the past

In literature the past constantly affects the present and future. There are countless examples of characters that are either haunted or helped by their past. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is both positively and negatively influenced by his past. He told many stories of his past to Desdemona and that is what caused her to fall in love with him. There would be no plot at all without that key event. Even after Othello is taken over by jealousy, the other characters still give him the benefit of the doubt because in the past he was always a good man. Othello's past is also his curse. He led a very unusual life before Desdemona, a very military life. He did not have many interactions with women let alone relationships with them and this affected his relationship with Desdemona. He was inexperienced in love and the slightest implication of her indiscretion prompted him to respond by killing her. This very violent reaction is consistent with his military past, noble as it was.