When Othello does lose control at the end of the play, a hidden part of him is revealed which does reflect Bradley’s opinion but this is not Othello’s true self. We can see when Othello asks for Desdemona to accompany him, ‘not to please the palate of my appetite’ (I iii l.257-258) but to be in her company, that he is restrained and honourable and not the lustful animal Iago implies. Othello’s self discipline is also shown through his actions when Brabantio confronts him. He asks for the men to ‘keep up your bright swords’ (I ii l.59). This shows us that, even when insulted, he can remain calm. The audience at the time may not have seen this as a good quality. Today pacifism is respected and admired, but in Elizabethan and Jacobean times men were praised and judged on their skills as a warrior. It is possible that some members of the audience preferred Macbeth as a hero because he is seen fighting for his country and is praised for his fighting skills.
The weaknesses of both heroes are played upon by external influences. In ‘Othello’, Iago twists everything that Desdemona and Cassio say to convince Othello that he is a ‘cuckold’ (III iii l.169). As Othello comes to believe Iago, he is poisoned by Iago’s language and Othello’s own language deteriorates to mirror that of Iago. Some critics, such as Granville Barker have suggested that Iago’s aim in tainting Othello is ‘merely to see Othello vexed’, but it is clear that this will not satisfy Iago as he persuades Othello to ‘strangle [Desdemona] in her bed’ (IV i l.195) and does not rest until Othello has completely destroyed his life. We can monitor the destruction of Othello through his language as he comes to use phrases such as ‘whore’ (IV ii l.20) and ‘lewd minx’ (III iii l.476), which he uses to describe Desdemona’s pure and saintly character. Although one could argue that Macbeth is influenced by Lady Macbeth and acquires some of the language she uses such as ‘make thick my blood’ (I v l.48), he knows how wrong it is for him to commit these murders and is not fooled as Othello is.
By Act III Iago has managed to contaminate Othello’s soul and has used Othello’s flaws, his capacity for sexual jealousy and inability to cope with uncertainty and humiliation, to turn him against Desdemona. We wonder whether the monster that Iago produces was always hidden inside Othello, as Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’ (I vii l.27) was, or whether it is simply down to Iago’s masterful manipulation. Iago manages to delude Othello and turns him from a man with ‘no fear or doubt of [Desdemona’s] revolt’ (III iii l.190), to wanting to ‘tear her all to pieces’ (III iii l.432). This change in Othello’s language combined with his lack of control, shows us how completely Iago has been able to taint him, since previously he would not attack those who threatened him, but remained calm and passive. The sudden change in language has caused Granville Barker to see Othello as having ‘feeble intellectual resistance’ to Iago’s manipulation and indeed Othello’s almost immediate acceptance of Iago’s claims makes Othello appear a gullible character. However Othello does demand proof and states ‘I’ll see before I doubt’ (III iii l.192) and it is only because Iago is lucky enough to exploit the scene with Cassio and the handkerchief that Othello comes to believe all Iago tells him.
Othello also takes on Iago’s language and loses all of his elegance and dignity. He begins to use Iago’s coarse language to describe Desdemona and calls her a ‘young and sweating devil’ (III iv l.38). These words are completely dissimilar to his language at the beginning of the play where he refers to Desdemona as ‘sweet’ (III iii l.55) and it shows us the true extent of his fall and the contrasting views he holds. Like Iago, Othello becomes blind to honourable or tender intentions. Iago also does not see Othello and Desdemona’s elopement as romantic, as many modern day audiences would; he sees it as a regretful action made as a result of their mutual lust. This could represent the views of some members of Shakespeare’s audiences who, in general, saw marriage as a way of gaining money and social status; Othello’s skin colour may have caused them to see this marriage as degrading for Desdemona.
Furthermore Othello assumes Iago’s animalistic language. He describes his soul as being ‘a cistern for foul toads to knot and gender in’ (IV ii ll.61-62). This quotation can be seen to represent what Iago has done to Othello. The ‘cistern’, or cess-pit, represents Othello’s life and how it has been contaminated. The ‘foul toads’ could be seen to represent Iago and how he is further contaminating Othello’s life. The phrase ‘to knot and gender in’ also shows Othello’s complete degeneration since it suggests that Othello now only sees the unattractive and animalistic desires in life. He views others as lustful animals and cannot acknowledge any good intentions.
Macbeth, on the other hand, is associated with blood throughout the play. He is first described by others as having his sword smoke ‘with bloody execution’ (I ii l.18), though at this point this is seen in a positive light, as he is defending Scotland. As the play goes on we begin to see the blood imagery become more intense and negative and it is used to represent how Macbeth ‘is in blood stepped so far’ (III iv l.136) and to emphasise the enormity of his killings. We can follow Macbeth’s fall as he begins to use the idea of darkness to represent his ‘black and deep desires’ (I iv l.51). The imagery of darkness is further enhanced as ‘Macbeth does murder sleep’ (II ii l.47) and loses his peace of mind. Night-time becomes torturous for Macbeth as he slowly appears to lose his sanity, such as when he sees Banquo’s ghost.
Othello continues to believe Iago’s lies until the very end, though we can see that he finds it difficult to commit the deed that he feels, in his corrupted mind, is the will of God. We can infer this through the fact that he has to repeat continually to himself, ‘It is the cause, my soul’ (V ii l.1). Macbeth also has to constantly reassure himself when he kills King Duncan, but Macbeth describes a supernatural force driving him when he begins the soliloquy ‘Is this a dagger I see before me’ (II i l.42), whereas Othello believes at this point he is being driven by God rather than an evil force. It is quite possible that the audience of the time would have seen Othello’s actions, under the belief that Desdemona was unfaithful, as completely justifiable, whereas an audience nowadays is more likely to see death as a far too extreme punishment for adultery.
Furthermore Othello does not see that his soul is tainted. He believes he is being considerate through killing Desdemona and declares he ‘would not kill thy soul’ (V ii l.32). This proves that Granville Barker was wrong to suggest a complete ‘degradation of love’ since it is clear that Othello still loves Desdemona but he feels that it is his duty, as a Christian, to rid the world of her. However it is soon apparent to Othello that it is he who has committed a sin and not Desdemona. When Othello realises this, he feels he deserves punishment and exclaims ‘whip me, ye devils’ (V ii l.275), ‘Roast me in sulphur!’(V ii l.276). The fire imagery used here enhances the idea of Desdemona’s murder being one of passionate anger. This is in contrast to Macbeth who, after his initial regret following the death of King Duncan, manages to cope with the guilt for the sins he has committed; his tragic self-knowledge is the fact that, in the end, none of it was worth it. Nonetheless before Othello meets his eternal punishment, he wants people to understand that ‘he did naught in hate but all in honour’ (V ii l.292) and though this is not an adequate excuse for his actions we recognise that there is some truth in it and pity him whereas an audience would not pity Macbeth who chose to complete every sinful deed fully knowing the consequences. However many critics, T.S Eliot included, unconvincingly argue that Othello is degraded in his final speech and uses it as a way of ‘cheering himself up’ rather than as a true and honest repentance.
To conclude, the language used in ‘Othello’ and ‘Macbeth’ undoubtedly illustrates the nature of their tragic falls as we can see through the imagery used the deterioration of their characters. Othello’s dignified language at the beginning of the play shows his noble and controlled personality; however he then begins to acquire Iago’s coarse language and animalistic imagery. The audience can see how this reflects Othello’s changing character as he becomes more savage and like an animal. In Macbeth the language similarly illustrates his tragic fall through the blood imagery associated with him. At the beginning of the play this imagery is positive as Macbeth is fighting for his country; however as the play continues the blood imagery becomes negative, and shows how he will do anything to be ‘safely thus’ (III i l.48). Without the imagery that the language provides it would be difficult to grasp fully the consequences of both tragic heroes’ actions, as we would not relate Othello’s fall to Iago’s contamination which is clearly illustrated through Othello’s change in language. Furthermore, Othello’s language becomes more dignified after he realises the mistake he has made. This suggests to the audience that his fall has not been as definite as Macbeth’s whose language remains his own and shows his actions to be the result of his loss of conscience and not the result of external poisonous influences.
