Tainted Love
Love, hate, and violence are all emotions that are experienced by people at one or more times during their lifetime. Othello by William Shakespeare and "What We Talk about When We Talk about Love" by Raymond Carver are stories in which love, hate and violence fulfill an important role among the relationships between characters. Though the emotions of love and hate are considered opposites it is possible for each to bring about violence. In Shakespeare's Othello love leads to hate and hate leads eventually to violence. There are many love relationships in Othello. Othello loves Desdemona, Cassio, and he even loves Iago. Emilia loves her husband Iago. Each of these relationships develops into hate and eventually into violence. Shakespeare makes the characters think that love will bring them happiness, but in the end it brings them the most suffering and the most pain. One of the central themes of this play, because there are many, is romantic love. Iago sees love as only being lust but to the others it is much more. In "What We Talk about When We Talk about Love," Terri and Mel both experience violence in their previous relationships. In Terri's relationship with Ed love provokes the violence, while in Mel's relationship
with Marjorie love shifts to hate and then becomes emotional violence. Mel thinks about it but does not act on his thoughts of violence. The theme of this story is also love, but it about all the different types of love. The characters talk of spiritual, platonic, romantic, carnal, and even possessive love. Both Othello and "What We Talk about When We Talk about Love," have relationships of love and hate, and violence emerges from both emotions. Likewise, Othello ended his relationships in violence but first they matured into hate. Othello comes to hate his wife Desdemona passionately. From the beginning, Othello faces the problem of being vulnerable because of his marriage to a young white girl, from respectable parentage. Furthermore, the couple's struggle over power makes it easy for their happiness to be destroyed. Their entire relationship is destroyed because of a lie. Othello tells Iago, "Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned to-night; for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone; I strike it, and it hurts my hand" (Othello 4. 1. 183-184). Othello loathes Cassio because he believes Cassio has committed adultery with Desdemona. Othello asks Iago to kill Cassio by saying, "Within these three days let me hear thee say/ That Cassio's not alive" (Othello 3. 3. 525-526). When Othello learns that Iago is truly the enemy he of course has emotions of hate towards Iago. Othello's relationship with Iago displays that one's own desires and insecurities can be used against him when relying on what one individual says. Othello basically believes what Iago says with not much evidence to back it up, he never once suspects Iago of betraying him. But when Othello finds out that he has been betrayed by Iago, and not by Desdemona and Cassio, he has a great hate and loathing towards Iago. Othello describing Iago as the devil says, "I look down towards his feet; but that's a fable. If thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee" (Othello 5. 2. 331-332). Iago leaves his wife, Emilia, with regret about what she has done to Desdemona. By the time Emilia finds out what her husband is up to it is too late, Desdemona is dead. This one act causes Emilia to see who Iago truly is and she hates him for it. She says, "O murderous coxcomb what should such a fool/ Do with so good a wife? (Othello 5. 2. 273-274).
Some common words found in the essay are:
Terri Ed, Marjorie Mel, Cassio Cassio, Mel She's, Othello Cassio, Terri Mel, Talk Love, Likewise Othello, Othello Iago, Iago Emilia, talk talk, talk love, talk talk love, love terri, 5 2, love hate, othello 5, othello 5 2, othello 3 3, mel loved, eventually violence, love relationships, 3 3, love hate violence, iago love lust,
Approximate Word count = 1710
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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