However, Othello’s character begins to change and his faith in Desdemona deteriorates in Act 2, Scene 3, and for the first time in the play he has several doubts over Desdemona and Cassio’s behaviour. Othello’s personality begins to change from the point of Cassio’s brawl with Montano. These are the first signs that we see of Othello’s downfall in confidence – “Zounds, if I stir or do but lift this arm, the best of you shall sink in my rebuke”, showing that he’s extremely irritated and shocked at the extent of the fight. This line also prepares the audience for the dismissal of Cassio because Othello is clearly unhappy about the situation and wants whomever responsible for the brawl to be sacked. In addition, Othello is manipulated by Iago’s ironic ideas of Desdemona’s faithfulness – “Ha! I like not that” which is a clever and taunting form of language to destroy Othello’s passion for Desdemona. This also provokes Othello to such a degree that he has to question Iago’s assumptions of Desdemona and Cassio on several occasions, “what does thou say?” Iago’s response is limited, “Nothing, my lord”, which provokes Othello. Iago’s deliberate secrecy of his thoughts frustrates Othello which ecourages Othello’s desperate state to know the rest of Iago’s ideas and knowledge about Desdemona and Cassio. Also, Othello’s transformation in character becomes clear in Act 4 and previous to this, (Act 3, Scene 4) Shakespeare withdraws Othello’s presence which portrays the confused and paranoid state he is having to experience after Iago’s ideas have got his thinking about Desdemona. His absence is achieved by his dismay at the loss of the handkerchief, which he gave to Desdemona. This shows a clever structural ending of Act 3 in ‘Othello’, as it builds up tension between the characters.
Iago’s deviousness continues in Act 3 and he uses Desdemona’s handkerchief to further convince Othello about her unfaithfulness. The handkerchief is an important symbol between Othello and Desdemona in the play since it symbolises their commitment and Othello’s passion for her, “To lose, or give’t away were such perdition”, also demonstrates the disastrous consequences and threat towards her if she loses it which proves to be the case. Iago sets up the handkerchief with Cassio and subsequently reintroduces the handkerchief by informing Othello that Cassio has it, “did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with”. This is a clever form of language presented by Shakespeare as it encourages Othello to believe him, partly because the concept appears so realistic (using a handkerchief to wipe his beard seems like a task men would carry out back then). This consequently results in the mistrust Othello has in Desdemona, “O, blood, blood, blood!” portraying the violent nature through the repetition of ‘blood’, which Othello has now gained. Othello’s mistrust in Desdemona produces a rapid fire of questions about the whereabouts of the handkerchief, which Desdemona knows she has lost. “Is’t lost? Is’t gone? Speak: is’t out o’the’way?” This sudden eruption from Othello shows his high level of urgency for the finding of the handkerchief so that he can prove to himself that what Iago has said is true. This case of fragmented speech also shows Othello’s negative state of mind. The handkerchief has allowed Othello to become increasingly paranoid over the situation which has cast doubts over his wife. All of this reveals the change in his character once again through the powerful significance behind the handkerchief which Shakespeare has used to show the weakness of Othello’s personality.
Iago’s poisoning of Othello’s mind continues in Act 4, Scene 1 and only worsens to such an extent that Othello has his own suspicions of Desdemona cemented into his heart. “Ay let her rot and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live”, demonstrates Othello’s anger and a violent attitude towards Desdemona through strong verbs. This is quite a critical point in the play, as Shakespeare demonstrates the hatred Othello has begun to acquire as a result of Iago’s trickery but furthermore he now believes for himself in Desdemona’s disloyalty towards him, which has been achieved by successful manipulation. However, now that Othello is next to completely paranoid at the extent of Desdemona’s apparent unfaithfulness he can simply state what he plans to do with her without even thinking about it logically, “I will chop her into messes”. This once again shows the immense downfall of his character since he cannot control his anger because of his certainty of Desdemona’s disloyalty demonstrating his gullibility. Iago’s thoughts have slowly infiltrated Othello’s brain throughout the play leading to the change in Othello’s character from modest and reasonable to a paranoid monster, which is put across by Shakespeare through his acceptance of Iago’s obscure lies.
The ever-increasing tension that continues in Act 4 ensures that Othello’s love and belief in Desdemona gradually deteriorates such to an extent in Act 4, Scene 2 that he has completely lost his state of mind. His paranoia and uncontrolled sudden speeches, “O devil, devil!” immediately allow the audience to see the collapse of his character because of his sudden outburst in a public scene. The repetition of the word ‘devil’ allows the audience to see the hatred he now feels for Desdemona who is contributing to her own downfall – T’atone them, for the love I bear to Cassio.” The fact that ‘love’ and ‘Cassio’ are mentioned together infuriates Othello and leads him on to question Desdemona’s foolish statements. These sudden triggers are put across by Shakespeare to construct the dramatic downfall of Othello’s love for Desdemona although she still loves him. In addition Othello’s certainty of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness is witnessed with her encounter with him, “heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell”, a rather blunt phrase which demonstrates the permanent friction that separates him from her. Also, Othello’s complete downgrade in character can be seen by the audience from the shortened name he calls his wife in Act 5, Scene 2, “Have you prayed tonight, Desdemon”, which illustrates his perception of her as a demon as well as his intention of killing her in order to destroy the evil, which of course is entirely misinterpreted. All of this puts Othello in a terrible position because deeply, he knows that killing Desdemona is wrong, but the green eyed monster which surrounds the other half of Othello takes control over him which has led him to lose his mind in this dramatic situation.
Despite the fact that the audience can see that Othello has lost his mind by killing Desdemona, we once again see the original and modest Othello shortly after she is dead. His transformation back to his former self is easily recognised by the audience when he reacts in a noble manner which is what he saw of him earlier, “I know this act shows horrible and grim”. Here, Othello is admitting that what he has done is dreadfully wrong which he was unaware of when he decided he would murder her, therefore portraying the renovation he has undergone back to his former sensible self. This transformation is partial. However his alteration continues to strengthen and the audience can see his previous articulate expressions return, “be not afraid, though you do see me weaponed”, portraying his calmness and reassurance which he was unable to express after being infiltrated with Iago’s lies. Furthermore his decision to commit suicide with a substantial level of regret can be seen (apart from his murder of Desdemona and acceptance of Iago’s words), “I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss”. This allows us, the audience, to have expected his death because Othello was a courageous character and it’s better that he dies like this rather than living a regretful life. Also, Shakespeare ensures the audience can once again see the Othello that they once looked up to and this allows him to die with some dignity and justice, which is what we would have to see because Othello was considered as a hero at the start of the play. All of this once again puts him in favour of the Venetian people as well as the audience.
At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare introduces Othello as a proud, modest and important figure to the audience; however the presentation of Othello begins to change through the play into more of a paranoid monster, full of jealousy and there are several key factors that rob him off these previous noble qualities. Shakespeare presents the changes through the language he uses and the action that he presents which allows the audience to recognise Othello’s downfall. Iago’s craftiness, the powerful meaning behind the handkerchief and the instability of Othello’s mind transform the audience and characters’ perception of the once, gracious Othello, which allow the changes to become more noticeable towards the ending of the play.
