Othello essay

Othello Essay

Othello essay can take many forms. For example, your teacher may ask you to write Othello essay about the plot, main characters, central themes, historical context, literary analysis, or anything else.  The choice of options is rather.  Below is a sample of Othello essay written with the hope to help you with writing your own essay on Othello. ….For the story of Othello Shakespeare went to Giraldi Cintio Ecatommiti. The Moor's jealousy would have seemed to an Elizabethan a probable outcome of his heritage from a hot climate, and Shakespeare accepted the fact without stressing it. But he did try to make Othello's jealousy still more credible by one fundamental alteration. In the source the Moor and Disdemona have lived together happily for years, whereas Othello has had no time to acquire the intimate knowledge and trust which a happy marriage should bring. This change also enabled Shakespeare to introduce an account of their courtship, the implications of which we shall discuss later. His other important change is interesting in that it in effect cancelled the first. By adding the detail that Cassio had been given a promotion which Iago wanted, Shakespeare motivated Iago's jealousy of Cassio and his hatred of Othello, whereas in Cintio the Ensign was merely trying to discredit Disdemona so that he could have her for himself. But this variation also added a reason why Othello should suspect Iago to which no attention is paid in the play. Perhaps Shakespeare expected the insistence upon Iago's honesty to cover this difficulty; more likely he simply overlooked it as he did so many similar problems. From the source he derived an astonishing amount. Most of what he tells us about Othello is there, and, aside from the additional motive for jealousy, Iago's distinguishing traits are all in the Ecatommiti. 3 Shakespeare's management of the handkerchief is much clumsier than Cintio's, but he undoubtedly substituted his version to save time and to avoid extra characters. By reshaping the opening scenes of the play, Shakespeare also made possible the psychological analysis which underlies the action. Othello commits not only a murder but also a mortal sin, as he well recognizes: Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil Why he hath thus ensnar'd my soul and body? (V, ii, 301-302) This sin Shakespeare explains as resulting from a subversion of the reason by passion so that Othello believes Desdemona unchaste and then kills her on the false assumption that he is executing justice. As in Measure for Measure, the principles underlying the action are pushed to logical extremes, so that the psychological pattern is perfectly clear even if the resulting lack of plausibility has often puzzled critics thinking in more nearly modern terms. Three definite relationships of reason, will, and appetite are presented in the play… Do not know how to start writing your Othello essay?  We are available 24/7 to help with any step of essay writing!  We have a team of writers specializing in writing essays on the works of Shakespeare.  Originality is guaranteed as plagiarism is absolutely excluded!