Othello character analysis
Othello:
● Tragic hero and main protagonist of the play
● He is the main victim of iago treachery
● He ends up killing his wife due to iago and kills himself
● He is racially abused due to him being a moor
● His tragic flaw is his naivety and jealousy
Analysis of othello:
★ Starts off as an honourable character who has made impressive name for himself in the
venetian army
★ His fate unbeknownst to him is in the hands who he is majorly close to
★ The psychological battle iago creates is analogous to the trauma inflicted by racism
★ At the start - shakespeare presents othello as prudent and level headed individual who
seeks to resolve conflict than cause it
★ Shakesepeare suggest that othello is too quick to trust - othello lacks vision and is blind in
trust
★ Shakespeare suggest that othello nemesis is his own mind - no longer able to trust own
feeling towards desdemona = reduces desdemona to a series of arbitrary objects
, ★ Towards end of play othello sense of lawfulness and justice is now centered around his own
desires -He has gained an inflated ego = viewing himself capable of making life and death
decisions that god should make
★ Feels his identity is reduced to being a cuckold upon desdemona betrayal - he craves
validation and his masculinity to be reinstated
★ Shakespeare alludes to the belief that rational thought is only thing that separates man from
beast - transformation in othello character shows how potent and powerful jealous and
hatred can be
★ Othello race isolates him - singles him out as the scapegoat for venetian bigotry and
xenophobia
★ Othello craves civility and respectability -believes this will help him fit in with his peers =
desdemona apparent betrayal is symbolic of society as a whole deceiving him and he
becomes disillusioned
★ Othello investment in desdemona becomes solely physical - overly concerned with how
pure her body is and who has access to it = shakespeare shows othello desiring total control
over desdemona and shows how men require constant assurance that they are in charge
★ Othello oppressive treatment forces him to his more animalistic qualities - suggestion of
self fulfilling prophecy
★ Othello often speaks in blank verse - emphasises his calmness
★ The battle of wills between othello and iago with iago ultimately being the victor - can be
seen as conflict between european colonisation and freedom of identity
★ Othello craves validation and for his masculinity to be reinstated - to achieve this
desdemona who is a symbol of his insecurity must die regardless of her guilt
★ The concept of beasts and animals in regards to othello represent societal outsiders which
reinforces hierarchy integrated into communities - man is above beast in the chain of being
= comparing others to animals suggest that they need to be tamed or domesticated
★ Othello apparent otherness within venetian society is through concept of witchcraft -
witchcraft symbolises end to natural order = conveys threat that othello poses to characters
way of living
★ In history the moors were displaced and their cultural heritage was taken away -
shakespeare conveys this through othello uncertainty and physically relocating him from
his venetian home to cyprus
★ His role in military give him heightened sense of importance as his rank means it is a
necessity to maintain his reputation - battlefield is not foreign to othello but marriage and
doubts are
Othello and desdemona relationship analysis:
★ Unknown territory of cyprus adds strain to their relationship - repeatedly they are denied
time together
★ Othello love for desdemona is usurped by his paranoia
★ The handkerchief symbolically represents the marriage bond
★ The handkerchief is handled by most characters - reflects significant problem existing
within the marriage = people are interfering with their marriage
Othello:
● Tragic hero and main protagonist of the play
● He is the main victim of iago treachery
● He ends up killing his wife due to iago and kills himself
● He is racially abused due to him being a moor
● His tragic flaw is his naivety and jealousy
Analysis of othello:
★ Starts off as an honourable character who has made impressive name for himself in the
venetian army
★ His fate unbeknownst to him is in the hands who he is majorly close to
★ The psychological battle iago creates is analogous to the trauma inflicted by racism
★ At the start - shakespeare presents othello as prudent and level headed individual who
seeks to resolve conflict than cause it
★ Shakesepeare suggest that othello is too quick to trust - othello lacks vision and is blind in
trust
★ Shakespeare suggest that othello nemesis is his own mind - no longer able to trust own
feeling towards desdemona = reduces desdemona to a series of arbitrary objects
, ★ Towards end of play othello sense of lawfulness and justice is now centered around his own
desires -He has gained an inflated ego = viewing himself capable of making life and death
decisions that god should make
★ Feels his identity is reduced to being a cuckold upon desdemona betrayal - he craves
validation and his masculinity to be reinstated
★ Shakespeare alludes to the belief that rational thought is only thing that separates man from
beast - transformation in othello character shows how potent and powerful jealous and
hatred can be
★ Othello race isolates him - singles him out as the scapegoat for venetian bigotry and
xenophobia
★ Othello craves civility and respectability -believes this will help him fit in with his peers =
desdemona apparent betrayal is symbolic of society as a whole deceiving him and he
becomes disillusioned
★ Othello investment in desdemona becomes solely physical - overly concerned with how
pure her body is and who has access to it = shakespeare shows othello desiring total control
over desdemona and shows how men require constant assurance that they are in charge
★ Othello oppressive treatment forces him to his more animalistic qualities - suggestion of
self fulfilling prophecy
★ Othello often speaks in blank verse - emphasises his calmness
★ The battle of wills between othello and iago with iago ultimately being the victor - can be
seen as conflict between european colonisation and freedom of identity
★ Othello craves validation and for his masculinity to be reinstated - to achieve this
desdemona who is a symbol of his insecurity must die regardless of her guilt
★ The concept of beasts and animals in regards to othello represent societal outsiders which
reinforces hierarchy integrated into communities - man is above beast in the chain of being
= comparing others to animals suggest that they need to be tamed or domesticated
★ Othello apparent otherness within venetian society is through concept of witchcraft -
witchcraft symbolises end to natural order = conveys threat that othello poses to characters
way of living
★ In history the moors were displaced and their cultural heritage was taken away -
shakespeare conveys this through othello uncertainty and physically relocating him from
his venetian home to cyprus
★ His role in military give him heightened sense of importance as his rank means it is a
necessity to maintain his reputation - battlefield is not foreign to othello but marriage and
doubts are
Othello and desdemona relationship analysis:
★ Unknown territory of cyprus adds strain to their relationship - repeatedly they are denied
time together
★ Othello love for desdemona is usurped by his paranoia
★ The handkerchief symbolically represents the marriage bond
★ The handkerchief is handled by most characters - reflects significant problem existing
within the marriage = people are interfering with their marriage
