Horrible stuff’d with epithites of war,
[And in conclusion]
Nonsuits my mediators; for “Certes,” says he,
“I have already chose my officer.”
And what was he?
Forsooth, a great arithmetician,
One Michael Cassio, a Florentine
(A fellow almost damn’d in a fair wife),
That never set squadron in the field,
(Othello, 1.1.12-22)
This passage reveals the vengeance Iago has in mind for Othello and Cassio. This is a rare occurrence in which the audience sees brief motivations for Iago’s deep hatred. When Othello is out of sight and earshot, Iago eagerly bashes his master with racial slurs and in soliloquies implies the Moor having slept with his wife. Conferring with Roderigo, Iago exposes his deceitful inclinations with a severely hostile tone. However, when confronted with Othello only minutes later his temperament changes and he is a loyal ally of the Moor. Othello, as well as other characters in the play, is completely unaware of the festering generalized hatred Iago feels. Through the play the audience becomes aware of Iago’s mastery of manipulating the distance between characters, quarantining his victims so that they fall prey to their own obsessions.
As the plot quickens, Iago’s scheme comes into focus upon their departure from Venice’s civilizing effects.
The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds,
The wind-shak’d surge, with high and monstrous mane,
Seems to cast water on the burning Bear,
And quench the guards of th’ ever-fixed Pole;
(Othello, 2.1.12-15)
In Venice, the embodiment of western civilization and culture in Shakespeare’s time, there exists imaginary bonds of control and passivity. However, upon the move to Cyprus, these bonds are slowly loosened, freeing the way for turmoil to rule in a way not feasible in Act one. The chaos is further emphasized by the tempestuous weather. As seen before in many of Shakespeare’s plays he uses storms and wild weather to also illustrate metaphorically the storm brewing within Iago.
Corresponding with the move to the island, Othello reveals many more faults and weaknesses than a man of his stature should possess. Iago continually implants images of Desdemona behaving unfaithfully to Othello; with each encounter and tale Othello burns with jealousy and trusts Iago more and more. Instead of being the virtuous man he was in Act one when dealing with the confrontation of Desdemona’s father he falls victim to hearsay and passiveness. When told that he is being sought after in Act one he bravely seeks his suitor and tells the officers to “ keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them…were it my cue to fight, I should have known it without a prompter (Othello 1.2.58-95).” Here we see the honorable soldier of Othello; he knows how to handle situations and the result is Othello winning the grace of Desdemona’s father. This active role disappears in his fanatical investigation of his wife’s infidelity. Stranded on an islanded with no battles to fight no army to lead, Othello’s position has been usurped by Iago. Iago is the character making all of the moves, controlling the flow of activities; he has his hand in everyone’s pocket. Instead of consulting these illogical rumors with all parties at once and asserting his control, Othello is victim to Iago’s paralyzing injections of jealousy. In the beginning of the play Othello is portrayed as the “God of war” however by Act four his heroic façade crumples. Falling prey to his own internal securities, Othello allows simple unwarranted jealousy to conquer and destroy his life’s work.
Iago: I never knew women love man so.
Cassio: Alas, poor rogue, I think [I’ faith], she loves me.
Othello: Now he denies it faintly, and laughs it out.
Iago: She gives it out that you shall marry her. Do you intend it?
Cassio: I marry [her]! What a customer! Prithee bear some charity so wholesome. Ha, ha, ha!
Othello: So, so, so, so; they laugh that wins.
(Othello 4.1.110-121)
Othello is following Iago’s orders by listening without being seen so he can hear Cassio testament for himself without Cassio knowing he is being listened to. It makes sense that Othello would most likely be getting the truth. But truth has many camouflages. The beholder holds thy truth not the communicator; our senses especially ocular and audio have strong capabilities to distort absolute truths. Othello becomes so passive that he allows his senses to make him the fool.
When ambiguous, it is the responsibility of the receiver to untangle miscommunications. Cassio was telling the truth about the woman, only the woman he was talking about was his hussy Bianca. By placing all of his trust in Iago, Othello never confronts either of the accused directly. Why would his only friend ever deceive him? Unfortunately Othello never stops to consider the motives for Iago setting him up. On the island Othello does not have anyone who can take a step back from the vicious jealous current and examine himself and his surrounding peers. Back in Venice, Iago would not be able to plot such a mischief scheme without making earlier errors, but in Cyprus the isolation allow for Iago to gain his revenge: revenge for Othello appointing Cassio lieutenant, a desire of evening the score with Othello– a wife for a wife, but mostly just an overwhelming dislike for the Moor. Isolated on the island, Othello is unable to get an unbiased point of view and among the people in the vicinity Iago is the only one appearing honorable. .
Othello’s other weakness is in his communication skills “Rude I am in my speech, And little bless’d with the soft phrase of peace…And little of this great world I can speak more then pertains to feats of broils and battles (Othello 1.3.81-86)” and this is especially evident in speaking with women. Othello is able to communicate with men through direct means involving military tactics yet he is unable to reasonably talk to his wife. Othello is so consumed with jealousy and rage that he suffers from an acute form of virgin/whore dichotomy. A condition in which he is only able to see women, predominantly his wife, as either entirely innocent and pure or otherwise tainted and despicable depending on their faithfulness. When Othello ultimately cannot cope with the surrounding drama, he reverts to his familiar ways of violence: retribution through blood. Thus proving that Othello is not able to cope with playing more then one role at a time; in Cyprus he is forced to balance the passionate lover and governor. Towards the end, Othello is haunted by Desdemona’s earlier deception of her father in which she eloped without her consent. Othello’s mind conjures images of Desdemona using the same skills to exploit him, her adoring obsessive husband.
Jealousy always appears to stem from one's sense that something about their life is not secure, is uncertain or in danger. Othello’s life was always in danger yet he never became jealous until he started thinking for two. Some like to believe that Othello was indeed a victim of the villainous Iago, but without Othello being the parasites host no tragedy would have been committed. The tragedy occurred because Othello could not strengthen his weaknesses even in the face of destruction.
