Here he is using sexual and animalistic imagery to shock Brabantio and to insult Othello. The audience would have thought Othello was evil.
In act 1 scene 2 Brabantio says to Othello
“Thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, abused her delicate youth with drugs or weakens motion”.
This is a big accusation he accuses Othello of witchcraft. Othello calmly replies,
“My services which I have done to the signory shall out tongue his complaints”.
This shows that Othello is ready to stand up and be a man calm, proud and dignified. The audience having first thought that Othello was like a horse in the opening scenes, would now have a mixed opinion of him. They would be apprehensive because Othello was a black man and black people wouldn’t have been respected in these times but also would have liked him because he had the courage to stand up for his rights.
Act 3, scene 3 is a key scene in the play because Othello begins to doubt Desdemona and Iago changes Othello’s opinion of her. Othello becomes arrogant, cruel, weak, brought down by his own misjudgement of character, jealousy and short temper. Othello and Iago plan to kill Desdemona and Cassio. Othello believes that Desdemona and Cassio where having an affair and that Cassio has Desdemona’s handkerchief that was a wedding present from him. Iago is very forceful. Othello has no knowledge of Venetian society because he was brought up in the desert as a soldier. Iago uses this fact and says that Venetian women like Desdemona and Bianca weren’t very faithful. Othello can be forgiven for expecting the worst of Desdemona because she betrayed her father marrying Othello, this is a fact that Iago is quick to remind him of.
In act 4 scene 1 Iago pressurises Othello lot. Othello describes Desdemona as
“A fine woman, a fair woman, a sweet woman”.
However, Iago won’t let Othello have a positive thing to say about Desdemona, and encourages negative thoughts.
“ Nay that is not your way”.
Iago is very persuasive at this point. Othello is falling into the stereotype Iago tries to pin on him earlier in the play because Othello is turning nasty and evil towards Desdemona. When Othello spies on Cassio he is easily mislead by Iago because he believes that Cassio is talking about Desdemona when he is really talking about Bianca. It is very easy for Iago to get Othello to believe him because at this time Othello is in a fragile state of mind. This is surprising because Othello has no doubts he totally believes him any other person would have questioned him, this is even more surprising because Othello’s qualities as a soldier would have made him question Iago. The audience’s perception would have changed because they probably thought that Othello would have found Iago’s evil plan out. After Othello strikes Desdemona, Ludovico says
“My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, though I should swear I saw’t. Tis very much. Make her amends. She weeps”.
This means that people in Venice wouldn’t have believed what Othello has done. He has changed. In this scene he has been heroic, loving, innocent trapped and destroyed by the evil Iago at the start of the scene to being arrogant, cruel and weak, brought down by his own misjudgement of character, jealousy and short temper at the end.
Act 5 scene 2 is a key scene because it is the climax of the play. Othello kills Desdemona, Iago kills Bianca and Othello kills himself. Everything happens in this scene. Othello still feels fondly towards Desdemona because before he kills Desdemona he says,
“Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, and smooth as monumental alabaster: yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men”.
This that Othello thinks he has to kill Desdemona because she will betray more men. On lines 92-102 Shakespeare shows a lot of confusion in Othello and that it is Othello’s honour. He has become irrational, he speaks in broken sentences this shows that he is panicking. He says
“My wife! My wife! What wife? I have no wife!”
Shakespeare uses Emilia to voice the audience’s opinion on Othello. Emilia reminds us how much he’s changed and how far he’s fallen. Othello feels confused. He loves Desdemona but is doing it for his honour because he has to retain his dignity.
In Elizabethan times it was frowned upon when a woman had an affair.
I think that Othello has changed throughout the play he has been heroic, loving, innocent trapped and destroyed by the evil Iago and arrogant, cruel and weak, brought down by his own misjudgement of character, jealousy and short temper. Othello should accept some responsibility for his actions because he never questions Iago. Othello puts too much trust in Iago and has been brought down by his misjudgement of character.
