Student Essay on There Are as Many Readings of Othello as There Are Readers.

There are as many readings of a text as there are readers; Every text has a myriads versions of different critical "readings", such as "Feminist", "Liberal Humanist" or "Deconstructionist" readings depending how each readers perceives its meanings. In each of the readings, the audience is given an ideologically determined text, which incorporates aspects of the original, but rejects or understates other aspects that might contradict these particular readings. In Othello, there are likewise also many different readings, for example, Feminist, Postcolonial and Aristotelian. It is possible to suggest two readings which perhaps may link to audiences psychologically and ideologically more successfully - the Aristotelian and Feminist reading, and this is evident through the plot, characterization language, and themes underpinning the text Othello.

Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher first captured the Aristotelian reading. This reading in general perceives the text as a serious tragedy with the possession of certain tragic characteristics, such as progressing from harmony to chaos. Shakespeare had written many famous tragedies, and being one of the most famous and heartbreaking, the play Othello, written in the Elizabethan times targeting mature audiences who would empathize with the human emotions of its tear-jerking storyline, could certainly be considered with Aristotelian reading, especially when examining its upsetting plot, extraordinary characters, unusual context, emotions-evoking style of language and its society-related themes.

The plot of Othello may be considered as a plot of a typical tragedy is various senses. In almost all tragedies ever written, for example, Hamlet and King Lear, the play begins with harmony and ends in tempest created by the protagonist himself. In Othello, the play began with the peacefulness of Othello and Desdemona's relationship and being a love story against the backdrop of a racially divided society, their relationship had not been agreeable to all but there is still some hopes from audience that all may be well. However, through chances, villain's manipulations and most importantly his own mind's weakness, Othello undergoes a mental collapse, which leads to the tragic fall of the protagonist and an ultimate ending of the play in turmoil. Also, derived by Aristotle is that all tragedies have a plot built around a "downturn" or catastrophe and eventual recognition of a true and appalling state of affairs. In Othello, the "downturn" would be the temptation scene in Act 3, which had given Iago the initial opportunity to deceive Othello regarding Desdemona.

The setting of the play, a postcolonial society with the central characters from high social status also reveals the calamitous nature of Othello. As generalized by Aristotle, most classical tragedies possesses characters of superiority, usually being kings or nobles, for example, King Lear from King Lear, Macbeth from Macbeth and Royal Prince Hamlet from Hamlet. This type of setting highlights the role of the protagonist, differentiates him/her from the ordinary, and as a result dramatizes the happenings within the play. In this case, since Desdemona and Othello are a part of the high society of Venice, their romantic relationship and death would perhaps be more emotion evocative to the audience.

The characters within the play Othello, is another verification for the Aristotelian reading. The protagonist, Othello, could also be considered as one of a typical tragic hero. The tragic hero usually is a nobleman but eventually undone by some tragic flaw also known as hamartia, as well as some implacable force such as destiny or fate, usually represented by the gods. Othello, being a proud and easily jealous Moor within the racially prejudiced society of Venice, could definitely be considered as a tragic hero. His tragic flaw (hamartia) would be his gullibility and excess of pride. Due to Othello's competence and position he possesses of his profession, his self-esteem does not allow any chance of himself being cuckolded, which had led to the murder of Desdemona, while the naivety of his mind had directed him to believe that he could be cuckolded in the first place. The inevitable force within the play intended for the protagonist would perhaps be his race, which had been stereotypically reinforced and marginalized by many people with Brabantio and Iago in particular - "thick lips", "black ram." In general, the presence of this tragic flaw (hamartia) and the implacable force within the text is a further support of the Aristotelian reading.

While on the other hand, there is Iago being the persona of a typical villain or antagonist. Also not the protagonist of the play, Iago had been centralized while Othello often alienated. Like any other Shakespearean tragedy, for example, the three witches of Macbeth, he plans and conspires with a partner - Roderigo, in order to reach his ultimate goal of Othello's vengeance - his emotional suffering and death. Furthermore, like all other tragedies, the chorus of the play, a persona who comments morally and unfolds actions, would be Iago's wife Emilia. Emilia is the key who exposed Iago's pretentious façade, as in the Act V Scene II.

Moreover, the language of the play, is rather emotive, occasionally derogatory and full of symbolism, emphatic statements and dramatic irony, being manifestly tailor-made for the Aristotelian reading of the play. Firstly, Shakespeare had employed emotive language countless times in the play Othello, which intensifies the intrigue and portrays melodramatic images within reader's minds. For example, in Othello's final soliloquy before he suicides: "Soft you; a word or two before you go... of one that loved not wisely but too well... and smote him - thus." - Othello, Act V Scene II. Also present in the play Othello is the harsh yet colorful insults mouthed by especially Iago, which gives the play a sense of emotional appeal and passionate revenge, such as Iago's derogatory comments about Emilia. Moreover, symbolisms are used to aid communications of ideas to the audience, on stage, shadows may be used to symbolize evil, while within the text, symbolism present include the handkerchief - "There is magic in the web of it" which underlines the innocence and heart of Desdemona, and the Willow Song which represents infidelity of men-women relationships. Last but certainly not least, there had been an exceptional amount of dramatic irony within the play, particularly the knowledge of the conspiracies of Iago exposed to the audience but not to Othello. This dramatic irony creates an alienation of the protagonist, Othello, which intensifies the magnitude of the distressing emotions created. Together with all other techniques, such high level of drama highlights the sense of tragic within the play Othello and supports the Aristotelian reading of this play.

Furthermore worthy of mentioning, is the themes present in the play Othello, which include jealousy, realizing the truth, destiny and chance, manipulation and perhaps reputations. Such moral themes are those typical of a tragedy, for example, in Macbeth and Othello, the theme of manipulation had been mutually shared, one committed by the witches and lady Macbeth while the other committed by Iago. While with the themes of destiny and chance, it is characteristic of tragedies to be related to it, for example, in Romeo and Juliet, it may be called an accident, but Romeo never received Friar's message about the potion, and Juliet did not awake from her long sleep one minute sooner. In Othello, the "accident" within would be the coincidence that Desdemona had dropped the handkerchief that Iago long needed for right in front of his wife, Emilia.

While the Aristotelian reading examines the poignant plot, shocking characters, clever techniques of language and moral themes of the play Othello to support the argument that it is undoubtedly a tragedy, the Feminist reading of the play Othello, does the similar and understates perhaps several aspects of the text to support the fact that Othello is a play giving woman values. Written for the misogynous and patriarchal society Shakespeare lived in, the play Othello sympathizes woman, empathizes with woman and glorifies woman with its especially its plot and characterization with the help of other witty language manipulations.

In early modern England, time of Shakespeare, the hierarchy of genders favors men significantly over woman. The King was at the absolute uppermost of the social ladder, and fathers, husbands and sons personating the roles as governors of his family and households. Wife, children, wards, and servants were assumed to have been instituted by God and Nature, with the mere purpose of perhaps reproducing. Women were continually instructed that their worth resided above all else in their practice of reputation for chastity. Virgins and wives were to maintain silence in public while paying total obedience to their father and husbands. Within such misogynous context, William Shakespeare had often described the women in his plays as being strong, confident individuals, much different from the stereotypical roles of the time period in which he lived. In Romeo and Juliet, gorgeous Juliet had adamantly fought for her love, while in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth did not kneel to destiny and possessed ambitions even bigger than her husbands, and in Measure for Measure, Isabella outshines the men with her exceptional intelligence. The women of Othello also displayed characteristics of such powerful modern women.

Within the play, out of the three women, the one that plays the most important role is certainly Desdemona, who represents a woman of the seventeenth century with sexuality morality surpassing the Venetian women of that time. The first step of defining herself as a woman would be taking the initiative in the courtship with Othello. Desdemona then, chose Othello independently as the man that she wishes to marry and felt it unnecessary for any fatherly intervening. Such confidence of choice and resilience of action shows a woman within the Venetian society's ability to tore away the barriers cultural ideology places on her. Also worthy of mentioning in praise of Desdemona's individuality would be her choice to befriend her husband as well as playing the role of a wife. To Othello, Desdemona is someone who empathizes with his' life and listens to his pains: "She loved me for the dangers I passed, and I loved her for she did pity them." - Othello, Act I Scene III. Least but not last, Desdemona's potency of character is also uncovered as she defenses for her innocence and fight for her liberation many times before her death, she does not merely listen to Othello's accusations, but instead tries to explain her situation. She challenges Othello as she had challenged her father and defends herself with the same straightforward precision she used before the Senate: "And have you mercy too! I never did Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio But with such a general warranty of heaven As I might love; I never gave him token." - Desdemona, Act V Scene II. Even in her death, she proved her liberation by showing that she controlled her own desires.

Desdemona's intellectual potentials are not only limited to the ability to communicate so finely with her husband but also through many of her dialogues within the play. Being the daughter of a aristocrat, her wit is exposed when she skillfully manages the balancing act of acknowledging her bond to her father, diplomatically elaborating on what he needs to hear, before insisting on the implications of her new standing as Othello's wife. "My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty: To you I am bound for life and education... I am hitherto your daughter." - Desdemona, Act I Scene III. Also, Desdemona understands thoroughly the cycle of human existence, this is revealed thorough her reiteration of her plea to her father about her marriage: "But here is my husband; And so much duty as my mother show'd to you preferring you before her father..." She capability of quickly comprehending her situation and taking risks in saying it, is enough to prove her intelligence. This is evidential that Desdemona did not embody the stereotypical role of woman in the seventeenth century but rose beyond with her emotional and intellectual strength.

On the other hand, Emilia, also plays a major role within the play. The feminist element of the play had been magnified with the fact that the "moral chorus" of the play, is a female - Emilia. Emilia is representative of still another aspect of female strength, although perhaps less intellectual character, one who relies upon her sense of intuition, she is not so much less opinionated than Desdemona. She is aware of the relationships between the two genders male and female, and plays the crucial role of wittily justifying and explaining these roles to Desdemona. She briefly educates Desdemona on the homespun nature of infidelity, verifying "Why we have galls and though we have some grace, yet we have some revenge. Let husbands know their wives have sense like them. They see, and smell, and have their palates both for sweet and sour, as husbands have." - Emilia, Act IV Scene II.

Besides having feminist characterization for Othello, Shakespeare had also shook the audience of his times with the play's extraordinary plot which portrays men with many mental flaws which sympathizes the female population and in contrast demonizes the male population. To begin with, we may examine the fear men such as Iago and Othello have of their wife cuckolding them. "O curse of marriage, we call these delicate creatures ours, but not their appetites!" - Othello, Act III Scene III. By having such a strong concern which approaches even paranoia over Desdemona's actions, displaying a total lack of confidence in their ability to retain their property, Othello and Iago instantly bestow Desdemona and Emilia with power. Another flaw reflected through Othello and Iago are the men's lack of genuine loyalty. While the Emilia and Desdemona dies hand in hand, Iago and Othello die as vicious oppositions. Such devotion Emilia and Desdemona had echoed which the men cannot encompass also glorifies woman of the Venetian society.

Even though the dialogues and attitudes of the male characters reflect misogynistic and false representations of woman, Shakespeare had refuted it with the morally, emotionally and intellectually virtues of Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca, all striving to be the best wives or lovers they could possibly be and fights to break their gender barriers. The play Othello may unquestionably be perceived from a feminist viewpoint as it controversially challenges the definition of gender and the role of woman.

Here we have looked at two readings of Othello, Aristotelian and Feminist, each ignoring the other's arguments and values. However, every reader may perceive Othello in their own way depending on their experiences in life, cultural surroundings, personal interest, gender, religion, the period of the time they lived at, and so much more. A heartbroken audience may be more supportive of the Aristotelian readings while a female character may support the feminist reading, all relying on their paradigms. Since every individual is unique in his or her own way, correspondently, there must be a vast range of reading also being unique. So therefore, it is rather acceptable that there are as many readings of Othello as there are readers.