Alcohol Abuse In Othello

            According to the psychology definition, a conscious person is aware of the various cognitive processes occurring throughout their body and is fully capable of decision making. During act 3, scene 2 of Othello, Cassio is not conscious. Cassio is drunk and causes a riot because of his aggressive handling of Roderigo.  Early, in the scheme Cassio stated that he was not much of a drinker and Iago seized the situation. Iago encouraged Cassio to drink heavily and become belligerent.

            Act 3, scene 2 of Othello shows the powers of the depressant, alcohol. Cassio’s heavy wine drinking depressed his central nervous system. Iago realized that Cassio’s lack of drinking would give him a poor alcohol tolerance. Iago worked his magic used his silver tongue to direct Cassio’s altered consciousness into the wrong direction. After the scuffle with Rodrigo, Cassio was unable to remember what had occurred because of the massive amount of alcohol in his system. The danger of alcohol is shown in Act 3, Scene 2 of Othello.

Gender Roles In Othello

In Othello by William Shakespeare a distinction between males and females is evident. Shakespeare made it very clear that men are the dominant controlling force in the play.  The male perspective is the only perspective that is given to the audience in Othello.  Also, the male characters are the only characters in positions of power or authority. The male characters call the shots while the female characters simple obey without question. Emilia retrieves the handkerchief for Iago because she is told to. When Emilia asks Iago why he needs the handkerchief he tells her that is none of her business and she leaves without question.

The female characters in Othello are viewed as objects by the male characters in Othello. The male characters believe that it is their right to make the decisions for the female characters. For example, in Act 1 of the play Brabantio is outraged at Desdemona for marrying Othello without his permission. Brabantio believes that his daughter, Desdemona, is his property and that it is his responsibility to give her to a respectable husband. Women in Othello are also viewed as deceptive whores by the male characters. Iago based his accusations of Emilia cheating on him purely off of suspicions. Also, Othello believes that Desdemona may be unfaithful to him because he believes that he is not meeting her sexual appetite.