Love and Hate in Othello
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In the preface, to his edition of ShakespeareÆs plays, Samuel Johnson (1765) maintains that ShakespeareÆs plays are neither comedy nor tragedy but ôcompositions of a distinct kind; exhibiting the real state of good and evil, joy and sorrow, mingled with endless variety of proportion and innumerable modes of combinationö (247-251). Love and hate are two among many of the human emotions and motivations Shakespeare employs in a variety of his works. Hamlet loves his father and hates his uncle; Macbeth loves power and hates himself for the deeds to win it; and King Lear hates his inevitable decline but loves his daughters. As with these three of ShakespeareÆs four major tragedies, Othello exhibits many aspects of love and hate. There is the love of Othello for Desdemona contrasted by IagoÆs hatred of Othello. Cassio loves Othello in contrast to IagoÆs hatred of him. Finally, there is OthelloÆs love for Desdemona balanced by his hatred of the thought that he has been cuckolded. If Othello is tragic, it is because he comes to an end of a battle between love and hate a loser. Samuel Johnson (1765) also maintains in his preface to ShakespeareÆs plays that the world created by Shakespeare is one ôin which the loss of one is the gain of another; in which, at the same time, the reveler is hasting to his wine, and the mourner burying his friend; in which the malignity of one is sometimes defeated by the frolick of another; and many mischiefs and many
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spot. Love is OthelloÆs Achilles heel, so-to-speak, in that he could not be brought down on the battlefield but his inexperience in the bedroom brings him down. IagoÆs hatred of Othello is quite obvious in one scene, where through the most vile imagery he preys upon OthelloÆs insecurities of love. Iago feels like he has been betrayed and made a fool of by the time Iago plants in his mind a graphic image of Desdemona with another man, ôWere they are prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, As salt wolves in pride, and fools as gross, As ignorance made drunkö (Shakespeare III.iii.405-407).
It is not just hatred that helps bring about OthelloÆs fall. It is also love. This is because he is so inept in the ways of love and he so loves Desdemona that he cannot stand the thought of her being unfaithful. He is used to mighty battles when he is wronged. His lack of experience with love makes him susceptible to IagoÆs treachery but also to his own insecurities and fears about love. OthelloÆs great public respect makes him horrified at the image of playing the fool. Therefore, even though he loves Desdemona with all her heart, his instincts are trained for battle not love. He cannot bear the thought of public humiliation or that of Des
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Samuel Johnson, Shakespeare IIIiii405-407, Shakespeare Vii345-350, Othello IagoÆsö, OthelloÆs Achilles, Shakespeare Ii79-81, Harold Bloom, Shakespeare IVii79, IIIiii427 Othello, Desdemona Othello, iagoÆs hatred, shakespeareÆs plays, love hate, hatred othello, inexperience love, iagoÆs hatred othello, johnson 1765, loves desdemona, johnson 1765 maintains, battle love, bloom 1999, edition shakespeareÆs plays, love othello, own insecurities fears, samuel johnson 1765,
Approximate Word count = 1281
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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