Essays and Research Papers on Othello

This 5 page report discusses Shakespeare’s use of Desdemona's handkerchief in the tragic story of Othello. In fact, Desdemona's handkerchief itself appears to exert unusual powers. Othello sees the handkerchief as proof of Desdemona's adultery, and without that proof Iago's plots would mean nothing. The handkerchief's three appearances pull the play's six most important characters into an unavoidable tragedy. Bibliography lists 3 ...

An 8 page paper which examines the theme aids in driving the plot, is employed in character development, and serves as a reflection of life, times and religions of the periods in which they were written. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 10 page paper provides an overview of the modern scholarly interpretations of Othello since the 1950s, considering whether consensus has been reached by these scholars. This paper then goes on to consider the stage history of the play in England, Canada and the United States in order to gain some insight into the performances ...

7 pages worth of short answer responses to questions on Shakespeare's "Othello" including character discussions of Dedemona, Othello, and Iago. Insightful observations are made. No Bibliography.

(5 pp) Would you think that an author who wrote a lot might start repeating himself, or would you guess that if an author writes bout the quality of the human condition, that certain elements are bound to repeat. If you guessed the last of the two thoughts you would be closer to ...

A 6 page paper examining Shakespeare's life and career and discussing how his life events impacted his writing. It also looks in particular at one of Shakespeare's mature tragedies, Othello, and determines how the characterizations introduced in the first act drive the remainder of the play. The original Shakespearean play and Orson Welles' film version ...

A 3 page outline in which the writer analytically examines the character of Iago as a mystifying and complex individual. Written mostly in outline format. No Bibliography.

A 3 page paper which examines gender roles in Elizabethan times as seen through Othello. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page essay discusses the role of gender in Shakespeare's "Othello," and its interaction with race and class. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

In four pages this paper examines the representation of gender in this Shakespearean tragedy. Two sources are listed in the bibliography.

A 4 page paper which examines the shared flaws of these plays’ protagonists – King Oedipus, Othello, Willy Loman, and Vivian Bearing – the warning signs of these flaws, and how they manifest themselves. No additional sources are used.

A 5 page essay that relates the racism in Othello to the racial violence of the 1960s. the writer argues that Shakespeare's take on mixed marriage, which is expressed in his play Othello is a remarkable statement of tolerance and liberalism. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4 page report discusses “Othello” and the fact that his jealousy lead him down a path of disaster. Jealousy and revenge are two of the strongest themes or recurring motifs in the play and the audience sees that Othello is a bold yet weak character, a passionate but misdirected man, a leader of others who can also ...

This 6 page paper analyzes the role of Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello. Specific examples, quotes and analysis given. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A seven page paper looking at these two works by William Shakespeare in terms of the depth of evil in their villains, Claudius and Iago. The paper notes that the best and most effective villains are those who are not completely black, but who contain shades of gray; the most effective evil does not come ...

In three pages, this paper examines the effects of hubris on protagonists Brutus, Othello, and Hamlet, on those around them, and considers whether any or all have been either redeemed or rehabilitated at the plays’ conclusions. Two sources are listed in the bibliography.

A 5 page paper which examines how Shakespeare employs the literary device of symbolism. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines how these contrasting ideas are represented in the text, and how they influence the work as a whole. No additional sources are used.

A 10 page paper which examines the friendship between Shakespeare’s tragic protagonist and antagonist within the context of Nietzsche’s description of a ‘free spirit’ in his philosophical text, “Beyond Good and Evil.” Also considered are Othello’s Moorish ethnicity, and how his jealous and insecure nature is responsible for the deaths of Desdemona and himself. ...

A 5 page paper which examines the importance of soldierly values in each character. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

(10 pp) In any tragedy, it is tension or conflict which keeps the play moving. Modern jargon would call it "spin" and "counterspin." In this discussion we will compare the sources of conflict in two plays, Othello and Macbeth. Iago and Lady Macbeth are our major obsessives,the first prompted by ...

A 5 page paper which examines the notion of “other” in Shakespeare’s Othello and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. No additional sources cited.

This 6 page paper considers the role of Desdemona in Othello. The role is key to the plot, but also betrays the social attitudes of Shakespeare's time as both patriarchal and repressive. The paper argues that despite attempting to free herself of these constraints Desdemona remains bound by the patriarchal society in which she was ...

An 8 page paper which examines the issue of race in Shakespeare’s “Othello.” Bibliography lists 5 additional sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how Shakespeare develops this theme in one of his most compelling tragedies. Bibliography lists 6 sources.