Othello Essays

12th Grade

Othello

Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare set in Venice. Othello is a highly respected general and Iago is his ambitious comrade. Othello promotes Michael Cassio to the position of lieutenant and Iago becomes extremely jealous. Iago begins...

12th Grade

Othello

Reading practices can be adopted when reading literature to view a text through a certain perspective and extract a distinct meaning from the text. By adopting a post-colonial reading practice, Shakespeare’s arguably contentious and highly charged...

College

Othello

In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is presented as a man of stature and distinction, so much so that others oft precede his name with the word “valiant” (1.3.50). He is someone who, despite prejudices attached to his skin, is found worthy of love...

College

Othello

On the surface, William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice (1604) and Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North (1966) are very similar. The title character of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a man of color whose marriage with a white...

12th Grade

Othello

Geographical juxtaposition is not uncommon in the genius works of William Shakespeare. In his renowned play, Othello, Shakespeare exploits the stark contrasts in the story’s two settings, the two cities of Venice and Cyprus. Shakespeare presents...

College

Othello

While certain of William Shakespeare’s plays have so ingrained themselves into popular culture as to be ubiquitous, others are rarely performed or read and are, in fact, largely ignored. Shakespeare’s Othello, one of the former, and Titus...

College

Othello

In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the character Emilia is essential in exploring the theme of gender and the expectations placed on women. The anonymous writer of, “From Counsel to the Husband: To the Wife Instruction” believes the answer to...

11th Grade

Othello

Literature can be viewed as a manifestation of the context it is composed in, whilst retaining universal elements such as the human experience. Whilst human emotions such as jealousy remain universal despite context, attitudes and values must be...

11th Grade

Othello

In the opening scene of “Othello” written by William Shakespeare, the key sources of tension lie within the racial prejudice of the Moor people and the ambition behind occupational and wealth success, are portrayed through bitter conflict between...

12th Grade

Othello

An antagonist is essential to any story. Establishing a clear “bad guy” gives the story more emotion, uniting the reader with the protagonist(s) against a common enemy that is easy to hate. Every story has an antagonist, but only some are evil....

12th Grade

Othello

Identity is crucial in understanding our values and morals and is shaped by societal expectations and the choices we make. Thus, it is ultimately an individual’s choice to relinquish temptations of deception, in which often eventuates to the...

12th Grade

Othello

In the play ‘Othello’, William Shakespeare portrays power and hierarchy as fragile, and it is this fragility that creates the tragedy within the play, catalyzing the ‘fall from prosperity to wretchedness’ in Kastan’s view. Taking on Nuttall’s...

12th Grade

Othello

In his 1604 play ‘Othello’, William Shakespeare criticizes the damaging effects of patriarchy during the Jacobean era, using the relationship between Desdemona and Emilia as a route to expose the corrupting influence of men. The male characters’...