Othello
One of the central aspects of Othello's character that is shown is the fact that he is not Iago's stereotypical black barbarian. He mainly comes across as the seasoned soldier. The speech contains stately poetry - 'Othello's music' (intro., Othello, p.22) - and connotes a noble character. This contrasts with the demotic rhythms of his later language: 'Out strumpet' (5.2.80). The speech shows us very clearly a noble and honourable Moor and this highlights the depth of his descent by the end of the play. But there are other undertones that undermine this aspect of his character.Another important aspect is that of control and education. Othello's speech contains a large amount of classical rhetoric, for example, the isocolon in the first line, 'Her father loved me; oft invited me'. There are also triplets: 'the battles, the sieges, fortunes...' and so on. This all points to someone who is a very intelligent and a well taught speaker. It also shows someone who is in control of what he is saying, and is also a reflection of the fact he is in control about what he is doing. This starkly contrasts with Iago's view of Othello as 'an old black ram' (1.1.89), or as a 'Barbary horse' (1.1.111). Othello's controlled and eloquent speech is
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Approximate Word count = 1119
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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