РефератыИностранный языкWiWilliam ShakespeareS Othello Essay Research Paper In

William ShakespeareS Othello Essay Research Paper In

William Shakespeare?S ?Othello? Essay, Research Paper


In William Shakespeare’s play “Othello” the use of


animal imagery was evident throughout the telling of


the story. Shakespeare explained several characters


actions by comparing them to similarities in animals.


The characters in “Othello” were often depicted as


having animal-like characteristics. Some characters


were even compared to animals by other characters in


the play. By defining characters in terms of these


characteristics one can get a clear description of what


the character is doing or saying as compared to certain


animals.


In this paper I hope to give examples of animal


imagery used in “Othello” that assist in explaining the


play. The specific examples I present will describe a


character either as seen by himself or by a fellow


character.


The first use of animal imagery I noted occurred


came in Act One when Iago, Othello’s standard bearer,


has awaken Brabantio, who was a Venetian senator and


the father of Desdemona, to tell him that Othello has


taken his daughter Desdemona, and as they speak is


making love to her. Iago was attempting to instigate a


fight between Othello and Brabantio, using Desdemona as


the bait. Iago stated, “Your heart is burst. You have


lost half your soul. Even now, now, very now, and old


black ram is tupping your white ewe” (p. 13). In that


statement Iago was comparing Othello to an old black


ram by comparing Othello’s skin color to that of the


black ram’s, and the white ewe, a young female sheep,


to Desdemona. Shakespeare was trying to illustrate in


his writing the act of and old black man making love to


a young white woman. The use of a black ram and a


white ewe to compare Othello and Desdemona helped in


the visualization of their affair.


Shakespeare displayed animal imagery again in Act


Two when Cassio was explaining to Iago that if he had


as many mouths as Hydra, a many headed monster slain by


Hercules, he could silence the many questions asked of


him. In this Shakespeare presented Cassio as being


burdened by many questions that he could not answer all


at once, but if he had as many mouths as Hydra it would


be more accessible for him to do so. Cassio said, “I


will ask him for my place again; he shall tell me I am


a drunkard! Has I as many mouths as Hydra, such an


answer would stop them all” (p.101). Cassio was


explaining to Iago that if he went to Othello now to


speak with him, Othello would call him a drunk because


he had been drinking all night. This is exactly what


Iago wanted. His plan was to get Cassio drunk and have


him mutter words of hate and disgust to Othello, a


person who Cassio had great respect for, until he was


drunk and then fed him lies told to him by Iago.


Shakespeare’s animal imagery in this paragraph helps


one to understand Cassio’s burden of having too many


questions and not enough answers. In using the


comparison of Hydra, the many headed monster, to Cassio


explained how Cassio’s burden would be lifted if he


only had more mouths to explain everything he had to


say at

one time.


In Act Three Iago once again tries to manipulate


another character in the play. This time he told


Othello of an alleged affair that Cassio and Desdemona


were having. The affair that Iago spoke of was a


complete lie, for the two were nothing more than


friends. Upon hearing of this alleged affair though,


Othello went into a fit of rage yelling,


“Arise, black vengeance, from hollow hell! Yield


up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To


tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy


fraught, for ‘tis of aspics’ tongues” (p. 149).


Shakespeare was attempting to illustrate a man, who was


torn between his good friend, someone who he respected,


and his lover. Shakespeare portrayed a man going


through an almost metamorphosis of emotions into this


animal that he could not control. Othello yelled for


this side of him to rise from hell, which had aspics’


tongues, a tongue from a poisonous snake. Shakespeare’s


depiction of a man changing from good to evil provided


a very vivid description of animal imagery. One can


only imagine Othello, who is generally of calm and


collective nature, turning into this ravaging beast.


Finally, in Act Four Othello slapped Desdemona


because he felt that she had wronged him. Desdemona


began to explain to Othello that she had not wronged


him and thus does not deserve this treatment. Othello


nevertheless, yelled at her and continued to call her


the devil. Othello believes that her tears are not of


true nature, and that she is only crying to cover


something up. He believes that she was crying to make


him feel that she was truly sorry, or that she had not


done anything wrong. Othello proclaimed, “O, devil,


devil! If that the earth could teem with woman’s tears,


Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile” (p. 189).


The crocodile was a creature thought to shed


hypocritical tears. This statement that Othello made


referring to a crocodile meant that the tears she shed


were deceptive tears. Desdemona, in the eyes of


Othello, was not sorry, but was rather hiding something


from him. Shakespeare’s use of animal imagery here was


similar to his earlier uses. Shakespeare was trying to


display a woman, who in the mind of her husband, was


crying tears of deception. Othello had let his mind be


so altered by Iago’s lies, that he had even began to


believe everything he said. This action of Othello was


fueled by his earlier animal-like change caused by


Iago.


In conclusion, Shakespeare’s use of animal imagery


in “Othello” was crucial to the description of the


story. In “Othello” certain scenes would have been


harder to understand or relate to if it was not for the


animal imagery related to it. Shakespeare’s comparison


of characters to certain animals is unlike any other’s.


Shakespeare’s portray of a character’s emotions and


thoughts through animal imagery helped in the


understanding of that particular scene. Lastly,


without the vivid comparisons of animals and


characters, this play would undoubtedly have been more


complicated to both interpret and understand.


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