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The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare's play "The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice," considered one of his four great tragedies. Othello is a black general who is manipulated by his jealous ensign Iago, ultimately driving the noble Moor insane.
663 Questions
How correctly does Othello identify his weakness in Scene 2?
Iago uses the weaknesses of Othello, specifically jealousy and his devotion to things as they seem, to conquer his opposite in Desdemona. Othello believes his weakness is trust. He is quick to trust others, especially Iago.
Why did Othello kill Desdemona?
Iago had lied to Othello and convinced him that Desdemona was secretly having sex with Cassio.
How does Iago get Othello to self destruct?
Iago suggests to Othello by counter-suggestion that his wife is having an affair with his lieutenant Cassio.
Why is Othello gullible and easily fooled?
He is not. Every other character in the play, without exception, considers Iago to be honest and trustworthy. Cassio lets Iago trick him into drinking more than he should, and then immediately trusts him again when Iago tells him to go to Desdemona. Is he gullible and easily fooled? Roderigo is conned again and again out of his money by Iago for a purpose anyone could tell was a waste of time. Again and again Roderigo is taken in by Iago. Iago even fools his wife (who by this point ought to know better) in the matter of the handkerchief. Emilia does not think it suspicious enough to tell Desdemona, unfortunately.
As for Othello, Iago knows that Othello cannot be easily fooled. If Othello were so foolish, Iago could have told him his wife was unfaithful, and he would have believed it. No, instead, Iago only plants the idea in Othello's mind, saying all along that he doesn't believe it. He plays on Othello's humility, his concern that a man of his age, background and race could have few attractions for a girl like Desdemona. And so Othello starts to wonder, to doubt, to worry, not because he is gullible but because he is humble. But he doesn't right off believe it. He's not Claudio from Much Ado. "Give me the ocular proof!" he demands. Are these the words of a gullible man?
Iago is a very skillful psychological manipulator. Nobody is immune to his techniques. Nobody. Othello is not a gullible man. Iago is an evil genius.
What is the word cuckold mean in the play Othello?
A cuckold is a man who is deceived by his sexually unfaithful wife. Being cuckolded was a stock situation in Medieval, Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Restoration literature. Cuckold were usually portrayed as fools in comedies and worthy of mockery and condescension. In the more somber tones of a tragedy, the husband was usually portrayed as the victim of a cruel betrayal whose prestige, reputation have been destroyed through the betrayal of their wife.
Of course the genius of Shakespeare's Othello is that Othello is not actually cuckolded by the faithful Desdemona, but misled by his enemies, jealousies, and insecurities into believing he has been.
What is the phrase from Othello about the green eyed monster?
Oh beware, my lord, of jealousy It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on
Is brabantio's warning to Othello an accurate or inaccurate prophecy?
When Brabantio warns the Moor, "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see; / She has deceived her father, and may thee" it is merely foreshadowing at this point and nothing more. Certainly, she had betrayed her father, but she has shown she is very loyal in the process also. Brabantio knows nothing of Iago's machinations and he even thought that it was spells and witchcraft that had stolen his daughter. Desdemona telling Brabantio that it was her choice probably just made him very furious. It cannot be argued that it was accurate or inaccurate-Brabantio was merely lashing out to assuage his anger.
Why is Othello not worried about Brabantio's wrath?
Othello is already married to Desdemona and there is nothing Brabantio can do about it.
What is the significance of Desdemones relationship with Othello?
The significance of Desdemona's relationship with Othello is that she marries him dispite knowing her father would not approve. Othello was a black man and was looked down upon because of his race and color. Shakespeare was tackling the race issue way ahead of most people.
What was Othello's Venice like?
Venice at the time in which the play was set was a tiny city-state ruled by a republican government and led by a series of incredibly elderly and astute leaders called the Doge. Despite the fact that it was a city built on a bunch of islands in a swamp and connected by canals, it was a great maritime power, and its colonial interests in what is now Greece brought it into conflict with the expanding Ottoman empire. Hence the conflict with "the Turk" over Cyprus. Venice at the time was wealthy, sophisticated and cosmopolitan.
