Anyhow, I guess it is time for me to finish what I was supposed to finish a LONG time ago...
I really have no more time to waste.
Act 2 in Othello is mainly about how Othello has gone to Cyprus to battle against the Ottomans but when he got there, the Ottoman fleet has been destroyed by a terrible storm. A celebration ensues, but the merry mood did not last long when Iago managed to get Cassio drunk and had him involved in a brawl which resulted in his position being stripped by Othello himself.
Act 2 ended with Iago suggesting Cassio to seek Desdemona's help to plea to Othello and regain his favour with him.
Well... I don't really feel much in Act 2 to be honest... though I can't help but noticing that there is to a certain extent religious chauvinism in Act 2.
Yup. It might be intentional or otherwise, but the story of the Ottoman fleet being destroyed in the storm somehow brings the impression that the forces of nature that went against these "heathens" (well, from the perspective of Othello) in their effort to attack Cyprus while the Venetians spared from its destruction are a form of divine intervention that went against them.
From my understanding on the religious perspective in Othello, Christianity is considered as the "true" religion and therefore, it is also logical and plain common sense to think that in this play, Christianity is also perceived to be superior. It is inevitable to see the religion of Islam being chauvinistically viewed by this form of perception with such discrimination, and with so much prejudice as well.
From here also, I decided to check out a little bit more (checking even beyond Chapter 2 itself) and I discovered that one who reads Othello must understand the ongoing conflict and wars that were happening between the European countries and the Ottoman Turks during that period and the Ottomans being viewed as a force of terror, fear, savagery and barbarianism to the Christian Europeans in order to fully understand the relationship between the Christians (the characters in Othello) and the Turks during that era. One must also understand that it was the Muslims who were the superpowers of that era, not the Christians.
No wonder the Turks were being related with so much negativity in Othello!
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