English Lit Coursework Essay

Compare the ways in which the authors present contrasting worlds/ places and their thematic significance in Othello and two other texts. In all of the novels; ‘Othello’, ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’, the authors, Shakespeare, Bronte and Fitzgerald, demonstrate how contrasting worlds disrupt equilibrium, especially the harmony or even possibility of relationships. The ultimate disruption within all of these texts is the barrier of class. In Wuthering Heights, Bronte compares the two houses; Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, to highlight the distance class creates between Heathcliff and Cathy, by embodying the characters and their values in the imagery of the houses. Wuthering Heights essentially is a deteriorating farm house. Bronte represents Heathcliff with this house, it’s anaesthetically pleasing and neglected, described as ‘a perfect misanthropist’s heaven’, giving reclusive and desolate connotations, reflecting the way Heathcliff becomes remote from society and isolated. On the other hand, Bronte describes Thrushcross Grange grandly, ‘carpeted with crimson’, ‘crimson covered chairs and tables’, this choice of colour gives rich connotations, of a ‘splendid place’, The choice of lexis ‘splendid’ giving an upper class tone . Nevertheless neither of Cathy or Heathcliff seems to prefer the luxurious Thrushcross Grange. Bronte does present Cathy to be superficial at times, but when Cathy tells Nelly about her dreams she explains that ‘heaven did not seem to be my home’ and that she ‘woke up sobbing for joy’ when she was flung ‘into the middle of the heath on top of Wuthering Heights’, Bronte uses this therefore to signify that Cathy sees Wuthering Heights and the moors as her heaven. Likewise she wants the window open when ill at Thrushcross Grange; here Bronte enforces the theme of imprisonment and entrapment, in a foreign world. Equally Thrushcross Grange has always been an alien and uncomfortable place to Heathcliff as we see when he chooses to grieve on the out skirting grounds of Thrushcross Grange in contrast with Edgar who stays inside. Nevertheless Bronte relates Cathy, a Linton to be, to Thrushcross Grange, a world of refinement and elegance, complimenting Cathy’s own descriptions as she grows into a lady Similarly to Wuthering Heights, Fitzgerald presents the comparison in class of two places, the buildings of East and West Egg in particular. West Egg is seen to be â€Å"the less fashionable of the two,† lacking in conventional aesthetics of refined and classy housing estates. This is shown by the fact Nick’s bungalow is carelessly built in the space between two mansions, this paints a garish image of clashing buildings. Whereas East Egg is ‘glittered’ with houses that are described as ‘white palaces’ with well kept lawns, suggesting well kept, good quality people, over all setting a lavish and opulent scene. Never the less, the houses themselves are concentrated on more so in Wuthering Heights as they are the dominant symbol of the two separate worlds, whereas Gatsby concentrates on the society around East Egg and West Egg, in order to emphasize the difference of the world Daisy and Tom inhabit in comparison to Gatsby’s world. Fitzgerald creates the symbolism of East and West Egg by choosing to rename Great Neck and Manhasset. West Egg is a place of newly rich settled opportunists, many like Gatsby who are seen to have acquired a fortune overnight and boast this through extravagant houses. West Egg has an overall vibrancy shown through ‘spectroscopic gayety’ with this Fitzgerald suggests a bright, colourful and energetic lifestyle. East Egg however is a fashionable part of Long Island, where the wealthy descendants, of a previous money making generation, live. In contrast with the West, they seem to be more withdrawn from enjoying themselves and proud of their ‘staid nobility’, with the exception of a few lapses at Gatsby’s parties. This lack of living for the moment comes across also in the way that they seem to want more in life in the East, but have no intentions of looking for it. Fitzgerald mocks the ambitionless simplicity of life that for example is demonstrated in Jordan and Daisy’s superficial conversation, ‘We ought to plan something’, ‘All right†¦ What’ll we plan? What do people plan? ‘ Similarly people lack genuine qualities, everything is based on etiquette and image, a prime example of this is when Mrs Sloane invites Gatsby to supper out of politeness but doesn’t expect him to actually come. Equally Shakespeare employs the theme of class, as a barrier between Othello and Desdemona, but unlike Bronte and Fitzgerald, he demonstrates the distinction through the discrimination drawn upon Othello. None the less, Shakespeare does use a comparison of two separate locations, Venice and Cypress. Shakespeare accomplishes a dramatic tone in the play Othello through the use of a variation of techniques, for example dramatic irony. Likewise Shakespeare uses contrasting worlds, for instance the contrast between Venice and Cyprus, Venice is portrayed to be a respected origin, it has a positive representation in the play, being the place in which Desdemona and Othello fell in love. Cypress on the other hand is surrounded in conflict, described as a ‘war-like isle’, a direct comparison to Venice; it is also the place where Othello and Desdemona’s love suffers. The two countries are essential to Shakespeare’s comparison between the worlds of war and love and how Othello struggles to find a balance between the two. ‘The warlike moor’ encounters the conflict between the roles of being an inexperienced loving husband and a hardened military soldier. He’s used to of course an all male environment, a soldier’s life style, uneducated in the domestic world of females. He can deal with the ‘flinty and steel couch of war’ yet is ‘little bless’d with the soft phrase of peace. Shakespeare devises Othello’s dialogue to show how he is more comfortable with language from the semantic field of war than pet nick names, calling Desdemona ‘My fair Warrior’. Othello may be respected for his military efforts, after all this is all we see him praised for, no credit is given to the fact he is marrying Desdemona even their wedding celebration is shared with a military celebration. Considering this Shakespeare presents him very much as an outsider, the only black protagonist, he doesn’t qualify as a gentleman, and is included in society purely as he is an acquaintance of Brabantio and Cassio.