Essay Introduction
The theme of deception is one of the central themes throughout the play “Othello,” written by William Shakespeare. Although the topic for this essay isn’t deception, it plays a big part still. Iago, the mastermind behind it all, shows how one person can ruin so many others’ lives. For instance, he turns Othello into a villain with a few words and some convincing and makes Othello feel like a victim in some of the situations. Throughout the play “Othello,” is many encounters with lies, snakes, secrets, lost trust, etc. It gives a representation of what not to be as a human being. It’s about Iago’s tricky ways into people’s heads, making the world crumble around because of one’s jealousy, and making Othello the villain in all ends of this play.
Research Paper on Othello
Due to Othello being black and his marrying a white woman, he is a victim. Obviously, people had issues with a black man with a white woman. Reason 1 shows that you couldn’t be a different color without getting some type of hate for it. ( I, I, 117) You’ll have your nephews neigh at you. You’ll have courses for cousins and gannets for Germans.” Othello, being the victim, is seen to be out to ruin his wife and future family. All because of his skin color. This proves reason one by showing that people do get treated differently because of color. Othello and Iago have a conversation that seems like it’s being led to something bad, and that could possibly upset and ruin Othello even more. This quote proves reason one by showing that the more lies that are said around by the same person, the more true they might become. The more Iago talks about Othello’s wife sleeping with Cassio, the more he starts to believe it. “Indeed? Ay, indeed! Discern’st thou aught in that? Is he not honest?” (III, iii, 104).
Argumentative Essay Examples on Othello
Othello is fed these awful lies by Iago. Reason 2 asserts that Othello is a victim in this situation because no man wants to hear that their wife is sleeping with another man. Without knowing that these words aren’t true, Othello goes on to believe that Desdemona is sleeping with Cassio. Bianca finds the handkerchief that was given to Desdemona by Othello in Cassio’s room. Making it look like a bad way around this, Iago planned out what would happen and how.
Thesis Statement for Othello
“She is the protectress of her honor too. May she give that?” (IV, I, 15). Iago is talking to Othello about the secret affair going on between Othello’s wife and Cassio. This quote proves that Iago is out to make it sound like Othello’s wife is a whore, which makes Othello heartbroken, making him a victim. Not to forget that Desdemona gave the handkerchief of “love” to Cassio and was left to be found.
Titles: Othello’s Transformation from Victim to Villain
Othello can be seen as a villain due to his actions (IV, ii, 215-216) shows that Othello can be a very dangerous person. “There lies your niece, Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopped,” Othello admits to killing his own wife to the uncle. This quote proves the counterargument because it gives detail of what Othello has done to his wife. He’s turned against her over a rumor, making him a villain at this point rather than a victim anymore. Othello is now feared by the others because his actions have frightened the others. They see him as an angered man who wants revenge on his wife and guilty Cassio, who has been sleeping with Desdemona, but what they fear is how he’ll handle it.
These actions he committed cost not one life, not two, but three altogether. That included his wife, casinos, and his own life at the end of the play. “I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt, prove, And on the proof, there is no more but this, Away at once with love or jealousy!” (III, iii, 189). This evidence can be misleading to some because, throughout the play, Othello is being used and manipulated into hurting someone eventually. He’s made to believe these accusations of his wife cheating which angers him to do such crazy actions. That includes killing his own wife, stabbing Iago, and then killing himself at the end.
Iago’s Role as the Ultimate Villain
In the original script Shakespeare, he attends to make the antagonist Iago the villain that only wants what’s better for himself. Iago’s original plan was to get Cassio out of his lieutenant position that he could have for his own. In order to go with his plan, Iago and Roderigo help him get kicked out. In order for Iago to keep his position secured, he made Othello believe that Cassio and Desdemona were having an affair so that Othello wouldn’t give Cassio his position back. For Iago being deceitful to everyone in the play, his plan backfires when his wife Emilia, later on, finds out his plan and tells Othello too late when he kills Desdemona for being a whore. When Othello finds out, he then shuns Iago for his treachery, which ends the play when Othello then commits suicide for his mistakes in believing Iago. In the film “O,” Tim Blake is more resourceful when it comes to Othello’s character as an easy person to convince, which also makes him a nice person, even when it comes to facing the truth of Iago’s betrayal. This modernized adaptation of the script defeats the purpose of Othello being the moor that everyone fears. In this case, it doesn’t make the film the best one to alter Shakespeare’s original text of Othello, making Stuart Burge the best.
The Adaptation of “Othello” and Its Impact on Characterization
In the play Othello, the protagonist Othello’s major downfall is jumping to conclusions while having Iago feed him false information that leads to his and his wife’s death. Things could’ve ended differently in the play if Othello wouldn’t have been so blinded by jealousy and if Iago wouldn’t have the hunger for wanting power. The timing of the play and colorism in the play with betrayal and jealousy all ties up to the major plots that lead to having a tragic ending for all characters. Though all interpretations of the original text tried to alter the play into the film, the only one that tried to stick with the theme and texts of the play was Stuart Blake, that adopted the play with most of the original text while also trying to model the characters as they were in the original play.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Othello is seen as a victim, villain, and friend all throughout the play. But once it gets to the end of everything and comes down to one title, it’s the villain. No matter how many things you’ve heard from one person, should you ever result in murder. Othello presents himself as a victim and a villain, but mostly due to his actions towards the end, he is focused as a villain. With deeper consideration, coupled with an open mind, showing the truth, Othello just may be the actual villain here. His actions against Cassio and his wife, Desdemona, make him a murderer, which reveals what he is really capable of.
