The opening line shows Othello trying to convince himself to go ahead with his plan “it is the cause yet I will not shed her blood” this suggests that even though he is convince of his guilt and see her as the source of his emotional turmoil he has an inner conflict about killing her.
The sight of Desdemona lining asleep makes it even more difficult for Othello to commit her murder. Shakespeare makes expert uses of simile to paint a picture of pristine beauty and innocence “whiter skin of hers than snow”. This creates an image of a snow covered landscape unspoiled by any signs of life.
This whiteness is also representative to innocent in a similar manner to a bride on her wedding day. “…smooth as monumental alabaster” creates the image of unblemished innocence. Shakespeare is successful through the use of these similes in creating in the readers mind the idea of innocence asleep on the bed. We understand why Othello struggles with the felling of love and hate.
“Yet she must die” Shakespeare makes use of constructs to jolt the reader out of the revelry of innocence. These words seem very harsh and bring back to us the reality of what Othello has come to do.
Othello wishes to restore Desdemona to the pedestal on which he had put her by killing her Othello thought only the memory of her former purity would remain. Having destroyed her physical body he felt would detach her from her physical sin that he though she was guilty of Shakespeare makes interesting use of metaphor. He refers to Desdemona as a flaming minister. This metaphor invokes ideas around the devil as the prime minister of evil, flames of hell and the quenching of these, as Othello said he would, the recapture of Desdemona from the devils clutch.
Shakespeare speaks of two lights in this part of the play. One is the light of purity and the other the fire of passion that Othello believes Desdemona is feeling for another. By killing her Othello hopes to extinguish the latter and rekindle the former. “thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature,” Othello believes Desdemona is shy and unfaithful.
Towards the end of the soliloquy Othello leans forward and kisses the sleeping Desdemona, but while doing this he is persuaded not to kill her. This simultaneously arouses his love and his jealousy. It makes him reluctant to commit the murder but the pain of his betrayal makes him more determined to kill her. This point is the climax of the tension. Othello states that it is her balmy breath that almost makes his forget what he must do. ”Ah balmy breath, that dost almost persuade”. All these actions, along with the use of repetition ‘one more, one more; point to the fact that he still loves her. The inner conflict experienced by Othello must now be resolved “so sweet was never so fatal” Othello is referring to as ‘sweet’ and ‘fatal’, he literally saying that Desdemona is pretty but deadly. Othello is over come by the irony that he must destroy that which he loves most. “but they are cruel tears” Shakespeare refers to fears as cruel because of what Desdemona has done, what he is about to do and because ht still much in love with her.
Shakespeare use the oxymoron “this sorrows heavenly” to illustrate that Othello is yearning to be free from his anguish yet knows that only sorrow will take its place.
At the point Desdemona wakes up. Shakespeare expertly uses her waking up to also represent Othello waking out of his indecisions.
Desdemona no longer sleeping haplessly like a baby seem to make it easier for Othello to believe that she has infact betrayed him.
The pace the play increases. We move from Othello soliloquy into a dialogue. Desdemona speaks first that seems oblivious of what is about to happen. “Will you come to bed my lord” she seems gentle and loving. The whole irony of act 5 is brought together in Shakespeare making Othello ask it together in Shakespeare making Othello ask if Desdemona has prayed tonight. It is ironic that even to the last of Othello wishes well for Desdemona even though le intends on killing her.
It is also ironic that Othello hold Christian believes yet he is unwilling to forgive. It is even ironic that Desdemona even to the last retains her image as the innocent. “If you say so, I hope you will not kill me” Desdemona pleads Othello for her life.
Shakespeare is able to maintain the pace of the play by the shortness of the responses in the dialogue between the two characters. It emphasis that Othello’s mind is made up. It emphasis his determination to see through the act. It also revels that Othello is battling not to allow thoughts of compassion to dissuade him. “Then heaven have mercy on me.” Desdemona speech arouses sympathy in the reader. In the end of the act Desdemona life is portrayed as being in the hands of Othello. Othello is bent on taking her life but even to the end wishes her mercy in the after life. Desdemona remains in the light of innocence but yet doomed.
The play is a tragedy because all the sympathetic characters dies. Othello kills himself because of killing his fair chaste wife Desdemona. Desdemona is killed by Othello because of Othello’s lack of comprehension to Desdemona wrongly committing adultery. Emilia is killed because of speaking the truth about the racist antagonist her husband Iago is. This is ironic as many consider Iago is a good honest man. But are obviously very gullible, as this isn’t the true side of Iago.
I think that the tragedy is more dependant on Iago’s wickedness than Othello’s willingness to be led because Iago is such a clever, devious character who is a genius. Othello is totally influenced by Iago’s power, which in the end pulls him down.
I finish my essay by asking you if Othello is a Christian, kind noble man if so, then why did he kill his fair chaste wife Desdemona?
By SEYE AKINNAIKE