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Literary Devices in Shakespeare's Othello

Summary:

In Othello, Shakespeare employs a variety of literary devices including dramatic irony, foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery to enhance themes and engage the audience. Dramatic irony is prominent, as the audience knows Iago's deceitful intentions while Othello remains unaware, leading to suspense and tragedy. Foreshadowing is evident in Brabantio's warning to Othello about Desdemona's potential deceit, ironically misinterpreted. Symbolism is used through imagery, such as Iago's beastly metaphors, to underline themes of deception and racial prejudice. These devices contribute to the play's intense emotional impact.

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What literary device is used in the play Othello?

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.

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What literary device is used in the play Othello?

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.

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How do literary devices contribute to themes in Othello?

One dominant theme in Shakespeare's Othello is the illusion of appearances, or even deception. In the very first scene, we see some very poignant literary devices in Iago's speeches when he is explaining to Roderigo exactly why he hates Othello and trying to enlist Roderigo's assistance in revenge; these literary devices serve to underscore the theme of appearances.

One device is the metaphor Iago uses in saying it is not long that he "will wear [his] heart upon [his] sleeve for daws [crows] to peck at" (66-68). Here, Iago is saying that in a very short time, he will stop showering Othello with the praises and loyalty that Iago's own post commands, because Iago will soon enact his revenge. Interestingly, as we progress through the play, we soon see that Iago is not the only character who is falsely wearing his heart on his sleeve. Othello also proves to be wearing his heart on his sleeve as he showers Desdemona with affection. But, just like Iago, it's not long before Othello stops showering Desdemona with affection, showing just how much of an illusion his love truly is.

A second poignant literary device can be seen in Iago's final statement in this speech: "I am not what I am" (68). This sentence is a form of parallelism called antithesis, and both parallelism and antitheses are considered rhetorical devices. Parallelism is simply when authors create patterns using grammar and sentence structure; such patterns can create dramatic emphasis. There are many different types of parallel structures. Antithesis specifically happens when a writer reveals "contrary ideas" in a "balanced sentence" (Dr. Wheeler, "Schemes"). Dr. Wheeler gives us the example, "One small step for a man, one giant leap for all mankind" ("Schemes"). In Iago's sentence, we can clearly see how the ideas "I am" and "not what I am" contrast, making the sentence an excellent example of antithesis. What's more, the use of antithesis helps to dramatically emphasize the fact that Iago is not all he is presently showing himself to be, which underscores the theme of the illusion of appearances.

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What are examples of irony, tone, and suspense in Shakespeare's Othello?

A great moment of irony in Othello is when Iago tells Othello not to succumb to jealousy. He tells Othello

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on (3.3.195-197).
Othello then swears of course that he will never fall prey to jealousy. This conversation is ironic for multiple reasons. Iago is telling Othello not to be jealous, although Iago's own jealously is exactly what has set off this entire plot. Iago is jealous of Cassio's advancement and the rumor that Othello has slept with Iago's wife. Additionally, there is some dramatic irony because the audience knows (although Othello does not) that the whole purpose of this conversation is to plant suspicion in Othello's mind and make him jealous. Iago pretends to be reluctant about revealing his suspicions about Cassio and Desdemona, when he has in fact just deliberately provoked Othello's curiosity so that Iago can set him up.
The exchange between Desdemona and Emilia in act 4, scene 3 is a great example of Shakespeare building suspense. The audience already knows that Othello has been driven mad by jealousy and that he suspects Desdemona has been unfaithful. Othello will shortly return to Desdemona and have his final confrontation with her. As Desdemona gets ready for bed, she asks Emilia to put her wedding sheets on the bed as a way of placating Othello. However, even in discussing this request Desdemona brings up her own death and requests to be buried in her wedding sheets if she dies before Emilia does. Additionally, Desdemona reveals that she has been thinking of a sad song that she heard from a woman who died from a broken heart. Desdemona says she has been unable to stop thinking about this song, and she sings it to Emilia. She and Emilia discuss men and Emilia's opinion that men often mistreat women, and it's their fault if women falter.
All of this foreshadows Desdemona's death in the following events and makes the audience anticipate the final confrontation between her and Othello and its tragic outcome.
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What are examples of irony, tone, and suspense in Shakespeare's Othello?

Because the audience knows Iago’s plans from the beginning, Othello is a suspenseful work full of dramatic irony. One of many examples of irony is when Brabantio tells Othello to worry about Desdemona’s honesty: “She has deceived her father, and may thee.” Othello replies, “My life upon her faith!” He is absolutely devoted to her. Later, Brabantio’s warning will come to mind again when Iago says, “She did deceive her father, marrying you; / And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks, / She loved them most.” Othello’s trust transforms into suspicion, and he loses the life he set upon her faith after he kills her out of jealousy. However, Brabantio’s statement is not prophetic but ironic: Desdemona is faithful to Othello till the end.

Tone is a feeling one gets from a work. Most of Othello has a sense of foreboding, and some critics describe it as a psychological thriller. We follow Iago as he destroys the lives of his friends. They are completely unaware of his machinations, so it is difficult to enjoy the romances and jokes with Iago’s plot hanging over the other characters’ heads. Clearly the play can be described as suspenseful. Upon watching or reading it the first time, we do not know if Iago will be caught, Othello will succumb to jealousy, or Desdemona will save herself. When Iago makes his final moves, he states, “This is the night / That either makes me or fordoes me quite.” He is in as much suspense as the audience as to who will live and who will die.

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In Shakespeare's Othello, what are two examples each of symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony?

Symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony are three important techniques used by William Shakespeare in his great tragedy Othello.  In fact, one needn’t read very far into the play to discover at least two examples of each technique.

Symbolism, for example, appears when Iago tells Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona are “making the beast with two backs” (1.1.113).  Rather than simply stating plainly that Othello and Desdemona are having sex, Iago uses vivid imagery and symbolism to suggest that Othello and Desdemona are behaving monstrously and unnaturally (at least from the perspective of Iago and Brabantio).  They are, he suggests, acting like irrational beasts rather than like rational human beings – a claim that is ironic since no one will behave in a more monstrous way in this play than will Iago himself.  Further symbolism can be seen when Brabantio calls out,

Give me a taper . . .

Light, I say, light! (1.1.138,141)

Brabantio seeks literal light, but he also seeks symbolic enlightenment concerning the truth of the charges against Othello and his daughter. Ironically, the enlightenment he receives will darken his life and actually lead to his early death.  The “light” he seeks here is part of a larger pattern of symbolism of light vs. darkness that runs throughout the play.  (Later, Othello will both literally and symbolically “put out the light” when he kills Desdemona [5.1.7]).

Foreshadowing also appears very early in the play, as when Brabantio, having discovered that Desdemona and Othello are indeed married, feels betrayed and warns Othello,

Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:

She has deceived her father, and may thee. (1.3.287-88)

This warning, of course, foreshadows Othello’s later murderous suspicion that Desdemona has indeed been unfaithful to him. Ironically, however, Othello does not really use his “eyes to see” Desdomona as she truly is (loyal and faithful) but rather is deceived by Iago, not by Desdemona.  Further ironic foreshadowing appears when Iago tells Roderigo that human beings “have reason to cool our raging motions” (1.3.325) – a statement that foreshadows Othello’s “raging motions” as well as his later failure to use his reason.

Meanwhile, much of what Iago says throughout the play exhibits irony, as in the words just quoted.  Iago himself is full of “raging motions” (particularly in his vindictiveness toward Othello), so it is ironic that he should counsel anyone else about giving in to passion.  Moreover, Iago uses “reason” only in the most debased and corrupted senses of the word.  Instead of using reason to “cool” rage, Iago uses reason to promote rage in himself and others, whom he thereby manipulates.  This is why the term “Honest Iago” (1.3.289) – which is used repeatedly throughout the play – is one of the most ironic terms in all of Shakespeare.

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