Othello: the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare
Alas, another Shakespearean tragedy comes to a close. The final death count includes Roderigo, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello. In reviewing this particular tragedy, several similarities between it and Julius Caesar, another Shakespearean tragedy, emerge.
In Othello, the tragic hero, Othello, succumbs to suicide following a rash decision to murder his love. Several times in the play, Othello claims his hubris to be that he loved too much. "Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely but too well..." (V.ii.342-343). His love for Desdemona never turned to hate; instead, his intense love forced him to ensure that no other man could ever soil his sweet Desdemona. Of course, this love should never have been tested, but others corrupted his mind. Overall, the message from this play is to approach suspicions suspiciously and with calm thought
Similarly, in Julius Caesar, the tragic hero, Brutus, commits suicide because of inevitable defeat in a civil war following his decision to stab the Consul Julius Caesar. Like Othello, Brutus' hubris was intense love (in his case for his Republic). He could not bear to see his Republic fall to the despotism of a king. However, the suspicions that Caesar would destroy the Republic were founded solely in speculation; in fact, Caesar had rejected the crown. Like Othello's, Brutus' story instructs the reader to avoid mere suspicion and impassioned decisions.
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