Free College Essays - The Noble Othello in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

The Noble Othello This voice is so noble, Othellos looking atings and actions follow so inevitably from it and from the forces brought to bear on it, and his sufferings atomic number 18 so heart-rending, that he stirs a passion of mingled love and pity which readers feel for no other hero in Shakespeare, and to which non even Mr Swinburne rotter do more than justice. Yet there are some critics and not a few readers who cherish a grudge against him. They do not merely think that in the later stages of his temptation he showed a sure obtuseness, and that, to speak pedantic completelyy, he acted with unjustifiable precipitance and violence no one, I suppose, denies that. But, even when they admit that he was not of a prehensile temper, they consider that he was easily jealous they seem to think that it was unforgivable in him to feel any suspicion of his wife at all and they blame him for never suspecting Iago or asking him for evidence. I refer to this billet of mind chiefly i n order to draw attention to certain points in the story. It comes partly from inattention (for Othello did suspect Iago and did ask him for evidence) partly from a misconstruction of the text which makes Othello appear jealous long before he really is so Endnote 2 and partly from failure to realise certain crucial facts. I will begin with these. 1. Othello, we have seen, was trustful, and thorough in his trust. He put entire confidence in the honesty of Iago, who had not further been his companion in arms, but, as he believed, had just proved his obedience in the matter of the marriage. This confidence was misplaced, and we happen to know it but it was no sign of stupidity in Othello. For his position of Iago was the opinion of practically everyone who knew him and that opinion was that Iago was before all things honest, his very faults being those of excess in honesty. This being so, even if Othello had not been trustful and simple, it would have been quite moved(p) in hi m to be unmoved by the warnings of so honest a friend, warnings offered with extreme reluctance and manifestly from a friends sense of duty. Endnote 3 Any economise would have been troubled by them. 2. Iago does not bring these warnings to a economise who had lived with a wife for months and years and knew her like his sister or his bosom-friend.