The blame game is a risky game to play, especially when it is based off a play with very few characters. Already it is easy to figure out who did what. The play Othello was a train reaction of events. It starts off with two people having a conversation and that conversation traveling all throughout Cyprus. It was as if it were 2009 and I was in elementary school, all the kids in the schoolyard circled around gossiping about cute boys. Meghan would whisper to her friend Brandy that she heard that Amanda likes John. Childish right? Which is the jist to the immature characteristics of Iago. Iago sat around gossiping to Roderigo about his emotions towards Othello.
The blame game started off with Rodgerigo and Iago upset about the elopement with Othello and Desdemona. Iago being a fit contestant for the blame game. It all started with his jealousy for the Moor and his greed for power. Iago upset that he did not know and Rodgerigo upset because he was not the one marrying Desdemona. Iago also being upset that he isn’t Othello’s lieutenant. Which led him to spur up lies based on how he felt instead of what was smart. From Act 1 Scene 1, Iago’s deceiving mastermind thought of a bizarre way to take Othello down without potentially being caught.
Fastforwarding to Act 5 Scene 2, when the climax hit its peak. Iago was able to easily convince Desdemona of her infidelity with Cassio. Any husband would be corrupt with the news but, Othello’s reaction is what wowed the audience. Killing Desdemona was Othello’s way of saying he can only trust what information is being fed to him rather than what he witnessed. By now, one would think that Othello is one to blame for her death. He should not have listened to Iago but, rather listened to Desdemona when she was telling the truth. Plot twist, Iago is to blame for every event that took place that led to the death of Desdemona. If he put his pride aside and expressed his feelings towards Othello, none of this would have happened. He told Brabantio about the elopement, he convinced Rodgerigo to pay him for planning his scheme, he got Cassio out of Othello’s service, and had Othello believing Desdemona cheated on him. The only thing that Othello can be blamed for is the death of Desdemona. In the end, it all seemed like it was a game of who is the best gossiper in Cyprus.
Like the best rapper in the game said, “Let’s play the blame game, I love you more.”
-Kanye West
I actually thought this post was very funny because I also compared the drama in Othello to the drama that use to happen in elementary school! Well, I actually used Middle School as a comparison, but the same point gets across. I also like how you explain the events of the play as a chain reaction. I never realized the domino effect that took place. Just as some constructive criticism, I would've liked to see some more analysis and less plot summary. But besides that I thought it was overall very good.
ReplyDeleteI agree to Anthony, in which I like how you relate the events in the play to real life situation and your connection with the chain reaction. Also, I blamed Othello for the tragic ending in my blog, so it is nice to see the opposite opinion from your blog. If I do not have to pick a side for this blame game, I would say both are responsible to the tragic ending to a certain degree. I am looking forward to read your next blog post!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the humor in your blog posts! I look forward to a very lighthearted kind of writing and it's kind of refreshing to read! Anyways, I like the application to real world circumstances. The comparison you drew between rumors flying in middle school and how word of mouth becomes detrimental in Othello was great. The comparison made your writing more relatable and more universally understandable. Also, I blamed Othello for the tea give events while you blamed Iago. It's becoming really hard for me to solidify who is really to blame with insightful arguments coming from all sides. At this point I'm just going to blame Shakespeare because he wrote the play. On that note, I can't wait until the next blog post because your pop culture references make me laugh but you still capture a serious claim without being too silly!
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is straight fire! I completely agree with you! I love how you made you blog post humorous, I honestly did not want it to end. Yes, Othello is to blame for Desdemona's death, but Iago is the one who caused the series of unfortunate events to happen in the first place. I cannot wait to see what you bring to the table for future posts! :)
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