Shakespeare

7 Pages 1812 Words

The crux of Shakespeare’s Othello is the tragic fall from grace of ‘valiant Othello’ and the rippling destruction that occurs as a result of Othello’s psychological decay. However, among other themes, of significance to this play is the stratification and marginilisation of individuals and groups. Through the events of the plot and an examination of themes, it is evident that dominant social ideologies expressed through various characters, are the basis of the marginilisation, exploitation and disempowerment of individuals within the play. When considering the marginilisation of principal characters, it is essential to understand not only how characters are marginalised in terms of the plot, but also to what extent the marginilisation of characters acts as a conduit of expressing Shakespeare’s support or questioning of dominant Elizabethan ideologies.
The character of Othello is an intriguing one, in that he is a black MA Shakespearean tragedy is one that encompasses many different elements. Shakespeare presents all of these elements spectacularly in Othello. For a tragedy to occur there are five conditions. The protagonist, Othello in this case, must experience a death or a total loss of ranking in society. oor, who the audience sees to hold a position of power, commanding respect as a result of his military position and apparent human nobility. Othello’s human nobility is evident through his: ‘language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament.’(Aristotle)
Keep up your bright swords,
For the dew will rust them.
Othello’s rich dialogue aids in Shakespeare’s presentation of Othello as a man in a position of powerful command, deserving of much respect. It is evident through Othello’s military rank and dialogue, that an audience is positioned to see him as a man of greatness and nobility. Othello is also portrayed as a character that is intrinsically good, who loves passionately and is honest and trusting....