Program: Masters of Arts in English

Name: Tanjina Ferdous Chowdhury

Class ID: 201052003
 CRITICALLY EVALUATION OF
“OTHELLO”
 Othello plot originated from Giraldi Cinthio’s
“Tale of the Moor,” a sixteenth-century Italian
tale.
 Shakespeare’s genius and vision transforms a
mediocre tale into one of the world’s great
works of art.
 Othello play was narrated from a first-person
speaker.
DUAL SETTINGS
 The dual settings of Venice and Cyprus emphasize
polarities of reason and passion.
 In Venice, reason by the Duke, is firmly in control, but,
in Cyprus, Othello’s passions take over and the barbaric
Iago moves unchecked.
 Venice is the ageless image of government, of law, and
of social concord, while in Cyprus, passions are more
explosive than in Venice.
 Dual settings show a movement from Venice to Cyprus
exposed to attack, from order to riot, from truth to
falsehood”
ELIZABETHAN
PERIOD

HUMANISM REFORMATION NATIONALISM AGE OF

MATERIAL
ADVANCEMENT

NEW PRINTING AND • REVIVAL OF

DISCOVERIES EDUCATION INTEREST IN
GREEK AND
LATIN
LITERATURE
HOW ARE MALE AND FEMALE ROLES
DEFINED?
Female:
 Being controlled by male.
 Must be respectful to the man
 Dowry paid to the husband when marriage took place
 Women had no rights
 Try to fight against, but too weak to do that. - Emilia
Male:
 Controller.
 Have power to control.
 Egotism – can do whatever they want.

“Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even

the bad she hath contaminated. ”
REALITY AND APPEARANCE
Iago appears to be loyal to Othello, despite this is
not the case at end (dramatic irony).

Iago frequently manipulates the truth, blurring the

boundaries between what appears to be happening and
what is happening.
 JEALOUSY
 Othello is not jealous by nature. He needs to be worked into a
state of jealous confusion.

 Consider the following pivotal passages in your discussion of the

theme of jealousy.

– When Iago further reveals his plot, he seems jealous himself

and says that he must “put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong
that judgment cannot cure”

– Iago later tells Othello to beware of the “green-eyed monster.”

Othello responds that he would not “make a life of jealousy.”
REVENGE

Iago is jealous of Cassio’s position as Othello’s lieutenant

Iago also suggests that Othello has slept with his wife, Aemilia,
possibly another source of his jealousy.
Iago in turn manipulates Othello’s love for his young wife
Desdemona, causing him to be jealous of others who spend time
with her.
Othello’s race is constantly used against him and is one of the
factors that leads to his downfall in the play.
A decisive, resourceful, and intelligent soldier, a
successful general being manipulated by another

Othello’s jealousy is aroused, and it begins to drive

him to declare unwavering commitment to murder his THE FALL
wife
OF
Othello considers killing Desdemona honorable act
being punished for her adultery and sacrificed to save
OTHELLO
her from further dishonor.

After revelation of truth, Othello articulates his epitaph

proudly, rationally without self-pity
OTHELLO AS TRAGIC HERO
 The traditional tragic hero must be extraordinary in rank and deed –
“of high estate,” “great reputation and prosperity.”
- Othello is a highly successful general in the Venetian army with many
heroic adventures in his past.
 A tragic flaw is the personality trait or fated mistake that leads to a
tragic hero’s downfall.
-Iago identifies Othello’s tragic flaw
 Bad luck with the loss of the handkerchief and Bianca’s arrival with
the handkerchief, Desdemona’s naivete etc conspired against him to
be tragic hero
 • Traditional tragedy follows a pattern of upheaval
and restoration.
Restoration • Order is restored at the end when a wiser and more
experienced Cassio assumes Othello’s position. OTHELL
O AS
TRADITI
ONAL
• Language is poetry bridging heights and depths
Poetry of human emotion and action more completely.

TRAGED
• The emotional renewal created by an audience’s
feelings of pity and terror
Y
Catharsis • Resulting in recognition that hero’s tragic fate
was just and that his acceptance of that fate
makes the tragedy complete
THE HANDKERCHIEF
• Shakespeare employs dramatic irony with handkerchief, one of
the most famous props in theatrical history.

• Audience is well aware of what happens to the handkerchief, the

symbol of Othello’s love for and trust in Desdemona.

• Consider the trail of handkerchief:

─ Desdemona loses handkerchief and Emilia finds it ─ Othello

demands Desdemona produce handkerchief

─ Cassio gives the handkerchief to Bianca

─ Iago keeps the handkerchief, “ocular proof,” in the forefront of

Othello’s mind

─ Bianca enters with handkerchief.

─ Othello learns the truth about handkerchief from Emilia

CONTRASTING LOVES
• At the beginning of the play, Othello and Desdemona
demonstrate a pure love, untouched by base impulses.

• In contrast, the speeches of Roderigo, Iago, Emilia, and

Bianca consider love in sexual terms, not as a spiritual union.

Iago has numerous references to bestial sexuality, when he

informs Brabantio of Desdemona’s elopement.
 MULTI DIMENSIONAL CHARACTER OF
IAGO
Iago is intelligent, resourceful, fearless, devious,
creative, and conscienceless.
He is an excellent judge of character and a master
manipulator who identifies and exploits the
weaknesses of others.
Iago recognizes that Othello is gullible and insecure
as a foreigner and a Moor in a white, Christian culture.
Othello becomes so isolated that Iago becomes his
sole interpreter of reality. In a sense, Iago recreates the
world for Othello.
 MANIPULATIVE POWER OF IAGO
 Iago manipulates Othello to reach certain conclusions through a
carefully contrived and patient procedure:

 Iago plants an idea in Othello’s mind with a leading but indirect

statement or question.

 Iago might act surprised at Othello’s response.

 He pretends to withhold information so as to arouse Othello’s

suspicion.

 He waits patiently for Othello to state the intended conclusion.

 He reaffirms the conclusion and pledges to help Othello correct

the wrong.
 Through this technique, Iago appears a faithful and caring
friend, honest, trustworthy, and unselfish.
IAGO’S MISTAKE
 Iago might have been completely successful, except for one
mistake.
 He underestimates the integrity and intelligence of his wife
Emilia.
 Iago probably thought Emilia lacked the skillfulness to detect
his scheming,
 Iago compounded this misjudgment by underestimating her
loyalty to Desdemona, her loyalty to truth and justice, and her
independence.
 DRAMATIC IRONY
 Dramatic irony is a discrepancy between what characters
know and what audiences know.

 Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play by

Iago’s plot and true nature and about all kinds of details
unknown to the characters onstage, especially Othello.

 Dramatic irony arouses the audience’s emotions while also

increasing our fascination with and appreciation for the
evil Iago,
THANK
YOU