Monday, September 15, 2008

Why so crazy Othello?

What strikes me above all else in the Othello readings is the ability of Othello to lose himself so easily. We literally see the man fall apart in a matter of days. What is even stranger, is that he managed to keep it together quite well for the entirety of his existence before these few acts which allow us to only a see a small portion of his life. And yet, that is ultimately what defines Othello, the state in which his fate is sealed. I think it is a little unfair to try to judge Othello, after all we see everything from the outside, the twisted Iago, the elaborate plots, Othello sees none of it. It is far more challenging to see things through Othello's eyes and perceive how he could have fallen for the illusion that everything had fallen apart when everything he loved was standing right in front of him and as it should have been. I think we can learn a very wise lesson from our tragic friend Othello. When things look to have fallen to pieces, they really have not. In fact, once we look past our doubts and fears we will probably find everything we need and maybe even want. In essence, our fears and doubts are nothing but the enemies to our realities. Lets not exchange a handkerchief for our sanity!

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