General Othello in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

William Shakespeare gave us a most moving drama in Othello. In this play we witness the demise of a paragon of a wife and a valiant Moor, Othello. Let us consider the Moor in detail, with professional critical input, in this essay. From the textbook of the play a number of clues can be gleaned which round out the description of the general. In William Shakespeare The Tragedies, capital of Minnesota A. Jorgensen describes the general in Othello Though scarcely the roughshod (1.3.353) he is called, the Moor is emphatically black, probably rough, even fearsome, in appearance, and a foreign mercenary from Mauritania in refined Venice. Though of royal blood, since the age of septet he had a restrictive, painful life, being sold into slavery and spending most of his life in the tented field (1.3.85). His occupation (3.3.357), to a degree instal in no other Shakespearean hero, is war. He can therefore speak of the great world little more than pertains to feats of broil and battle (1.3 .87). entirely that he loves the gentle Desdemona, he would to have given up a life of unsettled war and his unhoused free condition / For the seas value (1.2.26-27). (58) The first appearance of the protagonist is in Act 1 Scene2, where Iago is pathologically lying about Brabantio and himself and the ancients relations with the general and about everything in general. Othello responds very coolly and confidently to the pressing issue of Brabantios mob coming after him Let him do his spite. / My services which I have do the signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints. However, Cassios party approaches first, with a demand for the generals haste-post-haste appearance before the Venetian council due to the Turkish attempt on Cyp... ... rises to the occasion and refutes the lies of her keep up at the price of her life. Her martyr-like example inspires Othello to sacrifice his life next to the corpse of Desdemona for he Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away / Richer than all h is race . . . . He dies a noble death, just as he has lived a noble life. Michael Cassios evaluation of his end is our evaluation This did I fear, but melodic theme he had no weapon / For he was great of heart. WORKS CITED Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http//www.eiu.edu/multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Coles, Blanche. Shakespeares Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire Richard Smith Publisher, 1957. Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare The Tragedies. Boston Twayne Publishers, 1985.