Another reason explaining why this scene is significant to the rest of the play is because we can see the techniques, used by Iago to show dramatic importance. Iago’s clever technique of asking questions suggests Casio’s involvement in Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. He asks this short questions so that Othello starts to question his own knowledge of his relationship with Desdemona. After Iago’s string of short questions: “Honest, my Lord?”, and along with his deliberately vague responses: “My Lord, for aught I know”, we can clearly see the tension and anxiety building up in Othello, when he screams: “Think, my Lord!” This shows the dramatic importance of how Iago’s character has the ability to manipulate other characters; namely, Othello.
Iago uses Othello’s good nature to his advantage. Othello clearly trusts Iago; regularly categorising his as an “honest” fellow. Because Othello already thinks very highly of Iago, this gives Iago the advantage of setting himself up as Othello’s confidant. By the end of this scene, Othello has complete and utter trust and faith in Iago. He is also very clever in the way he pinpoints Othello’s insecurities and weaknesses. His weaknesses are the fact that he is black, whereas the other characters are Caucasian. His cultural background is different to the other characters; he is much older than the other characters, including Desdemona. All these factors together contribute to Iago’s plan of making Othello feel like an outsider. This build up of anxiety adds to the dramatic importance of the scene, to the rest of the play.
This scene is also significant due to the fact that we see a complete transformation in Othello’s character. Near the beginning of the scene, we can clearly see that there is a strong bond of love, affection and mutual respect. He calls her names, such as: “Sweet Desdemon”, and “My Desdemona”. Likewise, Desdemona refers to Othello ah her “good love”, and her “Lord”. However, while the poison is working on Othello, we can clearly see the change in his character.
Shakespeare succeeded in creating dramatic tension within his play of Othello. He uses literary devices such as short and snappy speeches, along with punctuation marks to ensure that a high level of tension is created. The use of soliloquies involves the audience in the drama as it reveals the characters inner most thoughts and feelings. A device, used by Shakespeare, called dramatic irony also adds tension and suspense to the play. The audience is made to know more then the character in the play and this play on the audience ensures a greater build up of tension.
To conclude, Othello is a one of many tragedies, written by Shakespeare that all have the same characteristics. The central characters are usually high born, and in this case, Othello is a general in the army. This scene is a very significant scene in the play as the build up of tension is clearly seen within this scene. The tension build up is also increased, as the audience know what is gong to happen. The appropriateness of when Shakespeare chooses to exit characters and bring characters onstage is all key ingredients to how the drama is increased. Ultimately, the dramatic importance is vital to the plot of the story as we can clearly see a change in the state of the characters’ minds; especially in Othello’s.
