Othello

is a figure that must be seen as 'the noblest man of man's making.'

Swinburne argued that Othello must be seen as 'the noblest man of man's making.'

is a figure who murders Desdemona for adultery, not out of jealousy.

Othello murders Desdemona 'for adultery, not out of jealousy.'

is a figure whose actions are the result of a deep-rooted moorish savagery that breaks through the veneer of civilized habits he’d developed.

We recognize in Othello the wild nature of that glowing zone which generates the most ravenous beasts of prey and the most deadly poisons, tamed only in appearance by the desire of fame, by foreign laws of honour, and by nobler and milder manners. His jealousy is not the jealousy of the heart, which is compatible with the tenderest feeling and adoration of the beloved object; it is of that sensual kind which, in burning climes, has given birth to the disgraceful confinement of women and many other unnatural usages. A drop of this poison flows in his veins, and sets his whole blood in the wildest ferment. The Moor seems noble, frank, confiding, grateful for the love shown him; and he is all this, and, moreover, a hero who spurns at danger, a worthy leader of an army, a faithful servant of the state; but the mere physical force of passion puts to flight in one moment all his acquired and mere habitual virtues, and gives the upper hand to the savage over the moral man.

is a figure whose fatal mistake is to question his own judgement.

The fatal mistake Othello makes is 'to question his own judgement'.

is a figure whose jealousy is unassociated with any real interest in Desdemona as a person.

Othello's jealousy 'is unassociated with any real interest in Desdemona as a person.'

is a figure whose love is the love of possession. She is a prize, a spoil of war.

Othello's love of Desdemona 'is the love of possession. She is a prize, a spoil of war.'

is a figure whose race undermines his heroism --- By making his protagonist black, Shakespeare prepares his original audience to question Othello's authority, to suspect that he might misuse it groundlessly.

Dolan considers Othello in relation to its historical context. She notes how in Shakespeare's society, murdering one's spouse was considered a threat to the social order. Dolan also comment son how Jacobean drama reflects 17th century anxieties about the radical 'other', the traitor 'inside', the plotting subordinate and abusive authority figures. Dolan says that Othello can be linked to all these 'spectres of disorder.' Dolan defines him as a 'domestic tyrant who murders his wife on spurious grounds.' She also suggests Othello is in an ambiguous position because of his race. He cannot hold onto his authority with any confidence or security because he is different from the Venetians. For Dolan, Othello's race would have undermined his heroism: 'by making his protagonist black, Shakespeare prepares his original audience to question Othello's authority, to suspect that he might misuse it groundlessly.'

is a figure whose tragedy is a result of his insecurity and isolation in Venetian society: 'Life for him is a game in which he does not know the rules.'

Othello's tragedy is a result of his insecurity and isolation in Venetian society: 'Life for him is a game in which he does not know the rules.'

othello, n.Definitions

othello