(Act 1 Scene 3, lines 290-293)
In Act 2 Scene 3, Othello dismisses Cassio because of Iago’s “honesty.” Besides this, Othello leaves his wife in the hands of Iago because of his “honesty.” Misrepresentation allows Iago to gain trust and manipulate other people; misrepresentation means that Iago is able to appear “honest,” in order to deceive and misdirect people.
“But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at, I am not what I am.”
(Act 1 Scene 1, lines 65-66)
Iago is pretending to be a sincere person to Othello, except inside he is planning to deceive Othello.
Othello is a black army general in the service of the Duke of Venice and is frequently referred as the “black moor.” He falls in love with Brabantios daughter, named Desdemona and marries her. Brabantio, who is a Venetian senator, is not in favour of this wedding. Roderigo, a rich and foolish Venetian, plots with the villainous Iago, to get Desdemona Back from Othello. Iago manipulates events so that Cassio is discharged from his position, being Othello’s lieutenant. By manoeuvring Cassio into Desdemona’s Company, Iago plants jealousy into Othello. Othello becomes extremely jealous and he loses trust in Desdemona, the wife he once loved. Tortured beyond control, he murders Desdemona. Othello then finds out that Iago was behind all these disastrous events. Othello tries to kill Iago, but only gets to wound him, and committee’s suicide. With this tragic scene, the play ends. The definition of tragedy is when the hero dies because of a flaw in his character. Othello causes the tragedy at the end because of his weaknesses: lack of trust and gullibility. If he did not have these weaknesses then the play would have not ended in such a tragic way.
The three main characters in the play are: Othello, Desdemona and Iago. Othello is a general in Venice, for the service of the Duke. He is a man who is respected by the people in Venice because of his bravery and success. He is married to Desdemona, who is the daughter of Brabantio. Othello is a very courageous and bold and he believes that he does not have a thing called jealousy within him; this proves to be a fatal disadvantage for him. Desdemona is a beautiful, young woman and is the wife of Othello, and daughter of Brabantio. She is very civilised and obedient towards her husband and father. Iago is deceitful, he is a very self-centred person; he is a villain from the start. He is nefarious but very perceptive. He is able to manipulate people into falling for traps he sets, without them being aware.
Iagos hatred for Othello is very strong but not needed. Iagos abomination for Othello is because of three reasons: committing adultery with his wife, Emilia, being a “moor,” and because Othello gave Cassio the lieutenant’s job, when he thought he would get it. These reasons are minor and one of the reasons is not even true. Othello being a “moor” is just one of the reasons. Iago used the word “moor” or “black” regularly in Act 1 because he was trying to describe, Othello having sex with Desdemona, to Brabantio and what an awful sight it was. He also criticised Othello for not giving him the lieutenant’s job.
“Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe.”
(Act 1 Scene 1, lines 89-90)
Iago is referring to Othello as an old, black ram having sex with a white ewe, which in this situation is Desdemona.
“… Your daughter and the moor
Are now making the beast with two backs.”
(Act 1 Scene 1, lines 115-116)
Iago is putting foul images into Brabantio’s head about Desdemona and Othello’ the “moor” having sexual intercourse. Another reason for hating Othello is that Iago believes, for some reason that Othello and Emilia, Iago’s wife, have had sex.
“… I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad that `twixt my sheets
He has done my office.
(Act 1 Scene 3, lines 368-369)
“… I know not if’t be true
Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety…”
(Act 1 Scene 2,lines 370-373)
Iago does not know if Emilia has slept with Othello, but he thinks that he has and he would use this for security of some sort. However, in the whole play nothing is mentioned on the subject of Othello and Emilia having sex after this scene. Since, Iago did not get the job he doubted Othello’ system of work.
“ Tis the curse of service;
Preferment goes by letter and affection…
… Whether I in any just term am affined
To love the Moor.”
(Act 1 Scene 1, lines 35-38)
Iago believes that someone should get a job because of qualifications and academic skills, not favouritism, He relates himself to all the qualities needed for the job. Iago’s view of his own marriage is terrible. He thinks women are wild cats in their kitchens, pictures out of doors and housewives in their beds; he is a stereotypical man.
“… you are pictures out of doors, bells in
your parlours, wild-cats in your kitchen,”
(Act 2 Scene 1, lines 108-110)
Iago is accusing women of being, silent outside, noisy in their beauty parlours and animals in the kitchens. He also accuses his wife of being a whore.
“You rise to play and go to bed to work.”
(Act 2 Scene 3, line 113)
After all these accusations about women, I do not think that his marriage and view of marriage is very successful. Nevertheless, I do not think that iago is jealous of Othello’s marriage. I think this because nowhere in the play he mentions being jealous of Othello’ and Desdemona’s marriage. However, he is trying to break their relationship for Roderigo’s money.
“ It cannot be that Desdemona should
Long continue her love to the moor – put thy money in thy
Purse – nor he is to her.”
(Act 1 Scene 3, lines 332-333)
Iago is completely obsessed with sex images; he produces horrible sex images in a person’s mind.
“… you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary
horse,”
(Act 1 Scene 1, lines 111-112)
Iago is telling Brabantio that his daughter is having sex with a Barbary horse. He also puts horrible images into Othello’s mind of Desdemona and Cassio committing adultery.
“ And then, sir, he would gripe and wring my hand
Cry, ‘o sweet creature!” and then kiss me hard.”
(Act 3 Scene 3, lines 422-423)
Iago is not obsessed with having sex, but he is obsessed with the images and taunting others with the pictures.
We do not know Iago’s motivations because he is changing characters in every scene. At the beginning, his motivation was that he did not receive the job that he had intended and sought to get his own back by getting Cassio dismissed from the job. Eventually, when Cassio was dismissed because of Iago, Iago had no reason to seek revenge from anyone. Following that, he had no motivations but he seeked revenge for his own pleasure.
"Honesty" means both truthfulness and loyalty. Your "honest friend" is one who is always there for you and who will always tell you the truth. Iago has a reputation for honesty and uses it for dishonest purposes especially to Othello. “ Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter.” (Act 2 Scene 3, line 228). This is the first scene where Iago’s “honesty” has worked. Cassio is dismissed because of Iago telling “the truth” to Othello.
Iago is more than a cynic; he often compares others to animals, especially when he is referring to their sexuality. Iago uses plenty of beast imagery in the first scene of the play because he needs to put dirty images of Othello and Desdemona committing adultery into Brabantio’s mind. Iago has a very high opinion of him, takes delight in his own evil, and seems driven to prove that he can outsmart anyone. He is confident, tactical, and very ambitious. He always knows what he is doing and plans everything very carefully. He is a villain but he is very intelligent and if he had used his intelligence in good purposes, he would have been a successful person in his marriage and work. However, the play is made more exciting because of Iago’s quick thinking and control over the other characters. Iago uses anti heroic language throughout the play. He remains in control of the language. He skilfully uses insinuations, subtle hints, questions, and indirect accusations. He is ironic, sarcastic, and he scoffs at any idea that he considers overblown. He presents himself as a down-to-earth kind of person who asks questions and appeals to common sense. Iago does not do anything in the play to promote goodness. Everything he does is pure evil. Although, he does assist Roderigo to get Desdemona, but the only basis he is doing this is for wealth, property and vengeance from Cassio and Othello.
“I retell thee again and again, I hate the Moor. My cause is
hearted: thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive in
our revenge against him. … Go, provide thy money.”
(Act 1 Scene 3, lines 349-352)
Iago is urging Roderigo to join him in seeking revenge against Othello and he promises him that if he can provide the money he will get Desdemona to leave Othello and come back to Roderigo.
Othello lives in a society, which is racist, but because of his military career, he is highly respected. Othello is referred as a “moor.” Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, uses “moor” as an offensive name for Othello, but Othello is called other things, including “my lord” and “general.” What he is called depends on the situation and seems to reflect various views of him. Depending on the situation he is made to feel different.
“Haply for I am black,
And have not those soft parts of conversation
That chambers have, or for I am declined
Into the vale of years,”
(Act 3 Scene 3, lines-269)
Othello is blaming his colour; speech and age may have lost Desdemona. Othello’s military career is very successful and has fought various battles and won.
Othello is justifiably proud of his accomplishments, but when he falls prey to jealousy, he struggles to maintain his self-esteem by trying to convince himself that he is not jealous. “Tis not to make me jealous.” (Act 3 Scene 3, line 185). Othello, in this scene is denying that he is not jealous and assures Iago he is not a jealous man. However, as Iago continues to tell Othello lies about Desdemona and Cassio, jealousy starts to grow inside him and becomes his fatal weakness. In Act 4 Scene 1, Othello has an epileptic fit because of Iago saying that he heard Cassio boasting about having sex with Desdemona. Othello is so upset that he has a fit. If he was not jealous he would have not had the fit because, what Iago would have said would have made no difference to Othello because he had seen no proof, but because he does care about what iago says and believes in him he got to a point where he could not take it anymore.
“Pish! Noses,
ears, and lips. Is’t possible? - Confess? Handkerchief? O devil!
(Act 4 Scene 1. lines 40-41)
Othello’s language is high. He uses irony only to express impossibilities and he thinks that because he is a highly respected officer everyone will do what he says or speak in his favour.
“My services, which I have done the Signiory,
Shall out-tongue his complaints.”
(Act 1 Scene, lines 18-19)
Othello thinks that the work he has done will out do Brabantio’s complaints. Othello uses powerful, dramatic, and very descriptive words. He also boasts and highly praises himself a lot.
“My parts, my title, and my perfect soul
Shall manifest me rightly.”
(Act 1 Scene 3, lines 31-33)
Othello is telling iago that his state and perfect ness will justify him right.
In Shakespeare's time, obedience was thought to be one of a woman's primary virtues, and Desdemona thinks of herself as obedient, but she seems to have her own interpretation of obedience.
Emilia: “ The world’s a huge thing, it is a great
Price for a small vice.”
Desdemona: “In troth I think thou wouldst not.”
(Act 4 Scene 3, lines 65-67)
Emilia is telling us in the scene that she would committee adultery for the world because it is a small crime for a big reward. However, Desdemona does not agree with her because she thinks a crime is a crime no matter how big or small the reward. Desdemona is showing a normal women’s obedience. In Act 5 Scene 2, she shows her own interpretation of obedience.
“ Nobody; I myself. Farewell.
Commend me to my King Lord. O farewell!”
(Act 5 Scene 2, lines 128-130)
She also shows obedience in Act 1 Scene 3.
“You are lord of all my duty;
I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband;
And so much duty as my mother showed
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much, I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord.”
(Act 1 Scene 3, lines-187)
Desdemona is telling her father that she should obey her husband now, like her mother did.
Desdemona is murdered by her own husband, Othello and she does still not confess that Othello killed her. If someone else were in their position then they would have told Emilia that it was Othello.
Desdemona is beautiful, both in body and spirit. It is not something that she mentions, or even seems aware of, but it effects how other treats her and thinks of her.
“…that she shunned
The wealthy curled darlings of our nation.”
(Act 1 Scene 2, lines 67-68)
Brabantio is saying in this scene, that Desdemona received so many offers in marriage from handsome, rich Englishmen. Why would she reject all those and choose Othello. Desdemona marries Othello because of his adventure stories and imagination.
“ Upon this hint I spake:
She loved me for the dangers I had passed,”
(Act 1 Scene 3, lines 165-166)
Othello's mistreatment of Desdemona shakes her confidence in herself, but does not destroy it.
There is one minor character in the play that influences the tragedy, Emilia. Emilia is one of the characters because she gives Desdemona’s handkerchief to Iago with out asking the reason, why?
“I am glad I have found this napkin:
This was her first remembrance from the Moor.
My wayward husband hath a hundred times
Wooed me to steal it:”
(Act 3 Scene 3, lines 293-295)
I do not think that Othello loves Desdemona truly because at the beginning of the play he says that he fell in love with Desdemona because of her pity for his injuries.
“And I loved her that she did pity them.”
(Act 1 Scene 3, line 167)
I do not think that Iago was solely to blame for the tragedy. He was the one that set out traps for Othello to fall in, but during Act, it was predictable that Desdemona was going to die. I can say this because every word that Iago said Othello would deny it but then he would go back to Desdemona and question her. In addition, as iago had worked out everything beforehand it would all connect and Othello would believe it. If it were not for his weaknesses I do not think the tragedy at the end would have happened. Because if he was straight with Desdemona from the start and confronted her with his feelings and what he had heard from Iago, then everything would have been clear and would have been sorted, but because of his lack of trust and jealousy it resulted in Desdemona’s death.
