Clash of Virtues in OthelloMaybe it's just human nature, but people have a way of going to absolute extremes. Whether you show severity in the way you love, or in the way you are loyal, or in the way you strive to achieve your ambitions, people, in general, have a tendency to bring their emotions or actions "all the way". It's a show of passion. As an expert on the human condition, no one knows or can illustrate it better than Shakespeare. Especially in his tragedies, Shakespeare defines aspects of the human condition very precisely. It also shows the polarity of such conditions and the consequences when they interact with their opposites. Shakespeare's beautiful tragedy, Othello, is a fine example of such contrasting virtues. Love and hate; good and evil; loyalty and betrayal; This work takes an extensive tour of the human character. Throughout the play, many characters display evil and mistrust. These evil traits clash head-on with their polar opposites, and this leads to the death and destruction of the innocent. On the surface, it would appear that this play, with all its tragedy, does not uphold the sanctity of love, loyalty, and devotion. However, when examining the love and death of Desdemona and Othello more closely, it becomes evident that Shakespeare actually supports the strength and virtue of love. Although the lives of these characters, and therefore the play, end tragically, the nature of their deaths conveys a message of invincible love. Although humans themselves are mere mortals, Shakespeare asserts that virtuous human conditions can withstand even the clash with polar opposites. From the opening scene, Othello presents an aura of evil and disloyalty. The play begins... in the middle of the paper... 1988) Othello: an introduction to the variety of criticism Hampshire: Macmillan PressHale, Steven. Lessons in class. Georgia Perimeter College. April 20-30, 1999Jones, Eldred. "Othello: an interpretation" Critical essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55) Neely, Carol. "Women and men in Othello" Critical essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 68-90) Shakespeare, W. (1997) Othello (c. 1602) EA J Honigmann (ed.) Surrey: Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd. Snyder, Susan. "Beyond comedy: Othello" Modern critical interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (page 23-37) Wheale, N. (2000) 19th and early 20th century critical assessments of Othello. Shakespeare's text and performance