Othello, Research Paper Example

Othello is a character that brings out the play. His values and leadership techniques displayed to the duke, makes him valuable to the Venetian civic society “sent about three several quests” (l,ii.46). In this essay, we are going to look at how Othello handled situations and with regard to the following thesis statement, Iagos plan to discredit Cassio works initially because Cassio has apparent flaws, and Iago can ruin Cassio’s reputation by showing Othello how improperly Cassio conducts himself with alcohol and/or with women.

Othello is a foreigner and Iago uses this as a weapon to discredit him before the duke, but being a fast thinker, he manages to persuade the duke who ultimately believes his story and this builds his trust. This is a good sign for Othello who is trying to make a living in a foreign land, where pressure is mounted on his career by one jealous man who lacks the power to persuade and convince others. This lack of motivation by Iago lands him into trouble with Othello who lowers him from his lieutenant post (I.i.7–32) and hatred grows in him to the point of making false accusations on his boss. The claims made on Othello by Iago are an eye opener for him and enables him strategize well on future plans on how best to handle such situations.

From the play, it is evident that Iago takes Othello’s eloquence for granted by planning against Cassio. Therefore, (I.iii.81-82) reveals this and shows how one is exploited and victimized for being eloquent in speech and a foreign land. By so doing, there are aspects of a relationship that are bound to strain and in this case, it is his eloquence in speech that him into great trouble with Iago who intends to discredit him in front of the other people. He looks at all possible ways to discredit his work in front of the duke, but they all fall because Othello is more experienced and has leadership qualities that are admirable by many in the society and thus, his ploy of claiming that his boss is lustful fails (I.iii.369-370). His actions show how desperate he is to get back at any person who gets in his way, and his willingness to commit revenge on others increases rapidly. Iago is manipulative, and will work for anything that will go his way to favor his dirty tricks in landing others in trouble.

Othello is sharp and manages to learn his environment fast enough to understanding the lack of motivation Iago has and his intentions on others. The thesis shows an example of how desperate Iago is at getting what rightfully belongs to him, but as a leader, Othello gauges the situation in a manner that reduces conflicts and solves the problem without causing fights between individuals. Othello is a leader with vision and mission as compared to Iago who only seeks to satisfy his ego and status in society. His ploy to bring out Cassio’s flaws to Othello does not succeed since they are disregarded and this, however, leads him to committing murder (V.ii.231-242). He shows how he is the one with flaws, does not trust his own wife, and goes to the extent of killing due the hatred harbored inside. His intent of persecuting Othello shows how attracted he is to him, and would do anything I order to hinder his happiness with his wife. This means that he is the one with alcohol and women issues and is not in the habit of seeing others happy and enjoying life and work in the society.

Othello is impeccable in his dealings with society members and gives them the opportunity of sharing their thoughts and opinions to reduce fights in the society. However, if pushed he reacts (V.ii.320) and injures those in the wrong. His wife is precious to him and not alcohol and thus, he protects his jewel from harm. Iago uses Cassio in getting back at Othello for what transpired between them in the first Act where, Iago stepped out of line. It is not Othello’s nature to use other people in getting what he wants achieved and thus, Iago uses tactics not familiar to Othello’s lifestyle.

In conclusion, the thesis statement is not supportive of claims portrayed in the play, and I refute that Cassio has flaws, but rather, it should be Iago, who eventually ends up killing his wife because of his lack of motivations. The scenes are clear enough of his motives of disturbing the peace in the community because Othello passed down his lieutenant position. The play portrays every day happenings in the society that need addressing in order to have smooth governance in a society that is, multicultural. Foreign citizens need to be given a chance of living as if other citizens and thus, they should be given the opportunity of enjoying the resources of the land.

Works Cited

Kolin, Philip, ed. Othello: New Critical Essays. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Shaughnessy, Robert, ed. Shakespeare in Performance. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. Print.