Essay on Shakespeare's 'Othello, the Moor of Venice'
             Having evaluated the critical perspectives of the critics, T.S. Eliot, F.R. Leavis and Helen Gardner, I do not agree wholly with any of the critical perspectives but agree only in part with F.R. Leavis's point of view. I disagree completely with T.S. Eliot's perspective and in my essay I will elaborate with reference to Othello's final speech in Act 5, on why I disagree with certain perspectives, and why I agree with the other perspectives.
             I will begin by evaluating T.S. Eliot's critical perspective and state my reasons for not agreeing with his viewpoint. I do not agree with his view that, 'Othello seems to be cheering himself up.' As although he seems to be doing that, reliving his past glory and seems to be trying to regain his honor by saying,
             'I have done the state some service, and they know't,' I believe that the reason that he says this is mainly because, when a man makes a mistake everybody points their fingers remembering only his fall, forgetting completely all the good that he has done during his life. Thus I believe that he is saying this not in an attempt to cheer himself up but in an attempt to regain his honor, as someone who is about to die, in order to ensure that the image that people have of them is good, recount their good deeds. Othello knowing that these are his last moments as he plans to kill himself, attempts to salvage his badly tarnished image before he dies and is unable to redeem himself forever. I also do not subscribe to the view that, 'He is endeavoring to escape reality.' I suppose that the critic's reason for saying that Othello is trying to escape reality could be Othello avoiding the situation at hand, the dead Desdemona or his guilt and sorrow but his referring to his past glory and achievement not at all refers once to the tragedy directly. His use ...