Othello Group at eNotes

As always, Shakespeare was a great chronicler of the times. Venice was...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:01:16 PST

As always, Shakespeare was a great chronicler of the times. Venice was an important trading post and link between Europe and the East. At the time the play was written, there would have been ambassadors from Venice and beyond visiting Elizabethan England. Shakespeare would have enjoyed studying these 'exotic' strangers. Othello himself is referred to by Shakespeare as 'an extravagent, wheeling stranger' and this comment may have been coloured...

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's belief that all efforts to discover the...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:15:47 PST

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's belief that all efforts to discover the impetus behind Iago's actions were 'the motive hunting of a motiveless malignity'. In other words, sometimes there is no complete explanation. There are many factors which MIGHT motivate Iago. He might be displeased at having been passed over for promotion by Cassio, who he dismisses as having 'mere prattle without practice. He might be inherently racist, as many Venetians...

Not only does Brabantio accuse Othello of using witchcraft, he also...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:11:03 PST

Not only does Brabantio accuse Othello of using witchcraft, he also accuses him of using medicines purchased from mountebanks, (or quacks or charletons). He also acknowledges that Othello was able to put nature into disarray resulting in Desdemona being taken in by his 'sorcery,' something that she ordinarily would have been immune to.

emillia doesnt yern for power, she yerns for freedom! she is regretful...

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 03:55:54 PST

emillia doesnt yern for power, she yerns for freedom! she is regretful that she lives a life as more or less a slave both at home and at work... she gave iago the hankerchief because she believed it would bring them closer together, she not only yerns for freedom but also for love

The destruction of the Turkish fleet simply moves the action along and...

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:35:08 PST

The destruction of the Turkish fleet simply moves the action along and serves no other purpose. Shakespeare was a master at blending his events seamlessly, in my opinion. I don't think any of the events are "too easy." I do find everyone's trust of Iago quite naive, though. I cannot fathom NO ONE questioning Iago, although since he worked so much "under the radar," I guess he could've gone undetected.

I disagree that Emilia is the character who deserves sympathy. She is...

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:32:02 PST

I disagree that Emilia is the character who deserves sympathy. She is not a naive woman and she contributes to the "mess" by flaunting the handkerchief in front of Iago instead of doing what she should have done...take it immediately to Desdemona. I find Emilia difficult to feel sorry for, really. I sympathize most for Desdemona. She is truly naive.

In some ways, having Othello go destroy the Turkish fleet was very...

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:04:05 PST

In some ways, having Othello go destroy the Turkish fleet was very important because it demonstrates Othello's power.The way the plot works is based a lot on Iago's wit and luck. If either of these was removed, the plot wouldn't work out. Yes, it does seem a bit too coincidential that the story works out so well for Iago. But the other characters aren't that smart either. Do they ever really question if Iago is trustworthy? Its a matter of...

I don't think that neither Desdemona nor Othello are very...

Tue, 27 May 2008 09:17:17 PST

I don't think that neither Desdemona nor Othello are very sympathetic.When Othello asks Des. for the hankerchief, she unknowingly brings up Cassio, thus angering Othello more, and isn't honest with him. She doesn't tell him that she's lost it.Why is Othello sympathetic? Yes, he's probably the one who suffers the most in the play, but he isn't very caring towards others after he hears that Des. might be cheating on him. He doesn't allow her to...

I'm sure that others will add more of these, but an obvious one is at...

Mon, 26 May 2008 13:04:38 PST

I'm sure that others will add more of these, but an obvious one is at the end of the play. Once Othello has killed Desdemona and Iago has killed Emilia, Othello kills himself after realizing that he cannot live after killing an innocent Desdemona. Iago is too much of a coward and self-centered to kill himself after all of his dastardly deeds, so he is arrested and taken into custody once his schemes are revealed. Also, Othello has meted...

Haha. I don't think that Othello uses much reason or logic. Instead, he...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:54:02 PST

Haha. I don't think that Othello uses much reason or logic. Instead, he decides based on his emotions. He tries to use reason, but ends up letting his jealousy and anger take over. Without knowing it, Othello already believes Iago by the end of Act 3. He's demanded proof, but already the rumors and nagging at him. Soon, no amount of proof from Desdemona is going to fully convince him.I guess that you could say he uses reason and logic in the...

Emilia also gives us insight to Iago. We see how he treats the women who...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:49:54 PST

Emilia also gives us insight to Iago. We see how he treats the women who are close to him. In the end, she lures the truth out of him and clarifies to the other characters what was going on. Emilia gets Desdemona to reveal many of her personal feelings as well. They are good friends and Desdemona is very honest with her.

Also Iago is a mystery to the audience. How did he come to hate Othello...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:47:27 PST

Also Iago is a mystery to the audience. How did he come to hate Othello so much? What was his life like? We know nothing of his childhood and how he developed into the man he was. If we knew this, it could give us insight to the reasoning of his actions.

Is Desdemona really good? Her character can be interpreted in different...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:44:45 PST

Is Desdemona really good? Her character can be interpreted in different ways and critics have viewed the play from different views. How would the audience's reaction be towards Desdemona if she really was cheating on Othello with Cassio. Some arguments that these critics would give are:In Act 3, Scene 3 when Iago says: "She did deceive her father, marrying you;/And when she seemed to shake, and fear your looks,/She loved them most."...

Jealousy is one of the major themes in Othello. In the last scene,...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:28:35 PST

Jealousy is one of the major themes in Othello. In the last scene, Othello is completely devastated when he discovers that Iago has been deceiving him all along. I think that Iago makes an end to his treachery in his final words:"Demand me nothing. What you know, you know./From this time forth I never will speak word." (5:2, l. 300-301) Throughout the play, Iago has been secretly tormenting Othello with his lies. I think that these...

Could anyone list ALL aspects of crime and punishment found in the play...

Mon, 26 May 2008 04:33:13 PST

Give evidence to your answer by using a quote for example or by mentioning a scene (what happens).

True Historic Time is the time of the main action. Dramatic Time is...

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:46:45 PST

True Historic Time is the time of the main action. Dramatic Time is the time that is NOT included in the main action (the time in Cyprus, for example) (www.jstor.org).According to JSTOR, a website I consulted about the time of the main action vs. the dramatic time (not in the main action), the main action occurred in about 36-48 hours, approximately, perhaps a bit more. The dramatic action takes place over the course of a couple of...

What is the exact time that the action of the play takes on the stage...

Wed, 21 May 2008 05:10:17 PST

What is the exact time that the action of the play takes on the stage and the time the action is supposed to have taken off the stage?

Iago's treachery plays out throughout Othello. We see it working to...

Fri, 9 May 2008 11:33:09 PST

Iago's treachery plays out throughout Othello. We see it working to disrupt relationships, poison attitudes, etc. This comes to a peak in Act V. That's when he tries to kill Cassio, and when he does kill Roderigo. He smears Bianca almost as an afterthought.Acting on Iago's manipulations, Othello kills Desdemona. There's a huge upheaval, and the truth comes out about Iago's lies. Othello tries to kill Iago, but fails. Iago stabs his own wife...

How does Iago's treachery finally work itself out in "Othello"?

Fri, 9 May 2008 10:47:41 PST

This is in act 5

I have to discuss Emilia here as a main character, as well. She is an...

Thu, 8 May 2008 17:56:40 PST

I have to discuss Emilia here as a main character, as well. She is an integral part of the play and she is a very intriguing character, as well. Emilia, in my opinion, is neither clearly good or evil, as sullymonster mentioned above about Othello. She clearly cares deeply for Desdemona, whom she works for, but she also knows how to play coy with Iago, who grabs Desdemona's handkerchief from Emilia's grasp after she finds it. What...