Othello, William Shakespeare, tragedy, human emotion, envy, deceit, human immoderation
"Othello," a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, has been preserved as a timeless classic of human emotion and tragedy. Mirroring the Venice and Cyprus setting of the play, themes of envy, deceit, and uncontrollable human immoderation are played out closely. The central situation of "Othello" is Othello, an intelligent, agile, and noble Moorish general who falls from grace on account of the mischief of Iago, whose hatred he is held up, and Iago's stratagems, which he employs on other characters and creates a situation that brings undoing to Othello. The author utilizes delicate verbal components coupled with muted colloquial speech to tear through the veil and establish the nature of the psychology of man, highlighting that weakness is the most challenging thing for people to escape, as they follow their low instincts with no understanding of the threat it might pose. Othello is the most extraordinary and productive character in the whole story of "Othello," from the elegantly presented Othello to the deceptively masked Iago, whose mind creates the plot that is responsible for the tragedy. Therefore, the essay uses Freud's Psychoanalytic Theories to examine the character of Iago as the id, Othello as the ego, and Desdemona as she exemplifies the superego from Shakespeare's play, "Othello."
[...] It is made possible through character analysis. Iago, the id, becomes the unrefined and primitive urge for vindictiveness and domination, which is manifested through destructive behaviour and others' implying put-downs. Because of his behaviour, Id's uncontrolled desires are revealed at the expense of long-term pleasures; he doesn't think about the consequences. Iago is the id, and Othello is the ego character when it comes to the struggle of inner desire against the External world perception and the continuous conflict of self with others. [...]
[...] Othello - William Shakespeare (1603) - The Character of Iago and Freud's Psychoanalytic Theories Othello Final Paper University of Washington "Othello", a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, has been preserved as a timeless classic of human emotion and tragedy. Mirroring the Venice and Cyprus setting of the play, themes of envy, deceit, and uncontrollable human immoderation are played out closely. The central situation of "Othello" is Othello, an intelligent, agile, and noble Moorish general who falls from grace on account of the mischief of Iago, whose hatred he is held up, and Iago's stratagems, which he employs on other characters and creates a situation that brings undoing to Othello. [...]
[...] Once Othello starts losing control of himself and cannot distinguish between the real and the imaginary, he falls into the trap of jealousy. He exclaims, beware, my lord, of jealousy / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on" (Act Scene pg. 129). Such a quote exposes Desdemona's devotion to Othello is unparalleled, but he is the victim of Iago's manipulation that creates irrational jealousy within him; this leads him to be near schizophrenic hero" who defines himself as simultaneously "Christian and infidel" (Gruber, pg. [...]
[...] He devised the fall of Cassius from the top through deception and crookedness, so there were no boundaries in what he could do, no matter what the proprieties of other people's well-being were. Also, Othello's character can be studied from the view of ego. As implied by Freud, the reality principle is the part-taking of the ego, which is mediated by the latter between the potential impulsive ruts of the I and standards accepted by the superego. For Othello, this is the resistance against rationale and social categories from irrational feelings, mainly in the sphere of his relations with Desdemona. Nevertheless, at the beginning, his love for her is pure and honest. [...]
[...] It is the part that judges when things are right or wrong; for instance, "the Freudian Snow, for instance, sees the superego as a universal alienating force in the human psyche" (Schapiro, pg. 490). After telling Othello's lie, she stays true, being guided by her natural dignity and conscience. Desdemona's purest nature is revealed in the moment when she begs her friend, I have not deserved this" (Act Sc. II, pg. 189). However, Desdemona does not descend to his level; she knows no hatred and remains pure with herself and Othello by following her conscience. [...]
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