Analysis of Othello

MAJOR ENGLISH WRITERS

ANALYSIS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S PLAY OTHELLO

FAJRI KURNIAWAN
1010733020

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF HUMANITY
ANDALAS UNIVERSITY
PADANG
2013

Background of the author
William Shakespeare is the most famous writer of plays in the English language. He was born in 1564, in Stratford upon-Avon and died on the 23rd of April, 1616. He wrote thirty-nine plays and hundreds of poems. His father William was a successful local businessman and his mother Mary was the daughter of a landowner. Relatively prosperous, it is likely the family paid for William’s education, although there is no evidence he attended university. He attended the local Stratford grammar school. The Stratford school was a good one, run by a well-respected Oxford grad teacher. The amount of the Latin great author Shakespeare would have learned and which shows up in his plays.
Shakespeare married with Anne Hathaway in 1582. She’s from a well to do Stratford family. But she’s 27, and surely was, or was nearing old maid status at the time, and Shakespeare was only 18. They marry in November, and a daughter Susanna, is born in May 1583. They later had twins, Judith and Hamnet, in 1585. But William’s only son Hamnet died aged only 11.
After his marriage, information about the life of Shakespeare is sketchy but it seems he spent most of his time in London writing and performing in his plays. It seemed he didn’t mind being absent from his family. He was a member of a theatre company which performed at the Globe and Blackfriars theatres. His plays were performed for Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. He’s astoundingly productive, cranking out two and three plays a year. His career begins from 1595 to 1615. Shakespeare has made 39 plays and 154 Sonnets by in his career.
He starts with histories and romantic comedies which is popular at the time such as Henry V, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But around 1599 he shifts, and begins experimenting with his plays and his subject matter. Shakespeare stopped acting probably in 1603. He spent his time directing his plays and writing. At this time he wrote three tragedies, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Shakespeare returned to Roman history for the subjects of the next three plays: Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus. Shakespeare lived in London throughout most of his working life and his family stayed in Stratford. He returned to Stratford in about 1610, when he wrote The Winter’s Tale. In Stratford, he also wrote his final play, The Tempest. And that was the place where he died in 1616.

Analysis of Shakespeare’s plays Othello
1. Background
Othello is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. The play tells the story of a powerful general of the Venetian army, Othello, whose life and marriage are ruined by a conniving, deceitful, and envious soldier, Iago. Othello is possibly the most famous literary exploration of the warping powers of jealousy and suspicion. At the same time, it 's among the earliest literary works dealing with race and racism. Othello, undeniably heroic even if ultimately flawed, is the most prominent black protagonist in early Western literature. Othello faces constant racism from other characters, especially when he marries Desdemona, a privileged white woman whose father disapproves of the union.
2. Location
The tragedy Othello is set in Venice, Italy in the late 16th century ‐ a time when Italy was warring with nearby Turkey. The majority of the play’s action takes place on Cyprus, a Venetian war outpost that Turkey is threatening to invade. While Shakespeare does not specifically mention much about Venice and Italy’s geography in the text of Othello, he often talks about it as being a place of relative wealth. This is evidenced by Senator Brabantio who, upon being awakened in the middle of the night by yelling in the streets in Act I, Sc. 1, exclaims, “This is Venice, My house is not a grange.”
3. Time
While the general time period of the text is known to be the late 16th century, the time of year, or season, in which the action occurs is never expressly stated, leaving it up for interpretation. The action in the play occurs over the course of an undetermined period of time it can happen in as little as a few short days, or even as much as a few months. Some scenes are purposefully set in the darkness of night so as to obscure specific actions or add to general mayhem and confusion (such as the attack of Cassio by Roderigo in Act V, Sc. 1).
4. Themes
Race and Jealousy have been the main and most important themes of Othello. Irony is also often heavily emphasized, though race issues are given predominant importance in almost any given production of the classic tragedy. Brabantio rejects Desdemona’s marriage to Othello because of their marked differences. Othello being made into the other by the fact he is a dark, older Moor from Africa ruling in a world of younger, white citizens. Iago uses jealousy against Othello, yet jealousy is likely the source of Iago 's hatred in the first place. In Othello, jealousy takes many forms, from sexual suspicion to professional competition, but it is, in all cases, destructive.
5. Race
Race is arguably the most important aspect of the play Othello, given that the character of Othello is supposed to be a Moor from North Africa and he is the only dark skinned character in the entire play. While I can understand the historical “shock factor” of having a black actor (or a white actor in blackface) play the heroic title role, upon reading Othello I found other themes to be much stronger and more prominent, such as the theme of honesty. That being said, I find it intriguing that Othello successfully climbed the ladder to become General of Venice before the play even begins, despite living in a time period so diverge against darker races.

6. Jealousy
The tragedy Othello focuses on the doom of Othello and the other major characters as a result of jealousy. In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is mainly portrayed through the two major characters: Iago and Othello. It utterly ruins their lives because it causes Iago to show his true self and Othello commit to suicide.
7. Characters
Othello
Othello is a heroic and powerful figure, and controversial in that he is African, dark skinned to the rest of the Venetians. He is described as being a true warrior, yet gentle and level headed, and is married to the fair, young Desdemona.
Desdemona
Desdemona, Othello’s wife, is the daughter of Senator Brabantio and has married Othello secretly without her father’s consent. She is placed on a pedestal as a type of pseudo‐goddess, and is described as being very young, inexperienced, innocent, pure, and perfect, as well as being the ideal, loving spouse. Marvin Rosenberg claims in the 1961 book The Masks of Othello that, “Desdemona was not meant to have a spineless tenderness,” yet she is trapped in this strict image by those surrounding her, and often by the audience as well.
Iago
Iago, Othello’s senior ensign and the antagonist of the play, is a true villain in every sense of the word. Even through the play’s climax and the unraveling of the horrors he has created, Iago never once flinches or shows the slightest remorse for the unspeakable amount of suffering he has caused. Rosenberg claims that, “the source of his torment is not outside mistreatment.” Although it is without specific emphasis, Iago gives the impression that, despite his crafty ways and ability to charm, he also is deeply displeased with himself
Emilia
Emilia is Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s lady‐in‐waiting, and by far the strongest and wisest female character of the play. In the text, it is apparent that she holds no affection for her husband Iago, but does have a deep and true friendship with Desdemona.
Cassio
Michael Cassio is the young and naïve soldier recently appointed lieutenant by Othello, and is the object of Othello’s hatred as a result of the lie Iago creates about the supposed affair between Cassio and Desdemona.
Roderigo
Roderigo is a young and rich Venetian, and although he has his own plans to woo Desdemona with lavish gifts of jewelry, he is nothing more than a pawn for Iago to manipulate.
Bianca
Bianca is the final of three female roles to appear in Othello. She is a prostitute who has fallen in love with Cassio, but Cassio doesn’t return her sincere feelings and laughs her off.
Brabantio
Brabantio is Desdemona’s father, and a senator of Venice. Although he has apparently invited Othello into his house numerous times (and thus allows opportunity for Othello to fall in love with his daughter), Brabantio does not approve of his daughter’s marriage, presumably because he sees Othello as an outsider and, most importantly, unworthy of his daughter’s high‐class upbringing.
Duke of Venice
The Duke of Venice is the “official authority” of Venice, and the main function he serves is to ask Othello to tell the story of how he and Desdemona fell in love. He then sends Othello to brace Cyprus for the imminent Turkish invasion.
Montano
Montano was the previous governor of Cyprus. He tries to calm the drunken Cassio, and as a result is harangued into a swordfight that leaves him wounded at the knee and leaves Cassio’s reputation severely damaged. Later, Montano is present for the climax of the final act of the show, and is another witness to the tragic end of Venice’s leader.
Lodovico/Graziano
Lodovico and Graziano are senators with Brabantio, and at the end of the play Graziano is the bearer of the news that Brabantio has died. Lodovico is seemingly a true gentleman, and chastises Othello for striking Desdemona without solicitation.
8. Plot Synopsis
Two especially important events serve as plot instigators before the opening of the play: the secret marriage of Othello and Desdemona, and Othello’s decision to appoint as his lieutenant the young and inexperienced Cassio instead of his older and more experienced ensign, Iago.
In the first scene, Roderigo is tortured with the fact that the woman he loves, Desdemona, has married another man, Othello. Iago, under the guise of helping Roderigo woo Desdemona, convinces Roderigo to wake up her father, Brabantio, in the middle of the night to tell him his daughter has run away to be married. Brabantio make a midnight meeting of the senate. In this meeting Othello explains how they fell in love, and Desdemona declare her loyalty has changed from her father to her new husband. Brabantio forced give his blessing to his daughter marriage, and the Duke of Venice then sends Othello, his new wife, and the rest of the military, to protect the island of Cyprus from an imminent Turkish attack.
After winning battle with the Turks, Othello celebrate both the retreat of the Turks and his new marriage, but Cassio get drunk and provokes him to fight with Montano so loudly in the streets that Othello is awakened. Every person present at the scene of the brawl refuses to tell the story of what happened, including Iago who declare loyalty to Cassio, and as a result Othello immediately strips Cassio of his status as lieutenant.
Cassio, embarrassed by his drunken actions and fearful of his new reputation, heeds Iago’s new advice and asks Desdemona to put in a good word for him with her husband. Desdemona’s lady in waiting, Emilia picks up Desdemona’s handkerchief after it is accidentally dropped and gives it to Iago, because he has asked her to filch it multiple times. Iago then places the handkerchief in Cassio’s unknowing possession, and plants the idea in Othello’s head that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio.
Later, when Othello sees Cassio laughing with Iago and waving Desdemona’s handkerchief around, Othello assumes Cassio is recounting stories of his conquest of Desdemona, and assumes that Desdemona re‐gifted the handkerchief to her new lover.
Othello, freshly consumed with irrational jealously, orders Desdemona to bed. Iago still pretending to help Roderigo wooing Desdemona, making a plan that Roderigo should attack Cassio after he returns from dinner with Bianca. Roderigo stabs Cassio and Iago sneaks up and stab Cassio in his feet. Cassio pain in hurt but not dead, while Iago kill Roderigo by himself and pretend innocence.
Othello still blinded by jealousy, returns to Desdemona in their bedroom and despite her truthful protestations of fidelity, smothers her to death in a passionate rage. Emilia enters to tell Othello of the fight in the street, and upon discovering Desdemona’s body reprimands Othello for believing Desdemona was unfaithful. Once she has realized that every tragic event has occurred as a result of her husband Iago. Emilia renounces her husband and what was already a love less marriage, and reveals to everyone the truth of what happened starting with the admission that it was Emilia, who first stole the fateful handkerchief and that Desdemona would have never willingly given it to anyone. Iago stabs Emilia and manages to escape from the room, but he gets caught and Othello stab him. Othello, devastated by the truth of the situation and the guilt of murdering his innocent wife, then stabs himself and dies next to both Desdemona and Emilia.

Conclusion
There are lots of important point we can learn from William Shakespeare and his play Othello. Shakespeare has come to be inspiration for all people nowadays. He wrote thirty-nine plays, hundreds of poems and 154 Sonnets by in his career. During his lifetime Shakespeare was not without controversy, but he also received lavish praise for his plays, which were very popular and commercially successful.
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, we can learn about the dangers of jealousy. The play is a study of how jealousy can destroy lives. In Othello, the hero defer to jealousy when Iago convinces him that Desdemona has been an unfaithful wife. In the end, Othello murders his wife and then kills himself. Iago uses jealousy against Othello, yet jealousy is likely the source of Iago 's hatred in the first place. Jealousy is the heart of this play. By the time the play begins, jealousy has twisted Iago just as badly as it will eventually warp and corrupt Othello. Apparently once a good and honest soldier, Iago allows jealousy to lead him down a dark path from which he does not or cannot turn back.
Othello and Iago are different but have the same point. Although Othello is a Moor and Iago is not, they are both military men, who are held in high esteem by others. They both kill their wives, whom they suspect have been unfaithful. Both are driven by jealousy. The big difference is that Iago enjoys exacting revenge, while Othello struggles with it, and tries to justify it as his duty. Iago is the villain of the play because he enjoys hurting others. Both Othello and Iago were highly respected soldiers at one point, but jealousy warps their sense of right and wrong, and they end up disgraced. While both men plot revenge and commit murder, what makes Iago the villain and Othello the tragic hero is that Iago actually enjoys punishing those he thinks have offended him.
Othello also one of first black heroes in English literature. A military general, he has risen to a position of power and influence. At the same time, however, his status as a black-skinned foreigner in Venice marks him as an outside and exposes him to some pretty overt racism, especially by his wife 's father, who believes his daughter 's interracial marriage can only be the result of Othello 's trickery.

Work Cited
Anonymous. Theme of Jealousy in Othello. Online Internet. December 1st 2013. http://www.literary-articles.com/2009/12/theme-of-jealousy-in-othello.html Notes, Spark. Othello-No Fear Shakespeare. New York: Spark Publishing, 2003
Rosenberg, M. The Masks of Othello. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1961
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Washington Square Press: New edition, 1993
Shmoop. Othello Theme of Race. Online Internet. December 1st 2013. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/race-theme.html Wikipedia. William Shakespeare bibliography. Online Internet. December 1st 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

Cited: Anonymous. Theme of Jealousy in Othello. Online Internet. December 1st 2013. http://www.literary-articles.com/2009/12/theme-of-jealousy-in-othello.html Notes, Spark. Othello-No Fear Shakespeare. New York: Spark Publishing, 2003 Rosenberg, M. The Masks of Othello. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1961 Shakespeare, William. Othello. Washington Square Press: New edition, 1993 Shmoop. Othello Theme of Race. Online Internet. December 1st 2013. http://www.shmoop.com/othello/race-theme.html Wikipedia. William Shakespeare bibliography. Online Internet. December 1st 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare