Essay on Othello the Concept of Love - 2161 Words

Othello: the Concept of Love There are a variety of loves that exist between the different characters in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello. The most pure love, of course, is that of Desdemona for Othello. Let us in this essay examine the full range of â€Å"loves† available for the audience in this play. Blanche Coles in Shakespeare’s Four Giants elaborates on the deep, pure love shared by the tragic hero and heroine of the drama: The Senate scene should be studied carefully in order to reach an adequate appreciation of the frankly declared love of these newly wedded people. Only by realizing the great depth of their love can one grasp the enormity of Iago’s hideous crime against them. Some of the†¦show more content†¦(1.1) Thus a hue and cry is raised in front of the senator’s residence – partly for the sake of Iago proving his love for Roderigo so that the financial rewards will continue coming to the soldier. Once the senator has been awakened, Iago makes a series of loud, crude, bawdy allegations against both the general and Desdemona. Strangely, the senator is not incensed by these, but rather by the fact that his daughter has indeed run away from home so that the father must face a life of â€Å"despised time† and â€Å"bitterness.† Implied in this reaction is a very selfish type of love which he has had towards his daughter: His affection is based on what she can do for him and not what he can do for her. Later when the Duke of Venice hears the father’s accusations against the general, followed by Desdemona’s forthright, intelligent testimony of the truth, the senator reacts by virtually disowning her: He forbids her to remain at home during her husbandâ €™s Cyprus campaign against the Turks. So thusfar the two loves which we have examined have both been very imperfect, distorted, selfish. On the other hand, the audience perceives the idealShow MoreRelatedOthello : A Symbiotic Relationship1403 Words   |  6 PagesIago + Othello: A symbiotic relationship William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ is one of the most emotionally fraught and psychologically intense of all of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The deeply psychological ideas it explores such as the nature of narcissism and psychopathy become a concentrated concoction of jealousy, hatred, insecurity, rage and repressed sexual desires within their isolated setting on the Island of Cyprus. When one applies a psychoanalytic lens to the play the internal workings of theRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare1741 Words   |  7 Pages Love can make even the strongest men into weeping puppies once they have tasted the bitter fruits of the loss of true love. But, does it affect all men in the same way? This concept is very clear when we examine the Shakespearean tragedy of Othello. 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One central theme of the play is the major contrast of doubt versus trust. For whatever reason, Othellos trust of Desdemona is too weak to resist Iagos accusations. As happens in many of Shakespeares works, miscommunication