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Othello

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Moorish general in Venice destroyed by jealousy and manipulation

Detailed Definition
Othello, a noble and respected soldier, is undone by Iago’s lies into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful. In poetry, he symbolizes the destructive power of jealousy, racial otherness, and the fragility of trust.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s "Othello," Othello’s tragic jealousy explores race and trust; In W.H. Auden’s “The Sea and the Mirror,” Othello embodies noble outsider destroyed by deceit; In T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” Othello’s “base Indian” contrasts with modern fragmentation; In Derek Walcott’s “Omeros,” Othello appears in Caribbean racial dynamics; In modern postcolonial poetry, Othello often signifies the marginalized hero; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Watershed,” Othello’s handkerchief echoes in systemic injustice.
Additional Notes
Othello, Shakespeare’s Moorish general destroyed by jealousy, embodies the outsider, honor, and the manipulation of perception; poets reference him to explore racism, intimacy under surveillance, and the weaponization of doubt—Iago’s “ocular proof” resonates in poems about evidence, truth, and the fragility of love in hostile environments.
Also Known As
Moor of Venice Noble General Jealous Husband Reversi
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