How Does Sexuality Affect the Characters Success in Othello and Alls Well That Ends Well - Essay Example

How does sexuality and self-awareness affect the characters' success in Othello and All's Well That Ends Well William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the master playwright of the English literature and world literature, achieved success in his characterization and critics of all time have praised his great skill in developing characters of great depth. In a profound analysis of the characterization of Shakespearean plays, one comes to recognize several essential elements which go into create the successful characters in each of his plays. The powerful and realistic portrayal of Shakespearean characters has been the result of several such essential elements which reflect the dramatist's awareness of the world and human beings in real life. The relationship between sexuality and self awareness has an important role in the success of the Shakespearean characters. In other words, sexuality and self awareness have an essential impact on the success of the characters in Shakespearean plays and an analysis of the plays Othello and All's Well That Ends Well is valuable in understanding the significant role of these aspects in the successful portrayal of his characters. "The tactics used by Shakespeare's female characters always seem appropriate to the level of a man's self-awareness. Rosalind need only present a negative picture of herself and suggest that as a woman, she is capable of deception and trickery in order to learn that Orlando is secure enough to trust her. Helena needs to interpose herself physically between Bertram and Diana, to become Diana, in a sense, in order for Bertram to accept her sexuality." (Lewis, 147) Therefore, two of the most essential elements which influence the success of characterization in Shakespearean plays have been sexuality and self-awareness and these aspects of the characters are interrelated. This paper investigates how sexuality and self-awareness affect the characters' success in the two celebrated plays of Shakespeare, based on an analysis of the characters Othello and Iago in Othello and Bertram and Helena in All's Well That Ends Well. Sexuality and self-awareness are greatly interconnected in several of the in Shakespearean plays and most often it is sexuality which leads the characters to identify the individuality intrinsic within him/her. However, Shakespearean characters also illustrate how self-awareness of a certain character, especially female characters, can result in an awakening of their sexuality. Thus, critics argue that the main characters in Othello are able to recognize their individuality through an awareness of their sexuality. The identification with male sexuality helps the villain of the play in carrying on his treacherous plans and strategies. It is through the assistance of sexuality that Iago identifies his true role as a mastermind in the destiny of other characters. Through the merit of this identification of his real nature, Iago wins the trust of other male characters in the play which is helpful in carrying out his deceitful strategies. Male friendship is an essential tool used effectively by Iago and he finds a sheer pleasure in fooling Cassio beyond the requirements of his strategy. There is a kind of intimacy between Cassio and Iago and there is an absolutely homo-erotic element about Iago's description of the sleeping with Cassio. Iago is the character who makes the best use of the relationship between sexuality and self-awareness. "Iago seems here to be fantasizing closeness to other men that his treacherous nature really prevents, but the impression we get is that Iago is making a real claim that he is intimate friends with Cassio. There is a definite three-way friendship going on between Othello, Cassio and Iago and it creates its own jealousies. Iago juggles Othello and Cassio, keeping them apart, partly because of this jealousy, and partly so that his version of the world and the nature of the friendships can be presented to the others. Apparently the lowest member of the trio, he takes control of its workings." (MacFaul, 184) Therefore, the character of Iago best illustrates how sexuality and self-awareness are closely linked to make the successful depiction of Shakespearean characters. One of the most essential factors that attract a careful reader of the play Othello realizes is that Iago's language all through the play I highly sexual and his language which is very visceral and full of sexual imagery proves how filthy his mind is. A careful observer of the play recognizes that there are roughly at all times double meanings in Iago's language. Therefore, it is clear that the character of Iago has close acquaintance with sexuality and he determines the sexual instincts of other male characters in the play. His essential relationship with sexuality and sexual instincts helps the readers identify the essence of his character. Iago himself gathers fundamental self-awareness through his association with sexuality. Therefore, one cannot comprehend the sexuality in the play and the self-awareness of Iago separately and they are intertwined. The established views of the marriage held by Iago in Act one suggests his attitude to sexuality. Iago's view of the relationship is dirty and reductive. His crude and vulgar description helps the audience to make an initial analysis Iago's judgment of the relationship which is dirty. He is entirely animalistic and sexual all through the play. The existence of female friendship and male friendship in the play suggests important aspects of the relationship between sexuality and self-awareness. "Female friendship seems to be the only haven in the play from male power struggles. When Emilia gives Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago, her action seems not a sign of Desdemona's unfaithfulness to Othello, but of Emilia's to Desdemona. Relations between men, in contrast, acquire the horrific fascination that relations between women held for Juvenal. Iago's devious seduction of Othello and Othello's abandonment of Desdemona for Iago combine to form the play's most erotically charged relationship." (Interrelations of Gay and Lesbian Literature) The character of Othello also represents the connection between sexuality and self-awareness and it is through the agency of sexuality this character achieves the realization of his individuality. The greatness in this character separates him from the rest of mankind which is accentuated by his radical difference from the other characters of the play. "He claims to have a 'perfect soul', suggesting absolute and unself- conscious integration which does not need the soul-completion of a friend. The play enacts the processes of disintegration of this perfect soul, and Othello's consequent need for a symbiotic connection to another man. (MacFaul, 186) Thus, he makes himself susceptible by marrying Desdemona, who cannot be integrated into his soul. His marriage to Desdemona was, in a sense, his reward for the marital endeavor and there is little useful about this marriage which results in the identification of Othello's individuality. What she brings into the life of the hero is the element of emotional consciousness which is indicated by Othello in his description of their courtship. He explains that Desdemona's love for him was due to the dangers he had surpassed in life and he loved her for her pity for these dangers. "All would be well if this was the only move toward self-awareness that Othello made, but the process of seeing himself emotionally goes further. He is inducted into the imperfect world of the 'super-subtle Venetian' (i. iii. 356) by Iago. The pity which had been exclusively Desdemona's is transferred to Othello by Iago's agency... The unusually intimate bond between these men becomes an inversion of friendship which infects Othello with the disease of self-consciousness. Iago becomes the most distorting of mirrors, leading Othello to doubt himself, his wife, his occupation." (MacFaul, 186-7) One of the essential characteristics of the play Othello has been that it promises human relationships as well as human ideas. A careful reader glimpses the sub-textual themes of jealousy, betrayal, sex and love in the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. The remarks made by Othello before his marriage to Desdemona is effective in suggesting his attitude towards sexuality. "Othello's exotic, romantic past is significant in the creation of his personality, in influencing his graceful, articulate speech and the essence of his character. Yet many question the depth of these two characters' love, for it appears to be based on awe and hero worship rather than on mutual affection or understanding. Essentially this is one of Shakespeare's greatest achievements in the play - the exploration of the psychology of sex and love through the medium of the story of these two characters." (Othello: Examination Essay 2) In the play All's Well That Ends Well, the characters Bertram and Helena illustrate the influence of sexuality and self-awareness on the depiction of life-like characters. Bertram is the runaway and finally repentant husband in the play, while Helena is the forgiving wife. In the making of his character, Bertram is influenced both by Helena and Parolles and the realization of his personality is partly by the influence of marriage and partly by the friendship with Parolles. "Unlike Helena, Parolles cannot rise by his association with Bertram; friendship does not raise a man as marriage does a woman. But there is nothing wrong with accepting that one cannot be great. His claim on the audience's attention is now his own rather than based on the countenance given him by the supposed romantic hero Bertram. This self-recognition comes through friendship - of a sort - but it is ultimately a rejection of friendship." (MacFaul, 174) The play, however, makes little use of the theme of friendship and, therefore, the readers do not feel that Parolles has sinned too badly when he betrays Bertram. In a close reading of the play, one recognizes that it relates to the decline of chivalry and friendship, and the play does not depict any powerful relation between friends. Bertram expresses promiscuity of friendship which indicates his basic unreliability. "The world of masculine friendship in All's Well is in decline, and this leads to its love affairs being settled by unsatisfactory compromises. "Parolles is merely the most obvious instance of an unsatisfactory world, and his self- awareness gives him dignity above that of many others." (MacFaul, 175) The character of Bertram, who would rather go to war in male company than to sleep with Helena, illustrates the influence of sexuality and self-awareness on the making of characterization in Shakespearean plays. The significance of sexuality and self-awareness to the effective portrayal of characters in the play All's Well That Ends Well is beyond doubts and the characters Helena and Bertram represent the existence of these aspects of life. Significantly, Bertram's divestiture in All's Well That Ends Well is given importance and this happens during his separation from Helena. "Bertram slips effortlessly into the strange world of the base-born. In his rejection of Helena and his seducing of Diana, the young Count Couples separation from father, family, and name with movement toward a woman who he will later suggest is a whore." (Lewis, 97) The influence of sexuality on the recognition of one's individuality becomes lucid when Bertram identifies the true nature of his existence and sexuality and rejoins Helena. However, critics have often claimed that Bertram is manifestly undeserving of Helena's love and devotion. Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well traces Helena's adventures and she pursues and ultimately wins the object of her desires, the young Bertram. Helena, in sharp contrast to other prominent female characters of Shakespearean comedies, is successful in this attempt by breaking rather than following the conventions of female gender. Thus, she does not follow conventions in cross-dressing, passivity, silence, and emphasis on virginity and chastity. "Instead, calling attention to Helena's sexual desire and tremendous facility with both language and logic, Shakespeare also presents in All's Well that Ends Well a unique group of female characters - the Countess, Diana, the Widow, and Mariana - who work collectively to help Helena achieve her ends. This sisterhood of characters and Helena's insistence upon presenting herself as unflinchingly and unquestionably female make All's Well that Ends Well unique among Shakespearean comedies." (Reilly 8) Therefore, sexuality and self-awareness in the character of Helena is obvious, though she is unlike other heroines of Shakespearean plays. Thus, one finds that, unlike other heroines of Shakespearean comedies, Helena never cross-dresses in male's attire nor disguises her gender when she pursues Bertram. She pays a price for her overt sexuality and refusal to disguise her gender when she arrives at court to cure the king. The conclusion of the play presents before the readers an image of a matriarchal system where Helena becomes Bertram's wife and replaces his mother as the Countess. "In short, then, All's Well that Ends Well includes a number of representations of gender bias which remain issues today: the problems women encounter working in what have been traditionally male professions; the problems a woman encounters when she portrays herself as a sexual being in a world which privileges female chastity; and finally, the problems that occur when a woman foregoes a passive role and actively pursues the object of her sexual desires." (Reilly 8) Therefore, the character of Helena in All's Well that Ends Well represents some essential facts about sexuality and self-awareness and the character reveals significant realities about the lives of females in general. In conclusion, it becomes obvious in a reflective analysis of the two celebrated plays by Shakespeare, Othello and All's Well That Ends Well, that sexuality and self-awareness have an important influence on the success of Shakespearean characters. The celebrated playwright has been effective in creating successful characters in these two plays due to his insistence on the relationship between sexuality and self-awareness in the depiction of characters. Thus, one realizes that the characters Othello and Iago in the play Othello illustrate the connection between sexuality and self-awareness. Iago has been able to make use of this awareness and carry out his strategies on the other characters. He influences Othello and Cassio, as a result of his dependence on male friendship, and wins their trust. However, the connection between sexuality and self-awareness works against the character of Othello who is weakened by the realization of this relation. Similarly, the characters of Bertram and Helena in the play All's Well that Ends Well also illustrate effectively the relationship between sexuality and self-awareness. In short, a close analysis of the two plays Othello and All's Well That Ends Well concludes that sexuality and self-awareness have a pertinent impact on the success of the characters in Shakespearean comedies. Works Cited "Interrelations of Gay and Lesbian Literature." New England Publishing Associates. 2002. 07 April, 2009. . Lewis, Anthony J. The love story in Shakespearean comedy. New York: University Press of Kentucky. 1992. P 147. MacFaul, Tom. Male friendship in Shakespeare and his contemporaries. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2007. P 184. "Othello: Examination Essay 2." 07 April, 2009. . Reilly, Terry. Helena and Sisterhood in William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well." Women in Literature: Reading Through the Lens of Gender. Ellen S. Silber. (Ed). Greenwood Publishing Group. 2003. P 8. Read More