Comparison of Characters in Shakespeare's Othello and The Merchant of Venice - Essay Example

Othello is a play that largely revolves around themes like love, jealousy, and betrayal with the featured characters playing varying roles in the advancement of these themes. Othello is the play’s main protagonist. Othello is a moor referring to a dark skinned person who hails from the Muslim race of North West Africa. He holds the rank of a commander in the Venetian army. He later becomes Governor of Cypress as evidenced in act 1 of the play. Othello’s rise to the top of the military command shows that he is a courageous, intelligent, and honorable man. Othello’s stay in Venice is complicated, on one hand, he is an accomplished army commander professes to the Christian faith. His accomplishments as a military ruler have earned him much respect from the Duke of Venice, the senate and many other Venetian citizens. On a contrasting note, Othello the Moor is a foreigner in Venice and this subjects him to some form of racial abuse especially from Desdemona’s father, who believes that Othello must have used some foul charms on Desdemona. Brabantio insists that her daughter would never have rushed to the ‘bosom of Othello that is sooty’ (Act 1,Scene 2,line 2). We also get to see some characters in the play referring to Othello as ‘thick-lip’,’devil’,and also the ‘old dark ram’ that apparently contaminates Desdemona with his overboard sexual desires. Characters like Iago go an extra mile in unleashing racial insults on Othello when they suggest that Othello, as a devil, will give Brabantio black babies as grandchildren thus making the old man a ‘grandsire’ of black devil-like babies. In the play, Othello eventually marries Desdemona much to the disbelief of Brabantio who still holds the view that his daughter has been influenced by witchcraft in order to marry Othello. This union between Othello and Desdemona also introduces other characters into play and they include Iago and Roderigo who are unhappy with Othello’s courtship and marriage to Desdemona. Iago is a junior army officer working under Othello. In Act 1, Scene 1 of the play, we get to know the real cause of Iago’s hatred towards Othello. This hatred emanates from the fact that Othello overlooked him when filling the position of a lieutenant. Othello overlooks Iago and appoints Cassio to the position, and this disgusts Iago very much. On the other hand, Roderigo is a Venetian seen as very wealthy and is deeply disturbed by Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. In his quest to get Desdemona all to himself, he enlists the services of the cunning Iago in a desperate move to disrupt Othello’s union with Desdemona whom he hopes to marry one day. The friendship between Roderigo and Iago is characterized by manipulation and deceit, where Iago takes advantage of Roderigo’s desperation in order to suit his own personal whims of revenge towards Othello. We get to learn of Othello’s unwavering personality. However, he flops immensely because, as an established soldier, he ought to have been observant and alert. His ignorance to observe anything-unusual happening around him works in favor of Iago and his ambitious schemes. In the play, we see Othello as a commander who does not dwell too much on his past except when talking about past wars that have been fought. There are other characters in the play, but development of the plot and theme construction solely depends on the characters featured above. The play Merchant of Venice revolves around several themes and they include law, love, pursuit of self-interests, and mercy. In the play, we get to see the defining difference between Christian characters and the Jewish character, Shylock. The Christian characters uphold the importance of human relationships and interactions and on the other hand, Shylock the Jew is only interested in monetary gains. Shylock is a Venetian moneylender and is filled with fury by the mistreatment he gets under the watch of Venetian Christians. Antonio, a close friend to Bassano signs Shylock’s monetary agreement and almost dies for forfeiting the agreement. Shylock is seen in the play as inhuman especially when he demands Antonio’s pound of flesh as payment incase there is forfeit of Bassanio’s debt. Shylock is father to Jessica. However, Jessica hates living in her father’s house and this compels her to elope with Lorenzo, a young Christian man. On the other hand, Lorenzo is a friend of Bassanio and Antonio. He is the schemer behind Jessica’s escape from Shylock’s house out of which he starts living with her in Belmont. Othello’s courtship and subsequent marriage to Desdemona is based purely on love. In Act 1 Scene 3, Othello tactfully evades the prospect of fighting Desdemona’s father, Brabantio who accuses him of bewitching his daughter. To Brabantio, this is the only explanation that makes sense to him. Prior to these developments, Brabantio saw his daughter as happy, innocent and anti-marriage that she ignored the ‘rich, curled darlings of our land’.(Act 1,Scene 2,line 68).Brabantio despises these rich people that he refers to but to his conviction, it would seem natural Desdemona being attracted to these people. In this scene, Othello does not act on provocations brought about by Brabantio’s anger. He nevertheless engages Brabantio in a word or two in the presence of the Duke of venice.Armed with Desdemona’s testimony, Othello proves that his marriage to Desdemona is based on love and not witchcraft. We also get to see Othello’s courteous and polite nature when he addresses the Duke and his company as ‘noble and approved masters’ (Act 1 Scene 3, line 77). Another piece of evidence supporting the fact that Othello’s courtship and subsequent marriage is based purely on love is seen when Brabantio seeks Othello’s punishment from the Duke of Venice because of Othello’s purported courtship with Desdemona, Brabantio’s daughter. This fails when it is learnt that Desdemona fell in love with her husband-to-be Othello through her own free conviction and will. Brabantio resists the Duke’s verdict that allows Othello to marry Desdemona but his disapproval of Othello as his future son-in-law brings no change to the Duke’s ruling. Love is developed by requesting for everything from moments alone to marriage. Love is also a mutual thing; it grows by fair conversations that are honest and respectful. In response to Brabantio’s accusations of witchcraft, Othello delivers a speech that brings to light that his relationship with Desdemona is mutual and full of respect. He says that Desdemona loved him because of the dangers that he had passed through and he in turn loved her because she pitied those dangers (Act 1, Scene 3, lines 167-8). In Act 1, Scene 3, we get to see Othello being regarded in high esteem by the Duke and his company in addition to him being respected and acknowledged as a hard working commander in the army. In the initial stages of Othello’s courtship with Desdemona, we see a man of character in him, and always acting naïve of the corrupt traits of those around him like Iago. He is a trusting man in whom he offers his all, for instance, he never doubted the love his wife had for him. Another example of his trusting nature is his unwavering trust towards Iago during war periods and more so during his marriage to Desdemona. This is not a bright idea by Othello because his marriage, his life, and the life of his wife Desdemona came to an abrupt end because of Iago’s cunning nature. Even if Othello was not corrupt but full of trust for those people close to him, he ought to have seen Iago’s cunning moves and treachery. Prior to the sad events at the tail end of the play, Iago was seen as an honest man and highly dedicated to his military duties.Nobody, including Othello, suspected the ill motive that Iago had hatched in conjunction with Roderigo to end Othello’s marriage. This would also to act as Iago’s way of revenge for being overlooked by Othello when filling the lucrative lieutenant’s position in the army. It is prudent to say that problems right from courtship marred Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. Though portrayed as a man capable of having control over any situation, Othello fails the test of saving his ailing marriage. This makes him look unsophisticated and naïve compared to many other characters in the play. This explains why Iago views his boss as a scapegoat. In Act 1, Scene 1, lines 38-39, Iago tells Roderigo that he will follow Othello to a certain point after which he will not follow him any longer. We learn of Iago’s deceit and plan to take advantage of Othello’s naivety out of which Othello will easily believe Iago’s lies concerning Desdemona. With all the power that Othello wields and the limitless trust that he gives, it is normal to feel sorry for him because he falls prey to Iago’s trap with fatal consequences in toe. Othello’s love for Desdemona in marriage is evident when Othello takes her with him to Cypress in a military operation. Cassio rejoices when he hears that a Venetian sea vessel is on its way of which he is found calling upon love to engulf Othello’s ship. This is evident of Cassio well wishing towards Othello’s marriage to Desdemona.Later, Othello is found holding on to Desdemona when his ship docks at cypress. He is overjoyed that he feels his marriage to Desdemona is miraculous. Othello goes on to say that if such magnitudes of happiness can go after every storm, he would be willing to see the sight of the winds blowing until death is awakened as well as the waves rising to the heavens and falling to hell. Desdemona is evidently in deep love with Othello. She admires Othello’s quality in his character and his occupation as a military commander. She asserts that she is similar to her husband and belongs to him, even in times of war. Desdemona is also protective of Othello when she claims that she comprehends and ignores the bigotry directed at her husband. She also understands that most people of European descent consider a black person as ugly but she overlooked his face to see his courage and honor of which she adores. If left behind by Othello wherever he goes, she is bound to feel desolate that is why she wants to accompany him everywhere. We also get to learn more about Othello’s desires on that same night when they reach cypress. Othello gives Cassio the mandate to oversee the smooth running of the festivities as he and Desdemona sneak their way out in order to have their ‘private celebrations’. Act 2, Scene 1, lines 291-4 is a conversation between Othello and his wife where he tells her that ‘purchasing has been made and the fruits are ready; the profits are yet to be seen between him and her’. This is a figurative conversation where in real sense, Othello is asking for Desdemona’s consent before making love. We also get to see Iago talking ill of Othello when he downsizes Othello’s ability to think. Iago does not believe that Othello has the thinking ability to counter Desdemona’s desires that include her sexual appetite. In fact, Othello soon becomes suspicious of his wife eroding the love and trust he had for her when they started their marriage life. We cannot fully blame Iago for Othello’s woes. We know of Iago’s scheme to manipulate Othello with baseless lies about Desdemona’s faithfulness in marriage but Iago never offers up real evidence of Desdemona’s ‘premarital affair’ and this suggests that Othello is easily gullible, a contrasting trait from that of his former self. We come to that conclusion because Othello holds the belief that all women are promiscuous. This is the case when he utters things such as these: ‘all men are bound to be cuckolded by their wives’ (Act 3, Scene 3, line 42). It could as well be because of him absorbing racist attitudes and prejudices that are part of the venetians. In short, he begins to view himself as not good enough for his wife Desdemona because he is a moor, and as a moor, his marriage to Desdemona may ‘dirtify’ her. Lorenzo’s character in the play Merchant of Venice revolves around the romance plot and forbidden love. There is a wide variety of poetic speeches that are synonymous with Lorenzo and Jessica in the play. Lorenzo himself is a Christian while his girlfriend Jessica is a Jew. We get to learn that intermarriage between the two antagonistic religious groups is highly forbidden. This is a ’Love is blind’ kind of relationship that leads Jessica and Lorenzo into the world of unfamiliarity characterized by love blossoming beyond religious boundaries. Jessica is first introduced in Act 2, Scene 3 of the play where we see her preparing to flee from her father’s home (Shylock’s home). Jessica is seen to have the desire to change her life in line with her conceptualized beliefs and values, even if such a move creates a distance between her life and the life that she is about to start outside her father’s house. Lorenzo is portrayed in the play as a schemer who can influence his girlfriend’s thoughts to flee form her father’s house. He eventually elopes with his girlfriend at Belmont. Lorenzo is portrayed as a loving Christian man by how he shows his affection towards Jessica. In Act 5, Scene 1, we find Lorenzo and Jessica sitting outside and enjoying the night in Belmont. This in itself is romantic. They compare the night to the tales of Cressida and Troilus, Thisbe and Pyramus and Aeneus and Dido and then extend these stories’ analogy to their relationship. We also find that their love has blossomed and is spiced up with some romantic gestures such as listening to music after sitting outside during the night. Jessica’s soul is mostly in doubt: other characters in the play question themselves if her relationship can overcome her Jewish roots and we get to think about if selling her father’s ring is overly callous. In Act 3, Scene 1, we see Shylock hurt by his daughter Jessica who sold a ring given to Shylock by his dead wife. Lorenzo is also seen as a very brave young man when he orchestrates Jessica’s fleeing from her father’s home. Shylock is known to be a very tough Jew who hates Christians and Lorenzo fleeing with his daughter makes the scenario even worse for Shylock. Out of love for Jessica, Lorenzo defied odds and did the unbelievable, eloping with Shylock’s daughter at Belmont. Reference Hugh Macrae Richmond. Shakespeare’s theatre: a dictionary of his stage context. New York. Continuum, 2002. Print. Read More