hello and welcome back to tutoring with gavin in this series of video tutorials i'll be analyzing characters from the a-level text othello in this video i'll be exploring the character of othello shakespeare based the play on a story from the collection called hekatonimithi written in 1565 by the italian gerardo cynthia although shakespeare often used stories from other writers he usually transformed them into something more profound than the original in this case he transforms othello into a sympathetic and heroic character destroyed by the evil yaga unlike the original in which a cruel and unsympathetic minor character kills his wife desdemona because of jealousy since the middle ages european stories had depicted black men as sinister figures but shakespeare subverts the stereotype and creates a complex tragic hero providing us with the ultimate racist villain in iago whose personal and professional jealousy drive him to inhuman and vulgar cruelty the racism also comes through other characters like roderigo who refers to othello as thick lips iago uses animal imagery when talking to brabantio about othello tupping your white you despite his otherness othello is always trustworthy and calm even when provoked on the field of battle othello is skilled and triumphant and yet he feels that his marriage is at the pinnacle of his life if it were now to die to a now to be most happy for i fear my soul hath her content so absolute that not another comfort like to this succeeds in unknown fate he's triumphant in war and in love the hero at his greatest moment however such triumph in a tragedy cannot last othello is a tough trusted general but rather inexperienced when it comes to love these very different roles prove problematic for othello because the iago is determined to undermine the relationships between himself and desdemona this is a patriarchal world where the power lies with men and parts of yago's disdain is because he believes desdemona is undermining othello's manliness othello is an outsider despite his successes in war because he is a black man in a white world constantly referred to as the moor a representative african while others go by their personal names and are seen as independent individuals justice is predominantly referred to as the jew in merchant of venice when other characters call him black they refer to his face but also to the concept of color symbolism of elizabeth and morality white is honor black is wickedness white is innocence black is guilt his qualities include openness sincerity natural authority modesty generosity fairness and calmness under pressure he is a descendant of a royal line of kings which shakespeare presents in his fine rhetoric delivered in iambic pentameter one of the reasons iago hates othello so much is because he feels that he favors the privilege like cassio over his own humble credentials but also because iago has heard rumors that othello has had an affair with his wife amelia i hate them more and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets he's done my office it is othello's reputation so important during jacobean times that is damaged not by his military decisions but by his wife's apparent infidelity once he suspects her his pride takes over unable to face the humiliation of being cuckolded leading to his sudden change in behavior othello's occupation's gone he sees killing her and preventing her from cuckholding any other man in the future as making him an honorable murderer he finally takes his own life when he realizes that he has been duped with the honorable soldier symbolically killing the failed lover the professional soldier is in stark contrast to the husband who is blinded by his love for his wife indeed iago has contempt for othello's constant loving noble nature however it is his decisiveness as a soldier that contributes to his downfall as a husband accepting too quickly the fake evidence against his wife and the subsequent decision to kill her lacks his usual rationalism and caution he tells himself of her honesty and has second thoughts about killing her but iago's constant presence clouds his judgment and pushes him into a temporary madness why does he trust iago but not his wife or cassio is shakespeare suggesting that othello's real weakness is his inability to cope with the complexities of venetian society or is this about the power of iago who can weave intricate deceptions and hold othello in a spell of corrupted trust and damage masculine pride the venice othello adopts as his home is full of conflict and deceit right from the start with the argo in conflict with the roderigo and causing conflict between othello and others arthelo's obsession with honor trust and chastity suggests that shakespeare is presenting a character who is too virtuous to cope with the dishonesty found in a big city like venice othello is more civilized and principled than most and so he becomes temporarily infected with the venetian shenanigans othello is aware of the uncertain nature of success and happiness but i do love thee and when i love thee not chaoses come again these are the words of a man who has experienced chaos and considers himself to have been rescued from it by the love of desdemona so when he later thinks that desdemona no longer loves him he is devastated as if his life has returned to chaos which is like a personal hell for othello desdemona represents the angel who has rescued him with her love if she be false oh then heaven mocks itself i'll not believe it i thought i was in experience in love and his lack of awareness when it comes to iago's deception means that it is relatively easy for the inside to trigger his jealousy and create a false narrative that desdemona loves another man perhaps he feels insecure that she cannot really love him as if it is too good to be true iago feeds on this vulnerability like a parasite othello realizes too late that he has been a full full full like the greek heroes othello confronts his fate in his final speeches providing evidence of his former greatness his previous military glory his proven loyalty to venice the intensity and purity of his love he understands albeit too late that by killing desdemona he has destroyed the very best in himself before killing himself with honor he says then must you speak of one that love not wisely but too well well i hope this has helped you in your a level revision if you like the video please give it a thumbs up and please subscribe to the channel so that i can continue to make these free videos for a-level students until next time you