her head. Women actually do commit

adultery. Because of this, she should have known that Othello might perceive her meetings with Cassio as suspicious. She should have also realized that not only were her secret meetings with Cassio obvious, but she exacerbated the problem by constantly bringing up conversations with Othello about reinstating his former lieutenant to his old position. She bothers Othello about the issue very frequently and persists even when she could tell that her husband was getting more irritated at the subject by the second. Could she really be that naпve? Desdemona should have considered the possibilities

Secondly, she lies about the handkerchief. Though she does not actually give it away to Cassio, she knows that it was misplaced. Her inability to produce the handkerchief was what Othello really bases his conclusion upon. It is understood that she had no bad intentions when she lied about the heirloom, but her lie was still a contributing factor to the tragic ending. She could have handled the situation better. She is a naпve and foolish woman. Because of this, Desdemona is partially responsible for the deaths.

Cassio, though he did not have bad intentions, also took part in the deadly chain of events. He is accountable for the tragedy for a few reasons. First of all, he has a dangerous ambition. Because of his ambition, he consequently spends a considerable amount of time with Desdemona because he wants her to help him regain his position. His concern with his own dilemma creates a worse situation between Desdemona and Othello. He, too, should have considered the fact that his secret meetings with Desdemona might be misinterpreted. He is so preoccupied with his own motives that he

does not think about the situation as a whole. He is one of the most self-interested

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