Othello by William Shakespeare - Context (Act 2, Scene III)

 “Why, how now, ho! From whence ariseth this?

Are we turned 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 to light: he dies upon his motion.

Silence that dreadful bell: it frights the isle”

This extract is excerpted from Act 2, third scene of Othello by William Shakespeare is possibly the most famous literary exploration set in the 16^th century; during the conflict between Turks and Venetians, it see the sights of the warping powers of jealousy and suspicion. Othello is concerned with the themes of jealousy and possessiveness, gullibility and blind passion, and the dangers that can arise from a failure to see beyond the surface appearances. Contrasting Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, which deal with the affairs of state and which echo with the universal human concerns Othello the protagonist of the play is the first and most important victim of the psychological manipulation by Iago, who slowly and carefully puts the infectious and poisonous doubt about Desdemona's moral character. Iago manages the conspiracy so cleverly: he makes Cassio drink and behave irresponsibly so that Othello dismisses Cassio.

Othello speaks the following words, in intervention of the plight that had arisen in relation to Iago’s succession in triggering Cassio’s weakness to his own profit, breaking out chaos through evoking an unseen uncontrollable side of Cassio which leads to Montano being wounded in the process of trying to halt the brawl. Are we turned Turks and to ourselves do that”; the seeming metaphor of turning Turk exalts the  jealousy  that  tears  Othello  apart  manifests itself as a division between his Christian, loving, rational self, and the Muslim identity that erupts and disrupts  it. Othello seems to assort with the prerequisites of Christianity; “For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl.” nevertheless, his identity before the conversion keeps affecting his life. His descending into a wilder personality is interpreted as his religious transformation to paganism. Othello begins to “turn Turk” who is wild and bestial according to him: the long time association with Christian white noblemen has made him come to a temporary delusion to see himself as one of them; no matter how dedicated to Christianity Othello seems to be here, he is somehow forced to be the man outside the borders of this religion; He is never allowed to integrate with the “same” as he is reminded of his difference at the first opportunity. That Othello is neither fully a “Venetian hero”, nor a “Turkish savage”, because both of them are “artificial constructs” since Othello does not choose what to be; on the contrary, he is made to. “Holds his soul to light: he dies upon his motion.” such sinister measures seem to be an ironical way of handling such a petty situation; for this wasn’t war- thus Othello shows his incompetency as a Governor of Cyprus, for if every man whom caused a situation were to be killed immediately without question, there’d be no man left in the city as well as his competency to not allow personal relationships get in the way of law and order. In the last two lines of the speech, Othello
worries about the effect of the bell on the townspeople, using the adjective ‘dreadful’ to describe the sound.  The word ‘dreadful’ here does not merely convey an unpleasant noise, but an alarming one. He worries that the ringing of the bell, personified: will “fright the isle/ from her propriety”, suggesting once again the transformative effect that fear can have when transmitted aurally. Not only will the alarm scare the citizens, as in Iago’s description above, it may cause them to act improperly, recalling Othello’s fears about ‘turning Turk’ and behaving in an uncivilized manner. The bell which stands for the unholy, the supernatural and the un-Christian, brings out the fearful voices both real and

Thus it elucidates to me that Othello pronounces to be confused in his identities; as governor, a turned Christian and especially has slightly forgotten his identity as the Moor. Thus he expresses his anxiety about the fight between Montano and Cassio. He refers to their behavior as unchristian, comparing their violent outburst to the actions of Turks and Ottomites, two groups of people who represent the Muslim religion which Othello signifies himself. Furthermore, he describes their actions as ‘barbarous’, suggesting that they’re unable to govern their passions. This choice of words is not only telling of the cultural and social anxieties of early modern society, but also indicates the fears that trouble Othello himself. Already, by this point in the play other characters have expressed their fears about Othello’s race and through these acts of hateful speech; the anxieties about his own people have transferred onto Othello himself. This fear is then exaggerated by the sound of the bell which greatly distresses Othello.  Therefore Shakespeare excels in combining all weaknesses and strengths, identities, appearances versus reality to gradual develop the plot to its ultimate tragedy.