Mock Paper 3 - Sample Essay: Othello

This extract is taken from the play ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare, which tells the story of Venetian General
Othello who, manipulated by his right hand and ‘close friend’ Iago, slowly descends into madness. This
particular scene is the last one of the play i.e. Act V, scene 2, and presents an aptly tragic ending, to a tragic play.
Othello has now found out that his wife, Desdemona, never committed any acts of infidelity, and that all the
proof Iago gave him for the same was skilfully engineered, and simply to manipulate Othello. Heartbroken, he
kills himself. Shakespeare’s use of language and literary devices such as figurative language, allusion, and
diction, are key in creating a tragic and sorrowful scene.

Firstly, his use of figurative language is key in portraying the extent of Othello’s mistakes and highlight his
sorrow upon realising how misguided his actions have been. In ‘like the base Indian’, Othello uses a simile to
compare himself to Indians, who were believed to be people who did not know the value of the jewels they
held. Although the assumption that the simile is based upon is largely stereotypic, it shows the audience just
how disappointed and disgusted Othello is with himself for not appreciating Desdemona’s worth, and thus
committing such a horrible mistake. Secondly, Othello continues his simile about base Indians by saying,
‘throw a…his tribe’. This metaphor compares Desdemona to a jewel- a pearl- highlighting how beautiful
Othello found her, and just how precious she was to him. Pearls are also white in colour, and seeing that her
‘fairness’ or ‘whiteness,’ as well as her overall beauty, was always something Othello appreciated, it is an apt
choice of jewel. Furthermore, white is also symbolic of innocence and purity, all qualities that made
Desdemona a truly beautiful person. The realisation that despite this purity, her end was so ‘impure’ and cruel,
makes this a truly tragic moment. Furthermore, Desdemona was also ‘richer than all his tribe,’ meaning she
held more value to him, than anyone else. These words show the audience just how much Othello has lost, once
again making this a tragic moment. Then, the figurative language employed in ‘more fell than anguish,
hunger, or the sea’ highlights the extent to which Iago ought to be hated after all his terrible, cruel acts. No
‘anguish’ ever caused to anyone could be worse than the anguish Iago has bought upon these people. The pain
of ‘hunger,’ and as an extension, starvation, is also incomparable; Iago is worse. The ‘sea’ is also archetypally
viewed as a symbol of unpredictable cruelty- however, Iago’s cruelty has been worse. This adds to the tragic
moment, as the audience reflects upon how horrible Iago has been and the suffering he has caused. Finally, in
‘Drops tears…medicinal gum’ the simile utilised shows just how terribly saddened Othello was by this turn of
events. He states earlier that he is not one who would usually be affected by such things, but the simile here
contrasts that, and emphasises just how much he wept upon realising what a grave mistake he had made. This
further creates a tragic atmosphere, as the audience sympathises with Othello’s distressing predicament.

The use of allusion is also important to understanding different comparisons that highlight how terribly
Othello has suffered. Firstly, the allusion to ‘Arabian trees/ Their medicinal gum’ is one skilfully chosen by
Shakespeare. The phrase makes a reference to the themes of appearance and reality. as well as being blinded by
manipulation. All throughout the play, the audience sees Othello being manipulated by Iago’s words and
cleverly engineered plots, such as the ‘eavesdropping conversation’ with Cassio. Through such schemes, Iago
blinds Othello to the fact that there is no ocular proof for Desdemona committing infidelity. However, here, it
is important to note that the medicinal gum of Arabian trees (myrrh) was used as medicine for curing sight
and improving vision. This reference adds to the tragic moment by reminding the audience of the way Othello
was influenced and blinded, causing him to commit such terrible acts. Secondly, ‘turbaned Turk’ and
‘circumcised dog’ are crude references to people of the Middle East, who the Venetians looked down upon. This
reminds the audience of Othello’s great military days again adding to the tragedy. Also, the crude allusion
reminds the audience of Othello’s hatred for them. However, ironically, he kills himself the same way; this is a
terrible tragic moment, and the allusion thus helps highlight his self-hatred. Lastly, referring to Iago as
‘Spartan dog’ is also notable, as Spartans were warriors known for their aggression and cruelty. Iago, like the
Spartans, has been cruel, and his malicious tactics have ruined lives. Spartan dogs were also believed to be
bloodthirsty, but silent. This may allude to the underhand nature of Iago’s tactics- he is able to carry them all
out, without anyone knowing, as a ‘silent killer’ might. This again highlights for the audience Iago’s terrible
deeds, and the effect they had on Othello, adding to the sympathy the audience feels, and emphasising the
tragedy of the situation.

Diction also plays a significant role here. Othello refers to himself as a ‘fool’ multiple times (also an example of
repetition). This shows us just how disappointed he is in himself, and the self-hatred he feels, due to having
been tricked so easilyd. He is starting to realise that his trusting nature has been his tragic flaw, the reason of
his downfall, something hinted at throughout the play. The word also provides a stark contrast to Othello’s
self-assured attitude in earlier scenes of the play, emphasising his character arc and tragic downfall. Secondly,
his dialogue, ‘I kiss’d…a kiss’, highlights how similar Othello and Desdemona’s deaths were; he kisses her
before killing her, and again kisses her before killing himself. This shows how much he loves her, both before
realising that she never committed infidelity, and after too. The alliteration in this phrase adds a lyrical effect,
and places emphasis on it as well, that helps audience focus on the gravity of his words, whilst adding a sad note
to them. The juxtaposition of the words ‘kissed’ and ‘killed’ again adds to this tragic nature, as the audience is
overcome by sympathy for them. Then, the phrase ‘object poisons sight,’ used to refer to Desdemona and
Othello lying dead on the bed, is another notable example of diction. The verb ‘poison’ is significant here;
Lodovico insinuates that it hurts his eyes to watch this horrible scene, almost as though they are being
subjected to some horrible, toxic ‘poison.’ This highlights the disturbing nature of this scene for the audience,
further adding to the tragic atmosphere. Lastly, the phrase ‘heavy act…heart relate,’ provides a fittingly tragic
end to the play. There is a sort of finality to the words that shows that nothing more can be done about this
situation. The use of the adjective ‘heavy’ highlights the gravity of the situation, as though it is some kind of
weight that must be borne by all of those who know of it. This further emphasises the sadness of these final
events, and leaves the audience mourning over the losses that have been faced by not just Othello and
Desdemona, but those that cared for them too.

Thus, to conclude, this scene is truly one of the most heart-breaking scenes of Othello. The pain that the
audience feels can largely be credited to Shakespeare’s chosen language, and literary devices such as figurative
language, allusion, and diction, considering the heavy, sorrowful atmosphere that they create. Othello’s
journey is a tragic one, with a terrible downfall that can be owed largely to his hamartia, or tragic flaw- his
trusting nature. Therefore, the ending of Othello is a truly tragic one, that serves as a warning to all those who
succumb to the ‘green eyed monster.’