“Who would not make his husband a cuckold, to make him a monarch?”
(72-73/3/4)
Her conversation with Desdemona leads us to believe that Iago prostituted his wife in an attempt to gain the position of Lieutenant, or that she chose to sleep with Othello to gain her husband the promotion he wanted. This would then make sense of what he says to Roderigo about his hatred deriving from the fact he did not receive the promotion. He would understandably be angry if he made his wife a prostitute to get the job and was still overlooked. Another interesting proposal is that Iago may be racist. However, I consider this to be a misunderstanding of Iago's character as he only uses racism to motivate other characters in the play, for an example Brabantio.
“Even now, very now an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.”
(89-90/1/1)
This is a tactical use of racism designed to encourage a hatred for Othello, which he can use to destroy Othello.
Iago not only uses tactical racism, he uses suggestion to make Othello doubt the fidelity of his wife, Desdemona by trickling lies into his already unstable mind, he is able to break Othello down.
“O beware, my lord, of Jealousy: It is the green eyed monster that doth mock the meet it feeds on.” (167-169/3/3)
Here Iago uses both suggestion and reverse psychology to bring out the jealousy he wants Othello to feel. He manipulates Othello, building up his anger and encouraging him to hate. He creates resonance in Othello’s mind to make this feeling seem stronger, repeating “You are moved”, until he becomes “moved” to such an extent that he is ready to murder. Iago encourages his sexual jealousy, a paranoia that both Iago and Othello share. Iago uses a sexual mood to increase this jealousy. He lies about Cassio talking in his sleep of Desdemona, and purposefully uses words like “kissed me hard” and put “his leg over my thigh”, which again builds up the anger and jealousy he needs to destroy Othello.
In the play Iago relies at times on luck to get him to the next stage of his plan, but without his quick thinking these chances would be wasted. An example of his evil brilliance is when he stages a conversation with Cassio while hiding Othello in the dungeons. He controls the situation and how it will appear to Othello. I ago emphasises the name, “Desdemona”, but only whispers Bianca’s name. he makes it seem as Cassio is speaking about Desdemona when he talks of Bianca. Iago does not destroy Othello by any physical means; he creates the psychological doubt within Othello which will cause him to self-destruct. When Bianca accuses Cassio of an affair with the owner of the handkerchief Othello gave Desdemona, his suspicions are amplified. The handkerchief that Emilia stole for Iago, becomes the “ocular proof” that convinces Othello that he has betrayed by Desdemona.
Without Othello's own flaws and vulnerability this self-destruction would have been impossible for Iago to accomplish. A big weakness that Iago pounces on is Othello’s misjudgement of people, which is very evident in the play. He mistakes Iago for somebody who is loyal and trustworthy, yet mistrusts the wrong people like Cassio and Desdemona, who deserve better. There is also extremeness in his reactions to his wife’s alleged betrayal, which is something he admits to himself. He says his only crime was he loved “too much”, but he also says that when he became jealous, it was in the “extreme”. Iago identifies this vulnerability and uses it to make Othello commit this heinous act. He has the ability to locate people’s weaknesses and use them to his advantage.
However, it is not only Othello’s doubts about Desdemona that are his Achilles' heel, it is also his own self-doubt, and the fact he is black in a white world. He fears losing Desdemona, concerned that she will grow tired of him. He believes Cassio could sweep her off her feet, as he is a young, good looking white male who might have a grudge against Othello following his demotion. His mistrust of Desdemona may also come from the fact that he knows of married women who have committed adultery. Emilia could be one of these women, if Iago is to be believed. Othello’s own vulnerability allows his self-destruction; by leaving him open to Iago’s suggestions.
Othello's collapse is complex, because as he collapses mentally his physical behaviour also changes. In the first part of the play he is a very strong character, the burden of a nation’s army was upon him. Still he stood tall. Even when challenged by Brabantio, Othello refuses to fight, only telling him to:
“Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.”
(59-60/2/1)
However, Othello moves from a man who refuses to fight, to a man who slaps his innocent wife in public. The transformation of Othello through the duration of the play is significant. Nevertheless Shakespeare does a very good job of making us feel empathetic towards Othello but angry with Iago, the villain, even though he does not kill Desdemona. At the end of the play Othello kills himself. Some may see this as a means of redeeming himself but I believe that, as he says to Iago, “In my sense ‘tis happiness to die.” What I take from this is that Othello believes that death is the easy way out. Buy his own admission death is the cowardly path, so in some way Othello demeans himself even more in taking his own life.
In conclusion, “Othello” is not a play set in a linear fashion, but has many different twists and as it moves towards its climax. Sexual Jealousy is a very important factor for both characters, Iago and Othello, and is Iago’s most important motivation in my eyes. Iago uses suggestion to deceive Othello, but this is only successful thanks to Othello’s poor judgement in character, which is a big vulnerability in Othello. In the end I think Othello and Iago are both guilty. Othello in my opinion is too rash and quick to judge people; he never directly asks Desdemona if she is having an affair. This is his fatal error. Nonetheless, Othello is not an evil character. He commits murder, not for pleasure but out of love. Iago, on the other hand is clearly an evil person, who seems to take enjoyment from the most atrocious acts. The only time he seems remotely sincere is when he tells us the audience of his plot. Tragically, Iago tortures Othello to the end, by not telling him why he took his spirit, and crushed it in such an efficient way.
WORD COUNT: 1284
