Sample Essay On Othello

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Othello is typical of Shakespearean tragedy, both  thematically and stylistically. It has both an antithetical structure and antithetical characterization and uses these to explore the universal dichotomies of human existence; good versus evil, strength versus weakness and illusion versus reality, typified by tragic irony. Through exploring these universal binaries Shakespeare demonstrates to audiences the danger of passion dominating reason and conscience, showing how human beings make themselves susceptible to the machiavellian evil that exists within others.

In Shakespearean times the adjective honest had multiple denotations – “to be honorable, creditable, decent in appearance, truthful, sincere, ingenuous and of good moral character.” Thus, the word embodied a multiplicity of virtues such as those Iago uses to deceive and manipulate, becoming a weapon as he turns virtue into vice. The honesty in Othello allows Shakespeare to explore the thematic concerns within the text, emphasizing the play’s tragic irony and foreshadowing its tragic end.