Karlie Cradock Mr, Junius Wright 2B Honors English II Othello: The Cause of the Dishonorable Fall of a Noble Man Othello is an icon in his community, and he has excellent qualities that make him a admirable moor. One wonders how such a noble man can be so influenced by the words of a sociopath, but perhaps the characteristics that help him to become successful also work against him. Othello is a strong military commander, but insecure in his personal life, and he has a tendency to treat people in his this personal life the same way that he would treat his military; he is passionate, has an overwhelming desire for control, and an effective nature when it comes to dealing with problems. The passionate nature of Othello is directly addressed twice in Shakespeare’s Othello. First Othello says of himself: “passion, having [his] best judgment collied, assays to lead the way” (Act 2 Passage 2). Othello says this while contemplating whether Desdemona has cheated on him or not. He says that his passion (love for Desdemona) overrules his best judgment, which is most likely what causes him to believe Iago’s lies. It is ironic, however, that in the military, passion and extreme desire to succeed helps him to move up in the ranks, but his passionate love of Desdemona only contributes to his extreme jealousy, which brings him to his tragic fall. Othello also blames his worst moment on passion. When he slaps Desdemona and she begins to cry, he exclaims “Proceed you in your tears. Concerning this, sir, O well-painted passion! I am commanded home. Get you away” (act 4 passage 2). Othello has extreme and passionate emotions towards Desdemona; he loves and hates her, but they are both simply different forms of passion. This is why he treats her so harshly, and blames it on passion. However, this passion leads him to his downfall, because his extreme disrespect for his wife in front of the senator somewhat ruins his reputation. As earlier mentioned, it also leads him to think rashly and believe that Desdemona is cheating on his, even though there is no solid evidence. Othello’s background as a military commander also teaches him to be controlling. One cannot command an army without a desire to have control. This is an issue, however, because Othello also seems to have a need for control in his personal life. He says in passage 2 of Act 3: “O curse of carriage, that we can call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites!” The “delicate creature” Othello refers to is his wife, Desdemona, and he curses marriage because he cannot control his wife’s “appetite” for other men. In the past, he has always had control of his subordinates in the military. Love cannot be controlled, and this scares him. In addition, Desdemona powerful and strong-willed nature does not help the fact that Othello constantly subconsciously struggles for control. Desdemona betrays her father, Brabantio, to run off with Othello, and subconsciously, Othello must worry that she will do the same to him with another man. For these reasons, he chooses to listen to Iago, and he places her in the “unfaithful wife” category. An effective way of problem solving is what makes a strong military commander. Othello is extremely effective, which is why his subordinates respect him, but once again, his effectiveness backfires in his personal life. In Act 5, before he kills his wife, he says, “She must die, else she’ll betray more men” Othello believes Desdemona’s infidelity justifies his crime. He also worries that she will break more men’s’ hearts, so he “eliminates” Desdemona in the way that he would eliminate a problem in the military. He attempts to detach himself from the situation in order to effectively fix the problem. Othello also stabs himself after he realizes his mistake, which can be interpreted as an effective way to solve the “problem” of persecuting someone for Desdemona’s death. He may know that he may not be properly persecuted for his actions since he holds a high place in society, so he does what is most logical to him at the moment. In other words, he kills himself with the belief that justice is being served (he is being properly punished.). On the other hand, he may not want to address his problems, so he may kill himself to take the easy way out. Either way, all decisions Othello makes throughout the tragedy are quick and effective, and they lack further thought. Othello is a victim in his tragedy. Although he committed the murder of his wife, it is internal influences that bring him to his downfall. In fact, in passage 3 of Act 5, Othello describes himself as being “being wrought perplex’d in the extreme”. By this, he is indirectly referring to his inability to distinguish his personal life and work life, which is ultimately his tragic flaw. Othello’s passion, controlling, and effective nature all contribute to his emotional dilemma, and this confusion of the mind is what causes him to act rashly. Ironically, the traits that help him to grow powerful also bring him to his dishonorable fall.
Mr, Junius Wright
2B Honors English II
Othello: The Cause of the Dishonorable Fall of a Noble Man
Othello is an icon in his community, and he has excellent qualities that make him a admirable moor. One wonders how such a noble man can be so influenced by the words of a sociopath, but perhaps the characteristics that help him to become successful also work against him. Othello is a strong military commander, but insecure in his personal life, and he has a tendency to treat people in his this personal life the same way that he would treat his military; he is passionate, has an overwhelming desire for control, and an effective nature when it comes to dealing with problems.
The passionate nature of Othello is directly addressed twice in Shakespeare’s Othello. First Othello says of himself: “passion, having [his] best judgment collied, assays to lead the way” (Act 2 Passage 2). Othello says this while contemplating whether Desdemona has cheated on him or not. He says that his passion (love for Desdemona) overrules his best judgment, which is most likely what causes him to believe Iago’s lies. It is ironic, however, that in the military, passion and extreme desire to succeed helps him to move up in the ranks, but his passionate love of Desdemona only contributes to his extreme jealousy, which brings him to his tragic fall. Othello also blames his worst moment on passion. When he slaps Desdemona and she begins to cry, he exclaims “Proceed you in your tears. Concerning this, sir, O well-painted passion! I am commanded home. Get you away” (act 4 passage 2). Othello has extreme and passionate emotions towards Desdemona; he loves and hates her, but they are both simply different forms of passion. This is why he treats her so harshly, and blames it on passion. However, this passion leads him to his downfall, because his extreme disrespect for his wife in front of the senator somewhat ruins his reputation. As earlier mentioned, it also leads him to think rashly and believe that Desdemona is cheating on his, even though there is no solid evidence.
Othello’s background as a military commander also teaches him to be controlling. One cannot command an army without a desire to have control. This is an issue, however, because Othello also seems to have a need for control in his personal life. He says in passage 2 of Act 3: “O curse of carriage, that we can call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites!” The “delicate creature” Othello refers to is his wife, Desdemona, and he curses marriage because he cannot control his wife’s “appetite” for other men. In the past, he has always had control of his subordinates in the military. Love cannot be controlled, and this scares him. In addition, Desdemona powerful and strong-willed nature does not help the fact that Othello constantly subconsciously struggles for control. Desdemona betrays her father, Brabantio, to run off with Othello, and subconsciously, Othello must worry that she will do the same to him with another man. For these reasons, he chooses to listen to Iago, and he places her in the “unfaithful wife” category.
An effective way of problem solving is what makes a strong military commander. Othello is extremely effective, which is why his subordinates respect him, but once again, his effectiveness backfires in his personal life. In Act 5, before he kills his wife, he says, “She must die, else she’ll betray more men” Othello believes Desdemona’s infidelity justifies his crime. He also worries that she will break more men’s’ hearts, so he “eliminates” Desdemona in the way that he would eliminate a problem in the military. He attempts to detach himself from the situation in order to effectively fix the problem. Othello also stabs himself after he realizes his mistake, which can be interpreted as an effective way to solve the “problem” of persecuting someone for Desdemona’s death. He may know that he may not be properly persecuted for his actions since he holds a high place in society, so he does what is most logical to him at the moment. In other words, he kills himself with the belief that justice is being served (he is being properly punished.). On the other hand, he may not want to address his problems, so he may kill himself to take the easy way out. Either way, all decisions Othello makes throughout the tragedy are quick and effective, and they lack further thought.
Othello is a victim in his tragedy. Although he committed the murder of his wife, it is internal influences that bring him to his downfall. In fact, in passage 3 of Act 5, Othello describes himself as being “being wrought perplex’d in the extreme”. By this, he is indirectly referring to his inability to distinguish his personal life and work life, which is ultimately his tragic flaw. Othello’s passion, controlling, and effective nature all contribute to his emotional dilemma, and this confusion of the mind is what causes him to act rashly. Ironically, the traits that help him to grow powerful also bring him to his dishonorable fall.