Othello Essay Topics - The Nature of Good and Evil

Othello Essay Topics - The Nature of Good and EvilWhen I teach a Shakespeare class I find that the Othello essay topics are always asked about. I find it fascinating that a play with such an important title has so many essay topics. In fact, I would like to see more essays on this play than any other!There are two explanations for the popularity of Othello essay topics. One is that the play has such a large life-span that it attracts a very diverse group of students. The other is that Othello can be perceived as a play that's meant to prompt reflection on the nature of good and evil in modern society.I don't think there's any dispute that the appeal of Othello is that it deals with the nature of human morality. The real question, though, is whether there's something to be learned from the play by those who aren't very familiar with it. It's certainly not the sort of subject that's likely to give you any insights into modern morality. But I think there is something to be learned by th ose who recognize that good and evil are not the same thing.I don't think Othello ever explains why the characters in the play try to do good. That's one of the secrets of the play that I think every student should learn. Knowing that isn't enough to get most students interested in Othello, but understanding why the characters try to do good is.What could have motivated the characters in Othello? The Duke, in my opinion, played by Leonardo, seems like he's trying to make things right in his own mind - whether that's true or not doesn't matter. This character has both sexual and business motives that seem to be playing in conflict with his ethical ones. Is there really any reason for people to behave the way they do if they're not compelled to do so by external forces?A lot of people ask me, 'Why was I born at all?' They don't want to be where they are. That's a pretty strong question to ask someone your own age who didn't grow up in that kind of society.How can you portray a charact er with an immoral character and still not be seen as anything other than a good person? The answer is that you can't. You can either be corrupt or you can be good, but either way you're a hypocrite.Some students ask me why the Duke in Othello, being a man of power, is able to cheat with his daughter in the bedroom. His response was that he can do anything he wants because he's God, and he has no time for rules. If I've learned anything from reading Othello, it's that no matter how bad a person's actions may seem, if they're not driven by external forces, they're just like us.