Before he knew about Othello and Desdemona’s relationship and secret marriage, Brabantio was very friendly towards Othello but once he discovers he feels disgusted that his daughter has betrayed him and that Othello has stolen her away from him. He is opposed to Othello and Desdemona's marriage, as initially shown in act 1 scene 1 on line 144 when he reacts angrily after Iago and Roderigo told him of the secret marriage. He says:
”Strike on the tinder, ho! Give me a taper!
Call up all my people! This
accident is not unlike my dream.
Belief of it oppresses me already. Light,
I say, light!”
This sparks the audience's interest at the beginning of the play, and
sets the stage for Iago to start fully carrying out his plans and the
real difficulties for Othello and Desdemona to begin. Especially since her own father, Brabantio, accuses Othello of witchcraft in Act 1 scene 3.
“She is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks;
For nature so preposterously to err,
Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense,
Sans witchcraft could not.”
This shows Brabantio’s negative view on the marriage, so early into it and he claims that it wasn’t love that Othello used to attract Desdemona it was witchcraft. The reader also sees another side to Brabantio’s character as he states that Desdemona is his property and Othello has “stol’n” her. When asked if his daughter is dead he replies, “Ay, to me she is …”.
Why did Othello marry is a complex question, the obvious answer would be that he loves Desdemona, but why does he love her and why does his love turn to hate so quickly in Act III scene 3 requires much thought and consideration. Othello likes people to be plain and open because that is what he himself is, he has grown to become his image, he is only on the surface, he hides nothing because that is his image, and to only have one side, the military side. Thus Desdemona also seems to him very open, he likes her because he thinks she is like him however when he finds that she might be hiding something from him then he stops loving her. At the same time, Othello needs a wife to complete his image, she is the proof that he is a successful general and Christian and he can show her off as such.
I do not think that the marriage will be successful because of many different key factors. One is the race issue, because in that era white girls were supposed to marry white boys and if they have to marry in secret because they are too embarrassed or ashamed then they already have negative thoughts about it. Finally, in my opinion, there is little foundation and trust in the relationship and this will lead to its downfall.
As early as Scene 1 of the play Iago shows us strong motives for his actions. In this first scene we see Othello, a general of Venice, has made Michael Cassio his new lieutant. Iago feels he truly deserves his promotion as he says
"I know my price, I am worth more no worse a place."
Here, Iago is confused why Othello has made such a stupid decision. Iago is a man with a tremendous ego who knows, sometimes overestimates, his worth. Roderigo, a Venetian man, understands Iago when Iago said that he is
"Affined to love the Moor."
What Iago really means is "I follow him to serve my term upon him." Iago wants to use Othello for his personal goals. We also must look at Iago’s perspective. He is a man whose self-esteem and professional career have just been torn apart. Iago makes his actions of revenge toward Othello almost immediately by informing Brabantio, father of Desdemona, that
"An old black ram is tupping (his) white ewe (Desdemona)."
This action shows that Iago doesn’t want the marriage to last and gets Brabantio angry by revealing the “secret” marriage to him and says that a moor has had sexual intercourse with his beauteous daughter. Iago's next motive becomes clear when he convinces Othello,
"…that he (Cassio) is too familiar with his (Othello's) wife."
Iago's motive here is to break the bond between Othello and Desdemona and he uses Othello’s fatal flaw, jealousy.
At the end of Iago's speech, Iago reveals that his greatest desire is:
"…practicing upon his (Othello's) peace and quiet."
This confirms the audiences’ view on Iago’s motives as Iago as he states that he is plotting to disrupt Othello’s life.
When Iago says,
“Tis here, but yet confused,"
He is clearly admitting that he has some sort of plan of what he is doing even though the details have not been worked out yet. The reason why Iago has yet to reveal his plan is that he doesn't want to show his face till his plan has been done.
During Iago's speech, he tries to assure himself of the true love Cassio holds for Desdemona when he says
"That Cassio loves her, I do well believe 't.
That she loves him, 'tis apt and of great credit."
In this speech, we are able to see Iago act more as a human than a monster. He tries to make himself feel better by convincing himself that his lies are actually true. If he was a devil who does evil for his own sake, than he wouldn't care if his lies were true or not.
Iago speaks of how Othello would prove to be a good husband to Desdemona, he also admits that he loves Desdemona. "I do love her," he admits,
"Not out of absolute, but led to diet revenge."
This claim of love for Desdemona has a nonsexual implication: Desdemona is an object that enables Iago to seek revenge on Othello. Again, Iago does
"Suspect the lusty Moorhad an affair with his wife Emilia.”
His motive is to seek revenge and get even with Othello as he says
"Till I am evened with him wife for wife."
Iago's motive is to make Othello overcome by jealousy,
"At least into a jealousy so strong,"
So that he will not be able to see or think straight. Iago says that jealousy is an affective judgement.
At the beginning of Act 3 scene 3, we have Othello’s total love for and trust in his wife. However, from line 34 the scene deals with Iago eating away at Othello’s mind and reason, where we have Iago’s reference to Cassio’s exit from the garden when he says, “Ha! I like not that!” He suggests that Othello should be wary of being jealous, knowing full well that by nature Othello is not a jealous man, and he says,
“O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy;
it is the green-eye’d monster, which doth mock
the meat it feeds on: that cuckold lives in bliss
who, certain of its fate, loves not his wronger”
What Othello should be wary of is the monster Iago, who is feeding on Othello’s dark side, bringing it to the surface by his paranoia.
Iago goes on to remind Othello that she deceived her father in marrying the Moor. Iago is pleased to see how his work on Othello is progressing, and he becomes bolder.
He suggests that Desdemona is having second thoughts about her marriage to Othello, and regrets their partnership.
In Othello’s speech, we see the results of Iago’s poison. He opens by praising Iago’s honesty. He feels that Desdemona has been playing with his feelings and they are as sensitive as any white man’s. He curses the marriage and says,
“I had rather be a toad
and live upon the vapor of a dungeon
than keep a corner in the thing I love
for others’ uses …….
If she be false,
O! then heaven mocks itself.”
Othello’s confidence is undermined and although we do not feel that he is acting jealously, there is a clear indication that he requires revenge. We have watched Othello change from being the hero to the victim.
Fate seems to be against him and for Iago, demonstrated by the incident with the handkerchief. This will become the evidence of Desdemona’s ‘infidelity’.
We observe Emilia’s loyalty to her husband and we wonder why she has no idea concerning Iago’s plot of intrigue. She says, “I nothing but to please his fantasy”.
Although there will be tragic events at the end of the play, the real tragedy is the destruction of Othello by Iago. He is slowly losing his nobility and coming down to Iago’s level. Evil is corrupting his mind and his actions, and Iago’s words will make Othello an instrument of evil, just as Roderigo and Cassio had been used before.
We now see Iago brimming with confidence and he has now gained full control over Othello. He has brought down the noble Moor to a rambling soul consumed with vengeance and jealousy. The contrived conversation between Iago and Cassio that Othello ‘overhears’ is even more successful than Iago had hoped due to the intervention of Bianca.
“Let the devil and his dam haunt you! What did you
mean by that same handkerchief you gave me even now?”
To Othello it seems obvious that Desdemona had given her handkerchief to Cassio. He is appalled that the handkerchief has been passed on to Cassio’s mistress and he reacts angrily.
“By heaven, that should be my handkerchief!”
The audience will now be frustrated by Othello’s gullibility and his doubt in his wife’s loyalty. Now that Othello is determined to have Cassio murdered, they will be hoping for Cassio’s safety especially since he is one of the most honest characters in the play.
Desdemona contributes to her own downfall by supporting Cassio all the time instead of spending time with her new husband, thus making Othello jealous and allowing Iago to plot his revenge.
In act 3 scene 3 she reveals her gullibility. A clown starts the scene, by responding to Desdemona’s question,
“Do you know, sirrah, where Lieutenant
Cassio lies?”
With a pause, he replies,
“I dare not say he lies anywhere”
The clown is being funny and having fun with Desdemona, but what reveals Desdemona’s character is the way she responds by saying
“Why, Man?”
This shows how Desdemona is a gullible person, and she takes every word a person says literally.
It is really Othello's vulnerability to jealousy and his wrongful faith in Iago that lead to the final tragedy of him murdering Desdemona and then committing suicide. He is ready to kill both Desdemona and Cassio solely on the grounds that Iago said they had wronged him.
In the final scene, it is Othello who does not give anyone a chance to prove him wrong in believing in his wife's loyalty, and therefore he is the only one responsible for the resulting deaths. Othello refuses to discuss what he heard with Desdemona, though the foundation of a good marriage is communication. He does not give Desdemona a chance to defend herself against the outright lies, justifying his actions:
"I'll not expostulate
with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again. . ."
When he finally does confront her, Othello will not accept anything she says, though it is all the truth. Othello is simply too stubborn, blinded by his jealousy that has turned into rage. Desdemona's own servant, Emilia, assures Othello that nothing has ever happened between his wife and Cassio, and that she has heard
"... Each syllable that breath made up between them"
However, Othello cannot believe her because he is so irrational. He even admits in the midst of his anger that
"O, the world hath not a sweeter creature "
Othello still lets his jealousy and irrational thoughts get the better of him. After he has suffocated Desdemona, he explains to Emilia,
"But that I did proceed upon just grounds
To this extremity. Thy husband knew it all"
Othello admits his only proof of any adultery was the words of her husband Iago.
"My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago"
Once Othello finds that all he had been led to believe was lies, he commits suicide, having realized his stupidity and faithlessness in his own wife, whom he truly did love.