In this excerpt, Othello is watching Desdemona sleep and repeatedly telling himself that he has to go through with killing her. Othello uses the pronouns “i” and “me” to show that he is taking credit for all he is going to do. He will not state what his reason is but promises to not ruin her beautiful skin by cutting her up. Then he notices a candle in the room. He says that he has to “Put out the light, and then put out the light” (Shakespeare 5.2.7). The first light Othello is referring to is the flame of the candle and the second is Desdemona. If he puts out the candle, he can light it again if he has second thoughts. However, once he puts out Desdemona’s flame, as in killing her, there is no way to bring her back. He says he does not know where to find Promethean heat, which is a representation of something incredibly powerful, to revive her. Knowing that this action is permanent, Othello wants to enjoy her while she is still alive. Othello kisses Desdemona a couple of times and says her beauty is almost enough to stop him. This section of the scene ends with Othello crying a little and then Desdemona waking up.
Pathos is mainly used in this excerpt because Othello is having internal struggles on whether or not he should kill his wife. He tries to convince himself he needs to go through with this. He claims that “she must die, else she’ll betray more men” (Shakespeare 5.2.6). He even kisses her a couple of times and begins to cry. Othello lacks logos in this excerpt. He lets his emotions convince him his wife is guilty but does not use any credible facts or evidence. He allows his emotions to overwhelm any logical thinking. Throughout the play, Othello believes he is using ethos to make his argument stronger. When in actuality his source, Iago, is not credible or reliable. During this scene, Othello does not seem to try to convince the audience to believe his argument. He does not even want to explain his reasoning for wanting to kill his wife. Othello uses pathos the most in this excerpt but does not use logos or ethos much at all.
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Throughout this play, Iago works to manipulate Othello into believing that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Iago does not provide any actual proof of this but gradually messes with Othello’s head. Iago tells Othello that he heard Cassio talk about Desdemona in his sleep. He also claims the handkerchief Othello gave Desdemona as a gift has now been given to Cassio. He says “I am sure it was your wife’s-did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with” (Shakespeare 3.3.497-498). Later in the play, Othello overhears Iago and Cassio talking about about marrying Bianca. However, neither of them says her name, leaving Othello to believe they are talking about Desdemona. Othello becomes jealous and is unable to control his anger. These events lead up to Othello’s gloomy monologue of convincing himself he needs to kill Desdemona. When Desdemona wakes up, Othello tells her to pray before he kills her. She begs to know why he is going to kill her. Othello brings up the handkerchief, but Desdemona claims she never gave it to Cassio. She tries to convince him that she did not cheat, but he does not listen. Othello has become so fixated on the idea of Desdemona cheating, that there is no point in trying to convince him otherwise. He then smothers Desdemona with a pillow, killing her. Emila, Iago, Monatno, and Graziano come into the scene. Emila speaks up about the fact that Desdemona did not cheat and calls out Iago for lying to Othello. Iago then kills Emila and leaves. Then, out of remorse for killing Desdemona, Othello kills himself.
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Othello’ Essay on Ethos, Logos and Pathos.
(2024, May 16). Edubirdie. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/othello-essay-on-ethos-logos-and-pathos/
“Othello’ Essay on Ethos, Logos and Pathos.” Edubirdie, 16 May 2024, edubirdie.com/examples/othello-essay-on-ethos-logos-and-pathos/
Othello’ Essay on Ethos, Logos and Pathos. [online].
Available at: <https://edubirdie.com/examples/othello-essay-on-ethos-logos-and-pathos/> [Accessed 22 Dec. 2024].
Othello’ Essay on Ethos, Logos and Pathos [Internet]. Edubirdie.
2024 May 16 [cited 2024 Dec 22].
Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/othello-essay-on-ethos-logos-and-pathos/
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