Question

What literary device, if any, is used in the play Othello?

Accepted Answer

Some literary devices that are used in the play Othello are irony, imagery, and foreshadowing. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony when the audience knows that Iago is lying to Othello, and he uses imagery when Iago calls Othello "an old black ram." Shakespeare foreshadows Desdemona's death when Brabantio warns Othello about his daughter's deceitful actions.

Answer

Shakespeare utilizes a plethora of literary devices in Othello.  He incorporates various types of irony in his play.  Dramatic irony is present in that the audience is aware of what characters do not know.  We know that Iago is not Othello’s friend and that he is merely playing with Othello’s mind to get his revenge.  However, Othello is unaware that he cannot trust Iago and that his entire life is about to be destroyed.  Verbal irony is also present when characters say the opposite of what they mean.  For example, Iago tells Cassio he speaks to him “in the sincerity of love and honest kindness.”  There is no love or honesty in Iago; there is only a hatred that is constantly fueled.  Additionally, there is situational irony in that many events turn out to be the opposite of what is expected.  The reason Othello and Desdemona met and fell in love is because Brabantio invited him to tell stories from his life.  Brabantio now is angry that the two are married, yet he is the one who put them together.  In addition, to Brabantio, it was acceptable to have Othello as a friend, but not as a son-in-law.
Shakespeare also relies on a great deal of imagery throughout the play. For instance, Iago calls Othello “an old black ram” as he taunts Brabantio about his daughter’s elopement.  He graphically describes the wedding night to the distraught father with images of Othello and Desdemona, “making the beast with two backs.”  Iago also likens Othello to a “Barbary horse.”  Shakespeare uses imagery here to characterize Iago as a troublemaker who cares nothing for other people.  He uses words to attack.  Iago’s hate-filled images support his assertion that he will pretend to be Othello’s friend while he gets his revenge on him.  Shakespeare returns to the animal imagery at the end when Othello realizes he has unjustly taken Desdemona’s life and, calling himself an “uncircumcised dog,” he stabs himself.  The tortured general also calls Desdemona a “pearl” that he carelessly discarded. The playwright calls attention to Othello’s epiphany that he lost the most valuable part of his life.
Shakespeare also juxtaposes diction and imagery relating to heaven and hell.  This juxtaposition is especially evident in Iago’s soliloquys.  For example, he discusses how “devils will the blackest sins put on…with heavenly shows” which is a model for his own behavior.  Also, when Emilia defends Desdemona’s honor to Othello, she refers to her as “heavenly true,” while Othello calls her “a liar gone to burning hell.” This juxtaposition underscores Desdemona’s innocence and the irony of Othello’s false impression of her, highlighting the tragedy that has occurred.

Answer

Some of the literary devices Shakespeare includes in Othello are dramatic irony, foreshadowing, anaphora, alliteration, oxymoron, simile, parallelism, and omission.
In some plays and novels, the audience knows something that the characters are not aware of. We call this dramatic irony, and it is one of the most recognizable and important literary devices in Othello. While the audience is aware of Iago's bad intentions, Othello does not suspect anything. This makes for a very intense and nerve-wracking plot, and the spectators are constantly in a state of anticipation of what will happen next.
Another literary device, which appears fairly early in the play, is foreshadowing. In act 1, scene 3, Desdemona's father, Brabantio, warns Othello of his daughter's deceitful nature.

Look at her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee. (lines 333–334)

This scene foreshadows Desdemona's death. Had Brabantio not advised Othello to be wary of his wife's actions, the protagonist might not have believed Iago about Desdemona's unfaithfulness. However, the warning was just enough to trigger Othello's insecurities, leading him to murder his wife.

Answer

Shakespeare uses literary devices to strengthen his argument, develop his themes and present information to the audience in an often dramatic and surprising way which keeps the audience in suspense. There are numerous literary devices in Othello such as figures of speech, the most noticeable of which is dramatic irony. Other figures of speech include metaphor, simile, alliteration and personification. There is also imagery, symbolism and foreshadowing in Othello. 
By using dramatic irony in Othello, Shakespeare shares details with the audience of which the characters are unaware . The audience knows exactly how scheming and self-serving the "honest" Iago is and is intrigued, hoping that Othello sees through Iago's carefully constructed plot to destroy him. The audience feels emotions towards the characters which ensures that it is readily engaged with any progress and is aware how inappropriate some of Othello's responses are. The audience knows that Desdemona is innocent and watches as Othello is manipulated by Iago and ultimately convinced that he has "ocular proof" (III.iii.364) of her infidelity. The term "honest Iago" (I.iii.294) which is regularly repeated is symbolic and reveals the contradiction and irony in Iago's representations of himself and adds to the dramatic irony.
Foreshadowing is a literary device which contributes to the suspense and in the play it is prophetic when Brabantio warns Othello in Act I,scene iii and says "She has deceived her father and may thee" (293). The only things Desdemona is guilty of are honesty, trust and loyalty and it is Othello's own insecurities that contribute to this situation. 
The animal imagery is distinct and is intended to shock the audience and create a vivid visual picture which is insulting, discriminatory and is in bad taste. Iago suggests that "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe" (I.i.90) when he tells Brabantio that Desdemona is with Othello. Not having met Othello yet, the audience may be inclined to mistrust him at first which is exactly Iago's intention. 
Therefore, it is apparent that Shakespeare makes good use of various literary devices in his plays and creates memorable and very defined situations in which nothing can be assumed and audiences must wait for the conclusion to confirm their suspicions.

Answer

There are a lot of ironies used in this play. The most important one is verbal irony. When Iago tries to makes schemes it actually means something else, he always tries to come up with excuses by making those schemes. that is verbal irony

Answer

Shakespeare uses the literary device of dramatic irony in Othello. Dramatic irony occurs when there is a discrepancy between what a character believes and what the reader/viewer knows to be true. For example, the audience knows that Iago is a traitor and misleads Othello regarding Desdemona's fidelity. The audience reads/watches in horror as Othello trusts Iago's information and murders his wife. The result is one of the most heartwrenching scenes ever written, since we witness "the fall of a proud, dignified man," and "the murder of a graceful, loving woman" because of Iago's treachery.

Othello

What literary device, if any, is used in the play Othello?

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