Slowly, Iago is almost winding Othello up, and Othello even wonders whether there is a ‘monstrous in his thought, too hideous to be shown’ which follows through almost like a small lecture. Iago, maybe seeing that he may have pushed his luck a little bit says, ‘My lord, you know I love you.’ This gives Othello the impression that he genuinely does love him, is honest and that he can be trusted, and twice in his next little speech proclaims that Iago is speaking from the heart. Whether Iago does actually love Othello the audience doesn’t know.
As their conversation moves on, Othello grows more and more curious, and wants Iago to tell him what he’s thinking when he says, ‘I prithee speak to me as to thy thinkings.’ When Iago replies, when in line 137 he says, ‘Utter my
thoughts!’ he makes out that he doesn’t want to be held responsible for spreading false rumours, and then tries to appear balanced and just.
Iago continues to seem reluctant to reveal what he knows. This probably isn’t because he wants to protect Othello from what he knows, but because he knows that Othello, like all human beings has human instinct, which makes him want to know more.
In Iago’s exchanges with Othello, he strongly defends the importance of his reputation, which relies on his honesty. One can tell that Othello is quite desperate to know what Iago knows and means. At first, he asks what Iago means, then he commands Iago to tell him, then there’s a random cry, and when he doesn’t Othello lets out an exasperated cry. He increasingly keen to know and the cry shows his frustration.
Iago gives the cuckold as an example of jealousy. Again, he isn’t directly accusing anyone of anything but implying something, which again allows Othello to form something in his mind. Subtlety is the key to Iago’s device of poisoning Othello.
Throughout this exchange, Iago withholds information deliberately to try and elicit this reaction. Iago then cleverly brings up the next emotion: jealousy. This gives Othello reason to believe that he’s got something to be jealous about. Othello now might feel a bit insecure. Is this believable from Othello? Would he at the beginning of the scene have thought this, or have thought this rashly? He isn’t naturally a jealous person and he’s confident of Desdemona’s virtue.
Then, for the first time Iago tells Othello to watch Desdemona when she is with Cassio. He backs this up by telling Othello that she is capable of deception; after all, she did betray her father when marrying Othello, in Act I scene iii. In that scene, we also had Brebantio saying, ‘Look to her, Moor, she has deceived her father and may thee.’ Maybe this now echoes in Othello’s mind as he doesn’t show much change in his character.
Iago then subtly continues to suggest Desdemona’s infidelity, but he said he’s doing it out of love for Othello. He also picks up on the fact that the relationship is unusual in the fact that she chose him even though there’s a difference in colour, social standing and that he’s from a different country. He almost pounces on Othello’s reflection about the ‘un-natural’ aspect of their relationship.
In Trevor Nunn’s RSC production of 1989, here is the first time we see any physical change in Othello. He scrunches up a piece of paper and throws it aside to show his frustration and his conscience.
On Iago’s return, he reminds Othello to watch his wife when she is with Cassio, and once again takes his leave. Although this may not seem very significant, I believe that Iago returns as maybe he doesn’t believe Othello has taken in what he has said, and therefore again we must ask if his change is believable, as if Iago, someone who has known him for such a long time doesn’t think he has convinced Othello, then is the change in Othello’s character really believeable?
We then have Othello’s first soliloquy of the whole play. This is the first time where we can actually see what Othello is thinking. He opens it by talking of Iago and how,
‘This fellow’s of exceeding honesty
And knows of all qualities, with a learned spirit,
Of human dealings.’
We have just seen how incredibly un-honest Iago really is, and it’s quite ironic to see how much Othello thinks of him. He also believes that Iago has experience of human beings and is a man of the world, a good judge of character. Does this therefore mean that Iago is such a good judge of character that he in fact will know how Othello will react, in which case Othello’s change is believable.
He then questions himself, and his relationship with Desdemona, almost picking up on what Iago mentioned earlier, and how unusual their relationship is. He is black, unrefined in his speech and considerably older. He gives off a sense of insecurity and paranoia. The hawk imagery when he says,
‘Though that her jesses were my dear heart-strings,
I’d whistle her off and let her down the wind
To prey at fortune.’
refers to his courtly pursuit of Desdemona.
He then picks up on sexual appetites and saying that it’s the curse of marriage, representing unfaithfulness. His language in this soliloquy is much like that of Iago’s, and we would not have seen him use it up to now, where we see how not just physically and emotionally has Iago poisoned him, but through his own language. This all shows the effectiveness of Iago’s plot.
Although he says he cannot believe she is unfaithful when he says, ‘If she be false, O then heaven mocks itself’, I believe that before his soliloquy he’s already made his mind up, and he believes that she is guilty, as in the next scene we see section that he has made his mind up. I think that in his soliloquy, he’s looking for an excuse, but can’t really find any, and is silent on her and Emilia’s entry.
On Emilia’s and Desdemona’s entry, she asks, ‘Are you not well?’, upon which he answers, ‘I have a pain upon my forehead here.’ Leaving her to think that he is in physical pain, when we know that he is in severe emotional distress. Then we have the most important stage direction of the play so far, in that the handkerchief is dropped. We see this done very effectively in Nunn’s production.
They then exit, which leaves Emilia to pick it up which is very significant, as Iago has constantly pestered her for it. The handkerchief is the first optical piece of evidence to back up Iago’s mental and emotional devices of poisoning Othello.
Iago then enters, and we see maybe how a typical relationship would be like in Venetian society at the time. Iago treats Emilia like property, or like a dog, scolding her when she has done something wrong, rewarding her when she has done something right. Then a string of short sequences come about, and eventually Iago snatches the handkerchief off Emilia, who then doesn’t question him, which emits a sense of authority on Iago’s behalf. In the production, we see Iago kissing Emilia after this, which again strongly suggests that Iago dominates the relationship between the two.
One must also wonder though, why Emilia is not suspicious of what Iago is doing, or if she is why she hasn’t done anything about it?
Then Iago delivers a soliloquy telling the audience what is going to happen, and what he is going to do, which creates tension, and makes the audience wonder if he is going to get away with what he’s doing.
Then Othello enters, and he makes various references to the saying ‘ignorance is bliss, for instance in line 336 when he says, ‘I swear ‘tis better to be much abused Than to know’t a little.’ As well as on line 339 when he says, ‘I saw’t not, thought it not, it harmed me not.’ Iago though, has no intention of keeping Othello of what’s happened, as its all part of his plan. Othello also mentions the rack, i.e. an instrument of torture, which represents his state of mind and then also follows it through by saying on line 346,
‘I had been happy in the general camp…
Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content!
Farewell the plumed troops, and the big wars
That make ambition virtue- O farewell!
He is in obvious distress, and here is throwing away everything that defines him as a man, through his achievements on the battlefield, and also saying farewell to the person which we have known up to now.
Othello then demands proof. This shows a certain inconsistency in him, as until up to now, he hasn’t demanded anything, which again makes us wonder how believable his change is.
This is where Iago’s poison really starts working, and we see this on Nunn’s production where he is storming about, shouting, being aggressive to Iago. He speaks with aggression and passion, as any man would if he had found his wife committing adultery.
Iago mentions, on line 383 that, ‘honesty’s a fool’. Iago has used honesty as a defence, and he protests that he was only acting as friend. We have also seen Othello believe that Iago is honest, which on his behalf is a very foolish predicament.
Othello then again, on line 390 says, ‘Would I were satisfied!’. He needs to be certain that Desdemona is really cheating on him, to whom Iago responds that it would impossible to catch Desdemona and Cassio actually doing anything, and therefore can only give circumstantial evidence. This links back with when Othello on lines 360-364 demanded proof. Circumstantial evidence can’t really be seen as ground proof, and again this shows a lot of inconsistency in Othello.
Othello then demands proof, and again Iago answers on line 410 with, ‘I do not like the office.’ In which again, he claims that he doesn’t want to tell Othello anything, but must do it out of his act of friendship.
Then, Iago doesn’t actually mention the handkerchief. He wants to build up to it. If by the end of this story he can convince Othello that she is false, then the handkerchief will be the final blow. He tells Othello that Cassio has spoken about Desdemona in his sleep.
Othello believes this, but I think he has made his mind up before the speech, and he will grasp at anything, and believe anything, thinking very rashly to hear what he wants to hear. Othello then uses very harsh, strong language, screaming, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ Which up to now he would never have used. Iago tells him to calm down, and tells him that this isn’t concrete evidence, but then he subtly follows it up with the handkerchief. He cuts Othello off, leaving him no doubt that proof has been obtained.
Othello then delivers a very dark, evil speech, expressing his hatred for Desdemona. In one scene, we have seen how a mans love for a woman has so quickly changed to complete despair and hate. He then kneels, which again is a very important stage direction. He is kneeling before Iago, which makes him look like a domineering figure.
Iago then on line 453 says, ‘Your mind perhaps may change’. This is a device that has been used by Iago a lot. He says something in order to achieve the opposite. Othello falls for this device, and says how he once was happy, but now he’s at the other end of the scale. Iago then says, ‘Don not rise yet’ which again, re-enforces how much of a domineering figure Iago is. He then kneels, and swears to serve him. This is much like a wedding, in both the language and their actions.
Othello commands Iago to kill Cassio, to which he agrees, but then Iago says on line 474, ‘But let her live.’ This may be perceived in two different ways. Either he genuinely wants Desdemona to live, or he is saying something in order to achieve the opposite.
Othello’s language again has changed at the end when he damns Desdemona, and the closing line from Iago, ‘I am your own for ever.’, again is very much like a marriage ceremony. We have seen how the relationship between Desdemona and Othello has been replaced by that between Iago and Othello.
In order for us to be able to judge how credible Othello’s change is in Act III Scene iii, we must also take into account how credible Iago’s actions are.
Throughout, Iago presses further and further to cause Othello misery, and we see how further and further Othello is poisoned. There are many reasons as to why Iago might have done it.
One must also consider the other characters involved, and why never of them became suspicious of anything. It could be because they hold Iago as such an honest character, but still, would they have usually seen such unusual behaviour from Othello? Othello’s and Iago’s relationship is also a factor in this. Othello strongly trusted Iago, and before this repeatedly mentioned how honest Iago was, but still, is the enough for someone to go from loving a person intensely to hating them so quickly? Othello’s love for Desdemona was great at the beginning of the scene. Was Othello such a bad judge of character, and so ignorant as to what Iago was doing that he allowed this to happen? I believe so.
If you trust somebody like Othello trusted Iago, you wouldn’t ever think that they would want to do something so hideous. Othello wouldn’t have thought that Iago had any reason to want to either physically or mentally harm Othello.
Love may have also contributed to the poison that Iago was feeding him. Othello had overcome many obstacles to be able to express his love for her, and to marry her. It would have taken something very strong to break this love and his bond between the two, and this isn’t a small thing.
Iago’s poison, Othello’s trust of Iago and his love of Desdemona, all contributed to why Othello changed so dramatically. They all worked together to severely damage Othello and to destroy his love for Desdemona.
If it happened to anyone else, they probably would have felt and done exactly the same as Othello did. As were Iago’s action’s quite believeable. That is why I believe that Othello’s actions were dramatically credible.
