Othello Torn Between Love And Trust - 1992 Words

Othello: Torn Between Love and Trust William Shakespeare examines Othello’s character, to illustrate how too much of something is not good for the human soul. Othello is very confident, honest and trusting. Nevertheless, these very same qualities tear him apart. Othello changes from the person he was at the beginning of the play and into a monstrous person by the end of the play. The driving force behind Othello’s barbaric behavior is due to the unconditional love he has for Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona’s love for each other is so strong and so pure that neither one of them held each other capable of doing any wrong. Firstly, one should consider the fact that Othello is simply misunderstood by many people: both readers and†¦show more content†¦Othello is only jealous that Desdemona might have done something he would have never expected her to do which was being unfaithful. Samuel Taylor Coleridge on the other hand, is more likely to agree that Othello was not driven by jealousy. Coleridge states, â€Å"Othello’s belief is not caused by jealousy; it is forced upon him by Iago, and is such as any man would and must feel who had believed in Iago as Othello did† (151). Agreeably, Igao pushes Othello to feel jealous and Othello ends up feeling jealous that his wife may be with another man. But again, Othello’s jealousy is neither sexual jealousy, nor the force behind his actions. At the beginning, Othello is a very confident man, too confident that he may appear to some readers as naà ¯ve. Othello believes that he is a great solider. He also knows that everyone generally respects him highly. He has so much confidence in himself, that he believes no one would want to hurt him. He also believes that no one has any problems with him. He even thinks that he is unlikely to have problems with anyone. Shakespeare provides various examples that reflect Othello’s confidence. One instance would be when Desdemona’s father Brabantio was furious at hearing that his daughter married Othello. When Iago told Othello to hide from Brabantio who was looking for him, Othello said no. Othello said â€Å"Not I; I must be