English Literature Coursework: Love through the AgesTheme: Obsessive love and its destructive nature

Possible TextsText: Name: Author: Year

:Example of obsessive love:

Drama

Othello* William Shakespeare

1603 Othello’s love for Desdemona is tainted by Iago’s suggestions of betrayal which leads him into a destructive path of murder and suicide.

Novel Pride & Prejudice

Jane Austen

1813 Mr Darcy becomes obsessed by Elizabeth Bennet, however his obsession results in a far more positive ending as he seeks to wed her and improve the status of her family.

Novel Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte

1847 Heathcliff’s obsession for Cathy seems to run deeper than love to complete possession as they both claim their souls are intertwined. Obsession lives beyond the grave.

Novel Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

1861 Pip is obsessed by Estella from the moment he sees her as she represents the wealth and status he so desires. As she is ruined by Miss Havisham’s obsession over her ruined wedding day she shows an inability to love – being the result of a destructive and vengeful obsession with the past.

Novel The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

1890 Dorian Gray becomes obsessed with himself as his beauty becomes immortal he shows a desire for material possession, e.g. diamonds, that too never lose their beauty. The obsession with the exterior however causes his soul to become corrupt with sin and in the end he kills himself by destroying his true self.

Novel Disgrace J.M Coetzee

1999 Melanie Isaacs becomes the object of David Lurie’s obsession; however he is focused on the fictional elements of love and desire and shows an inability to love in the present or reality. This is shown via his allusion to Byron and different texts

throughout which seem to have given him a false representation of love.

*Must use Othello (1603) by William Shakespeare, which highlights the following themes; which texts best link with these?A villain or machiavel Heathcliff offers a similar character to Iago as he manipulates people to gain power and wealth, which he feels is owed to him after suffering prejudice from his youth. He is however fuelled by the love of Cathy whereby Iago seems more evil – acting out of mere resentment as opposed to love.

The character of Dorian Gray may also be seen as a villain as in his pursuit of continuous youth he exploits the fact that his sins may not appear on his face, masked by the purity and naivety of the character at the beginning of the novel. Indeed he casts aside Sybil Vane as she lets down her artistic guard and allows Dorian to see her true self. Arguably though Iago presents a more evil character as Dorian was influenced by Lord Henry, an outspoken member of the upper classes who revels in sin and corruptness.

Murder and suicideDorian Gray again shows a great link with Othello as not only does his obsession with beauty and youth (selfish love) drive him to murder the one person who truly loved him – and the creator of the picture that acted as a catalyst for Dorian’s fear of ageing- but also to commit suicide as he attempts to destroy this reminder of his age and the true representation of his soul.

To some extent Heathcliff committed suicide as he felt that some form of solace would occur through death and being reunited with his ‘soul’ that is Cathy. Though there was not an active method of suicide, his refusal of meals and leaving the window open, inviting in the cold of the moors served its purpose. However his obsession had been life-long and for this to only now have an affect seems odd, did he feel that he had to achieve revenge first?

BetrayalMr Darcy provides and example of betrayal as he believes the Bennett’s to be below his friend’s status and wealth and thus persuades him against marriage with the eldest sister Jane. However, he does right his wrong and places his heart before status.

By marrying Edgar Linton, Cathy Earnshaw seemingly ‘betrays’ Heathcliff as although it is blindingly obvious that the pair share a

deep connection she too values wealth more so than love and marries Linton. Heathcliff then repays the favour by marrying Isabella Linton – proving the phrase “2 wrongs never make a right”. This first betrayal by Cathy seems a catalyst in the revenge Heathcliff takes throughout the rest of the novel, using his son as bait to win property and taking advantage of Hareton’s youth to groom him into something resembling himself.

Betrayal is a key theme in Great Expectations as it manifests in every character; Pip betrays his humble roots by viewing Jo as below him, Estella betrays Pip by marrying his enemy, Miss Havisham bases her life around resenting the betrayal done to her…list is endless…

Outsiders (Othello the “moor”)From his background on the streets of industrialised Liverpool, Heathcliff is definitely an outsider, as Cathy and Hindley make him feel unworthy of their status. One argument may be that Heathcliff corrupts the Earnshaw family, which in turn infects the Lintons of Thrushcross Grange as he brings with him a darkness of character that plays and manipulates others. Alternatively it may be viewed that the treatment he receives as a boy from the Earnshaw children warps him for life.

The character of Pip from Great Expectations also highlights an outsider in terms of class. In particular his relationship with Estella motivates him to move up the classes so that he may one day be worthy of Estella’s love. Though he receives wealth from an unknown source it is obvious that Pip remains at heart a working class boy with only aspirations of being more as his treatment of Jo and his over-expenditure force him to change his belief that wealth has made him a better person. Exploitation of trustLord Henry epitomises a ‘bad influence’ as he highlights Dorian’s beauty to himself and then plants a seed of fear in his mind that such youth should ever decay. This grows into an obsession with the material and external and puts his soul in jeopardy of decay and corruption. In particular he gives Dorian a book that inspires him to live a life of sin and decadence.

Linton Heathcliff was unlucky enough to have a resentful Heathcliff as his father, whom most definitely exploits this position of trust by manipulating him and playing on his weak and frail nature to gain, e.g. the letters he dictates to the young Cathy. He also does the same with Hareton as, from an infant; he raises him with foul language and a brutish manner.

As a professor, David Lurie is in a position of trust and respect when he lures Melanie into sleeping with him. Though the sex was consensual it was blatantly not desired as Lurie carves an image of Melanie in his mind that is purely fictional.

Misrepresentation of characterIago is perpetually referred to as ‘honest’ which the audience knows is completely false (an example of dramatic irony). A similar situation is raised by the presentation of Dorian Gray as youthful, beautiful and without the blemish of sin. Whilst on the surface he appears free from corruption the picture he hides away shows the true story and scars of his soul’s decay.

Magwitch is portrayed, from Pip’s experience with him as a child, as a common criminal, brutish and dangerous the opposite of what Pip aspires to. However, it seems ironic that Magwitch is the only person who actually opens a door for Pip to be the gentleman he so desires to be, as he works endlessly making his fortune and then sending it to London so he may dote on Pip as if he were the child that had been taken away from him. Furthermore, the fact the Magwitch is revealed to be Estella’s father shows a further misrepresentation of him has been made as Pip views Estella as the epitomy of class and wealth and aspires to be good enough for her (and yet he was haunted by the image of Magwitch previously).

Darcy too is misrepresented as the villain of Pride and Prejudice where he actually may be regarded as the hero – bringing Jane and Mr Bingley together and providing the family with renewed status and wealth. Where Elizabeth believed he cared not for her he was actually battling with an obsession, not ignoring her because of her lower status.

Evaluation of texts that had most linksText: Positive: Minus: Verdict:Wuthering Heights

1. Studied in depth in class

2. Heathcliff is a particularly strong character in terms of parallels with Iago

3. Definite portrayal of obsessive love

4. Has some particularly poignant quotations

1. Text may be popular and thus unoriginal

2. Hard to determine whether Heathcliff is Iago or Othello, hero or villain?

Would be a very useful text as it is completely based on obsessive love and shows how it can destroy a person, causing them to breed further darkness.

Picture of Dorian Gray

1. Read independently and thus have completely original ideas

1. Not a great deal about love, rather an infatuation with

Much more abstract text that offers a more original and thought provoking analysis of

2. Particularly emphasises the destructive nature of obsession

3. Oscar Wilde shows a very definite message

4. Parallels between the influence of Iago and Lord Henry

himself and the idea of beauty and youth

the darker side of love, particularly as he kills himself when he sees what he has become (much like Othello).

Great Expectations

1. Has differing branches of obsession

2. Pip shows some qualities of a machiavel in his desire to move beyond his class

3. Miss Havisham’s corruption of Estella shows how her obsession has had a direct negative impact

1. Shows obsession but not particularly destruction

Different branches of obsession and love are described and one can draw parallels with Othello, however not as dramatic or active destruction occurs, more emotional or of the mind.

Coursework Texts:Othello, Wuthering Heights and The Picture of Dorian Gray

Coursework Question: Compare and contrast the presentation of obsessive love and its destructive nature in Shakespeare’s Othello, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.