Othello - Belonging and alienation
(this essay uses 2 supplementary materials: Metho Drinker by Judith Wright, and Da Vinci's The Last Supper)Shakespeare, in the play Othello, represents belonging and alienation through the use of relationships between characters, the use of dramatic irony, and through the use of language devices. Othello, a moor, is physically alienated from the other characters because of the colour of his skin, however, his great reputation as a general gives him a sense of belonging to Venetian society. Iago on the other hand, is alienated from all because he is recognised as a villain. Paradoxically, Desdemona belongs because of her innate goodness.For Iago, his carefully fashioned, distinctive language, alienates him from the rest of the characters. He uses much more prose than othello, and his language style is thoughtfully generated and calculated. His sentences and phrases are balanced and an exact measure of the cool self-awareness that typifies all Iago says and does. It is through language that Shakespeare alienates Iago from the other characters:"Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are gardens, to which our wills are gardeners... The power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills."
At the beginning and at the end of the play, he speaks with stately, formal, slow-moving poetry, loaded with powerful emotion, which instantly connects him to the responder and to the other characters. The use of personification - "his white and burning girl" also emphasises this need for the metho drinker to belong. He is also the only figure clutching a small bag, which according to the gospels, holds silver. This use of dramatic irony helps to further alienate the responder from Iago and connect them to both Desdemona and Othello. Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon comprise the last group of three figures. Like Judas who appears to belong but does not, Iago says "I am not what I am". Various devices such as the use of relationships, the use of dramatic irony and the use of language devices serve to depict and highlight the concepts of alienation and belonging and that all is not what it appears to be on the surface. Othello and Desdemona's belonging to each other is shown in "I am bound to thee for ever". Othello, Desdemona and Cassio, while naive are inherently good and therefore a sense of belonging is established. Artistically speaking, the perspective focuses on the figure of Christ in the centre. Iago does not belong because in contrast to characters such as Othello, Desdemona and Cassio he is seen to be evil and cunning. strict control and narrowness of images make him appear calculating and villainous which automatically alienates him from the other characters. After the murder of Desdemona, both Othello and his speech return to their former selves, "Like the base Indian threw a pearl away/. On closer inspection, the reaction of the disciples to Christ's revelation of treason shows that some of the disciples become alienated.
Common topics in this essay:
Paradoxically Desdemona,
Judith Wright,
Peter John,
Interestingly Othello's,
Supper Shakespeare,
Supper Christ,
Desdemona Othello,
Metho Drinker,
Desdemona Cassio,
Vinci's Supper,
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language devices,
metho drinker's,
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dramatic irony language,
metho drinker seeks,
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