Реферат: Act III Scene Iii Of Othello Essay

more complex and beautiful than those spoken by any other character in the

play. Othello doubts that Desdemona could love him, because of his

misconception of himself as being uncouth, poorly spoken, and old; and because

he begins to believe that Desdemona cannot love him, he starts to believe her

guilty of infidelity. The leap is great, but it is all a product of Othello’s

own insecurities and his incorrect conception of himself, another theme of the

play. How Othello sees himself directly influences how he views Desdemona’s

love, though there should be a disconnection between these two things. Othello

begins to use the black/ white imagery found throughout the play, to express

his grief and rage at Desdemona’s alleged treachery. "My name, that was as

fresh as Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black as mine own face,"

Othello says. Although the allegations against Desdemona are personally hurtful

to him, Othello focuses more on the public ramifications, rather than the

private; there is great irony in this concern, since this rumoured betrayal is

a private one, and also since Othello’s name is highly regarded, because

nothing has really happened. Iago’s "proofs" also rely on the animal

imagery which has run throughout the play; he makes Desdemona and Cassio seem

like lustful lovers, by describing them as "prime as goats, as hot as

monkeys" (line 400). This comparison is calculated, since Iago knows that

thinking of Desdemona as lusting after another man disturbs Othello greatly. The

handkerchief, the most crucial symbol and object in the play, first appears

here. The handkerchief, to Desdemona, symbolizes Othello’s love, since it was

his first gift to her. Othello thinks that the handkerchief, quite literally,

is Desdemona’s love; and when she has lost it, that must clearly mean that she

does not love him any longer. The handkerchief also becomes a symbol of

Desdemona’s alleged betrayal; Othello takes it as the "ocular proof"

of her dishonesty, which is a grave mistake. "Proof"

is a key word in this scene; Othello demands that Iago prove Desdemona

unfaithful by actually seeing evidence of her guilt. But Iago, ever clever and