Many people feel that Othello reaches the depths of humiliation and degradation in Act IV

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Daniel Smith 12B

Many people feel that Othello reaches the depths of humiliation and degradation in Act IV.

  • Consider his eavesdropping on Cassio, intimidation of Emilia and striking of Desdemona.
  • Discuss Shakespeare’s presentation of Othello as a tragic hero.

Act IV is a crucial scene in the play Othello. It is the first time that we see Othello himself physically and mentally damaged from the constant manipulation by Iago, as he first suffers a mental breakdown and then goes on to strike Desdemona. These actions could be considered not just surprising but also, in the case of the striking of his wife, immoral. In terms of whether or not we feel sympathy for Othello in this Act, while he may gain our support when he has a mental fit, as we can see the full effects of Iago’s constant manipulation of him, he loses a significant amount of audience support in physically attacking Desdemona, as hitting a woman was and still is considered morally wrong. However, to what extent is Othello humiliated and degraded in Act IV?

Once convinced by Iago that his wife is a whore, cheating on him, Othello goes to extreme lengths to try and gain revenge on her. Act IV Scene I is the final scene in which we see Iago attempting to convince Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. Iago finally fully wins Othello over when reminding him of the handkerchief that originally belonging to Desdemona, had been discovered in Cassio’s possession. At the reminder of the handkerchief, Othello begins to rage – ‘By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it!’ – and Iago then continues to torment him by stating that he has heard Cassio boast about having had sex with Desdemona – ‘as knaves be such abroad,/Who having by their own importunate suit/Or voluntary dotage of some mistress/Convinced or supplied them, cannot choose/But they must blab’. Here Iago is saying that some men who, once they’ve had a woman, can’t stop talking about it, effectively implying that Cassio is such a man. This skilful piece of manipulation is the final nail in the coffin as far for Desdemona. It is the last straw for Othello, who is now well and truly at the mercy of Iago. He is now fully convinced that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio, and what happens next in the scene is a key moment in the play.

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Firstly Othello has a mental breakdown, deeply disturbed by the supposed evidence of confession and the handkerchief, and lies on the floor in a trance. This to the audience serves as evidence of the extent of Iago’s manipulation of Othello and the effect it has had on him. We are inclined to feel sympathy for him at this stage as we see the full effects of his mind being tortured by Iago. It is also humiliating that Othello is at the mercy of Iago, lying on the floor at Iago’s feet, while Iago gloats over the evidence that his ...

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