Othello Reaction Paper

Othello

Reaction Paper

Sara Fletcher

Othello is a very powerful play, and easily understood. The language used seemed to be less complicated than some of Shakespeare's other works. The characters are well developed, and they are revealed to the audience to be exactly what they are.

Iago is the protagonist of the story; he is evil and hates Othello. Desdemona is Othello's wife and she is loyal, and very much in love with him. Othello is a proud and true soldier. He is a Moore (black man) who has proved himself both on and off the battlefield. All the characters are revealed to the audience, but not necessarily to the other characters of the play. This gives the audience a chance to truly see what is going on. It adds to the mood of the play because the audience doesn't wonder what is going on; they are viewers of the events and this lets them act less like scrutinizers of the play.

Iago is revealed in the very first pages of the play. He is a snake, and a master of manipulation. He swindles Rodergio out of jewels, and shows he has nothing but contempt for the Moore. He hates Othello for being of a higher class than he and he hates him more because Othello is black. From the start of the play he is trying to topple Othello's castle [life]. He begins by trying to use Rodergio, who is interested in winning Desdemona. Then he tries to use Barbantio (Desdemona's Father), to sabotage Othello's marriage which was a secret. Iago reveals it to Barbantio in an attempt to bring the Moore trouble. The problem is the Moore is true of heart and the "trouble" that was supposed to be brought just makes the Moor's life easier. Desdemona shows...