There are more than 1 million books that have been enjoyed by people from all over the world. During his own lifetime and shortly afterward, shakespeare enjoyed fame and considerable critical attention. The volume includes a refreshing array of critical and ideological perspectives in essays which are uniformly scholarly and thorough in their treatment of the subject matter. A literary analysis of the jealousy in othello by william shakespeare. Othello represents how jealousy, particularly sexual jealousy, is one of the most corrupting and destructive of emotions. A literary analysis of the jealousy in othello by william. Includes rich, exciting colour photos of performances of othello from around the. Two passages in the last scene of othello 351 note o. Othello literary analysis essay example graduateway. Zab1 d1 a thesis submhted to the graduate faculty 1n partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of.
Roderigo and bianca demonstrate jealousy at various times in the play, and emilia. Literary criticism on shakespeares famous play othello. In othello, the hero succumbs to jealousy when iago convinces him that desdemona has been an unfaithful wife in the end, othello murders his wife and then. Tenth grade lesson literary devices in act i of othello. Othello the moor of venice william shakespeare with related readings the emc masterpiece series access editions emcparadigm publishing st. This is particularly evident in shakespeares othello 1603. This quiz will ask you about different types of literary criticism and how they can be. The main title of his critique diabolic intellect and the noble hero suggests the bradleys point of view of analyzing othello, which according to leavis is sentimental approach towards othello. Often described as a tragedy of character, much of the critical commentary of othello focuses on the main characters of the playothello, iago, and desdemonaand their relationships. Shakespeares othello is a tragic tale of jealousy and deceit set in venice. Unlike hamlet, king lear, and macbeth, which are set against a backdrop of affairs of state and which reverberate with suggestions of universal human concerns, othello is set in a private world and focuses on the passions and personal lives of its major figures. Othello finally confronts the truth about iagos manipulation and desdemonas innocence and kills himself. Critical approaches to othello the british library. Leavis accused bradley and other critics who supported bradleys point of view for.
Desdemonas father was against their marriage and wanted to kill othello. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The grounds of the tragedy cant be fully explained, however, by pointing to the deepseated racism that poisons the venetian view of othello and even othellos view of himself. Othello, shakespeare in shakespeares play othello, iago uses racial distinction to persuade othello into believing there is an affair between desdemona and cassio. Shakespeares tragedies characters motivated by the power desires. In shakespeares othello, jealousy is mainly portrayed through the two major characters. In the matter of othello and iago, it cannot fairly be maintained that iago was the sole cause of the calamities that befell othello. One of those many literary devices used in the play, is the wide range of irony. The list of available poetic devices is given below. Get ebooks othello on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free. A study of contrast between english and persian translation international journal on studies in english language and literature ijsell page 21 if one wants to reproduce the original style satisfactorily, one must keep two. Commentary because othello is considered by many to be one of shakespeares major tragedies, criticism of it is as complex as the play.
Othello is one of shakespeares most popular and controversial plays. A study of contrast between english and persian translation. Othello summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The english writer francis meres, in 1598, declared him to be englands greatest writer in comedy and tragedy. Source material from gli hecatommithi by giraldi cinthio 1565. Throughout the pages of the book the reader will see the use of dramatic, situational, and verbal irony. Introduction othello is unique among shakespeares great tragedies. Historical criticism in othello by marissa willette on prezi. Traditional approaches to literary criticism, which tend to treat individual works of literature as particular instances of a larger generic sample comprised of various. Pdf othello is believed to be one of the noblest characters in. The research tends to focus on one of the most acknowledged characters of william shakespeare, othello.
A study of contrast between english and persian translation international journal on studies in english language and literature ijsell page 21 if one wants to reproduce the original style satisfactorily, one must keep two points in mind before undertaking the translation. Pdf critical analysis of the characters othello and iago in the play. It outlines the importance of the written text as compared to the visual performance and highlights the. Although othello has regularly been praised as william shakespeares most cohesive tragedy, many critics have discovered the. Poetic devices in othello determine who states the quotation, and which poetic device is represented. Othello literary criticism what critics have to say. For these reasons, you will find in the second edition of critical theory today a good deal of new material. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. Pdf critical analysis of the characters othello and iago. It is jealousy that prompts iago to plot othellos downfall. Othellos selfdoubting eventually leads to downfall. The chapter on feminist criticism now contains sections on. The goal is to define literary devices in act i of othello.
There are many critical perspectives that othello can be analyzed through. Leavis critique on othello itself depicts the entire critique. The basic idea of the play is so well known that its easy to forget the startling boldness of shakespeares decision to take cinthios brief tale of a doomed mixedrace marriage and transform it into a heartbreaking. Definitions and examples of 301 literary terms and devices. Before my students can identify and discuss the literary elements impact on the text, we need to have common definitions of the terms. The story ends with the witnesses contemplating the tragic tale they must tell the venetian court. Othello is a shakespearian tragedy set in sixteenth century venice during the turkish and venetian wars. A section on lacanian psychoanalysis has been added to the chapter on psycho. An analysis of power desire of iago in shakespeares othello from. It tells the story of the african general, othello, who rises to lead the army of the italian. The direction of othello criticism will also be affected as literary criticism s longstanding commitment to cultural historicism comes under pressure from those who argue that explorations of context often come at the expense of literature s formal properties and affective registers, and as developments in the digital humanities enable fresh. Pdf othello is believed to be one of the noblest characters in english literature. To cause the tragic downfall othello by using the psychological approaches. William shakespeares othello can be read from a feminist perspective.
Othello serves as an example to demonstrate the expectations of the elizabethan patriarchal society, the practice of privileges in patriarchal marriages, and the suppression and. In the play othello, shakespeare uses many literary devices to help the reader understand the theme of the story. This essay presents literary context to shakespeares othello which not only explores relationships between men and women, but also relationships between europeans and others. Desdemona cuts him off and asks what would the perfect woman do which he retorts with to suckle fools and chronicle small beer. Othello and the plain face of racism semantic scholar. He is the only one in the play who speaks to the audience, and his bitter rants about othello and cassio, his casual dismissal of women as worthless prostitutes, and his gleeful selfcongratulation about the nasty things hes doing are the foundation of how we view the story.
William shakespeare william shakespeare literary criticism. From hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in shakesperean interpretation. The tragedy othello focuses on the doom of othello and the other major characters as a result of jealousy. Psychoanalytical knowledge provides readers better sort of understanding of literary pieces and assists to achieve the target of communicative literary competence. Critical readings and approaches to othello youtube.
The villainous iago plans and executes his elaborate revenge on othello. Historical criticism in othello othello othello act 2 act 4 iago talks to desdemona and emilia about the perfect woman. Yet from its first staging to the present, othello has also been among the few shakespearean plays to be repeatedly staged to enthusiastic audiences, not only in. The play is a study of how jealousy can be fueled by mere circumstantial evidence and can destroy lives. This is a wellorganized, comprehensive, and often innovative account of issues in current othello criticism. A feminist analysis of the play othello allows us to judge the different social values and status of women in the elizabethan society.
The colour of othellos skin is obviously a crucial factor in his downfall, because his visibly alien racial identity makes him and his bride far more vulnerable to. The direction of othello criticism will also be affected as literary criticisms longstanding commitment to cultural historicism comes under pressure from those who argue that explorations of context often come at the expense of literatures formal properties and affective registers, and as developments in the digital humanities enable fresh. It utterly corrupts their lives because it causes iago to show his true self, which in turn triggers othello to undergo an. Othello critical views of othello king edward vii academy. Presents literary criticism of the play othello by william shakespeare.
Anyone who doubts that shakespeares greatest tragedies were written from an imaginative standpoint far ahead of his time need only think of othello. Racism, misogyny and motiveless malignity in othello. Iago feeds upon othellos insecurities to raise his fury. During those times, marrying someone of a different color was not accepted. Expanded endnotes include extensive essaywriting guidance for othello and shakespeare. The basic purpose of the study is the character analysis of othello and iago in the play othello by william shakespeare. Study 20 terms othello critical quotes flashcards quizlet.
Ira aldridge learn about 19thcentury actor ira aldridge and his pioneering role as othello. Literary theories in othello shantelle and vanessa color of the skin othellos skin color created racial tension. Othello is the most famous literary work that focuses on the dangers of jealousy. Othello was crafted at the dawn of the 17th century, shaped by complex social and geopolitical issues that new historicist critics, who seek to place literary works within a historical framework, have recently sought to unravel. Pdf downloads of all 1282 litcharts literature guides.
Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Literary theories in othello by shavan vanetelle on prezi. Othello is the famous play by william shakespeare presenting the tragic and crucial part of shakespeares writings. The structural analysis of mimetic desire proposed by rene girard as the motive at the psychic origin of that male violence which informs western literature. Throughout shakespeares othello, jealousy is apparent. Always update books hourly, if not looking, search in the book search column. Learn why othello, of all shakespeares plays, is the one that is most frequently compared to spanish literature in the age of cervantes, author of don quixote. Othello literary analysis othello, shakespeare in shakespeares play othello, iago uses racial distinction to persuade othello into believing there is an affair between desdemona and cassio.