Essay Othello

Essay Othello

Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Othello displays different characters, which are supported by his interactions with other characters such as Lago, who is a character that supports the main plot of the story. Othello, in the play, starts as a high ranking war officer in the Venetian war, but his character begins to disintegrate as the play unravels. His interaction with Lago, who betrays and manipulates him, forces him to showcase his other side by unraveling his jealousy, which deteriorates his character as the story continues. Othello comes from Africa, and he won his post of being a general in the Venetian defense forces by the excellence he portrayed in the war. He has great qualities of a leader such as courage, command, and has got respect for his troops. He is a great leader to the extent that, when he or his troop is under pressure, he delivers a great speech to raise the group’s morale. Othello’s character evolves from a celebrated hero to a shell of a man as he describes himself as “an honorable murderer” and this often happens to us humans in real life.

Othello is intelligent, but at the same time, different from others due to his skin color and this is showcased while he lives in Venice. Through the story that he tells Desdemona, she can see him through his own words. Any man who is separated early from his family and home and is followed by danger is a story that is associated with soldiers who end up in war and die at an early age, unwept, unpaid, and unrecorded. However, in the case of Othello, it is not about surviving the dubious lifestyle but what he has gone through and all the hurdles he has overcome to become a general in a Venetian army.

Later on in the play, Othello strikes Desdemona in public by naming her a whore and then murders her out of jealousy. Lago blurs Othello’s views towards Desdemona by giving him bogus images of Cassio and Desdemona being in love. This experience distorts Othello’s mind, which causes a change in his personality. Shakespeare uses imagery, diction, and scenarios created in the plot to showcase the degeneration of Othello’s actions and personality. Moreover, the author showcases Othello’s character of being calm at first, but changes suddenly to a bitter and irrational guy. For instance, in the first Act, Othello uses terms such as “peace” and delivering his “whole course of love.” In contrast, in the fourth act he switches to opposite phrases such as “murder” and “chop her into pieces”. The first act showcases the mentality of an individual who is willing to fall and give love as he believes in it. In contrast, in the fourth act, it showcases a person who is uncontrollable and his jealousy overpowers his thoughts..

The journey that Othello undergoes in the change of character from a calm and loving person to an individual who is bitter and has a heart that is full of jealousy shows the ability of evil to replace the good within someone. The process also shows how humans can change and everyone can attest to this. There are times where someone feels that those who surround them do change when something happens to them. It can be riches, poverty, or even sickness. Most times, when people experience success, some of the people who surround them are not happy for them and they let jealousy crawl into their hearts. In this regard, Othello’s journey showcases the effect of manipulation on someone’s personality and actions. He had a great personality until he met Lago, who had a significant influence on the changes he experienced towards his character and actions. This aspect can be shown in the fourth act where Othello loses control of his actions and personality after being susceptible to Lago’s manipulation tricks.

Othello experiences a change in his character from a great individual to a guy who heart is filled with jealousy due to his love for Desdemona. The evolution of Othello’s character is influenced by other characters in the story with Lago being the one with a significant impact. It is vital for individuals to realize that good things can be replaced by evil in a person irrespective of great how the person was. People should also note that manipulation and betrayal is a recipe for jealousy and a change in personality. The evolution of Othello’s character within the play highlights a scenario which reflects to our real life as human beings.

Work Cited

Shakespeare, W. The tragedy of Othello. Vol. 27. Methuen, 1903.