Othello Group

Question:

rajuthan
rajuthan
Student
High School - 11th Grade

"Othello can be viewed as a kind of morality play in which the hero is a prize for which a devil named Iago and an angel named Desdemona compete."

Assess the validity of this statement

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Posted by rajuthan on Wednesday February 21, 2007 at 10:56 AM and tagged with othello, othellos view.

Answers:


  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    I would say this statement is only of limited validity, for several reasons. First, while Iago might well be considered a devil, Desdemona is decidedly human. Second, they aren't really in contest. Iago is playing, and Desdemona, sadly, doesn't know she's in the game. It's only a valid here if it is a morality play in which the devil sets the rules.

    Third, Iago's passion is so overwhelming that it really isn't a competition; he would lie, smash, destroy himself, just so Othello suffers.

    Greg

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/othello/

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    Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday February 21, 2007 at 11:09 AM