Death and Gender in Othello - Research Paper Example

13 December Death and Gender in Othello In The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, William Shakespeare renders the terrible consequences of lying, racial, discrimination, and jealousy. The play exemplifies the vulnerability of people to lies and racial prejudice, where Iago's manipulation and lies have driven Othello to doubt, and then eventually, kill the love of his life, Desdemona. This paper analyzes the themes of jealousy, discrimination, and misrepresentation in the play. The plot, characterizations of Iago, Othello, and Desdemona, and symbolisms depict how characters have succumbed to these themes, and as a consequence, they have driven the play to its tragic ending. Desdemona dies, because of lies and jealousy, as well as racial and gender discrimination. Iago misrepresents many people, so that he can advance his own interests and to take revenge against Cassio and Othello. Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago, which angers the latter who thinks he is more deserving than Cassio. Iago, with revenge in mind, manipulates people's vulnerabilities or weaknesses, making him “perhaps Shakespeare’s consummate villain” (Foster 2). Iago is “evil” enough to not even have any motivation of hating and killing Othello. Foster believes that not being promoted is only the tipping point of Iago's hatred for Iago. Foster argues: “It is Othello’s candor, openness, and spontaneous, generous love that Iago finds offensive” (2). Suggesting that Othello only seduced his wife indicates Iago's corrupted soul. Iago treats people as victims or tools, and in many ways, he is the “classical Renaissance atheist,” who is cunning and beyond morality, as he finds it rewarding to darken that which is pure (Foster 2). He knows that his actions can endanger him too, but he trusts in his wits to save him (Foster 2). Iago thinks that his main purpose in life is to be the darkness to people's goodness. And Othello, with his racial and cultural difference, is the perfect target for the dark-spirited Iago. Iago specifically lies about Othello, Cassio, and Desdemona, because he has a corrupted nature with hatred and bitterness in his heart. Iago initially misrepresents Othello to Brabantio, a Venetian senator and Desdemona's father. Iago uses racism to encourage Brabantio to kill Othello. He tells Desdemona's father that Othello seduced her daughter, as if it is impossible for a white woman to love a Moor. Iago gives Brabantio a strong racist image: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is topping your white ewe...” (Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 1). Iago uses pathos to evoke an emotional response from Brabantio. Iago also connives with Roderigo, who wants to steal Desdemona from Othello. Iago, however, is a double spy and he warns Othello of Brabantio's forthcoming allegations and actions. This warning, nevertheless, is Iago's way of reinforcing Othello's trust in him, so that he can further damage the latter. Iago also lies to Roderigo that he is loyal to him. Roderigo only wants Desdemona and since he knows that Iago hates Othello, he has an ally. Roderigo also sends gifts to Desdemona to woo her, but Iago keeps these gifts for himself. Iago appears to be helping Roderigo to win Desdemona's heart, but he only lures him into his web of lies. In this web, the main goal is to kill all those who have “mistreated” him- Othello and Cassio. Since Othello loves Desdemona, she must also suffer too. Iago also misrepresents Cassio to Othello. Iago even uses his wife, Emily, to use Desdemona's handkerchief as the visual proof of her infidelity. Desdemona accidentally drops her handkerchief that Othello gave to her. Emilia picks it up, and Iago uses that to engender doubt in Othello's mind. When Othello asks Iago for evidence that Desdemona is no longer faithful to him, Iago says that he slept in Cassio’s room and heard Cassio mention sweet words about Desdemona. He says that he had seen Cassio using Desdemona's handkerchief too. Rage consumes Othello, who vows to kill Cassio. He orders Iago instead to murder Cassio, while promoting him as the new lieutenant. It does not also help that Cassio admires Desdemona's beauty and virtues. Iago also lies to Montano, so that he can chip Cassio's integrity further, which is important, so that society will no longer trust Cassio in any way. Montano has high praises for Cassio, but Iago tells him that Cassio does not deserve praises, because he is a drunkard. Soon Montano believes Iago and says: “And 'tis great pity that the noble Moor/Should hazard such a place as his own second” (2.3). After losing Montano's favor, Cassio complains of his lost integrity: “...O, I have lost/my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of/myself, and what remains is bestial” (2.3). Iago has put Cassio in the perfect dark place he wants him to be. In addition, Iago also exploits other people to lie to Othello. For example, Iago wittingly uses a conversation with Cassio about the latter's mistress Bianca, so that he can show to Othello that Cassio is talking about his sexual affair with Desdemona. This conversation has pushed coal to the fire, as Othello's anger flames higher. Iago, with professions of love and loyalty to Othello, strengthens his relationship with the latter. Iago's actions can be symbolized as a form of “Judas's kiss.” His love is the kiss of death to Othello in the literal and figurative sense. Literally, Iago's lies will kill Othello and Desdemona, and figuratively, he kills Othello's peace of mind, by planting seeds of suspicion against his greatest love. Jealousy exterminates people's morality by destroying their sense of right and wrong. Iago is jealous of Cassio's promotion. He tells Roderigo: “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place” (1.1). This statement shows his egoism, because he does not even analyze the merit of Cassio's promotion. Because of his jealousy of Cassio, Iago has lost his sense of morality. He no longer thinks that it is wrong to kill Cassio and to lie to and use people because revenge consumes him. Iago also skillfully controls Othello and the people around him, so that Othello would be jealous of Cassio. Othello, however, does not consider the other side of the story. Even when Desdemona pleads for her innocence, he does not listen to her. She tells Othello: “ I never did/Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio” (5.2). But Othello's logic and morality are gone , his jealousy is like fire that licked all that is sane and warm in him. While Desdemona says “A guiltless death I die” (5.2), Othello continues to believe that he deserves her death: “She turn'd to folly, and she was a whore” (5.2). It was too late when he learns the truth. When he says “O fool! fool! Fool!” (5.2), he calls himself the greatest fool for believing Iago's baseless lies. He realizes that he did not investigate the matter of Desdemona's affair thoroughly and that he blindly submitted to his fiery emotions. He says: “Killing myself, to die upon a kiss” (5.2). He deserves to die with Desdemona, because he killed already the only thing that matters to him. It is ironic, nevertheless, that Iago does not get the better of Cassio, who soon becomes a governor. Cassio is redeemed, while Iago ends up being tortured for his transgressions. The ending is also tragic for Othello who loses everything that is important to him- the love of his life and his integrity, because he listened to a liar like Iago. Jealousy and misrepresentation do not provide happy endings for Othello and Iago, who lost their sense of morality because of their moral weaknesses. Iago loses his integrity and position in society, because of his envy for Cassio's promotion. He wanted to be the more prominent one, but Cassio gains more fame and power. Othello loses even more. He loses the love of his life, integrity, and life. After losing Desdemona, it is clear that he dies also. Furthermore, after discovering Iago's lies, he will no longer accept his stupidity and lost integrity. This play reminds people that they should not make decisions when they are angry. They should also investigate the truth in the rumors. Racial discrimination also leads to Desdemona's death, because his father and society would not have been so severe on Othello, if he had not been a Moor. Without this racial element, Othello might have had more true allies than enemies. These allies would have protected him and prevented Desdemona's death. First, Othello's marriage with Desdemona can be called as a “runaway marriage,” which manifests society's miscegenation. Apparently, Othello’s Moorish identity has elicited harsh reactions and actions from the society he lives in (Gruber 100). As an outsider, he becomes a victim of racial discrimination in his time. Second, as a Moor or black, Othello is orientalized as “an exotic, a foreigner from a fascinating and mysterious land” (Foster 2). The play shows that he is passionate and sensitive to other people. This becomes a problem, because his cultural identity does not fit “the sophisticated and highly cultivated context of Renaissance Italy, a land that in the England of Shakespeare’s time had a reputation for connivance and intrigue” (Foster 2). Shakespeare employs racial difference to stress how Othello's difference affects his society's relations with him, and ironically, to underline the “white Iago, the embodiment of evil in the play” (Foster 2). Othello is the “natural man,” who a socially hierarchical society finds easy to manipulate and to criticize (Foster 2). He has the instinct to be loving and forgiving, but these natural virtues turn him to an “extremely vulnerable” being who is prone to manipulation and prejudice (Foster 2). Gender discrimination also leads to Desdemona's death, because Iago does not value her life any more than he values a Moor's. Holmer describes Desdemona as a warrior, because of her beauty and virtues, but the patriarchal world does not value these characteristics. Othello believes that Desdemona’s infidelity is proven through a handkerchief. Other critics note that the handkerchief is unimportant to Othello's jealousy and rage. It serves a theatrical point, a visible way of showing infidelity. On the contrary, Smith argues that “... it is precisely because the handkerchief is insignificant that it is important, because otherwise Emilia would not take the handkerchief or identify it as the cause of Othello’s jealousy” (Alexander; Fiedler 149, qtd. in Smith 23). The handkerchief also holds sexual and gender meanings. Carol Neely says that the handkerchief is “a symbol of women’s civilizing power” because of its roots from “female sibyl to female ‘charmer’ to Othello’s mother to Desdemona” (128, qtd. in Smith 23-24). This interpretation serves to both emphasize and undermine women's power in society. It also hints that the handkerchief has some form of “magic,” and this turns the magical powers that Brabantio accuses Othello to have as possessing “poetical and rhetorical powers” (Smith 36). The handkerchief represents the rhetorical and theatrical abilities to “subdue” the male (Smith 36). Neely argues that even when the handkerchief is used to demonstrate Desdemona's infidelity, it also serves to question “Othello’s anxiety about unrestrained female rhetorical power, especially in situations of love” (Smith 36). Lynda Boose argues that Othello and Desdemona’s wedding-bed sheets are the “visual proof of their consummated marriage, the emblem of the symbolical act of generation so important to our understanding of the measure of this tragedy” (56, qtd. in Smith 23-24 ). The sheets are supposed to embed Desdemona as the one under Othello, so when the latter discovers his wife's unfaithfulness, he feels rage, not only as a husband, but as a cuckolded man. His gender has made him angrier, for as a man, he is not supposed to be duped by any woman, especially in a sexual way. Edward Snow adds menstrual blood and stresses that the handkerchief is “a nexus for three aspects of woman—chaste bride, sexual object, and maternal threat” (392, qtd. in Smith 24). These aspects represent the gender stereotypes and roles placed on women. Women are expected to be chaste, while men fool with other women. In addition, they have the burden of being second-class citizens, which is why when Iago lies about Desdemona, Othello could also be believing him more than his wife, because Iago is a man. In a man's world, men's words have greater validity and truth than women's. Others say that the handkerchief is “a penis symbol” (Jofen 14, qtd. in Smith 24), or its strawberries as “the clitoris, the berry of sexual pleasure nestled beneath phalanged leaves” (Newman 156, qtd. in Smith 24). These are sexual symbols that underscore the sexuality of women; a sexuality that men control and own. After Emilia discovers Iago's plans, she wants to tell what happened. Iago commands her to shut up, and she thinks: ‘‘’Tis proper I obey him, but not now’’ (5.2.197). “Emilia affirms a husband’s right to control his wife’s speech, noting that only exceptional circumstances compel her to disobey” (Gruber 100), an example of the patriarchal society's subjugation of the female voice, which women confirm themselves too. Indeed, Emilia is killed because she wants to defend Desdemona's innocence. Gruber stresses: “The murder of Emilia forcefully demonstrates penalties imposed upon women who arrogate to themselves the power of telling-naming-de?ning” (100). The same subjugation can also be said about Desdemona. Because she is a woman, she is further devoted to her husband and when she knows that her husband no longer trusts her, she lets him kill her. She tries to defend her innocence, but Othello is beyond hearing. The lies speak to his heart and mind. Desdemona suffers too before her death. She feels that Othello's dark moods will soon result to something graver. Her sophisticated language depicts her love for Othello and intellect as a woman. She pleads for Othello to tell her what is wrong, but Othello resists her logos. As a woman, she has no ethos. Othello ironically only believes in Iago, whose only words are lies and nothing else. Desdemona represents her “invisible sufferings” in the image of the weeping willow (Ronk 64). In The History of the Worthies of England, Thomas Fuller defines the meaning of the willow: “A sad Tree, whereof such who have lost their love make their mourning garlands and we know what Exiles hung up their Harps upon such dolefull Supporters” (Psalm 137.2, qtd. in Ronk 64). Desdemona can only hang her sadness and problems on a willow, but she will feel further misery. The play shows that because she is a female character, she will constantly be open to men's manipulations and lies. Iago uses all possible avenues to destroy her reputation. Her female gender is also her weakness, since she does not fight Othello's attack. If only she is a man, she would have defended her life too. She would have also been more aggressive in appealing for her innocence. She would have also been less kinder to people who must have appeared to be using her and lying to her, like Iago. She would have discovered the truth earlier on. During her time, women are not supposed to oppose men. They should accept whatever fates their men bring to them. As a result, it is easier for Desdemona to yield to Othello's rage. Who killed Desdemona? Society killed her first of all. The patriarchal culture makes it easier for men to exploit women and undermine their words. Then Iago, Emily, and Othello also contributed to Desdemona's death. Iago uses manipulations and lies to push Othello to kill her. Emily's silence and hesitation to tell the truth killed Desdemona too. Finally, Othello delivers the last blow to end Desdemona's life. Nevertheless, Desdemona also killed herself. She killed herself for not being more aggressive in defending her innocence. She allowed society and Othello to dominate her. For in her mind, there is so much love and tenderness that she no longer finds it beautiful to live, after losing Othello's trust. Thus, this play underscores the complex relationships and attitudes that led to Desdemona's death. For her death reveals how society and individuals can altogether kill a beautiful soul. Works Cited Barry, Jackson. “Shakespeare's Othello and Ovid's Metamorphoses.” Explicator 63.1 (2004): 9-12. Print. Foster, Edward E. “Othello.” Masterplots (2010): 1-3. Print. Gruber, Elizabeth D. “Dead Girls Do It Better: Gazing Rights and the Production of Knowledge in Othello and Oroonoko.” LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory 14.2 (2003): 99-118. Print. Holmer, Joan Ozark. “Desdemona, Woman Warrior: "O, These Men, These Men!" (4.3.59).” Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England 17 (2005): 132-164. Print. Ronk, Martha. “Desdemona's Self-Presentation.” English Literary Renaissance 35.1 (2005): 52-72. Print. Shakespeare, William. “Othello.” Smith, Shawn. “Love, Pity, and Deception in "Othello."” Papers on Language & Literature 44.1 (2008): 3-51. Print. Read More