In the opening scene of “Othello” written by William Shakespeare, the key sources of tension lie within the racial prejudice of the Moor people and the ambition behind occupational and wealth success, are portrayed through bitter conflict between...

An antagonist is essential to any story. Establishing a clear “bad guy” gives the story more emotion, uniting the reader with the protagonist(s) against a common enemy that is easy to hate. Every story has an antagonist, but only some are evil....

After four hundred years of being performed on innumerable stages and cinema screens across the globe, Shakespeare’s Othello, with its many instances of jealousy, racism, and misogyny, remains a remarkably relevant play. As a result, it has been...

Both The Hate Race and Othello explore identity as a core facet of human nature by considering the consequences of a strong versus weak sense of identity. The idea of a society’s perception of an individual’s identity as opposed to the individual’...

Compare and contrast the representation of jealousy and the destructive nature of love in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’, and Ian McEwen’s ‘Atonement’.

When comparing themes of jealousy and the destructive nature of love...

Scholars have portrayed the character of Othello in remarkably different ways: tragic hero, sinner, victim, deluded romantic, noble outsider, and a myriad of other characterizations. Taking that into consideration, it is surprising how little...

The character of Iago in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello appears to be the quintessential villain. His rampant deception and cold-blooded plotting leads to misunderstanding, agony over love, and unnecessary death with no definite motivation....

Identity is crucial in understanding our values and morals and is shaped by societal expectations and the choices we make. Thus, it is ultimately an individual’s choice to relinquish temptations of deception, in which often eventuates to the...

Shakespeare brings Othello with the audience being thrown into the middle of an argument between Iago and Roderigo. This opening leaves the reader mildly confused as they don't know what the argument is about for several lines. Only around 40...

Emilia’s monologue in Othello is the closest to a feminist manifesto that Shakespeare has written, as well as revered as one of the most powerful speeches in the play. As the wife of the villain, Iago, her hidden bitterness boils over when she...

In the play ‘Othello’, William Shakespeare portrays power and hierarchy as fragile, and it is this fragility that creates the tragedy within the play, catalyzing the ‘fall from prosperity to wretchedness’ in Kastan’s view. Taking on Nuttall’s...

In his 1604 play ‘Othello’, William Shakespeare criticizes the damaging effects of patriarchy during the Jacobean era, using the relationship between Desdemona and Emilia as a route to expose the corrupting influence of men. The male characters’...

Arguably, Shakespeare presents the male characters within Othello as spontaneously emotional, and unable to control their reactions to negative events. Within this extract, Othello obsesses over the idea of Desdemona’s infidelity, goaded by Iago’s...

Throughout Shakespeare’s Othello, the notion of monsters, monstrosities and the unnatural is a prominent theme. Often brought to light within the context of the villain Iago, the words “monster” and “monstrous” are used a combined 12 times...

Within the opening act of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, deception is a central theme that is also prevalent throughout the play and the result of the tragic ending, which, in the view of Kastan is the ‘genre of uncompensated suffering’ that is either...

Within ‘Othello’, Shakespeare’s portrayal of the fragility of power and hierarchy is exposed through the downfall of individual characters who have a desire and need to maintain status. This consequently becomes the cause for what Kastan believes...

The importance of a narrative lies in its capacity to illustrate how humans perceive themselves as individuals and communities. Groups have been sharing stories since the beginning of time. As a result, narratives are products of their specific...

Inaugurated as the queen of the mid-summer festival, Perdita stands on stage, in Act 4, Scene 4 of The Winter’s Tale, dressed in royal garments and draped in flowers. It is a moment of visual splendor, with the floral arrangements of Perdita’s...

Both Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and Cymbeline are about persuasion in one form or another. Key features of the plot hinge on the characters’ varying level of success in convincing others to do or believe something. If Paulina had persuaded...

We live in a violent world. One only needs to watch the nightly news to find this to be the truth. Theft. Murder. Rape. Fires. Car crashes. Natural disasters. All of these forces bring violence into our lives, and it should come as no surprise...

Although Sicilia is introduced in the first scene of the play as a country of opulence and wealth, Bohemia’s full-fledged appearance in Act 4 Scene 4 of the play easily enchants and fascinates the audience more. Unlike Sicilia, Bohemia is full of...

In the time period of Jacobean England, the King’s words and opinions were treated as gospel. The people’s steadfast belief in the Divine Right of Kings, where the King was said to be chosen directly from God, and therefore the King’s word was God...

Shakespearean romances are characterized by conclusions in which all conflicts are happily resolved. It is easy to see these resolutions as humorous but unlikely contrivances which the author invents to neatly tie together loose ends. There is...

Leon. No foot shall stir.

Paul. Music, awake her; strike! [Music]

Tis time; descend; be stone no more; approach;

Strike all that look upon with marvel. Come!

I'll fill your grave up: stir, nay, come away:

Bequeath to death your numbness; for from him

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