1988- Psychological events
Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Othello
In Act V, a significant event occurs when Othello discovers that Desdemona was chaste and Emilia discovers that Iago is a sociopath. Othello had smothered Desdemona because he truly believed that she was cheating on him with Cassio. After Emilia finds her dead body and Othello reveals his motive, she tells him that she was still a virgin. He becomes completely flooded with guilt over his actions, for he feels that he has murdered the only person who has ever loved him. This causes him to stab himself and die. Emilia becomes enlightened when Othello tells her that he felt that Desdemona was cheating on him after finding out his handkerchief was with Cassio. She quickly realizes that she had unknowingly become a pawn in Iago's game and her loyalty to her husband completely dissolves. She defies her husband and states "You told a lie, an odious damned lie" and "I will not charm my tongue". Her anger towards her husband and mourning for Desdemona completely changes her state of mind and ultimately ends her life. Essentially, Othello and Emilia's awakening was woven into a violent death scene in order to create a more dramatic and climatic scene.
ReplyDeleteAlso it would help to examine the the moment where Othello definitively decides to kill Desdemona. Othello goes from a jealous man with the potential to realize that the information being feed to him is false to a sociopath consumed by jealousy. Later in this scene Othello is driven to slap Desdemona, in front of a crowd including her cousin, proving that he is in fact not in the right state of mind. This state of rage ultimately what drives Othello to both his and Desdemona's demise.
ReplyDeleteThe largest discovery that I think of in the play is when Emilia realizes the truth of what happened. I feel as though it was predicted as we saw her seemingly become more aware of what may have been happening just maybe not who was doing the manipulating. We watch her slowly put it together as she is in denial asking "my husband?" over and over until everything clicked with the information of the handkerchief. This discovery changes the play entirely as Iago would have gotten away with it if it weren't for Emilia. Instead he is persecuted. Also, if it were not for this moment, Othello would not have committed suicide and would not have realized the error in his way. Also, he would be fighting harder to prove that he killed Desdemona with good reason, and the reactions may have greatly differed.
ReplyDeleteI think the greatest discovery in this play is when Emilia and Othello discover what has actually transpired. Emilia discovers her husband's schemes, and Othello recognizes that he has murdered his wife, who was an innocent and loving woman. The revelation to both characters is so shocking that they simply cannot go on with their present situations, they must fix them however possible. For Emilia, this is to speak the truth and let all know of Iago's wrongdoings. For Othello, it is to kill himself, so that he may rejoin his love. Both Othello and Emilia are shocked when they are awakened from their ignorance, and for Shakespeare, killing off these two characters is the best way to establish a shocking impact for the audience, resulting in their undivided attention.
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