Upon hearing the news of his daughter's love for Othello, Brabantio begins to make accusations about what Othello has done "thou hast enchanted her", "she is abused, stol'n from me". This is a clear indication that Brabantio views his daughter as more of a possession rather than a person who is capable of independent thought and feelings. Brabantio then goes on to dismiss Othello and Desdemona's relationship as "against all rules of nature"; here he is referring to the colour of Othello's skin.
Othello is clearly an outsider in Venetian society. His race sets him apart physically, through his black skin, and culturally, as a foreigner with an exotic background. This is shown by constant references to Othello as “the black moor”, as well as “sooty bosom” and “thick lips”. Because of this, Iago becomes something of a tutor to him. This is shown when Othello asks, “What should I do now, Iago?” He has no knowledge of the actions of Venetian women, but believes Iago does, “[Iago] knows all qualities, with a learned spirit, of human dealings”. Therefore he believes Iago's lies about Desdemona and Cassio.
Othello clearly has deep fears about being thought “old”, “black” and “lacking in conversation” as revealed to the audience in his soliloquy. Lead by his friend, “honest Iago”, Othello comes to think of his obvious racial difference as a “problem” and that Desdemona might only be feeling lust for him, as her actions in marrying him were “nature erring from itself”. Since Othello believes that Desdemona doesn't accept him as an equal and merely thinks of him as an object to satisfy her “appetite”, she becomes a whore in his eyes and Iago is further empowered.
Othello merely views women as being of two types: either to be held on a pedestal as a goddess or as a common whore. When Iago plants the seeds of doubt of her fidelity, Othello quickly removes her from the pedestal and relegates her to the common whore, “I had been happy if the general camp, Pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body.” As soon as she becomes a “cunning whore of Venice” in Othello's mind, she no longer holds Othello's trust or love.
Desdemona's own trusting and innocent nature plays a part in Othello losing trust in her. She believes that her moor “is true of mind and made of no such baseness as jealous creatures are”. Because of this, when she sees a jealous side of Othello who is clearly obsessed with the trivial handkerchief, she panics and tries to deceive him. The fact that she has already deceived her father in marrying Othello and that she now tries to deceive him leads him to lose trust in her. Later on, when news arrives from Venice, her choice of words is very poor when we think of Othello’s state of mind at this time, “for the love I bear to Cassio” and “I am glad on't [Cassio being appointed governor]”. This makes Iago’s story more plausible whilst making her seem dishonest. Despite the fact that she loves him dearly, she doesn't understand Othello as well as Iago does and so she is not able to gain Othello's trust.
Desdemona's character is constant and unbending throughout the play, she acts as a device to highlight Othello's status, and her acceptance of him indicates his admirable qualities as a suitor and a husband: "She forsook so many noble matches, her father, and her country, and her friends" to be with him; through her eyes Othello becomes attainable and real, she is his "soul's joy" and this is shared by the fact that her "heart is subdued, even to the very quality of [her] lord".
Desdemona also increases the plausibility of the plot because her open nature and eagerness to help Cassio incite jealousy in Othello because Iago is able to abuse and distort this virtue in Othello's mind: "My wife is fair, feeds well, loves company, is free of speech" becomes "who thou hadst ne'er been born." Desdemona is a symbol of purity within the play; she truly is a "white ewe", and her modesty, innocence and insistence that she would not commit adultery for "the whole world" increase the dramatic effect of her murder by her husband incited by false jealousy.
Iago is a master manipulator. He has the ability to choose language to suit his audience. To Roderigo, he uses persuasive but quite coarse prose; to Desdemona, he uses crude poetry; when uttering his soliloquy he uses much more refined poetry, as he also does when engaging Othello in speech. However, he reverts to coarser pros when talking with Cassio. Consequently, by appearing to be one of them, he is able to gain their trust and later manipulate them. He appears to Othello to be loyal to his friends, such as Cassio, but “thy [Iago’s] honesty and love doth mince this matter,” also, when he makes an accusation against Othello's true love, “This fellow's exceedingly honest.” Never once does Othello seem to question him as he believes that Iago is straightforward and “honest”, something which he repeats until the very end of the play.
