In Shakespeare’s drama, Othello, there are many different relationships among the main characters. The way that Shakespeare portrays these relationships sets the stage for the pain and deceit that unfolds within the play. Relations between the men of the play, Othello, Roderigo, Iago, and Cassio, undoubtedly form the main theme. Furthermore, each of the men, except Roderigo, also has woman that stands behind and cares for him. But the manor in which these women are treated is why the story ends on such a tragic note. After a careful analysis of the women, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca, one can see that much of the tragedy could have been avoided if only the men would have given them a chance to speak their own opinions. Regrettably no such thing happens until it is to late. The men clearly show a disrespect for women. Emilia is quite right when speaking of the men, she says “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; they eat us hungrily, and when they are full the belch us (3.4.100-102).
The most important relationship displayed in the story is between Othello and Desdimona. Shakespeare uses many examples to illustrate how the bond between them shines in the beginning and then fades as the play progresses. At the opening of the play they are being married without Desdimona’s father’s consent. In this time period a father owned his daughter in a way, and held the right to choose her husband. When her father ( Brabantio) learns of the news he is furious. He claims that Othello “hast enchanted her! / she had/ run from her guardage, to the sooty bosom of such a thing as thou/(1.3.64-73). This shows that Brabrantio thought his daughter to be unacceptable of choosing a husband …
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…n the play are tragically the ones who suffer the most. Due to the way they were viewed and treated at the time of the play they were basically helpless. Desdemona was made to stand by and watch as the relationship with her beloved husband Othello deteriorated. She was the first to die but the most innocent. Emilia got caught between respecting her husband and being loyal to her mistress. Sadly she made the choice to follow the wrong person but was able to redeem herself in the end only to be stabbed in the back by Iago. Bianca is a victim of circumstance and unknowingly involved because of her love for Cassio. I believe that Shakespeare wrote this play to illustrate the injustices done to women during his time, among other political messages that are entwined into the plot.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Alvin Kernan. New York: Signet, 1963.
Who’s to Blame in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
Why is it that we as human beings feel the need to blame someone for every negative situation, which occurs? If we really look at the situation with any great depth, we may discover that an almost endless amount of things may be ‘blamed’ for the tragedy blaming an individual is pointless – only fate can really be blamed.
Some characters who are more commonly blamed are Romeo and Juliet themselves. With their headstrong personalities, and love, which seemed so sure, they had in fact condemned themselves. Romeo was the first to promote the relationship at the Capulet party. It was a case of ‘love-at-first-sight’ for him, so he felt obligated to seek Juliet at her balcony, and charm the engagement into existence. However the reality was that the relationship was condemned before it had even began due to the parent’s hatred for one another. Romeo knew the two families didn’t get on, so he also should have also known that the relationship was ill fated. Yet he still persisted in promoting the relationship. Surely he could have controlled his urges and stayed in the bushes in front of Juliet’s balcony on the night of the Capulet party. On the other hand love is often considered an impulsive thing, and Romeo being an impulsive person only made the matter worse. An example of Romeo’s impulsive behavior was when he chased Tybalt after Tybalt killed Mercutio, which resulted in Tibet’s death. Romeo was horrified with what he had done, and expressed that he felt very irresponsible by crying out;
“O, I am fortunes fool!”
Some may say that Romeo’s reactions were only out of love, but does that really make him any less to blame? I am sure that when the photographers chased Princess Diana in her car, that the…
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… easier had Juliet married Paris as her parents wished her to. Instead she was very headstrong about the situation.
“I will not marry yet. And when I do I swear it shall be to Romeo for whom you know I hate rather than Paris…”
Juliet certainly should have known that the results would be disastrous had she married a hated Montague. Some may say that Juliet marrying Paris would have been a tragedy in itself, but surely it would have been far less severe than the loss of two lives!
In conclusion, it is not bang said that the inventor of iron is not responsible, nor the ancestor of the Capulet, they were simply examples of how silly and useless blaming an individual is. Indeed in situations like these, either no one or anyone is to blame. Every little thing contributes – hence; the only thing, which can be blamed, is fate.