Writing Assignment

Writing Assignment

Throughout the play, Iago refers to several reasons as to why he is angry with Othello. However, many argue that the havoc that arises from his manipulations is not equal to Othello’s supposed wrongs. Identify at least two reasons why Iago feels wronged by Othello. Argue whether you feel Iago’s feelings are justified and if you believe his revenge was warranted or not.

The primary reason Lago feels wronged by Othello and wants to kill him is that he suspects Othello is having an affair with Emilia. On the other side, Lago claims he has no idea whether these reports or accusations are true or false. Essentially, this reason is not weighty enough to explain Lago’s hatred for Othello. For instance, when Othello asks why Lago hates him at the end of the play, he states, “Demand me nothing” and “You know what you know” (3240). This makes Lago scarier and a villain because he lacks clear justification for his destructive hatred. He just appears to enjoy desolation for destruction’s sake.

The other reason is Lago is attracted to Desdemona also. Lago says, “I do love her too,” showing that Lago also loves Desdemona (Greenblatt and Carol 3004). This is encouraging, mainly because the unnamed Lago figure in Shakespeare’s text pursues Desdemona and gets angry when she rejects him for Moor, who is also anonymous. Lago’s main problem is he feels bitter about Othello’s promotion of Cassio over him. He also loves Desdemona, believes the lusty Moor has deceived him with his wife Emilia, and fears the poor Cassio has also deceived him. All these then appear as weak justifications rather than inspirations. These two reasons make me believe Lago’s feelings are not justified, and I think his revenge is not justified because the idea of Othello being with Emilia has not been proven. Even Lago himself confirms he is unsure whether the reports are true. Secondly, Desdemona is not Lago’s lover; Lago is just attracted to Desdemona; he is not his lover or friend. Therefore, hating Othello for this is unnecessary. Finally, it is clear that Lago hates Othello because of his promotion, nothing more. All the other claims by Lago are just allegations. None of them is justified. Lago just has an unreasonable desire to kill Othello so he can have Desdemona. He even alerts Brabantio, a Venetian senator and Desdemona’s dad, of his revenge on Othello by saying, “the black ram Othello is topping his white ewe, Desdemona.” However, with all these, Lago lacks explanations for why he acts the way he does. It is because his actions are not justified.

Othello is the only character in Shakespeare’s plays who is a person of color. One cannot overlook the racist statements and attitudes present in Othello. How does Othello’s race influence the play? Does his race have any influence on the way other characters view him? Are there any racial stereotypes present in his character?

Shakespeare’s play revolves around the theme of racism, a significant component of his works. This theme emphasizes insecurity within Othello and other characters in the play. Evidently, Othello’s race is a target of people’s insecurity, thus treating his race as a flaw. Othello’s lack of conversational skills in the play is ascribed to his race or blackness, which is mainly a racist stereotype. Race or color is vital in this play because it makes Othello feel insecure, allowing Lago to manipulate him easily. The play confirms this by stating, “Irrespective of his military prowess and mobility, Othello never feels comfortable in Venice because of his dissimilitude” (Greenblatt and Carol 2946). Similarly, most of the characters in the play show discrimination towards Othello. This play demonstrates that Othello’s blackness is not just a physical manifestation of his alienation but also an allegory that all characters in the play, including Othello, have to react to. Concerning this, Roderigo and Lago speak the most explicit racial slurs against Othello. Roderigo calls Othello “the thick lips,” and he becomes the first person to expose his biased mentality. Similarly, Lago refers to Othello as “a wheeling stranger” and refers to his race, referring to him as “an old black ram,” “Barnary house,” and “a devil” (Greenblatt and Carol 2950)

Another instance is when Lago tells Brabantio that the “Moor and his daughter are making the beast or with two backs.” This was a direct reference and offensive as well as racist comments against Othello’s sexuality. This scenario can be one conclude that Othello’s sexuality was directly linked to his ethnicity, which was perceived as filthy and rotten. Therefore, Othello’s skin color or race played a vital role in his downfall, and other characters used it to manipulate and offend him, which made him much more insecure with the white characters. Again, Othello’s race is vital to the play because his perceptibly foreign racial identity leaves him far more vulnerable to Lago’s plans than if he were an equally skilled and indispensable white man. Moreover, Othello’s lack of conversational skill was attributed to his race or blackness, a racist stereotype.

Work Cited

Greenblatt, Stephen, and Carol T. Christ, eds. The Norton anthology of English literature. Vol. 1. WW Norton & Company, 2012.

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Choose two of the prompts below to complete the Module 5 Writing Assignment, referring to the Literary Analysis Assignment Rubric [PDF]. Click for more options on the Literary Analysis Assignment Rubric [PDF]. – Alternative Formats: Each answer should be approximately 300-400 words (2/3 to 1 page long). Please copy and paste the writing prompt before each of your responses.

Throughout the play, Iago refers to several reasons why he is angry at Othello. However, many argue that the havoc that arises from his manipulations is not equal to Othello’s supposed wrongs. Identify at least two reasons why Iago feels wronged by Othello. Argue whether you feel Iago’s feelings are justified and if you believe his revenge was warranted or not.
Othello is the only character in Shakespeare’s plays that is explicitly a person of color. One cannot overlook the racist statements and attitudes present in Othello. How does Othello’s race influence the play? Does his race have any influence on the way other characters view him? Are there any racial stereotypes present in his character?
Not all of Shakespeare’s sonnets are focused on love. Choose one of the assigned sonnets and explain the message the sonnet conveys. Explain why you chose this sonnet and what it contributes to your overall understanding of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Identify the sonnet by number and first line.