Othello

Othello

Othello, by William Shakespeare is the story of Othello, who marries Desdemona and is tricked and deceived into believing that Desdemona is unfaithful by those whom he thinks are his allies. This essay will discuss the syntax, diction, and tone of Othello, along with discussing the literary type and the effect Othello had on me. It will also give an analysis of the type of reader who would enjoy reading Othello.

The way in which William Shakespeare wrote Othello matches his other works in means of syntax, diction, and tone. The syntax he used was varied. There were no areas where a particular style of sentence was overused. The writing flowed evenly and was not choppy. Shakespeare’s diction was also varied. He used many good descriptive words, such as “fluster’d” and “grievous”. The word choice distinctly shows the time period the work was written in, which was between 1600 and 1605. For example:

Why, how now, ho! from whence ariseth this?

Are we turn'd Turks, and to ourselves do that

Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites?

For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl:

He that stirs next to carve for his own rage

Holds his soul light; he dies upon his motion.

Silence that dreadful bell: it frights the isle

From her propriety. What is the matter, masters?

Honest Iago, that look'st dead with grieving,

Speak, who began this? on thy love, I charge thee. (Othello, Act 2, scene 3)

The tone of Othello is a conglomeration of serious writing, tragic writing, and romantic writing.

A reader who would enjoy reading William Shakespeare’s Othello would need to be able to understand and interpret the tone and diction. The ideal reader of Othello requires a taste for tragedy/romance, and must be interested in classic literature. The reader must also have the ability to draw conclusions and understand and follow plot turns and twists.

This work of literature is rightly placed in the literary type of tragedy. This is a correct category because of the tragic events in the plot. Othello,