Category: Othello

There is a fine line between illusion and ideals and reality and truth. This line is easily manipulated. Ideals give the individuals drive and allow them to set goals for themselves. These goals provide purpose to each individual and, consequently, allow each individual to achieve their own sense of personal happiness. Being pragmatic, on the other hand, gives individuals a chance to look at the task from all sides and allows them to identify what is achievable, it grounds their aspirations. If individuals do not maintain their ideals, they will have nothing to strive toward. If they do not recognize reality, their goals and decisions will be misdirected and not be attainable. Ironically, if individuals neglect either ideals or truth, they will be dissatisfied and, consequently, will not achieve purpose or happiness. However, due to the limits of human perception and the abstract nature of this balance, individuals may fail to recognize the necessity of maintaining their ideals when responding pragmatically to the world around them, leading to a lack of personal contentment. Consequently, it is vitally important for individuals to recognize that the world around them may fail fail to live up to their ideals, but they must use their ideals regardless to facilitate both personal and social growth. The character of Othello in Othello, by William Shakespeare, illustrates the danger of what happens when the line between illusion and reality distorts so greatly that ideals and emotion are all that are acted upon. There is a neglect of rationality or balance, which ultimately leads to a lack of contentment from anyone.

When Othello first appears on scene, he is presented as a character disliked by others. He has secretly married the fair Desdemona, daughter of Brabantio, a venetian general and is criticized by others before appearing on scene. As the play continues, the audience is shaken by seeing his good qualities. He is good, and calm. What is most striking about Othello in the first act is his natural charisma and his skill in communicating with the Venetian elite. His speech is long and flowing, using complex sentences and courteous language to convey intelligence and sophistication. when addressing certain figures within the court, he uses flattering formal references such as ‘Most potent, grave, and reverend signors. ’ This shows that, although his primary business as general is battle, he knows a lot about the way Venetian society works, and uses his knowledge to gain the favour and respect of his peers, which is also shown by his discussions with the Duke. Othello also shows wisdom in his clear perception of people’s characters in the first and second act, a talent which will later fail him (with honest Iago). He has gained wisdom from years of experience out in the field, it is this that initially attracts and interests Brabantio, the people of venice and eventually his bride Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona have a love that is pure, deep and vital to the contentment of either party. After winning desdemona’s favour over her father, Othello is warned by Brabantio that she has betrayed her father and will to him do the same. He takes this warning and declares defiantly “My life upon her faith!” This absolute trust and loyalty with love between Othello and Desdemona in the first acts of the play show the true love shared between the two, which is a defining part of both characters. There is a void between the second and third acts wherein Othello begins to undergo significant changes. These changes are very noticeable, and important to understand as they show Othello unraveling from the characterization we had previously been introduced to. The audiencebegins to change their perception of Othello as he begins to breakdown; acting and speaking inversely of how he used to.

There is a main cause to this of course, Iago. Othello’s most trusted advisor, ‘honest Iago’, shows how one’s take on reality can be completely fabricated and how one’s perception and foresight is truly limited. Othello and Iago are very alike, we see this in Iago’s feral power hungry nature and Othello’s rage fuelled spirit of revenge. Given that Othello can read the Venetian people exceptionally well as he is detached from them and shared few similarities, Iago is in a very powerful position as Othello can’t quite seem to get a read on people on a similar mind field as him. Othello gets approached by Iago with the idea that his dearly beloved wife Desdemona might be having an affair with his former lieutenant Cassio. This alone at first plants the seeds of doubt in Othello’s almond and enrages him because Iago has presented no proof at this point of anything and he would rather know the whole story or nothing. So, ‘honest Iago’, to save his own skin, recounts to Othello a tale where Cassio confessed in his sleep and kissed Iago thinking he was Desdemona. Othello is livid at this point and enters a fit. This is where Othello is shown to have really lost his grip on reality and himself. He is incredibly susceptible to Iago’s claims and Iago pulls off the perfect play that both wis Othello’s trust and ensures Cassio’s downfall. He sets up Othello in a cell, hidden from view but able to overhear a conversation between Cassio and Iago. In this conversation, Iago manages to talk about Bianca, a woman Cassio is involved with, while having Othello think the conversation is about Desdemona. As the conversation unfolds, Othello gets more and more enraged, and bent on revenge, communicating this through brief monologues to the audience. A big win Iago gets is the arrival of Bianca with a handkerchief Othello had given to Desdemona as a symbol of love. This, in Othello’s mind, proves that Desdemona and Cassio are involved as that handkerchief was a very important symbol for their love.

At this point, after seeing this reality, where his wife and best friend have betrayed him, Othello’s character does a complete turn and becomes one like Iago, suspicious, bent on revenge, and disregarding of others (women, help, others). Othello is affected greatly by Iago and the facade he creates throughout the play. We see him at the start as a respected, revered general transform into a fallen, cynical, shell of a man, due to the unfortunate sequence of events caused by coincidence and the doings of Iago. Contradicting his earlier tendencies, Othello judges Iago’s character very naively constantly calling him ‘honest Iago. ’ Reading Iago very wrongly as opposed to how he approached Brabantio and others. He misjudged Cassio and his wife, Desdemona ‘O, that the slave had forty thousand lives. One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. ? ’ referring to either of the two, showing his focus completely on revenge. Iago has found Othello’s Achilles heel and made a great impact on it, believing whatever Iago says unquestioningly and not pausing to rationalize his own thoughts. In earlier scenes, Othello takes great care with his speech and conduct. However, at this point, all pretences are dropped. His speech is wild and erratic, and his points aren’t as precise. When speaking before, he made sure there was reason to his words. Now, he places blame on others without reason. In his current temperament, he is blind to considering other options. Othello reveals that he has made his love for Desdemona the most important aspect of his life, turning it into another fatal flaw for Iago to abuse. Whereas, before, when they shared a beneficial, pure love, where both parties respected each other, Othello now views this love as a weakness, a trap that brought him down. Emphasizing the radical change in othello’s character is his sudden change in morals and his position on various issues. His view on justice, once fair, is skewed. In Venice, before the duke, he expected a fair and just trial, expecting the furious Brabantio to hear his side of the story. “The very head and front of my offending Hath this extent, no more. ” This is what he declares, that he loves desdemona, but was involved in no witchcraft. However, when the seeds of doubt and the illusions of Iago are placed on his mind, he takes them in immediately, not pausing to question or rationalize whether Desdemona would actually betray him. He sentences the woman he loves to death without question, angry as brabantio with noone to calm him, only Iago to throw fuel onto the fire. It is ironic that he so easily believed iago’s rumours and took direct action on them when pausing to inquire around could have averted the whole tragedy. This impulse action on the illusion of reality led to Othello’s downfall and loss of his status, psyche and true love. In conclusion, Othello, by William Shakespeare illustrates the danger of allowing illusion to take over reality. Othello faces many tough decisions but neglects to follow his ideals and gets manipulated very easily by Iago due to his deep love for Desdemona. It is important for us to learn from this neglect. As humans it is very easy to get caught up in the emotions and think erratically. We forget our basic personal morals, principles and beliefs and act out off primal emotions.

These emotions, while beneficial to our responses, often result in decisions that lack foresight or logic. They end up hurting people that we care about and while we may not go as extreme as Othello, can still create situations that are just as dire. It is essential to maintain and follow our ideals and system of beliefs when deciding and pragmatically responding to situations to ensure accomodation for lack of foresight and that the best outcome can unfold for all.

William Shakespeare’s Othello explores the term ‘other’ to achieve his purpose of trying to question the validity of stereotypes. Shakespeare uses the protagonist, Othello to question the racial prejudices during the Renaissance and to question the validity of stereotypes. During the Elizabethan Era in England, a dark-skinned person in a position of power wasn’t part of the norm during the Elizabethan England, the population, at the time, considered dark-skinned people to be seen as a minority compared to the English People who were mainly based on their religious views. By placing Othello as a Venetian General where he has a position of power and where is respected and charitable, Shakespeare brings forth the idea that the racially stereotyped ‘Others’ aren’t as bad as they are described by the population of Venice and Cyprus. However, as the play continues, Othello is shown to lose power and has turned into a monster after killing his faithful wife, which returns him back to the norm of the Elizabethan Era.

Othello is frequently represented as the ‘other’ in the play through Iago’s derogatory and xenophobic use of animal imagery such as “the Moor,” “the devil,” and “a Barbary horse” to refer to Othello. Similarly, Roderigo refers to Othello as having ‘thick lips’ which draws a line of isolation towards Othello to discriminate against him based on his difference in physical appearance. Othello is referred to as if he is a hypersexualized beast which ultimately reflects the beliefs held by the community about black men during this time. When Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, is informed that Othello is being intimate with his daughter, he finds it hard to believe that his daughter could genuinely love a black man and hence accuses Othello of using black magic on his daughter to marry him. Iago also instills into Brabantio’s mind that Desdemona isn’t the one at fault for this elopement, it is of course Othello who is at fault as he has supposedly hypnotized her into this relationship with black magic. ‘At this very minute an old black ram is having sex with your little white ewe’, Iago is shown to have hatred towards Othello in this line as he describes Othello as an old black ram who is lustful whereas Desdemona as a white ewe which portrays innocence.

Thus, Shakespeare conveys the racial prejudices occurring in the Elizabethan Era, through Othello which became his hamartia and contributed to his downfall.

Throughout the plot of the play, the character Othello reveals himself as an amoral character. His character is interesting from many perspectives since the protagonist develops from being a heroic and moral individual into a cruel and amoral person, who even kills, as the result of Iago´s insidious machinations. Othello can be described as a foil since he shows the same dishonest and cruel behavior as Iago.

At the beginning of the play, Othello is represented as moral, since „he shows the creation of trust, confidence, and integrity in relationships“. In Act 1 Scene 2, Othello shows his pride in his services to the Vetenarian State by saying, “My parts, my title, my perfect Soul / Shall manifest me rightly“. His word choice derives that he is self-assured because he says „my title“ and „my perfect soul“. However, although he seems moral in the mentioned phrase, it foreshadows his character flaw that may later in the play result in his unethical and misleading actions, since it reveals his arrogance and the fact that he cares about his reputation, which thrives him for his amoral behavior further in the play because Iago uses Othello´s social and racial insecurities to undermine his feeling of unworthiness for Desdemona. In addition, Othello also says „My life upon her faith“ in Act 1 Scene 3. Othello had been warned by Barbanito, Desdemona´s father, to be careful with his daughter, because if she could betray him, she could do similar to Othello. This statement is ironic because, after Iago´s sinful plans, Othello actually does give his life for Desedemona´s paucity of „faith“. Othello also shows how strong his love for Desdemona is when they greet each other in Cyprus, by saying „If it were now to die, Twere now to be most happy, for I fear“. This declaration denotes that if he would die right now, he would be happy, since he is united with her and that he may never be as happy as now again. „This is prophetic“since due to Iago´s intervention Othello will actually never be as happy as then again. This implies that his desire to die happy and joyful will not be fulfilled.

His love for Desdemona symbolizes his moral character trait at the beginning of the play, however, we can still detect signs of amoral features, since he already shows emotional instability, by laying his life on her faith.

As Iago´s interferences start to occur and affect Desdemona´s and Othello´s relationship, we as the reader, can see how Othello develops into a man consumed and driven by jealousy. In Act 2 Scene 3 we can see an early example where Iago seizes Othello under his power; „I know, Iago, Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, Making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee But never more be an officer of mine“. Here Othello believes in Iago´s honesty and in his statement that he did not want to trouble Cassio. At the end of his speech, Iago has successfully achieved his goal; „to discredit Cassio in the eyes of Othello“. Othello even says „But never more be an office of mine“, which shows that he is not very thoughtful anymore and quickly based his decision (to never make him his officer again) on Iago´s side of the story. From this point onwards, Othello starts to believe what he hears, rather than trying to build up his own opinion and „discover himself“. This is one tremendous character flaw, because he „loses his sound judgment “, due to the fact that he takes action without showing deep thought.

Act 3 Scene 3 is the turning point of the play, also called the temptation scene. Othello starts to lose trust in Cassio, due to the way Iago explains his view on Cassio. Othello asks Iago for his opinion on Cassio when saying „Indeed? Ay, indeed! Discern’st thou aught in that? Is he not honest?“. This implies that Othello loses the trust in one of his old officers, without any real evidence, and just to the fact that he had left his house. This shows clear signs of Amoral behavior since he loses trust in people and starts to become emotionally unstable.

In Othello´s soliloquy, he reflects on the conversation with Lago and starts to think that he can’t expect Desdemona to love him truly since he is black, uncivilized, and old.

‘Haply, for I am black

And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have, or for I am declined

Into the vale of years – yet that’s not much –

She’s gone.“

This shows the result Iago´s wicked plots had on Othello since Othello is starting to believe that he is not good enough for Desdemona. From his word choice, we can detect that his fear is very emotional and „rooted in the incoherent logic of racism“. His feeling of unworthiness starts to flourish into anger and malevolence, which indicates a very clear and obvious amoral behavior since he demonstrates „serious personal defects“, which later lead to his impulsive and often cruel behavior.

In Act 4 Scene 2, Desdemona is being true to Othello, however, Othello does not believe her and sticks to his idea that she had betrayed him. During their conversation, Othello describes Desdemona as a „whore“, in which he alludes to the sexist stereotype and indicates his development into an amoral character. Moreover, he also wishes Desdemona never have dean born, by saying ‘O thou weed Who art so lovely fair, and smells so sweet, That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst never been born, That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born!“.

Even a small seed of suspicion placed in someone’s head can lead to horrible, destructive things. Sexual desires cause jealousy and mistrust. “Sexual images trigger chemical reactions in your brain, which in turn compel us to act in specific ways or be drawn to certain things, or motivated to engage in particular behaviors” (Kuszewski). In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, sexual imagery is shown through the characters and we see that a person can be driven by their sexual desires.

Emilia is often mentally abused by her husband Iago who treats her like property. Back then, women were only expected to be housewives, take care of their children and obey their husbands. Iago says, “You rise to play and go to bed to work” which is inferring that she only “works” when she is making love at night. Iago only sees her as a sexual object and has no respect for her. When Desdemona asked her if wives would cheat on their husbands she replied, “But I do think it is their husbands’ faults If wives do fall. Say that they slack their duties, And pour our treasures into foreign laps; Or else break out in peevish jealousies, Throwing restraint upon us. Or say they strike us…/” (IV.iii.90-107). Emilia understands men and their desires. Wives learn from their husbands who treat them horribly, abuse them physically and emotionally, and don’t see them as human beings who have feelings. Emilia once again shows her knowledge of men when she tells Desdemona that Othello is jealous when she lost the handkerchief. “This, not a year or two shows us a man.They are all but stomachs, and we all but food…/”(III.4.112-114). Men only want women to make love with and when we satisfy them they reject us and find someone else to satisfy their needs.

Although Cassio may only see Bianca as a sexual object, Iago sees her as an important role in his schemes. Iago uses her to make Othello think that Cassio and Desdemona are making love when in reality it’s Bianca. Cassio describes that she “so hangs, and lolls and weeps upon me, so shakes and pulls me…/” (IV:i:154-155). As described earlier both Cassio and Iago only see women as sexual objects with no other worth. Throughout the play she is described as a prostitute, however, she does not agree with her reputation and says she lives honestly (V:i:134-136). When the handkerchief was found in her possession it symbolized that Othello’s love was thrown around and Desdemona was not faithful (IV:i:160-170).

Shakespeare’s Othello presents to its audience the tragic story of a doomed interracial marriage in which Othello, the titular ‘Moor of Venice’ becomes entangled in the schemings of his malevolent ensign Iago, who convinces him of his wife Desdemona’s infidelity. By the end, Othello has murdered Desdemona and taken his own life out of grief and guilt. That Othello succumbs to manipulation and loses his reputation, marriage, and life makes him tragic enough. Unique to this character, though, is the way racial and gendered power enable and heighten his tragedy. Othello is a black man in a white ecosystem. He faces and internalizes societal racism and marginalization that feed the insecurities that are ultimately exploited by Iago. And though he is denied access to the power and comfort of whiteness, he is still able to brandish the power of patriarchy and maleness. A victim of alienation himself, Othello victimizes others with the power he does have–the ability to carry out gendered violence. And therein lies the thing that makes Othello such a tragic character: he responds to his personal alienation in a hostile society by perpetuating hostility. Ultimately, it is the intersection of Othello’s marginalized identity (blackness) and his privileged identity (maleness) that transforms him into a tragic character because it allows his insecurities to be weaponized by a patriarchal, racist universe to erode his humanity.

From the very beginning, the explicit racism of white Venetian society establishes a backdrop against which Othello’s blackness becomes a marginalized, exploitable aspect of his identity. In the opening scene, Iago crudely and hatefully informs Desdemona’s father Brabantio of her elopement with Othello, crying “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.88–9). Here, the illicit nature of their relationship in the eyes of Venice is made scathingly clear. As Iago sees it, a black African has had the gall to court and marry a white Venetian beauty as if he were the equal of a man of her class and color. And she has had the gall to prefer “a lascivious Moor” (1.1.126) to her own kind and defiantly proclaims her love for this “erring barbarian” (1.3.355-6) in public. As a result, Othello and Desdemona find unleashed upon them, in the shape of Iago’s schemes, the venomous rage of a society whose foundations are rocked by the mere existence of their marriage. Because Othello and Desdemona have made a mockery of the principles of social, sexual, and racial hierarchy on which white men like Iago base their very identity and sense of self-worth, he hatches a plot designed to put them in their place: to turn “The divine Desdemona” (2.1.73) into the “subtle whore” (4.2.21) he thinks every woman really is, and to turn the noble, esteemed Othello into a deranged wife-killer, who proves the racist’s worst fears fully justified. Iago, of course, is not the only source of societal racial contempt, though the intensity of his loathing is unrivaled. Roderigo, too, derides Othello, as “the thick-lips” (1.1.66), while Brabantio, in his public confrontation with Othello, finds it inconceivable that his daughter should desire to “Run from her garage to the sooty bosom Of such a thing as thou” (1.2.70–1) without being drugged or bewitched. By presenting such endemic, ingrained racism in the white male characters, Shakespeare makes it plain from the start that it’s not just Iago the newly-weds are up against, but the status quo and a view of the world which Iago merely embodies in its most lethal form. Their defiance of the Venetian taboo against interracial marriages locks them from the outset into a defensive posture, which predisposes Othello to the insecurity and doubt that grip him so swiftly at Iago’s prompting and set him on the ruinous, tragic path of murder.

On top of the endemic anti-blackness of Venetian culture, or more accurately, as a result of it, Othello’s internalized racism forces him squarely into Iago’s conspiracy and towards tragedy. When Othello’s faith in Desdemona’s love begins to crumble, his complexion is the first thing he blames: “Haply, for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have” (3.3.263–5). Here marks the first time Othello seems to give into society’s perception of him as something unrefined, something undesirable. Such an explicit acceptance of anti-blackness allows his insecurities to rise to the surface uninhibited. Later in that same conversation with Iago, Othello connects his race to even more awful concepts. He instinctively employs his own blackness as a metaphor for his wife’s alleged depravity: “Her name, that was as fresh As Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black As mine own face” (3.3.386–8). Far more malignant than ill manners, Othello allows his blackness to become a stand-in for sinfulness and evil. In real-time, the audience watches as Othello not only talks himself into believing Iago’s lies about Desdemona’s adultery, but seemingly the lies that blackness is a marker of some moral perversion. This belief, as much as his conviction of Desdemona’s guilt, allows Othello to murder his wife in cold blood. Othello’s relationship with his racial identity is, then, a key component in his downfall because his visibly alien race makes him far more vulnerable to the machinations of Iago than if he were an equally accomplished and indispensable white man. Iago is keenly aware that Othello’s skin color creates a barrier that he can never completely overcome, and he uses this to sow seeds of doubt and jealousy in Othello’s mind. In othering Othello from himself, Iago, the mouthpiece of Venetian society, creates not merely a black man who is jealous, but a man whose jealousy and blackness are inseparable, with the latter being the foundation upon which the former is built. When Othello internalizes Iago’s (and others’) anti-black sentiments, he dooms both himself and Desdemona. After all, with no other outlet, he responds to his own victimization by murdering his wife, and victimizing another in a tragic show of gendered violence.

Gendered power works in tandem with racial alienation to turn Othello from a respected, content general into a paranoid, murderous speller of his own doom. Like racism, misogyny is forced externally onto Othello by a white patriarchal society, which causes him to internalize and perpetuate it. From the start, sexual jealousy is shown to be the norm in Venice rather than an anomalous emotional disorder to which Othello is especially prone to succumb. Roderigo’s infatuation with Desdemona makes him intensely jealous of both Othello and Cassio (2.1.303-304), and Iago himself betrays the same toxic disposition when he fastens automatically on sexual jealousy as a pretext for provoking it in Othello: ‘I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat; the thought whereof Doth (like a poisonous mineral), gnaw my inwards’ (2.1.295–7). Although none of them is as consumed by jealousy as Othello, all these characters fall prey like him to the jealousy and sexual entitlement that flourishes in a society in which the sexual desire of a woman is regarded as the property of a man. From such societal precedence, Othello’s own relationship with gendered power becomes clear. His dread of cuckoldry and the underlying misogyny that feeds into it perfectly aligns with the patriarchal culture of a city where his race makes him feel like an outsider, but where he’s entirely at home as a man. The explanation for why Iago is so quick and successful in persuading Othello to swallow the rumors he spins about Desdemona’s infidelity is that Othello is primed to believe it by the warped view of women and female sexuality that he shares not only with Iago but with all the other male characters. When Iago reminds Othello that Desdemona “did deceive her father, marrying you” (3.3.206) as proof of her capacity to double-cross men, he’s merely echoing the parting words with which Brabantio sought to sow the same seeds of suspicion in Othello’s mind in Act 1: “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see; She has deceived her father, and may thee” (1.3.292-3). Indeed, Iago’s role as a villain is as much a reflection of a prejudiced society as the workings of a vengeful individual. And by echoing societal pressures on Othello, he successfully capitalizes on the general’s ingrained misogyny to convince him that he must execute Desdemona to salvage his dignity, unknowingly bringing about his own tragedy in the process. Thus, the misogyny that is just as endemic as racism in Venetian culture plays an equally crucial role in sealing the tragic fate of Othello.

The great danger, perhaps, of interpreting the tragedy as a byproduct of a patriarchal, racist universe is the risk of abstracting Othello’s actions away from himself. Certainly, Othello is a victim of a racist system that has marginalized him and left him vulnerable to racial insecurities. So, too, has his perspective of women and sexuality been tainted by a patriarchal, misogynistic society. Above all, though, Othello must be understood as a character who has the agency to carry out the acts that upend his life and tragically destroy him. Iago’s devious scheme against Othello functions so well because it needs only reflect his victim’s own beliefs, confirm his suspicions, and fulfill his expectations. The audience sees this in full force when Iago carefully and intentionally agrees with Othello’s growing paranoia that Desdemona must eventually snap back to her ‘natural’ taste in (white) men one day (3.3). Though he planted the seeds of doubt in the first place, Iago knows he only needs to act as a mirror for Othello’s growing doubts to get his victim to fall deeper into a conspiracy on his own merits. And when Othello asks Cassio to “demand that demi-devil Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body,” Iago brusquely interjects: “Demand me nothing; what you know, you know” (5.2.301-3). In other words, Iago, and by extension, Venetian society, did not explicitly force Othello to commit the actions he committed. Push and aggravate him, yes, but never force him. Othello kept his agency through it all. It is clear, then, that the societal pressures of Othello’s marginalized blackness and privileged maleness create the conditions necessary for his tragedy, but ultimately must be balanced with the character’s own agency to understand the nuances of his tragedy. Even when sympathizing with the difficult circumstances Othello faces, the audience understands that culpability for Desdemona’s death falls squarely on Othello’s shoulders. And that too, heightens the tragedy of Othello’s character. After all, the greatest of tragedies are those which come by the protagonist’s own hand.

In the end, the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Othello is that of a black man whose enemies capitalize on the insecurities that flow freely from such hateful systems as racism and patriarchy. And though by the end, Othello has committed heinous acts of violence, the audience still feels sympathy for the protagonist who, just five acts ago, was well on his way to living a peaceful, happy life with his new wife. In Elizabethan England, where blackness on the stage was almost always a stand-in for inherent evil, where audiences brought unmitigated racial prejudice with them to the playhouse, Shakespeare produced in Othello an unexpectedly searing critique of racial and sexual injustices for their ability to make otherwise good people vulnerable to committing heinous acts that perpetuate such injustices. It is a critique that is perhaps even more powerful today in the 21st century than it could ever hope to be at the dawn of the 17th.

We know that during the context of the original script, people were extremely superstitious, and this affected their view on everything from treating illnesses to religion. Religion was central to Elizabethan society – Queen Elizabeth made attendance at the Church compulsory. Unless you had a valid excuse such as illness, you were fined if you did not attend. Almost everyone was Christian. The convictions and beliefs held in the Catholic and Protestant branches were so strong that adhering to the “wrong” branch could bring you torture, imprisonment, or execution. Most people believed that hell was a very real place and that the devil was a specific person or being.

Due to the immense political nature of religion, Shakespeare avoided speaking directly about Christianity. However, the preoccupation with good and evil suggests the play’s religious context. Shakespeare made use of the Christian context of Elizabethan society to shape the audience’s perception of the characters through biblical allusions to heaven and hell. Othello begins as an ardent and genuine lover to Desdemona, who is associated in Act 1 Scene 3 with characteristics expected of a godly Christian woman: loyalty, obedience, and chastity. In Act 2 Scene 1, Roderigo says of Desdemona: “She’s full of most blessed condition”. The biblical allusion created by the word ‘blessed’ creates a connection between Desdemona and the Divine, suggesting her purpose in the novel as a type of angelic figure. This idea of Desdemona being an angel is juxtaposed by references in relation to Iago of hell, thus presenting Iago as the devil. Shakespeare employs the use of dramatic irony in Act 2 Scene 3 when Iago says: “When devils will the blackest sins put on / They do suggest at first with heavenly shows / As I do now.” We are aware of Iago’s destructive plans, and by him presenting himself as a devil who appears innocent, he is revealing his devilish ability to deceive those around him with a façade of honesty. Once his manipulative nature is exposed in Act 5 Scene 2, he is referred to as a ‘damned slave’, a ‘demi-devil’, and a ‘hellish villain’. Lodovico says of Iago: “Where is that viper?” The term ‘viper’ or snake has a biblical allusion to the depiction of Satan. He is therefore presented to the audience as the epitome of all evil; the devil himself. As we navigate our way through the plot of the original script, we follow Othello’s psychological journey from heaven to hell.

Because of the importance of religion in Elizabethan society, Shakespeare is able to shape the audience’s perception of the characters by making references to the Christian context in which the script was written.

The idea of religion has been disregarded in the adaption ‘O’. This could reflect the high school, contemporary context, denoting that religion is not something of importance to the average high school student in the modern world. Instead, the adaptation has focused on a motif of white pigeons and a large, grand hawk. The white pigeons symbolize the adaptation’s Iago, Hugo, and the hawk represents the adaptation’s Othello, Odin. Hugo narrates that he wishes to be a hawk-like Odin. Thus, the interpretation of the original script has shifted and changed with time and place to reveal that religion is not key in a contemporary context, but aspiring to be like someone else is more relevant to contemporary society.

Women were regarded as possessions in the Elizabethan context, and they are still regarded as possessions in domestic abuse situations in a contemporary context. Xenophobia existed in the Elizabethan context; and xenophobia still exists today in a multitude of forms, including race and religion. Religion was crucial in the Elizabethan context in understanding the perception of Shakespeare’s characters; but in a contemporary context, this idea has been removed, and contemporary ideas of aspiring to be something else are brought forward. By modernizing Shakespeare’s Othello and connecting it to a contemporary context, we can see how themes of women as possessions, xenophobia, and religion that were prevalent in the Elizabethan context have been interpreted in new adaptations as shifting and changing with time and place.

A soliloquy is a long speech delivered by one character to other characters or to the audience. The purpose of a soliloquy is essentially to give the audience more information about events or background regarding the drama. Iago’s soliloquy in the play Othello is especially significant. The audience will notice more in the soliloquy about how Iago has no regard for other people, and in another, we see how completely devoid of conscience he is.

In Act 1, Scene 3 Iago’s soliloquy explains to us what a good, trusting person Othello is and how Iago treat that as one of Othello’s weakness. Instead, it is evidence of how easily Othello will be manipulated to Iago’s evil ends, saying that Othello ”will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are.” This hints at Othello’s final outcome which he has been manipulated by Iago. Not just this, Iago looks at Othello’s goodness only as something that can be manipulated for his selfish goals showing the blackness in Iago’s personality. This is exemplify more of what Iago thinks which represents himself as a truly evil person and he believes evil is better than good. Iago also reveals himself to be unforgiving in this soliloquy, saying of Othello that ”it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets he has done my office.” What Iago means here is that he suspects Othello of having slept with his wife. ”I know not if’t be true,” Iago admits, but he says ”for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” This part means that instead of looking for proof and trying to understand the truth, Iago is going to persecute Othello as if he knew it for sure. So much for forgiveness or for looking for the truth! This Act 1, Scene 3 soliloquy also reveals Iago’s plan to frame Cassio for sleeping with Desdemona. Since Cassio is ”a proper man’, he thinks it will be easy to ”abuse Othello’s ear” and convince him that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Iago expresses satisfaction and no remorse for these plans as he concludes this speech with ”Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s life.”

Iago starts his Act 2, Scene 3 soliloquy by saying: ”And what’s he then that says I play the villain?” which is to say ”Who says I’m a villain? I’m no villain.” He goes on to justify his stance by saying that he has given Cassio good advice in persuading him to appeal to Desdemona to convince Othello to reinstate Cassio’s lost lieutenancy. ”This advice is free I give, and honest,” Iago argues. It’s true that Desdemona would be a good resource in this situation, ”if” Iago were not simultaneously plotting to frame Desdemona and Cassio. In this monologue, Iago seems pretty comfortable with and not at all worried about how all this evil plotting affects his character: ”Divinity of hell!” which he himself proclaims, ”when devils will the blackest sins put on, they do suggest at first with heavenly shows as I do now.” Here in this sentence, he admits himself a devil and furthermore admits the falseness of the good and honest front he shows to the world. In admitting this, he expresses no remorse whatsoever, but instead delights in his creation of ”the net that shall enmesh them all.’ Again this part is showing Iago’s will and desire to manipulate and desire for power.

These two soliloquies found in Act 1, Scene 3 and Act 2, Scene 3 give us some important information about the play Othello and also serve to illuminate the darkness of Iago’s character. The audience learns that Iago believes Othello has slept with his wife, also that Iago intends to repay this supposed infraction by making Othello believe in turn that Cassio has slept with Desdemona. The audience sees also that Iago cannot be trusted, and he does not value anyone but himself.

Among his supposed ”friends” are Roderigo, whom Iago is using for his money; Othello, whom Iago actually hates and wishes to destroy; and Cassio, whose job Iago hopes to get and whom Iago plans to use in his plot to destroy Othello. Desdemona, too, is an innocent party who gets swept into this great plot of evil.

An individual’s self-perception varies based on what they believe is an illusion and what they believe is reality. In today’s society, this same idea is present when people interact with one another, as they may retain a different perception of what others think of them compared to what the blunt truth is. As a matter of fact, humans possess the potential to influence the behaviours and thoughts of others in a way that benefits themselves, and lets down those close to them.

William Shakespeare in Othello develops the idea that the characters on the island of Cyprus are constantly being deceived by one another, implanting a sense of illusion, ultimately shielding the reality and altering their self-perception. Roderigo’s selfperception is manipulated throughout the entire text by Iago, where he is convinced and is assured that Desdemona’s rightful place is right by his side.

In Act 1, we first encounter Roderigo as the wealthy, dull-witted Venetian, and believes that he can essentially win over Desdemona by sending her expensive and lavish gifts. Right from the beginning, we see Iago’s devilish manipulation play out where Roderigo exclaims, “Tush, never tell me! I take it much unkindly That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this”. As the reader, we see that Roderigo has given blind faith to Iago, but is already suspicious of his true motives. Iago also takes Othello’s side when Brabantio’s men and Roderigo come for him where he attacks his ‘partner in crime’ by saying, “You, Roderigo! come, sir, I am for you”. Luckily for Iago, he is able to cover for himself by explaining that it is all part of the revolt to devastate Othello, and continues with his cunningness by taking advantage of Roderigo without him suspecting anything. After this encounter, Roderigo’s self-perception remains unaltered in that he still believes that Desdemona will be his own once Iago carries out his plan, as he can see that it is evident that Othello has full faith in Iago. When seeking to reconcile and discover the reality, Roderigo’s perception is slowly being faded away mostly by pure love, and is unable to realize the truth. In Scene 3, Roderigo witnesses the encounter between Brabantio and Desdemona, confirming her faithfulness for Othello where she also chooses her husband over her father, driving him into severe depression. He tells Iago that he would rather “drown thyself” than live another day and continue to be embarrassed by Iago and his foolery. Once again, Iago strikes back by comforting him, and guarantees him that “there are many events in the womb which will be delivered”.

Furthermore, Roderigo comes along to Cyprus with the rest of the characters, and is given the task of angering Cassio so that he will lose his job. Iago’s reasoning is that Cassio is in love with Desdemona and that this fact stands in his way of executing the perfectly laid out plan he has come up with. Roderigo once again doubts Iago’s statement that Cassio loves Desdemona as “She’s full of blessed condition”, and Cassio’s actions towards her were simply “courtesy”. After some more convincing by Iago, Roderigo agrees the be the undertaker of his plan. Roderigo’s mindset has anew been altered, along with his self-perception of who he truly is outside of his love quarrel for Desdemona. He is incapable to reconcile that he is just in all an illusion and is being used for Iago’s self gain; his innocence is deterring and getting torn away bit by bit as the leech hole is getting larger. Later on we see that he is getting desperate as his “money is almost spent” and that he has experienced more pain for the amount he has essentially thrown away, but is still willing to be Iago’s dirty man by committing all these misdemeanors, ultimately conspiring that it will help his case towards Desdemona and that honest Iago would never betray him no matter how absurd the plan sounds. Finally, Roderigo receives the long-awaited hunch that Iago is using him, and confronts him. He complains that, “Every day thou daffest me with some device, Iago”. He also says that he will go to Desdemona and tell her that he will stop troubling her if she simply returns his expensive gifts, and that if she is confused about what he is talking about, he will “seek satisfaction” of Iago. All this time, Iago has never provided an update on the progress of the plan, and Roderigo has not even seen Desdemona once. At this point, Roderigo is one step from reconciling the conflict between illusion and reality. Unfortunately for Roderigo, as soon as Iago grants him some esteem, Roderigo dissolves every negative thoughts towards Iago and is willing to be his servant once again. He misses his last chance to interpret the meaning of his own behaviour. This time, Iago promises that “If thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona , take me from this world with treachery and devise engines for my life”. At this moment, Roderigo’s self-perception of being an intellectual has drastically shot up, as he believes that this time Iago has no excuses left to use or he dies. He also has run out of all options; nothing remaining. As Roderigo thrusts towards Cassio and attempts to murder him, Cassio retaliates and injures him in return. Roderigo calls out for help, which turns out to be a mistake. “O damn’d Iago! O inhuman dog” were poor Roderigo’s last words. In this final chapter of the text, Roderigo is unable to come to know himself self-perception struggled to grasp on to reality, and instead gave into hope and desperation, which ended up costing his life.

Roderigo is an example of how a diluted self-perception can affect an individual when attempting to reconcile the conflict between illusion and reality. Although someone can start out as clueless and too fazed to realize the truth, they can eventually grasp a sense of reality, while making errors along the way. When someone ventures to own up to the truth, they can generate a positive perception on those around them.

Shakespeare’s Othello revolves its two central characters: Othello, a general in the Venetian army and a husband to Desdemona, and his treacherous friend, Iago. In Othello, the role of women is a prevalent theme that gets presented in a negative approach. Othello demonstrates different modes of containment are portrayed through restrictions on acts of violence and used to isolate women. The characters of Desdemona and Emilia demonstrate the treatment of what women had to go through in that time period.

The role of a women’s agency and solidarity is mediated by a social order of power and kinship. Women during this time are considered possession to a man and should always obey their husband, father, a man in their life. In the life of a woman, they should never disrespect her husband and never suggest he is wrong about something. Throughout the play, Desdemona has no choice but to play the role of an obedient wife and must keep her thoughts to herself.

Two specific scenes from Othello that displays the negative acts upon women is when Othello slaps his wife Desdemona in the face and also when Emilia takes a stand and speaks her mind about the gender inequalities during this time. Also, the time that this play is situated is when relationships had to sustain in an era of racism and sexism.

In Act four scene one from Othello, Othello displays his anger towards Desdemona in a violent way. This is seen as a powerful moment when many things are happening and out of nowhere Othello, in full rage slaps Desdemona. During this time, Othello is implementing accuses of what Iago has told him of what Desdemona has been doing behind his back. The backstory is that Iago develops a plan so it would make Desdemona seem like she was sleeping with other men which make Othello break up with her so Iago can take her as wife. In quote from the play, “OTHELLO / (striking her) Devil! /DESDEMONA /I have not deserved this. /LODOVICO / My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, /Though I should swear I saw’t. ‘Tis very much. / Make her amends, she weeps. /OTHELLO /Oh, devil, devil! /If that the earth could teem with woman’s tears, / Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. / Out of my sight! / DESDEMONA/ I will not stay to offend you.” (4.1.188-196). This scene highlights the theme because it displays Desdemona begging for forgiveness, on her knees, and trying to explain herself even though the audience knows that she is innocent. This specific scene displays how the treatment of women is portrayed in the Shakespearian time. Women were considered the weaker sex and fragile creatures that need protection.

Concerning the scene before, another scene that follows the same example is in the first Act of the play when Brabantio complains to the Duke of Venice that Othello has stolen and “drugged” his daughter. The state of Venice supports Othello’s case and the duke grants permission for Desdemona so she can go to Cyprus for the military operation that they have planned there. Before they leave for Cyprus, Othello speaks to Iago and tells and informs the Duke that he will let his wife go with Iago’s protection with the quote, “To his conveyance I will assign my wife.” (1.3.280). This specific quote from Othello does not seem to be an important feature in the play but when looked and researched deeper, the audience starts to understand what it means that Othello is making it seem like Desdemona is possession to him. This implies that Desdemona is a possession and needs to be guarded and transported safely. This can also reflect on Desdemona’s life as before she became wife, she was a daughter of the Duke of Venice and under his control, and now she is wife, under Othello’s control. These terms of control were normal and accepted in the time of Shakespeare. Women were considered as the weaker sex and need protection when they get out of the house, and this protection would be achieved in a family or achieved through marriage. The expectation that was brought up in this time, women did not have much say in this standard of living. A woman expected to obey their husbands, and husbands and utilize them at will.

Another scene that portrays this treatment and view on women is when in Act four scene three, Emilia speaks up and speaks her mind. She voices to the audience that the unfair rules are applied to women but not to men. She explains that there is unbalanced equality that women fall on the lower side of the balanced area. Emilia expresses the problems that do not allow women to have as in contrary, men are seen as the hierarchical figure in the relationship. As Emilia explains, “Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace, / Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know / Their wives have sense like them: they see and smell/ And have their palates both for sweet and sour, / As husbands have.” (4.3.89-93). Emilia’s quote explains how the difference of sexes were looked down on. Men at that time had many things that women did not have, such as power, free expression and control. To men, women are possession and do not have power or control in the relationship. Emilia tells the audience the problems that women are facing and that she does not like the norms of society. She freely expresses herself as explains the difficulties women face during this time and how she finds that the society and norms of women should change. She understands firsthand about the treatment of women. She sees how Othello treats Desdemona throughout the play, but also herself in under an abusive relationship. Iago uses Emilia to get closer to Desdemona, especially in the scene when he takes the handkerchief from her.

The theme of women in Othello can be demonstrated by the different acts of civilization in that time, such as the treatment, abuse and protection of women by the male’s roles in their life. Shakespeare displays women as victims of society who are suppressed to follow society and not complain to the norms of the perfect women is that time period. They are to follow and obey these norms and have to suffer through the fate of this system, for which they are considered as the weaker and less ranked sex.

As these scenes in the play display, the way women were seen and treated indicates women had little said in relationships and their lives. Desdemona and Emilia are characters that represent the difficulties women had to face and still to this face these challenges and are always under a hierarchy. The play Othello is a keen example that portrays the theme of women and challenges they faced during this time of hierarchy.

Othello is the play’s central character and hero. He is a Moor and general of the armies in Venice. Othello takes place in Venice and Cyprus. Iago is Othello’s ancient flagbearer and the villain of the play. Cassio is a young lieutenant and inexperienced soldier. Cassio’s high position is disliked by Iago. Desdemona is the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio and Othello’s wife. Emelia is Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. Othello and Desdemona get married and try to build a life together, but malicious Iago sabotages their marriage. Iago hates Othello because Othello passed him over for a promotion to lieutenant and chose Cassio. Iago suspects that his wife Emelia cheated on him with Othello. In this essay, I will discuss how Othello shows betrayal. Iago betrays Cassio and Othello because he feels they have betrayed him. 

Betrayal is shown in Othello through the character Iago. Iago betrays other characters because he is jealous of Cassio and Othello. He manipulates Othello and the other characters by provoking their jealousy towards one another. Iago first betrays Roderigo, who is a jealous suitor of Desdemona. Iago betrays Roderigo by using him to stir up Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, into condemning Othello to the Duke of Venice and his council of senators. Iago is hoping to have Othello relieved of his position as general, but Iago’s plan fails. Iago’s betrayal of Cassio is the direct result of Iago’s hatred and envy towards Cassio because Cassio was chosen as a lieutenant. Iago instigates Othello’s jealousy towards Cassio by hinting to Othello that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him with Cassio. This serves Iago’s dual purpose of betraying Othello by causing jealousy toward Cassio and betraying Cassio by making him the target of Othello’s jealousy. Othello asks, “How shall I murder him, Iago?” (Othello 4.1.161) after hearing Iago’s conversation with Cassio about Bianca. Othello believes Desdemona is the topic of the conversation between Iago and Cassio. Iago betrays Othello and Cassio because he is hurt that Othello promoted Cassio. Iago thinks Othello and Cassio have slept with his wife, Emilia. In the scenario described, Iago tries to convince Othello to kill Cassio and create jealousy to get revenge.

Betrayal in the play Othello influences many of the play’s characters. Othello and Roderigo both go through a crippling betrayal at the hands of sinister Iago. Iago betrays Othello by trying to ruin his relationship with Desdemona through a series of deceitful acts designed to get revenge on Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant. Iago betrays his friend Roderigo by using his deep yearning for Desdemona against him. Iago uses Roderigo’s stubbornness to control and ultimately betray him.

Betrayal in Othello is frequently revealed through the unreasonable behavior and actions of the characters. Iago intends to work up Othello enough until he does something unforgivable, which he means when referring to, “a jealousy so strong that judgment cannot cure.” (Othello 2.1.289-290). Iago is also betrayed by his wife, Emelia, who exposes Iago’s plots to Othello. For her betrayal Iago kills her. Othello betrays Desdemona by not putting enough trust in her faithfulness and ends up killing her based on false accusations. Othello grows these ideas in his mind based on Iago’s consciously created hints and situations. Even though Cassio was a good officer by Othello, after the suspicion Iago placed in Othello’s head, Othello completely loses his belief in Cassio. Othello betrays Cassio without realizing it is a betrayal. From the beginning of the play until the end, Iago betrays, tricks, and cheats Othello into believing Iago is the only loyal person around him and everyone he trusts mocks him behind his back.