Othello essay
Othello is a tragic play which was written by the great William Shakespeare in the seventeenth century. The story of Othello is set in the Elizabethan ages, where like any other Elizabethan hero Othello is flawed; as his nobility and honesty permit Iago to use his deceitful ways. A black person such as Othello would normally be used to represent darkness in an Elizabethan play, but not in Othello as Iago's supreme evil takes on that role. Othello is betrayed and deceived by Iago, who is the stage villain in this play. Iago is renowned to be a machiavellian figure who uses a great deal of subtleness, in order to get ahead of Othello's eyes. Othello's prime tragedy in this play is his significant belief in Iago, whom uses this to his advantage to destroy Othello, as he overlooked him for the job of lieutenant. The characters of Othello and Iago change dramatically throughout Act three scene three, where the use of language and imagery contribute to these changes.
Shakespeare portrays a rapid change in Othello's personality and strength, as Iago's cunning plan to deceive Othello starts to take its toll. Iago cunningly influences his relationship with Othello in order to gain control over his emotions and play around with power to obtain his desired outcome; that is to trick Othello into believing Desdemona is having an affair. Iago's manipulation of Othello starts to take affect when Othello states:
" O now, forever, farewell the tranquil mind; farewell content! Farwell the plumed troop, and the big war. O farewell" (line 349)
From here we can see Iago's ruse is starting to take place within Othello's mind. The use of repetition in his words 'O farewell' emphasises his defeat and detachment from his life. Othello seems to have almost given up and seems to be saying his goodbyes to the life he once knew. This illustrates a dramatic change in his personality, as Othello was once a strong, admirable person who conquered anything that came across his path. Here, Shakespeare demonstrates weakness and pain for the one individual Othello truly loved, whom is now slipping away from his very hands, ...
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From here we can see Iago's ruse is starting to take place within Othello's mind. The use of repetition in his words 'O farewell' emphasises his defeat and detachment from his life. Othello seems to have almost given up and seems to be saying his goodbyes to the life he once knew. This illustrates a dramatic change in his personality, as Othello was once a strong, admirable person who conquered anything that came across his path. Here, Shakespeare demonstrates weakness and pain for the one individual Othello truly loved, whom is now slipping away from his very hands, his wife Desdemona. Othello's choice of vocabulary in this quote is vital as he says: "O farewell the plumed troop and the big wars", this signifies Othello defeated as he has no strength left in him to fight for what is right. This is all down to the wicked ways of Othello's trustworthy compatriot Iago, whom at this point ponders over the next step to take in order to ensure Othello's destruction.
At the beginning of Act Three/Scene Three Othello is happy and full of love for Desdemona; by the end of the scene he is in a torment of jealousy, persuaded of Desdemona's guilt and filled with murderous intent. Othello's makes his love and trust in Desdemona clear to Iago as he exclaims:
"Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, be sure of it: Give me the ocular proof" (line 357)
This is an imperative being used by Othello in order to get his point across to Iago that he has no doubt over his wife's trust. The use of repetition in Othello's speech "be sure" suggests an aggressive yet threatening type of action towards Iago. Shakespeare has been able to skilfully portray the power Othello contains, being ranked a hero and a well respected general in this quote. Unfortunately, he is not aware that this is just the beginning of the end of his rein, as general of the armed forces.
During this period of the scene, Iago cleverly drops subtle remarks in order for Othello not to suspect any of the poison he will later fill in his mind. Othello demands proof from Iago, if in fact Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Othello's extreme reaction and insistence on "proof" have not been foreseen by Iago, but the handkerchief gives him the confidence he can supply this. As Othello warns Iago of stating false allegations against his wife, Iago claims: "I should be wise; for honesty's a fool", this is a significantly clever piece of reverse psychology being used by Iago. The guilt in Iago's tone of voice creates a sense of innocence and honesty around him, in turn ironically he becomes a far greater man of honesty in Othello's eyes. Furthermore, Othello starts to confide in Iago, which is his greatest misfortune in the play. Shakespeare represents this as Othello's tragic flaw, since his downfall was triggered from his very own hands by believing in the so called 'honest' Iago.
Towards the end of the extract, the language Othello uses is often very aggressive and emotive. For example when he has the 'proof' of Desdemona's affair, proof that first comes in the form of a relayed dream by Iago, he responds with enormous passion "O Monstrous, Monstrous" Othello clearly sees this dream as proof enough of Desdemona's failings as a wife and responds almost violently. Shortly after this comment, he utters "I'll tear her to pieces" signifying a malicious need in Othello to destroy Desdemona. He has become like a beast, unable to restrain himself from the world of violence. Othello's actions foreshadow the brutality in the play that is yet to take place. Essentially at this point of the play, Shakespeare portrays Iago's manipulation of Othello as success; he is now completely convinced of what path he has to follow in order to achieve justice for himself. However, what Othello is not aware of is this path may just contain the biggest tragedy of his life.
At the end of the scene Othello engages in an immoral marriage ceremony with Iago, in which both kneel and gravely pledge to each other to take retribution on Desdemona and Cassio. This coalition almost replicates a true marriage ceremony as they both take scared vows for one another, in order to pledge their union of trust and friendship. The final words in this scene are spoken by Iago as he seems to ridicule the language of love and marriage: "I am your own forever", through saying this Iago believes to have completed the win of Othello's trust. Ironically, Iago is also able to reassure Othello that he is own and could never wish to harm or go against him in any way. These words stated by Iago contain the ring not just of a vassal's fealty to a lord, but of a wife's to her husband. Therefore, the sexual mystery between Othello and Iago is subtly enhanced, even though Othello's mental state of mind has collapsed.
In conclusion, Othello changes for the worse from the beginning of the play towards the end of the play as Iago fills his mind with poison, turning him against his wife on the pursue of seeking revenge. Iago cunningly plots to destroy Othello's life by persuading him to murder his own wife Desdemona, this is because Othello overlooked Iago for the role of lieutenant at the beginning of the play. Iago gets so caught up in his plan that eventually evil takes over and he is willing to go to any extent to see Othello suffer; even though he has now obtained the job of lieutenant. Iago has been able to manipulate Othello quite brilliantly, as he has been able to drops crafty remarks and questions following Othello's comments, thus allowing Othello to come to his own conclusions and allowing him to trust his opinions far more than anybody else's. In this play, Othello triggered his own collapse as he had far more faith placed within Iago, than his own wife; allowing Iago to turn him against Desdemona following the path of evil.
