Binary Opposition And Othello

Shakespeare is well-known for his profound insight into human nature and life; he is also highly thought of for his unparalleled artistic talent in presenting them in words. He has explored reality by a close observation of its opposing elements and has uncovered various conflicts and contrasts within.Othello stands remarkably among the four greatest Shakespeare's tragedies for its wide use of the structural principle of binary opposition. In this thesis, with reference to relevant theories of E. M. Forster and New Critics, and in light of the comment on soliloquy, silence and voice, the author limits her concern solely on the principle of binary opposition employed in Othello. It is the author's view that Othello is full of binaries which not only greatly enrich the artistic charm of this play, truthfully mirror the reality from multi dimensions, and vividly shape the characters, but also contribute a lot to developing Shakespeare's exploration of human nature and life, and reveal its theme. The thesis firstly takes a brief review of the application of binary opposition to literary criticism, and then deals with binaries in characterization, irony and the binary between silence and voice.At the end of the thesis, the author briefly proposes that the principle of binary opposition be applied as a workable approach to various subject matters in life, in order to keep a balance between contrasting factors and achieve objectivity and harmony within a whole.