Othello - Although Shakespeare's plays were written several hundred years ago, they are still ablt to captivate a contemporary audience. How can their continuing popularity be explained?

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Shakespeare's plays are still able to captivate a contemporary audience. All the themes displayed in each one of his play's are still evident in the present and will probably aways be noticeable. In the text 'Othello' the 3 main themes that Shakespeare focuses on is deception, jealousy, honour and reputation, Justice versus Love and prejudice, each connecting to each other in one way or another.

Deception is the main theme of the text 'Othello'. Deception is to be described as being mislead or to fraud someone. Deception is the key to 'Othello' as without it Iago would not have achieved anything at all. Deception is usually showed through Soliloquy, dramatic irony and forshadowing which would be all used together to form tension in the audience. Usually we would learn about Iago's plans this way. For example "I have't. It is engendered. Hell and night, Must bring this monstrous nirth to the world's light" (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 396).

In this monologue Iago is trying to tell the audience that he is going to reveal how evil The Moor really is to the world, giving us a clue that he is up to something evil once again. This builds up suspence.

Othello is the most trustworthy and noble human being in this play, but he is easily influenced and mislead. Throughout the play Othello believes that Roderigo and Iago are trustworthy (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 282) "A man he is of honesty and trust". Althrough the play this reminds the audience how evil Iago really is.

In the first scene we first see the decieving Iago going behind Othello's back and telling Brabantio about the black and evil Othello and the 'pure' Desdemona, his daughter, being in wedlock. Although we do not realise the deception and how evil...