Shakespeare is a well-known playwright. He made his
plays vivid to his audience through the use of language. He is successful at
writing plays not only because of his talent at the control of language but
also because he is also an actor, too. He knows how to write a play to let actors
take on it well, which is one of the keys to his success.
Shakespeare is a great playwright leaving us lots classics such as
Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and so on. Most of his plays are composed
of the style of Middle-age in London. Knight, war, competence of position, and
tragic love story are often seen in his plays.
Othello is one of his well-known plays
talking about a spoiled heart of a man and how the fate destroys a deep love. What
makes audience most impressive may be the use of Desdemona’s handkerchief,
which stands for the tragedy. The handkerchief is a symbolic of Othello’s love,
but it is also a symbolic of Iago’s conspiracy. The use of Desdemona’s
handkerchief is critical and successful because it leads to the mournful
tragedy.
The scene
starts in Venice when Roderigo paid Iago to help him pursuit Desdemona. Roderigo
is a rich gentleman who has crush on Desdemona. However, he found that Desdemona
married Othello not too long ago. As Disappointed as he was, he still wants
her. In Act I, Iago confesses to Roderigo that he doesn’t like Othello because
Othello had the lieutenant place which he desires of occupied by a young
soilder- Cassio. To get the position he wants, Iago told Roderigo that he will
help him to get Desdemona.
Iago is a guy who takes advantage
of everyone in the play for his own benefit. He pretended to be an honest man,
but is in effect unscrupulous to get status and ruling power.
To separate
Desdemona and Othello, Iago takes Roderigo to Desdemona’s father. They told
Brabanzio that his daughter was stolen by black Othello. As Desdemona’s father
Brabanzio becomes so mad and swears to find his daughter and Othello. He found
them when Othello has a meeting with Duke and senates. Brabanzio blamed on
Othello for deceiving and abusing his daughter in front of everyone. Othello
keeps calm in the present of all the negative words. He claims that he won
Desdemona’s heart because of his valiant adventures in wars and travels.
Desdemona then appeared and proclaimed for her husband that she went away with
him with her true heart. She said that she was not compelled by witchcraft. The
duke and senates are sympathetic to Othello and tried to lessen the anxious
atmosphere. Brabanzio in the end accepts the truth that his daughter has
married and left him. Desdemona then asks if she could go to Cyprus with her
husband.
In
Cyprus, Roderigo tells Iago that he is able to tell the true love between
Desdemona and the Moor from her eyes. However, Iago tells him not to give up.
He says that Desdemona will seek other sexual satisfaction when she’s tired of
Othello, but he also warned Roderigo that Cassio may be the one. Iado’s words
trigger Roderigo’s hath toward Cassio. Roderigo’s hath has been increased at
the first sight when he sees Desdemona and Cassio stand together.
To
get rid of Cassio, Iago plants doubts about Desdemona in Othello’s mind.
Othello at first trust his wife, but the more indications Iado made to him, the
more angers gained in his mind. Out of jealousy, Othello removed Cassio’s
place. Poor Cassio doesn’t know the real reason why was he fired, and listens
to the suggestion of Iago. Iago tells him that Desdemona is the one who has the
capacity to get his position back in his present. Wanting his position back,
Cassio asks for discourse with Desdemona alone. Desdemona is a kind and
beautiful perfection whose mind is filled with sympathy. She promised Cassio
that she will try her best to let Othello forgive him. However, it is her suit
on behalf of Cassio which leads Othello to a greater rage. Hypocrite Iago then
persuades Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are involved in an affair. Othello
was mad, but he still trusts his wife. Nonetheless, Iago implicates how Cassio
assumes him Desdemona and then kissed him hard, laying his legs over his thigh.
The description does arouse Othello’s great anger. At that moment, Desdemona
comes to invite her husband eat dinner together, but finds that he is not well.
She wipes his sweat by the handkerchief which the he have to her as the first
gift, but angry Othello pushed her hands away. They leave for dinner together
without the dropped handkerchief. Emilia picks up the handkerchief for her
lover’s fantasy. She doesn’t know how Iago will deal with it; she just wants to
please him. Iago is elastic when he gets the thing. He puts it in Cassio’s
chamber and then tells Othello that he once seen Cassio use the handkerchief to
wipe his beard, which is the evidence the Moor asks for. Othello goes to see
his wife and asks her about the handkerchief. Desdemona replies to him that it
is not with her. Feared of Othello’s anger, Desdemona tries to shift their topic.
She pledges Othello to return Cassio’s place, which drives Othello to a worse
mood.
Meanwhile,
Cassio finds the handkerchief in his chamber and gives it to Bianca because he
doesn’t know why the thing appears in his place. Bianca is a prostitute who
loves Cassio. She makes a copy of that handkerchief for him. At that time,
Othello is consumed by jealousy and rage. What’s worse, Desdemona comes up to
him with Lodovica and he gives Othello a letter from Venice calling him back.
In addition, Lodovica states Cassio as Othellos’s replacement. The Moor is so
mad at what happened in the recent. That night, he accuses Desdemona of being a
whore.
Iago
persuades Roderigo to kill Cassio so that Othello and Desdemona can stay. He
tells Roderigo that everything is in their plan as long as he kills Cassio.
Cassio is thus wound by Roderigo, but Roderigo is died of his attack. The cry
from hurt Cassio makes Othello think he’s died. He goes to he and his wife’s
chamber, smothering her no matter how she asserts her loyalty and innocence.
Emilia finds her mistress died and asks the Moor for reason. Painful Othello
tells her the entire how and why. Suddenly, Emilia realizes Iago’s ambition and
conspiracy. She confesses to Othello that it was her who stole the handkerchief
and gave it to Iago, claiming Desdemona’s innocence. Othello can’t stop
weeping. He attempts to kill Iago but is disarmed because of him. Iago kills
his own wife-Emilia and flees, but is caught by Lodovico and Montano. Othello
makes a speech about all his feats and then commits suicide using his sword.
The play ends with Lodovico’s speech. He gives Othello’s property to Graziano
and let Iago go.
I couldn’t stop feeling the disgust of Iogo when
I read this play, especially when most of tales are died except for him. What a
tragedy! True love turns out to be destroyed, and innocent tales are dies. Othello successfully arouse pity and
fear in its viewers just like another play which I watched before. The tragic
play which I have watched is called “Death of a Salesman” by an American
playwright- Arthur Miller. The difference is that it is talking about the
relationship between the salesman and his child. I saw how the salesman regrets
for his affair and feels guilt until he died. It is a great tragedy which I
have watched. From plays, I learned about life.
