The Destruction of Innocence in Shakespeares Othello Essays -- GCSE E

The Destruction of Innocence in Othello One way, albeit a partial way, of reading the tragedy of Othello is too see it as the desolation of innocence, trust, and idealized love by a cynical and maliciously motivated worldliness, which regards the very existence of innocence and beauty as its motivation the divinity of hell. Iagos manipulative malignity is a crucial factor in the tragic catastrophe but it also serves to highlight through contrast the alternative values in the play, amongst which one can include innocence and naivete. In the argument below innocence is understood to be inexperience of the world but also that which is degage from evil. Naivety has the meaning of gullibility, even folly but more positively is the condition of the child, trusting, artless and unaffected by the cynical questioning and deceit which characterizes the worldly. Shakespeare portrays naivety and innocence principally, but not exclusively, through the characterization of Desdemona and Othell o, and through a whole range of dramatic techniques their language, behavior, their interaction with other characters, the imagery applied to them etc. The portrayal of the qualities is a complex one which is significant in the following ways. Firstly, the vulnerability of innocence and naivety helps drive the play towards its tragic conclusion, although it is matter of make do whether the principal cause of the catastrophe is the vulnerability of innocence or the ingenuity of wickedness. Secondly, the values of innocence and naivety comprise values which are dramatized in antagonist to those represented principally by Iago each illuminates the other. This is one of the conflicts central to the dramatic action. The contrast betwe... ...s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan brand-new York, NY 1994. (page 1-19) Bloom, Harold. Introduction Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New oasis CT 1987. (1-6) Hale, Steven. Class lectu res. Georgia Perimeter College. April 20th -30th, 1999 Jones, Eldred. Othello- An Interpretation Critical Essays on Shakespeares Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55) Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare Othello. New York Penguin Books, 1968. Neely, Carol. Women and Men in Othello Critical Essays on Shakespeares Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 68-90) Snyder, Susan. Beyond the Comedy Othello Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (page 23-37)