Death Poem: Reflection

Reflection

One day we wake up
And all we have left
Are a few memories
And a picture of that friend

Thanks to you
She's gone forever
And all we're left to do
Is question

We want to know:
Why her?
Why now?
Who's next?

Through our mourning
We come to realize
That we can't let you
Control our lives

We all eventually learn
To put one foot in front of the next
As we learn to live
And not fear our inevitable end

Othello #7

Before killing himself, Othello reflects on what he has done and how he wants the story to be told. He says, "must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; / Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, / Like the base of Judean, threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued / eyes, / Albeit unused to the melting mood, / Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees / their medicinable gun" (V. ii. 403-412). He realizes that he has made a grave mistake in killing Desdemona but he takes responsibility for that action by blaming himself. He wants the people of Venice to hear this tale with his presented as a man who's immense love for Desdemona made him vulnerable to exploitation that caused him to commit the most unforgivable of acts. Othello has realized his wrongs and the cause of his downfall, but he also realizes that there is no longer a place for him on this planet, especially not in Venice. Othello's death shows how he upholds his dignity when put in a tough situation; he punishes himself the same way he would punish any other criminal and gives himself no special treatment.

Othello Act V, scene ii, lines 1-24

During his monologue, Othello struggles with the two facets Desdemona: the one he loved and the one that was unfaithful. He is still in love with the Desdemona he originally fell in love with, but he feels that she has a fatal error and must suffer because of it. He says, "Yet I'll not shed her blood, / Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, / And smooth as monumental alabaster. / Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men" (V. ii. 3-6). Othello basks in Desdemona's beauty when he talks about why he will no kill her. He describes her as overwhelmingly white, symbolically representing her innocence through her beauty and the woman he fell in love with. He spends two and a half lines of the topic of not killing her, a full two on why he shouldn't kill her, yet he only spends one line on the topic of killing her with only half a line on why he should kill her. There is a clear disparity in how much time Othello spends talking about each option. Othello easily could have said something along the lines of "I won't kill her because she is too beautiful" and he would have spent a relatively even amount of time on each option. Instead, he describes her beauty and seems to get lost in it, going on and on, signaling that he still loves her. Also, the influence of reason and emotion in his decisions can be represented by the time he spends justifying each option. Othello spends more time justifying not killing Desdemona using his emotions in describing her beauty than he does justifying killing her when he simply says "else she'll betray more men." His justification of killing his wife is oddly absent of emotion, and the simple half-line of reason quickly overtakes the two lines of emotion in his decision, signifying the weight that emotion and reason have in his mind. Reason holds much more power in the mind of Othello than does emotion because although he may have a ton of emotional reasons not to do something, if he has just one small logical reason to do something, he will side with logic.

Othello #5: Venice and Cyprus

Toward the end of Act IV, scene i, Lodovico symbolizes Venice, order and justice, and the old Othello. Lodovico stands in contrast to everyone else he comes in contact with in Cyprus, the land of disorder. Lodovico comes bearing orders from Venice for Othello to return and Cassio to run Cyprus. However, the situation in Cyprus has changed so that Othello is no longer the God-like man that he used to be; he is now seemingly more human, and Cassio is no longer lieutenant. Lodovico cannot believe this new Othello that he is witnessing and goes on to say: "My lord, this would not be believed in Venice / Though I should swear I saw 't" (IV. i. 270-271). Lodovico himself cannot fathom that Othello has turned into a jealous man, but having seen it he must believe it. However, he, being representative of Venice, brings to light the fact that in the land of order they will never believe that Othello is no longer the logical, calm, and skilled orator that they once knew. The fact that would not be able to believe this change could be representative of the not only physical and social separation between Venice and Cyprus. While in Venice Othello was calm and God-like in his mannerisms, but being in Cyprus changes him to be a more emotional, out-of-control human being. The men of Venice, namely the Duke and Senators, are only used to living in a land of order and most likely could not fathom living in a place like Cyprus that has a social structure contrasting to that of Venice. Since these men cannot understand what life is like in Cyprus they cannot foresee changes in people like those in Othello. Due to this lack of foresight, it could be reasonably argued that the men of Venice are in no place to establish order in a society that they do not understand based upon how people act while in Venice.

Othello #4: Changes in Othello's Reactions to Conflict

During the first two acts of the play, Othello is portrayed as superhuman and superior to everyone else. When resolving conflicts, Othello shies away from violence and instead uses his superior orating skills and logic to gain respect and resolve conflicts. Othello seems to be a master of logic, and he is able to remain unemotional while making decisions. However, in Act III, Othello is portrayed as more emotional and more like an average man who succumbs to emotions. When dealing with Desdemona's potential infidelity, Othello continually asks to see then handkerchief and he vilifies her when she cannot produce it (III. iii. 59-113). Othello's tone in this situation is accusatory, yet Desdemona has no idea what she is being accused of. Othello responds emotionally to the potential of Desdemona being unfaithful, which contrasts the responses he had to conflicts while in Venice. In Venice, Othello uses logic to respond to unfriendly situations, but in Cyprus Othello responds emotionally. This change in Othello's reactions parallels the change in scenery where Venice represents order and Cyprus represents chaos.