skip to main | skip to sidebar
Home » , » Comment on the soliloquies in Othello
A soliloquy is a speech in which a character expresses his feelings and thoughts while he is alone on the stage. In other words, a soliloquy is a speech in which a character speaks his thought without addressing a listener. It is an accepted dramatic convention and is an important technique to reveal the mind of the character. Now we will discuss the soliloquies in Othello.
 
There are sixteen soliloquies in Othello. Among the sixteen soliloquies, nine are made by Lago, four by Othello, and one each by Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo. All of them serve some essential purpose and form an integral part of the play most of the soliloquies of Iago and Othello are a means of presentation of argumentative reflection and a vehicle of the expression of the secret processes of the minds of the speakers. logo's motives for his intrigue are revealed through two of his most important soliloquies. The motives are -- he wishes to extract money from Roderigo, he desires revenge upon the Moor, and he wants to discredit Cassio. In the fourth soliloquy, he tells us of his intention to drop the handkerchief of Desdemona in their room of Cassio. In his final soliloquy, he reveals his awareness of the danger which threatens both Cassio and Roderigo. Therefore, he would be glad if they hill each other. That is why he has set Roderigo to murder Cassio. Othello's first soliloquy, reveals his faith in the logo's honesty, his determination to get rid of his wife should the suspicion prove to be true, and his feeling of inferiority in the matter of race and social etiquette. Othello's second soliloquy is brief and reveals his suspicion that Emilia is an accomplice in Desdemona's adulterous relations with Cassio. The third soliloquy shows that he has finally decided to kill Desdemona, though her beauty and charm affect him so deeply that he might swerve from his purpose. His last soliloquy reveals a mental debate. Othello is undecided about whether to let in Emilia or not. Then comes the realization of the overwhelming disaster that has overtaken him in the death of Desdemona. And he thinks that there will be a huge eclipse of the sun and the moon and that the earth will be shaken by an earthquake. Emilia's soliloquy is very important in this play. It shows the idea of using Desdemona's handkerchief for an evil purpose. It also reveals her intention to pass on the handkerchief to her husband though she does not know what he will do with it. This soliloquy shows that Emilia becomes an unwitting tool in her husband's hands. Desdemona's single soliloquy is also important in this play. It reveals her puzzlement at her husband's treatment. To sum up, we can say that the soliloquies in Shakespeare are an integral part of the action of the play. They reveal characters, give a self-analysis of motives, and help in the development of action.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Back To Top