Women as Instigators of Tragedy in the Works of William...

Women as Instigators of Tragedy in the Works of Shakespeare It is the very error of the moon; She comes more nearer earth than she was wont, And makes men mad. (Othello 5.2.112-14) The moon is often seen in literature as an allegory for love, virtue, and chastity. In Shakespeares comedies, especially, the moon is personified as Diana, the Roman goddess of chastity. In these comedies, the foolish antics of lovers (literally, lunatics) usually occur under the auspices of the chaste goddess, the lovers behaving like hounds about her feet that snap at each other in competition for her bounty. The moon as allegory for the lunacy of romance helps us understand Shakespeares view of romance. In the†¦show more content†¦The finest example can be found in Othello. Iago convinces Othello that Othello is being cuckolded by his wife, after which Othello questions him, referring to his wife as the moon: Why, why is this? Thinkst thou Ild make a lie of jealousy, To follow still the changes of the moon With fresh suspicions? No; to be once in doubt Is once to be resolved . . . (3.3.190) The moon/Desdemona is seen as at once chaste and inclined to change. Later, Othello accuses Desdemona of infidelity despite her protesting innocence. Again, he compares her infidelity with the moon: What committed!/ Heaven stops the nose at it and the moon winks . . . (4.2.74). The moon, once chaste, is now flirting. Similarly, Othello believes that Desdemona, once chaste, is cuckolding him. These two examples show the multiple allegories of the moon that, similarly, exist in women. The moon also symbolizes the changeability of Fortune. What does the Fortune have to do with the moon? Shakespeare considered both of them to be much the same. Both have a cyclical nature (hence the term, Wheel of Fortune): the moon waxes and wanes just like Fortune waxes and wanes. John Hankins noted that the traditional Latin scholarship that Shakespeare may have studied (such as Macrobius who studied the relationship of the celestial bodies to mortals on earth) would have lead to his understandingShow MoreRelatedEssay about Othello’s Evil Character3206 Words   |  13 PagesOthello’s Evil Character  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s Othello gives the audience a full measure or dose of evil, mostly in the person of the sinister Iago, whose evil influence penetrates the lives of the victims around him.    In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the type of evil peculiar to the ancient:    Over the ancient figure of the Vice – a familiar shape for abstract evil – Iago wears the garb of a modern devil. Iago’s naturalist ethic, as expounded toRead More Custom Written Term Papers: Evil in Othello2660 Words   |  11 PagesEvil in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   What can compare to the evil present in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello? 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