Othello - Shakespeare

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in the beginning: noble, confident, calm, rational, controlled, respectful ● in the end: naive, skeptic, jealous, abusive, violent, revengeful, irrational, insecure, bad tempered and self-destructive Brabantia loyalty Emilia lago disloyalty daugnier Othello Desdemona Bianca lieutenant gelover iger y jealousy alledged and friends Cassio - Rodengo Desdemona: high societal status as a senator's daughter ● daughter of Brabantio and wife to Othello • fell in love with Othello for the dangers he survived capable of defending her marriage after her father's confrontation: stands firm in her allegiance to Othello → obedient & loyal • portrayed as the ideal woman → encompasses everything a man of the time would want in a wife: dutiful & loyal nature, devotion to her husband, beauty • blinded by her love towards Othello ● • fate: vulnerable to oppression of society, accused of committing adultery, punished with death by Othello, takes blame on herself instead of accusing him character traits in the beginning: determined, courageous, resistant, open, loyal, faithful in the end: obedient, forgiving, naive, protective, inferior → intellectually strong and capable but stereotypes and being a woman bound her to what she can do ● lago: villain military veteran from Venice & Othello's ensign (serves under him) • married to Emilia, neglects his wife's needs and wishes • envious of Cassio's promotion → feels treated unfairly relationship to men: physically and verbally abused, doubted and accused of infidelity despite being loyal and innocent, inferior and oppressed, divided duty • controls and influences others' fate → enjoys manipulation (lust of power) • believes others should suffer the same way he does • contrives a plan to alienate Desdemona and Othello: by lies and insinuations, he turns Othello's love for his wife into blind jealousy • reason for misery of others →→ takes advantage of everyone's trust towards him • shows racist and hateful behavior towards people in general but especially Othello for being the one choosing Cassio over him • also suspects an affair between Othello and his wife • character traits: confident, self-aware, self-pitiful, narcissistic, insidious, dis-loyal, two- faced, egoistic, dishonest and manipulative Cassio: Othello's lieutenant highly educated but inexperienced in battle young and good-looking cares about his reputation • commitment issues → teases Bianca with false promises ● ● ● Emilia: middle class as an ensign's man (status defined by husband) • married to lago, friend to Desdemona ● suspected to be unfaithful, neglected • double obligation: caught between conscious and responsibility → giving Desdemona or lago the handkerchief, not giving it to lago would've brought hardships upon her marriage → regret • doubts her husband but knows her place and duty to keep her loyalties with him • refuses silence as she realizes the consequences of her actions → confession → turns against men to defend Desdemona and demonstrate her innocence: chooses to honor her friend and exposes lago's treachery relationship men: controlled by her husband but pleases him, objectified, insulted and treated with disrespect • fate: cowardly stabbed from behind by lago for standing up for the truth character traits in the beginning: obedient, loyal to lago, passive in the end: critical, loyal to Desdemona, courageous, mature, outspoken ● Bianca: low societal status as a courtesan/prostitute faces social pressure and discrimination in love with Cassio who neglects her • seeks for loyalty and commitment • used to please men's sexual desires → objectification financially dependent upon and socially attached to male clients/customers ● • fate: disregarded and used, feels scorned by Cassio → heartbreak ● not governed by a man, shatters old beliefs of male superiority • character traits: brave, outspoken, woman of virtue, hopeful, jealous, loyal, independent Brabantio: • Venetian senator ● self-important, impulsive, racist, protective of his daughter • considers the match of a Venetian noble girl and a lascivious "moor" a disgrace ● Roderigo: jealous suitor of Desdemona • young, rich, foolish (for giving all his money to lago so that he will help him winning Desdemona), naive, useless, obedient Themes Race: Othello's race sets him apart → looks carefully after his reputation as he wants to be seen equally to whites Pride: Othello's pride blinds him from suspecting lago's manipulative behavior in the first place Appearance vs. reality: others' perception of lago differs from his real persona → no one expects him to be treacherous and deceitful → tragic caused by trust in lago Jealousy: excessive jealousy & gullibility (as seen in Othello, triggered by lago) can turn good (mutual love between Desdemona & Othello) into miserable (death) → blinds people Honor and reputation: lago starts intrigue as he feels too little honored and discriminated Othello sees his reputation in danger by the alleged affair of Desdemona Gender: women seen as inferior and property of men, reduction to their social status → Desdemona is unjustly punished with death The handkerchief as a symbol: • Othello gave it to Desdemona as a gift, symbol of her loyalty • for Desdemona, it represents Othello's love towards her • of great importance to Othello • when Desdemona loses the handkerchief, Emilia does not realize the impact handing it to lago would have and gives it to him to save her marriage → regret • used as set up evidence: Othello's convinced of the alleged affair • key to lago's success