The Usage of Color Imagery in Shakespeares Othello - Book Report/Review Example

THE USAGE OF COLOR IMAGERY IN SHAKESPEARE'S OTHELLO Introduction Othello is one of Shakespeare's great tragedies that assume the pillar of the heights of his dramatic art, as what critics regard it. This is set in a private world and emphasizes the passions and personal lives of its characters, and has been described as a tragedy of characters. Its shift into jealousy and rage alongside a stunning display of antagonistic characterisation by Iago has fascinated students and critics of the play.1 Othello features an unusual relationship among characters, which possessed different motives and goals of either good or evil. It generally features two prominent characters that are closely associated, making it difficult for some audiences to decide about which plays the central figure and which bears the greater responsibility. The role of its villain Iago is different from what Shakespeare has written about other characters in his other tragedies, in that Iago portrays an evil role that surpasses other impressively evil characters in other Shakespearean plays. Iago essentially writes the play's main plot and takes a major part in it in which he gives others a first-hand direction particularly Othello, the major character who he referred to as the noble Moor.2 Two remarkable characters are what the tragedy presents its readers and audience, such as Iago and his victim Othello. Iago plays the dominant force that prompts Othello to see his wife's infidelity with his favorite lieutenant Cassio and manipulated Othello's thoughts and decisions towards ones that would suffice his own thirst for revenge. Othello's major themes of trust, honor, and reputation shed light on its theme of patriarchy.3 The play is considered Shakespeare's one of the most well-structured tragedies which is mainly focused on the development Othello's growing fears caused by Iago's evil schemes. The ominous mood of the tragedy is heightened by this direction, posing a threat to Desdemona's innocence and to a nurturing love between her and her husband who is blinded by the seemingly true accusations of his wife's infidelity and vulgarity.4 The play is however not just one that depicts of good and evil, but also one that explores the consequences of the absence of rationality, objectivity, respect, and fairness which are vital in the predominance of respect, honor, reputation, trust, and love. These are notions in the human life which are often foreshadowed by false accusations, malice, hubris, and manipulations. The play, despite narrowness in scope, is regarded as the most moving and the most painful of all Shakespeare's tragedies that evoke fear and pity in audiences with its focus of the fall of a dignified man, the murder of a graceful, loving woman, the victimization of an innocent soldier, and the unwarranted hatred of a villain.5 It is hence a tragedy that possesses a power that is strongly operative on the personal, human plane. The Significance of Using the Imagery of Light and Darkness in Othello It is notable that in his depiction of Othello, Shakespeare features a man of African descent as its main character in which the parallel usage of light and dark images is featured, not just to depict the shallowness of racial discrimination but also to highlight the usage of metaphor in demonstrating themes of good and evil, love and hatred, and purity and corruption. Shakespeare makes sure that the images of light and darkness are present not only impliedly but also concretely when he decides to use a man of African descent as the Othello character.6 Prejudice against blacks is overtly present and is implied in the tragedy, which is seen in the derogatory manner by which Iago referred to Othello as the moor, in his pursuit to picture him as the evil-doer. This lucid exhibit of prejudice is also demonstrated when Iago lured Brabantio to believe that Othello was sleeping with Desdemona and must hence be against his daughter's marriage with a black man. Iago, pursuing dark motives, vulgarly states, "Zounds sir, you're robbed... Even now, very now, an old Black ram is tupping your white ewe."7 Othello with the size of a large black man is depicted as a savage bully who takes advantage of Brabantio's small, gracious, and innocent daughter. This accusation is parallel to the usage of black and white as a metaphor to picture Othello as a dark, impure attacker rummaging a white, pure, and chaste female who submits to the act. This metaphor made Brabantio become convinced to take action against Othello. On the other hand, the duke, in his intent to take Othello's side, also used the color imagery in his talking to Brabantio out of his prejudice against the darkness of Othello's skin and uttered that such, Othello has however a strong sense of goodness which must be merited more than the skin color. As the color imagery of light and dark progressed throughout the entirety of the play, even Othello himself used such in his speech when he succumb to the false accusations against his wife and regarded her as an infidel woman. The color imagery in Othello's vision is seen through Desdemona's transformation from lightness to darkness in his own mental picture. He then uttered, "Her name, that was a fresh as Dian's visage, is now begrimed as black as mine own face."8 His wife's face which he used to see and regard as completely pure as he was taken by his love for her has now become completely flawed through accusations of infidelity and adultery. In the latter part of the tragedy, this same color imagery is used when Othello cried out, "Arise, black vengeance from the hollow cell! Yield up, o love, thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous hate!"9 Othello's usage of the word black is tantamount to depicting dark imagery and arousing in himself this darkness as he calls out to the hatred inside him to expel the last trail of love he had for his 'unfaithful' wife. The images of light and dark colors parallel to the theme of good against evil that ran throughout the tragedy. There are characters in the play which are significant of light-dark images, and their actions, thoughts, and intentions speak of either lightness or darkness.10 These images are prevalent in the tragedy as one goes along to read or watch it as it gives a clear demonstration of a lucid discrepancy between good and evil. It is this usage of these images that allows for strong emotions of rage, cruelty, greed, and murder, as well as moving emotions of sympathy and pity along with notions of power and powerlessness, manipulation, innocence, love, and sacrifices which trail towards two specific different directions. The usage of light and dark imagery in the tragedy is apparent, and may be found when one reads along and fonders on the ups and ebbs of its plot. The significance of using this literary image is seen in describing the character's feelings and intentions. In the beginning, Othello was a light character introduced as a strong, reputable, dignified, and good-hearted man, pictured as someone very devoted to his wife. However, as he did not guard his emotions and thoughts securely, he slowly but certainly eroded from all that he was into someone suspicious, enraged, and murderous, and thus fell into a dark character towards the end. This denotes the images of light being taken over by darkness as a person allows himself to fall further and further into an enemy's evil trap. Othello's rage begins to bubble over, confronting his wife about her infidelity and never listened to her pledges of faithfulness. It is apparent that these light and dark images are present in the play, in which Othello cries out after killing his wife, "O, unsupportable! Oh, heavy hour! Methinks it should now be a huge eclipse of sun and moon."11 He killed his only source of light and love - Desdemona -because of his unfounded doubts and jealousy, signifying darkness.12 This darkness is likewise reinforced by Emilia's cries when she referred to him as the blacker devil and equates him into such. By this, she exclaims, "O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil!"13 which she did not utter to describe his black skin but to denote his dark and evil actions by killing his loving and faithful wife. Meanwhile, Iago is mainly the dark character that never changes its image throughout the play, in which he uses racial slurs and prejudices and evilly schemed on the unhappiness of Othello and Desdemona by manipulating people and situations for his own vengeful satisfaction.14 The black/while contrast progresses as the light and love between Othello and his wife fell into suspicion and despair, which ultimately took a concluding position with darkness succeeding towards the final act. The color imagery used in the play also mirrors this parallelism of human drama and varying emotions, which is embodied by light and darkness as the play advances from joy and bliss in the beginning, towards violence and murder in the end.15 This darkness is however unveiled as the truth starts to surface, such as the discovery of some letters in Roderigo's body which stated of thoroughly implicating Iago as the deceitful villain and washed out the accusations in Desdemona who was now a cold body.16 Works Cited: Bloom, Allan. Shakespeare's Politics. University of Chicago Press, 1981. Frederickson, George M. The Arrogance of Race. Wesleyan University Press, 1988 Gale, Laurie Lanzen Harris and Lee, Michelle. Shakespearian Criticism: Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Gale Research Company, 2002. Hall, Joan Lord. Othello. Greenwood Press, 1999. Heilman, Robert Bechtold. Magic in the Web: Action and Language in Othello. University of Kentucky Press, 1956. Heilman, Robert Bechtold. Shakespeare, the Tragedies. Prentice-Hall, 1984. McDonald, Russ. Shakespeare. Blackwell Publishing, 2004. Rosenberg, Marvin. The Masks of Othello. University of Delaware Press, 1992. Saxe, John Godfrey. The Poetical Works of John Godfrey Saxe. Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 2008. Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Russ McDonald. New York: Penguin, 2001. Read More