The dark emotions, jealousy, greed, envy, anger can consume even the most honorable individual.
Insecurity, self-image or self-esteem can be a powerful influence in decision making.
The manipulation of perception by individuals who twist and bend the truth to suit their purposes are very dangerous.
One lie leads to another and before you know it, the truth is so totally masked that when told, it sounds like a lie.
Choose your friends and confidantes wisely. Always consider an individuals motivation in a situation when you weigh his or her opinion. Shakespeare teaches us to look out for hidden agendas, personal vendettas and skillfully masked hatred pretending to be love.
Othello, an honorable man, is turned into a green eyed monster, consumed with insecurity, jealousy and rage. His passion turns deadly and he is transformed into a murderer.
What philosophical viewpoint evolves at the end of Othello?
I would say that one...
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of the most important philosophical conditions that arises out of the drama is how skewed individual perception truly is. There is no real, substantive, and overarching condition of "truth" that emerges at the end of the drama. Rather, there is the belief that human beings' biases preclude anything transcendent from being embraced in a full and legitimate manner. Each character believes that they are acting in a sense of totality, and in reality, they are not. Iago believes that his machinations and scheming represents a transcendent order whereby every single individual and occurrence can be calculated to his advantage. He is unable to do this with Emilia, and the ending proves his beliefs otherwise. Desdemona acts in concert with a belief of love, a transcendent notion that compels her to leave her life and merge her sense of being with Othello. This ends up becoming a step towards intense isolation and alienation, as Othello's descent causes her to be more cut off from others, leaving her perception to be far from transcendent. For Othello, I think he realizes, though he does not fully articulate it, that his state of being in the world is one where his own contingency spelled his own sense of doom. The emerging fragments of this resided in his own sense of doubt and insecurity that someone like him could be worthy of political power and personal happiness. For Othello, there is only this individual sense of perception that lies at his very core, precluding any other redemptive vision of totality from entering. These individual fragments of perceived truth lead him to embracing Iago's villainous ways, and doubting both himself, the people around him, and the woman he loves. In the end of the drama, the only valence with which to view reality seems to be that of individual perception, something that is skewed and incapable of providing any larger configuration of truth and meaning by which to effectively live one's life.
What philosophical viewpoint does the end of Othello convey about humanity?
Here are four types of philosophy found in Act V of the Othello:
Metaphysics: beliefs about reality; Othello realizes he has been operating under a false reality. It appeared that Desdemona was false; in reality, she was not. It appeared that Iago was honest and a friend; in reality, he was a deceitful villain.
Epistemology: beliefs about belief; Othello realizes his beliefs about himself, women, friends, honesty, manhood have been false. In the end, his beliefs are shaken to the ground. He attempts an apology, but even it is self-centered and false.
Logic: the technique of reasoning; Othello reasons that living without his damaged pride and his wife is no longer bearable. He reasons that Iago should live and be tortured for his crimes.
Ethics: beliefs about the principles of conduct; Othello believes suicide is noble as a military man and a murderer. The other military men in this culture of honor condone this noble act as well.