There are a lot of themes in the play Othello all ranging from less important themes such as identity to much more important themes such as jealousy. Jealousy is a key theme in the play which is also pretty much consistent throughout the play. We get a sense of jealousy from act one when Iago is talking to Roderigo about Cassio receiving the promotion he thought he deserved. He says “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine”, “that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows” - this text is Iago expressing his hatred towards Cassio and saying how he has superior knowledge in the field of battle and how he deserved the promotion. This is a clear sign of jealously. Roderigo himself is envious with the fact that Othello got Desdemona which kind of begins the play so jealously is a large theme from the beginning. Another example of jealously in the play from someone other than Iago is Othello [3,3,31], he says “The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt, For she had eyes, and chose me.” - in this context Othello is saying how he wont be destroyed by envy as Desdemona had eyes and chose him despite him being black. However he is jealous and suspicious and says he wants “proof” of her infidelity. So jealously is a key theme in the play as it is portrayed a lot. Iago is jealous of Cassio’s promotion and throughout the play jealously moves from one character to another.
Another key theme in the play is race. Race is in nearly every scene of the play. Othello is black and this is not hidden in the play at all. They refer to him as a “moor” which is literally a old word used to describe people from Africa etc. Race is suddenly brought into the play when Iago says to Brabantio, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” - this is animal imagery of Othello being the “old” black ram and then Desdemona being the white ewe [symbolising purity and innocence]. This is literally a racial slur, he plays on notions of old times when black men were considered to be of animal like origin and to be hyper-sexuality. Iago also says “devil” in [1,1,9] which plays on the fact that black men in the 16th century were evil and that the devil took form of a black man. In the time of the play however, mixed race-relations would not have been perceived as normal, it would be just as Iago explains it-”making the beast with two backs”. Another racial comment which adds to the racial theme to the play is when Iago and Brabantio once again are talking in [1,1,9]. Brabantio says that “my house is not a grange” meaning it is not a farm or farmhouse. Iago takes advantage of this and replies “you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse” and “you’ll have your nephews neigh to you” - Iago is saying here that Desdemona is mating with an animal which will in turn lead to animal like children. He then says “making the beast with two backs” - again this is animal like imagery. Both sets of quotes are relating to Othello and his animal-like sexuality and both examples are near enough the same - racial slurring. In the 16th Century audience, this kind of manner towards mixed-relations and black people would have been seen as normal, the way that Iago describes Desdemona and Othello’s relationship is how many other 16th Century audiences would as well. It is only now in the 21st Century where it would be seen differently as it is accepted in society. Race is a important factor in Othello. He’s of high rank and importance in the play so most of the time no-one actually says Moor to him its more when Iago is talking about him. The Duke, who is the most important person in the city, doesn’t respond to Othello as a moor as he has deserved that kind of respect however the racial theme is still important as it would be perceived differently then, than to how it would be seen now.
Manipulation which closely links to deception is a theme in Othello which can be over-looked however it is consistently presented, mostly from Iago’s character. The first big part of manipulation you see is between Iago and Roderigo. Iago says in Act one Scene one, “call up her father, rouse him”, “poison his delight” and “as it may lose some colour” - these are all references of Iago telling Roderigo to go and tell Brabantio about Desdemona and Othello. Iago knows of how mixed race relations are perceived, how that certain type of relationship would have been described and knows he can play on that to get Othello in trouble which he wants to do for giving Cassio “his” promotion. He manipulates Roderigo into doing this because Iago is very sly and cunning, as it means he can dodge the chance of actually getting any retribution. Another example of manipulation is when Brabantio says to Othello “look to her, moor, if thou hast eyes to see: she has deceived her father, and may thee” - he’s reinforcing the idea of Desdemona not being loyal and trustworthy. He manipulates Othello’s way of thinking which makes it easier for Iago to manipulate his thoughts later on in the play with her handkerchief. Brabantio wants Othello to think if she can elope with Othello and deceive her father, she can do the same to Othello and the worst thing is Othello seems to buy into the stereotypical view of unruly daughters make unruly wives-when Iago repeats Brabantio’s point in Act 3, Scene 3, Othello agrees. Manipulation is a important theme as Othello is manipulated into thinking his wife is unruly and not trustworthy.
One of the most important themes in Othello is love. Love plays a large role in Othello as it’s the reason Othello and Desdemona have a strong bond which makes the “hamartia“ even more effective. Othello says to Iago “but that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhorsed free condition” - meaning that he is worthy of her and that for her he has given up freedom. He loves her, clearly, and how much she means to him. Another example of love in Othello is Desdemona when she asks for permission to accompany Othello to Cyprus. She says “that I did love the Moor to live with him” and “my downright violence and storm of fortunes” - she means that what she has done in eloping with Othello is “downright violence” that it has gone against the normal social norms of that era. She has not let her father into the marriage let alone arrange it. The phrase “storm of fortunes” portrays a very independent character. Love is a strong theme in Othello, romance overall is, its what Iago uses to disband Desdemona and Othello’s bond because he knows love is fragile and can be painful if exploited in this case it was drastically.
In conclusion, I think that the theme revenge is relevant in Othello from start to finish. However I do not think that it is the most important theme in the play. This is because I think it is not just the one theme that makes Othello the dynamic and complex play it is, it’s the use of a variety of themes to create conflicts between the characters. For revenge to be considered, other themes such as jealously and race have to be played out before revenge can even be of relevance. Iago has to have a reason for wanting to take revenge on Cassio and Othello and it is because of his jealously towards Cassio’s promotion. There are many themes to consider and which one can be of more importance. Each character wants a type of revenge on another for whatever reason. However it’s common and obvious themes such as jealousy and love that divide the characters and make revenge such the important theme that it is. In my opinion, for revenge to become such a vital part of the play, there had to be various themes to take place such as jealousy, miscommunication and deceit beforehand so that revenge had the impact it did. Examples being, if Iago was not jealous of Cassio’s promotion he would not have wanted to take revenge out on Othello and Cassio. Also when Emilia steals Othello’s handkerchief from Desdemona’s room, its because of her jealously towards their love compared to her own with Iago.
