The Imagery of Othello Essay -- Othello essays

The mental tomography of Othello Talks In the tragedy Othello the Bard of Avon uses imagery to talk mingled with the lines, to set moods, to create a more gamblingtic impact on the mind of the audience, and for separate reasons. Lets consider imagery in this essay. A surprising, zoo-like variety of animal injury occur throughout the play. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare Othello, explains the conversion of Othello through his increased use of animal imagery Those who have written on the imagery of the play have shown how the constipate Iago has over Othello is illustrated by the language Shakespeare puts into their mouths. Both characters use a bang-up deal of animal imagery, and it is interesting to note its distribution. Iagos occurs mostly in the first three Acts of the play he mentions, for example, ass, daws, flies, ram, jennet, guinea-hen, baboon, wild-cat, snipe, goats, monkeys, monster and wolves. Othello, on the other hand, who makes no us e of animal imagery in the first devil Acts of the play, catches the trick from Iago in Acts III and IV. The fondness of both characters for mentioning repulsive animals and insects is adept way by which Shakespeare shows the corruption of the Moors mind by his subordinate. (21-22) Just how strong a force is the imagery in this drama? Is it more indexful than the chorus in ancient Greek tragedy? H. S. Wilson in his book of literary criticism, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, discusses the cast of the imagery of the play It has indeed been suggested that the logic of events in the play and of Othellos relation to them implies Othellos damnation, and that the implication is pressed home with particular power in the imagery.... ...enhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare The Pattern in His Carpet. N.p. n.p., 1970. Heilman, Robert B. Wit and Witchcraft an nestle to Othello. Shakespeare Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. Rev. Ed. Rpt. from The Sewanee R eview, LXIV, 1 (Winter 1956), 1-4, 8-10 and Arizona Quarterly (Spring 1956), pp.5-16. Mack, Maynard. Everybodys Shakespeare Reflections in the first place on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB University of Nebraska Press, 1993. Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare Othello. New York Penguin Books, 1968. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http//www.eiu.edu/multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada University of Toronto Press, 1957.