Othello Essay- Conflict (and Related Texts)

Conflict can be a positive part of human interaction. Discuss this statement with close reference to your prescribed text and two related texts.

Conflict can be defined as a result of failures within person relationships, social groups and oneself. In Othello by William Shakespeare, this conflict negatively affects the relationships between all involved and society in general. In The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, again, this conflict stems from lack of social tolerance, on a much larger scale than that in Othello, as the text is dystopian and post-apocalyptic. Where The Road explores the conflict between survival at any cost and survival with values of dignity, Othello depicts conflict between deceit, greed, envy and evil and trust, loyalty, honestly, innocence and generosity. Turmoil within Othello does not result in having a positive outcome on human interaction, however, The Road and Grand Canyon (1991), directed by Lawrence Kasdan, both display a number of situation in which the overall outcome of the conflict is positive, developing a greater understanding of values for both the characters involved and the responder.

Iago’s ability to manipulate the characters in Othello creates a destructive form of conflict. The jealousy and greed within Iago drive the turmoil within the play, and as it is set on the small island of Cyprus, Iago’s manipulative abilities take affect rather quickly. Irony is used when Iago says to Othello, “Beware, my Lord, of jealousy: it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meet it feeds on.” Iago is the jealous one, yet he is informing Othello of how, literally, monstrous jealousy is. In the case of Othello, conflict stems from greed and jealousy and does not have a positive outcome on human interaction. The Road also demonstrates a form of greed, similar to that in Othello, but on a larger scale, as humanity’s greed for power and wealth backfires, leaving America devastated.
Conflict in The Road is focused around the brutal...