Hello all,
In Act 3 of Othello, we see Iago "pouring pestilence" into Othello's ear by initially hinting at the possibility that Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with Cassio, Othello's former officer. Othello's soliloquy at roughly the midpoint of Act 3, scene 3 reveals that Othello himself sees his skin color, his lack of a Venetian education and his age (he's older than Desdemona by a significant number of years) are factors that would cause Desdemona to cheat on him. It's been established through class discussion that Othello is insecure.
Your assignment is to think about the origin of Othello's insecurity. The following are suggestions that could be the origin of Othello's insecurity. Select one of the suggestions and post a comment in which you discuss why this selected suggestion could be the origin of Othello's insecurity. Please refer to one SPECIFIC example from the play to support your response. Feel free to also refer to examples outside of the text but you must refer and discuss at least one example from the play.
The suggestions are:
A) Othello's relationship with Desdemona is his first relationship, which means his experience and interaction with women is very limited.
B) Othello is aware that Desdemona is very beautiful and questions why she chose him when there have been previous suitors and marriage proposals from other men who are more "appropriate" and proper.
C) Another suggestions of your choice.
Responses are due Sunday, April 10th by 7:00 PM.
Best,
Benitez
PS: Please "sign" your name at the bottom of your responses so I can easily credit who posted and who didn't (This because some of you chose creative user names that do not directly identify who you are). Thank you.
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ReplyDeleteI believe Othello's insecurity comes from the idea that Desdemona is very beautiful and Othello questions himself why she chose him when there have been previous suitors and marriage proposals from other men who are more "appropriate" and proper. One example is that Othello admits he's black, old and doesn't posses the manners of a king or someone of royalty to woo Desdemona in the first place. When Desdemona pleads for Cassio repetitively to have his job back, it provides better evidence that he thinks Desdemona has fallen for Cassio because he possessed all the quality's and capabilities of a gentleman/nobleman/king, and is young and not black. His insecurity comes from what he believes Desdemona should rightly have, which is all the things he lacks. But in reality he has already proven that he is the right man for her and there's no reason for him to be insecure.
ReplyDeleteI think Othello's insecurities derived from the fact that his relationship with Desdemona is his first relationship. Since Othello is characterized as a general and fought in many battles in his past, one can conclude that he's a harsh and improper man, a man that's not very loving and soft. Othello is nervous of his relationship because it's his first time he's been in a relationship so he doesn't know what to be expected of. In Act 3, when Desdemona couldn't show the handkerchief to Othello, Othello became very mad which makes sense because Othello is known as a military figure that kills people and doesn't know how to forgive someone. If Othello would've had a relationships with more women in the past, maybe he would have been more understanding and would have worked things out with Desdemona instead of storing immense hatred towards her like how people hate their enemies in times of war.
ReplyDelete-Kevin Balram
I believe Othello's insecurity comes from the idea that he is aware that Desdemona is a very beautiful lady and questions why she chose him when there have been previous suitors and marriage proposals from other men who are more "appropriate" and proper. This is so because Othello knows he doesn't have the skills to talk to women in a proper manner. He knows that he has been in many battles without any woman by his side. He also knows that he is black, old and that she had many opportunities to get with younger guys but decided to pick him. He feels that Desdemona has fallen for Cassio because he possess the talent of being a gentlemen and he is always around her.In the story it has been proven that Othello has won Desdemona's heart already.
ReplyDelete- Angel Kevin Serrano
I believe that Othello's insecurities come from Desdemona being so beautiful and questions why she chose him when there has been previous marriage proposals for men who are more appropriate. This is mainly because Othello is very different from those other men. Othello is not as proper and not the same skin or even as young as those other men that has proposed to Desdemona. Him being different is just his insecurity and since he is different, he believes what Iago is hinting about Cassio and Desdemona sleeping together. Only because Cassio is more younger and good looking and he is very friendly and outgoing which makes Othello think of Cassio and Desdemona sleeping together more. But Othello does not see that Desdemona really loves him for who he is.
ReplyDeleteI think Othello’s insecurities are because of Desdemona’s beauty, and that there have been other more suited men who have come for her hand in marriage. Othello is a soldier who doesn’t have eloquent speech .Being in war tends to make people colder because they have to kill. Othello is also paranoid because this is the first relationship he has been in. A person who lives day and night to fight war would be thought to be a person who a normal person like Desdemona would not be able relate to. When Iago tells Othello that Desdemona may be unfaithful this makes him keep second guessing her love. He does not know what to believe anymore because his insecurities are blinding him from her love. Othello decides to get Iago to murder Cassio because this is how he knows how to solve problems. If a comrade betrays another in war that would mean death and this is what Desdemona is accused of. Cassio is has the qualities that he is insecure of. He is younger, better looking, and dashingly charming. If he didn’t have all of these qualities then he may have not ordered to have him murdered so quickly.
ReplyDelete*Ryan Mojum*
Edwin Burd's Response:
ReplyDeleteThroughout Shakespeare's Othello, we have
constantly seen various factors that place Othello in a difficult position, demonstrating his insecurity. Although the origin of his mental insecurities derive from the fact that Othello's' relationship with Desdemona is his first, meaning that his experience with women is lackluster. Othello is known by all characters in the play as being a brave warrior who fought for many years in the Venetian army, only to demonstrate his sense of nationalism and pride for his country. Upon becoming the general (or rising up in the militaristic rank), Othello has no time to ponder off with women and practice his manners/speech towards them. He thinks of himself mainly as a violent man, since he has witnessed dozens of battles, and certainly slayed hundreds of enemies. Even though Desdemona was intrigued by his stories when they first met, Othello has grown more attached to her as their relationship progressed, although not in a good way. Othello feels much love for Desdemona, but being since he is of a race other than white and has an improper speech, he feels as though she might leave him one day. Othello does not understand how relationships normally function and he will do anything to ensure the safety plus happiness of Desdemona. An example of this would be in the beginning of Act Three, Scene Three, when Desdemona is pleading for Othello to give back Cassio his former position as Lieutenant. Othello grows annoyed of her periodic requests and asks her to kindly stop, saying he will think about it. Desdemona than states of how it will make her very happy if Cassio were to get his position back and how he is such a good man, being that Cassio did aid them when they first fell in love. Othello's tone suddenly changes into a remorseful one, and he says to Desdemona, "Prithee, no more. Let him come when he will, I will deny thee nothing." This statement shows how Othello is extremely frightened of the fact of Desdemona departing him, and he treated this situation as if Desdemona was in fact leaving him. Overall, Othello's insecurity originates from his inadequacy with women, in that he is suited more as a warrior, than a romancer.
The origin of Othello's insecurity is that Othello is aware that Desdemona is very beautiful and questions why she chose him when there are many other more worthy candidates for her love. Being that he is old, black and not as well educated as everyone else. I agree with the suggestion that this is Othello’s first relationship so his experience is limited, perhaps he has no history with a women and since this is a very beautiful women who approached him out of the blue, it is understandable that he is questioning himself.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare, it is known that Othello's origin of insecurity has derived from the fact this relationship with Desdemona is his first relationship, so he is limited to what he think he can or cannot do. In the play, Othello, we know Othello as being a violent man, a noble general who has fought many battles, and has most definitely defeated his rivals in battle. Since he is such a great general, he lacks in the charismatic qualities he wished he had, like Cassio. In Act Three Scene Three, when Desdemona tells Othello that giving Cassio back his job as a lieutenant would make her happy, he agrees to give it back to him, showing how is love and affection for her has turned into a situation in which he now extremely limited to what he can do in the relationship because Desdemona, being called "my fair warrior" helps intensify the fact that Desdemona really has the power and the say in the relationship. Since this is Othello's first relationship, these scenes and examples help show that he hass been limited to what he does in this new relationship with Desdemona.
ReplyDeleteMarcio
seriously by late by one hour? -_- please excuse me, I was at church all day today and yesterday...
ReplyDeleteI believe that the origin of Othello's insecurities comes from the fact that Desdemona is very beautiful. He fears that he will lose her because of his love for her. It is also possible that he may be naturally jealous of such things that he does not want to lose. Desdemona is also his first and, in this case, last relationship on the marital level which means that he isn't as experienced with dealing with problems that are bound to happen in a relationship. Lastly, he is left to wonder why Desdemona has chosen him to be her husband (him being a moor) and not choosing other marriage proposals, for she has been proposed to many times before marrying Othello.
I believe that the origins of Othello's insecurities comes from many different points. First off, the fact that Desdemona is very beautiful and has chosen him as her husband out of all her could be suitors. Secondly, the play makes out that Othello has little experience in areas of love, Being a warrior fighting constantly has left him with out experiences in relationships. Lack of romantic skills can be fueling his insecurities. Thirdly, Its obvious now that he's falling hard for Desdemona (HE'S BECOMING WHIPPED :] LOL) So he'd do anything to secure the love between him and Desdemona. So the fact that he might lose her if he makes a mistake or someone better comes along seems to be fueling his insecurities too.
ReplyDelete- Adrian Chamorro (JUST CAME BACK FROM UPSTATE SORRY FOR BEING LATE)
Othello's insecurity can be seen to originate from the fact that Othello awareness of Desdemona's beauty. why would such a beautiful woman chooose to marry someone who is she chose him when there are many other desirable candidates that she can choose from. due to the fact that he is different and not as well educated as everyone else he begin to doubt himself. Even though it is possible that this may be his first relationship, it is natural to feel nervous but not to the point that you begin to reject her love. because of his shortcomings he is blinded by, he is now trusting a friend rather than the person he chose to marry.
ReplyDelete