Othello’s actions prior to Iago’s manipulations are also testimony to his nobility. As a respected military commander in Venice, the audience can see that his presence is required by the state, and that he remains, until his downfall, an integral part of the military campaign against the Turks, and has been honoured greatly for his services in the ‘tented field’. The fact that ‘three several quests’ had been sent to search for Othello when the Turks threatened to attack Cyprus emphasises the extent to which he is vital to the state as a military commander, a station that has commanded him much respect amongst the Venetians. As Othello is clearly held in great esteem by the people of Venice, his noble stature in the play is increased, and his downfall becomes even more tragic.
The fact that Othello is so easily taken in by Iago does detract somewhat from the nobility of the character, as the audience ask why such a seemingly good and intelligent man should be taken in by such a villain. Iago clearly holds Othello in contempt, planning to lead him ‘by the nose as asses are’, and the nobility of Othello is called into question by his infallible belief in the honesty of his servant. By referring to Iago as ‘honest’ throughout the play, Othello might appear to be foolish and easily manipulated, yet it is through Iago’s use of asides and his soliloquies in which he reveals his plans to the audience that we become aware of the extent of his scheming nature, and how well hidden he keeps his true motives from the other characters. Iago professes to Roderigo in the beginning to the play that ‘I am not what I am’, and it is due to the fact that only the audience are aware of the magnitude of his plans, and the disastrous effect that they will have on the other characters that we are able to see that it is not merely Othello that succumbs to the conspiracies of Iago, and this fact helps Othello to retain his nobility, as the true nature of Iago is kept hidden from the entire cast throughout the play, to the extent that even in the closing scene, Iago refuses to reveal his reasons for causing such trouble, telling the other character defiantly ‘what you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak a word.’
The changes in Othello’s demeanour under Iago’s influence cause the audience to loose some of their respect for the noble nature of Othello. As the hero becomes increasingly irrational and quick-tempered after Iago has poured this ‘pestilence into his ear’, and convinced him of Desdemona’s infidelity, it becomes increasingly difficult for the audience to recall the nobility and virtue of ‘valiant Othello’ that was displayed in the beginning of the play. Othello’s language begins to reflect that of Iago’s, and we can see his increasing use of bestial imagery, for instance his exclamation of ‘Goats and monkeys!’ after striking Desdemona. Through the shift in Othello’s language, we can see the extent to which Iago is able to control Othello, and this leads to a slight reduction in pity towards Othello, as he is able to be manipulated to such an extent by one of his men. The audience calls into question the nobility and perception of Othello, as it is wondered whether Othello should be so entirely oblivious to his servant’s true motives.
Othello’s reputation is restored to some extent though the methods Iago uses to manipulate him. By playing on his fears about Venetian society, and his insecurity regarding his marriage to the young and attractive Desdemona, as well as the fact that he feels like an outcast due to his race, Iago is using Othello’s deepest insecurities in order to manipulate him, and this invokes the pity and sympathies of the audience. Othello’s insecurities about his race, and his status in Venetian society are not wholly unfounded, as we can see by Brabantio’s reaction to Othello’s suit for his daughter in Act I. The prejudices of the Venetian’s are clearly apparent bellow the surface of normal life in Venice, and despite the fact that Othello is well respected and a good military commander, who is referred to by the Duke as ‘far more fair than black’, we are still able to see that he has not been fully accepted into society. It is ironic, therefore, that, at the end of the play, Othello has confirmed Brabantio’s earlier fears about his barbaric and irrational behaviour, through the persuasions of Iago.
Iago also manipulates Othello’s insecurities regarding Desdemona. Despite the deep love they display to each other in the beginning of the play, with Othello professing to stake his ‘life upon her faith’, Othello still retains a deep vulnerability over Desdemona’s choice in marriages, due to their differences in age and race, and it is this weakness that Iago is able to manipulate. Through Iago’s cunning insinuations regarding Desdemona’s infidelity, Othello is reduced to the barbaric status that those prejudiced against him accused him of at the beginning of the play, and it is this downfall that makes him such a tragic character.
The nobility of Othello is retained by his return to the eloquence of his speech that was first displayed at the start of the play after he realises the true extent of his actions. The language used by Othello when he realises Desdemona’s innocence is both beautiful and tragic, as he mourns the fact that he ‘threw a pearl away’, and cut short an innocent life, and would not be able to join his bride in heaven due to the offence he has committed.
The noble stature of Othello is also compounded by the fact that all of the characters were deceived by Iago, and as Roderigo realised the true nature of his friend just before his death, so the rest of the characters only realised Iago’s scheming too late in the play. The fact that Othello was not the only character to be deceived by Iago throughout the course of the play shows that it was not due to an intense lack of comprehension on Othello’s part, but because of the intense scheming and evil of Iago.
Othello manages to retain his noble stature throughout the play, despite the fact that Iago is able to deceive him, for a number of reasons, including the cunning of Iago, the basic insecurities of Othello that come from the way he has been treated by the Venetians, and the fact that Othello was not the only character to be deceived by ‘honest Iago’. Although Othello has ‘Fallen in the practice of a damned slave’, he retains his honour through the nobility of his actions and the beauty of his language.
Louise Phillips U6 EYS
How far does Othello’s vulnerability to Iago’s suggestions diminish his stature as a noble figure?
