There is much more to Othello than ‘A story of a credulous husband and a foolish wife’. Why, if there hadn’t been why would people still be reading this play. The reason for this is that the story was believable and that is why it is still talked about by many people. To say Othello is a story about a credulous husband and a foolish wife is a gross simplification. Othello is not just about a man and his wife but also gives a number of revealing insights. It looks at a relationship between husband and wife, relationships between different sorts of noble status and society as a whole. After reading Othello we learn a lot about views and attitudes in Elizabethan attitudes.
If the story Othello was just a story of a credulous husband and a foolish wife then how could this play be called a Shakespearean tragedy as a tragedy only occurs when something disastrous occurs to noble characters as these noble people didn’t deserve this fate. Othello is a combination of many themes put together into one play. These themes include Love, Jealousy, Hate and Racism. We are introduced to two people Iago and Roderigo who are in a middle of an argument. The character of Iago that is shown at the beginning of Othello is two faced. He plans to get revenge on Othello and is also pretending that he is going to sort out Roderigo’s problems. Roderigo is shown to be gullible and is someone who gives the impression of easily being duped. He is madly in love with Desdemona and is paying Iago money to get her back. Brabantio is someone who sees everything superficially as he dismisses Desdemona’s love for Othello as impossible, hence the result witchcraft. The description of Othello we are given by everyone we expect him to be a black primitive brute but he is in fact the opposite. His main flaw however is that he is too self -conscious. Michael Cassio is described as a woman’s man and that is all he is good for. The way Iago talks he has no merit to be the second in charge however Michael Cassio is very loyal to Othello.
