The End...?

As the play nears an end, there is one thing we know for sure - it will not end well. This play is a tragedy which automatically tells us it will not have a happy ending. I suspect it will most likely involve the deaths of many of the characters. I do not know for sure, but I would guess that Desdemona will end up dead in the end. She even mentions this possibility to Emilia, "All's one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds! If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me in one of those same sheets" (IV.iii.22-23). I also think Cassio will die because Iago has made him so deeply involved in his evil plan. Since it is a tragedy, I think it is possible that Othello might also die. Whether he is killed by someone or he takes his own life after discovering the truth about Desdemona's innocence, I think he will probably die in the end. There may be others and some of these characters may survive, but there is only one way to know for sure...finish Act V.

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Shakespeare's play Othello is a tragedy. A tragedy is a type of drama which depicts the causally related events that lead to the downfall and suffering of the protagonist, a person of unusual moral or intellectual stature or outstanding abilities. The character Othello is the protagonist of this play. Throughout the story, various characters and events move the plot along as it nears a tragic ending. Iago's evil plot slowly unfolds and creates even more drama as the other characters fall into his plan. "I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense, and he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio, or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, every way makes my gain" (V.i. 11-14). Othello is the victim of Iago's evil plan, and many of the other characters get in his way and also fall as victims. The ending of this play can be foreshadowed by the knowledge that it is a tragedy. Tragedies usually never have happy endings or happily-ever-afters. The endings usually involve the death or one or more characters; the protagonist often dies or is left unhappy in the end. It is only a matter of time before this play comes to a tragic ending.

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The various theatrical components of Othello reinforce the meanings and contribute to the emotional effects of the play. In some scenes, characters may be speaking, but they are not speaking to the other characters on stage. Iago speaks directly to the audience many times throughout the play and informs them of his evil plan. During one scene of the play, Othello is speaking and watching a conversation between Iago, Cassio, and Bianca. However, Othello is unable to hear them and vice versa. The stage directions in this scene are important in order to understand the situation and what is going on. While watching them and misinterpreting their conversation, Othello says, "Now he tells how she plucked him to my chamber. Oh, I see that nose of yours, but not that dog I shall throw it to" (IV.i.135-136). After seeing Cassio talk about Bianca, but believing it was about Desdemona, Othello becomes extremely angry and wishes to kill Cassio and Desdemona. The stage directions in this scene create a very emotional and dramatic situation that would not be understood without them.

Reflective Analysis

As Act I of Othello begins, various characters are introduced as the plot begins to develop. One character who seems to have a fairly minor part is Brabantio. However, his character seems to be an interesting part to get the plot moving. His daughter, Desdemona, sneaks off in the night to marry Othello. This sparks the rest of the story. However, I found Brabantio's varied actions to be a bit odd. His initial reaction to Othello's marriage to Desdemona is that Othello forced her into it with fear, magic, or some form against her will. However, he then switches from believing his daughter to be a loyal and respectable woman to questioning her intentions. After speaking to the Duke, Brabantio gives some advice to Othello, "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee" (I.ii.288-290). This may also be foreshadowing future events in the story.

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The dramatic suspense of Othello is revealed as the storyline unfolds and various unexpected events occur. Various individual characters have knowledge that the others, including the audience at times, do not possess. Cassio's plan is revealed to the audience piece by piece; however, it still remains a mystery to the other characters. Cassio plans to use Roderigo to get what he wants; he is going to use Roderigo to get rid of Othello. Therefore, Roderigo would get Desdemona, and Cassio would get his job as captain. Cassio devises a plan, "But partly led to diet my revenge for that I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leaped into my seat. 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.273-278). The other characters of the story are not aware of Cassio's plot which adds suspense. Since no one knows of his secret plan to get rid of Othello, the dramatic effect of the story intensifies.

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Since the beginning of Shakespeare's Othello, one theme has been obvious. The story is based around the theme of jealousy. Iago is jealous of the power belonging to Cassio and Othello. Othello was appointed captain, Cassio was lieutenant, and Iago was the third officer. "But he, sir, had the election. And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof at Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds Christian and heathen, must be beleed and calmed by debitor and creditor. This countercaster, he, in good time, must his Lieutenant be, and I - God bless the mark! - his Moorship's Ancient" (I.ii.28-33). Roderigo is jealous of Othello for winning the heart of the woman he loves, Desdemona. The heartbroken and envious Roderigo is lost and confused about if and how he should find revenge. Cassio takes advantage of this situation by using Roderigo's heartbreak as a means to attain his own desire. Roderigo wants Othello's wife, and Cassio want Othello's position. This theme of jealousy drives the plot and events in the story. It creates emotion and drama in the theatrical experience by making the storyline based off of and driven by a strong feeling of jealousy. The story well represents the reality of human concerns. Jealousy is a common emotion among people and making it a theme in Othello allows for the audience to understand and possibly relate to the events that occur.