Othello #4

"To counsel Cassio to this parallel course/ Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!/ When devils will the blackest sins put on,/ They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,/ As I do now" (II.iii.370-373). In this soliloquy, Iago is being rather villainous and has horrible intentions. Iago is relating himself to the devil, and consistently calls upon hell to aid him in his plan. He is now using analogies in which he himself is the devil. The parallel between Iago and the devil is sort of a religious allegory, for all of the other characters in Othello are represented by Christian faith. However, Iago recognizes his evil, and he is okay with it. Iago also discusses Desdemona. He says, "So I will turn her virtue into pitch,/ And out of her own goodness make the net/ That shall enmesh them all" (II.iii.380-383). Here, Iago says that he wants to use Desdemona's goodness to bring down others, and that he wants to use Desdemona's own virtue against her.

Othello #2

This act of Othello primarily deals with Iago's pure hatred towards Othello, and it also deals with Iago's plan slowly, but surely, falling into place. So far in the play, it is evident that Iago is very fake, for he favors Othello to his face, but then talks about him in a negative manner to others and wants to ruin his new marriage to Desdemona: "the thought whereof/ Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards,/ And nothing can or shall content my soul/ Till I am evened with him, wife for wife" (II.i.318-321). Iago wants go get revenge on Othello because Iago believes that Othello slept with his wife. To get back at Othello, Iago wants to break up the marriage between Othello and Desdemona and have her fall in love with Cassio. When discussing Othello to Roderigo, Iago says, "When the blood is made dull with the act of sport,/ there should be a game to inflame it and to give/ satiety a fresh appetite, loveliness in favor, sympathy/ in years, manners and beauties. All which the Moor/ is defective in" (II.i.248-252). Here, Iago describes Othello as old, ugly, and contrasting to Desdemona. In this segment of the play, Iago acts as a facade toward Othello, and Othello is very unaware of the fact this his friend is plotting against him.

Othello Act 1 Character Analysis

Act I of Shakespeare's Othello introduces the audience to the tragedy's characters, along with their personalities. A character that stood out was Othello. Othello falls in love with Brabantio's Desdemona, and is held responsible for her disappearance and unjust actions, in her father's eyes at least. Othello makes himself seem important, specifically when he discusses his family's past : "Which, when I know that boasting is an honor,/ I shall promulgate. I fetch my life and being/ From men of royal siege, and my demerits/ May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune/ As this that I have reached" (I.ii.23-27). Here, Othello states that he does not like to brag, but he comes from a royal family, and that he is noble. Othello shows the conceded side of his personality here. Later in the scene, he says, "My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly" (I.ii.36-37). At this specific part, Othello blatantly states that his perfection, and status will protect him from any harm.

A Doll's House

After finishing A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, it was clear that many themes are strong and present throughout the play. A common theme represented in the play is the role of women, and how it is superficial. In Act I of the play, the audience learns the fact that Nora obtained a loan from Krogstad, and is having to pay the loan off in secrecy. Nora must hide the loan from her husband because she knows Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife had helped to save him. In addition, it is illegal for a woman to obtain a loan without her husband’s permission, which is why Nora must work in secret to pay off her loan. At the time of the play, society dictated that Torvald be the marriage’s dominant partner, and that he take care of all business obligations. For his wife to go behind his back and obtain a loan is socially unacceptable.

When reading the play, I realized that the character of Nora did not seem happy in her place as a mother and wife. This is evident in Act III when Nora tells Torvald that she is leaving him and the children. She says, "I mean that I was simply transferred from papa's hands into yours. You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got the same tastes as you--or else pretended to...When I look back on it, it seems to me as if I had been living here like a poor woman--just form hand to mouth. I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald...It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life" (Act III). Women were put into a marriage, without a say. This results in an unhappy and unsatisfied marriage for one, if not both partners. Nora has existed in Torvald's life to purely entertain him, which is not how a marriage should be. In the play, Nora did not have a job, but her husband gave her money to spend, which did not make her happy in the end. Nora's role as a mother is sacrificial becuase she claims that she has made nothing of herself, except being a wife, which is unsatisfying.