Racial Imagery and the Use of Language - Book Report/Review Example

Passage Analysis of Act 4, Scene 2, in Shakespeare’s Othello Racial imagery and the use of language 4/26 Word count 534 Passage: Act 4, Scene 2, Lines 36-105 Plagiarism statement: I declare that this document is all my own work and does not contain any plagiarism. Furthermore, this work has not been previously submitted for any courses or assessments. Shakespeare’s Othello is a highly emotional tragedy, where the relationships between characters are of central importance, and a large proportion of the action in the play occurs through dialogue, rather than physical interaction. The main themes of the play are jealousy, love, betrayal, tragedy and racism, which are exemplified by the way that the characters of the play interact with each other and how strongly action is driven not by evidence, but by suspicion and manipulation. For this analysis the dialogue between Othello and Desdemona in Act 4, Scene 2, in Shakespeare’s Othello has been chosen for careful examination. The scene shows the breakdown of Othello’s noble nature into a more base form, and reinforces the differences of race between Othello and Desdemona, showing Desdemona as a pure and innocent character, while Othello appears dark and almost demonic. This imagery reinforces the concepts of race that were introduced earlier in the play. The dialogue that occurs in this passage of text consists of a back and forth between Desdemona and Othello beginning at line 36, where Othello dismisses Emilia and is alone with Desdemona 105 where he calls Emilia back into the room, immediately after referring to Desdemona as “…that cunning whore of Venice; That married with Othello (Act 4.2, lines 103-104. Throughout the scene, Othello is accusing Desdemona of being unfaithful, while a confused and frightened Desdemona protests her innocence. Prior to this scene, Iago has spend a significant amount of time vividly describing Desdemona’s supposed infidelity to him, and manipulating Othello to the extent that he becomes convinced that Desdemona is involved romantically with Cassio. This passage is highly significant, as at this point Othello is already convinced of Desdemona’s guilt, even though he has seen no direct evidence, and has already determined that he will kill her for her betrayal. This scene is the first indication that Desdemona has of her husband’s suspicions, and she has no indication of what drove these opinions. Indeed, even after Othello begins to accuse and berate her, she continues to have no idea about what he thinks she has done, “I understand a fury in your words. But not the words” (Act 4.2, lines 37-38). Consequently, this is an important scene in the play and indicates the way that the characters will progress emotionally and in action. One of the focuses of Othello is the juxtaposition between black and white, particularly between Othello, the moor, and Desdemona the white bride. In the early scenes of the book, Othello is attempting to be perceived as a white man. He is a military leader, a man well respected in his community, and for the most part is treated like an equal. The acceptance and love that Desdemona feels for Othello is a highly important aspect of Othello’s position as a ‘white’ man, however, the love that the pair shares is condemned by Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. This can be seen by his exclamation “Oh treason of the blood! Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters’ minds” (Act 1.1). This image of Othello as the equal of a white man is strongly built over the early sections of the book, so much so that the reader could forget that Othello is black. The interjections of people like Brabantio about Othello’s race actually act to build Othello in esteem, as he reacts with the calmness of a gentlemen, telling his men to hold their weapons, he will answer whatever charges are set to him (Act 1.1). His use of language is elegant and his phrases are almost poetic. However, in Act 4, this image of Othello begins to degrade and in his conversation with Desdemona, he has moved from being a well-spoken and pleasant man, to one who is angry and violent. His perception of the wife he loved and spoke highly of earlier in the play has all but gone, and instead he talks of her in the way that he would a villain. Indeed, the stylized and flowing language that he used earlier has completely gone, and the conversation strongly mirrors the earlier one between Othello and Brabantio. However, here the roles are reversed, and Othello is the instigator, speaking to Desdemona in long, angry statements, while she replies, much as he once did, with shorter, calmer lines. All of Desdemona’s lines are attempts to make peace, or to find a way to calm Othello down. For example, she asks him to “lay not your blame on me” (Act 4.2, line 54) and proclaims herself as “your wife, my lord; your true and loyal wife” (Act 4.2, lines 41-42). In contrast, Othello calls her “impudent strumpet!” (Act 4.2, line 91) and compares her to a fair and goodly book, which whore has been written upon (Act 4.2, lines 81-82). It is not only what Othello is saying that is important in this passage, but also the way that he speaks. In the first act of the play, even when Othello was being spoken to in a vile manner by Brabantio he does not respond with profanity, instead all the words that he uses appear to be carefully thought out. For example, when Brabantio warns Othello that Desdemona may one day betray him, he replies “My life upon her faith! Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee” (Act 1.1). In Act 4, his words are harsher, his sentences shorter, and there is none of the poetic nature that was present earlier. Such as “And will not hear it. What committed! Impudent strumpet” (Act 4.2, lines 90-91). Words that he uses against Desdemona in this part of the play include, whore, strumpet, public commoner, as false as hell, and cunning whore of Venice. All these factors produce an image of a vile moor who is beyond reason. Therefore, the aspect of race can be keenly seen in the dialogue of Desdemona and Othello in Act 4. In this passage, Othello is playing the quintessential part of a black man in Shakespeare’s time. He presents almost a demonic figure, wildly accusing Desdemona of acts that she is not even aware of, and ones that the audience knows did not ever occur. In contrast, Desdemona appears as a pure, innocent, almost angelic figure. Othello’s reproaches to her are not reasonable and he appears to take her confusion and innocence as further evidence that she has done wrong. When she asks him what crime she has committed, he launches into a tirade, where he calls her a ‘public commoner’ and ‘impudent strumpet’ as well as focusing on the words ‘what committed’ (Act 4.2, lines 80-91). Another aspect of this imagery is that when Desdemona appears to understand what she is being accused of, she calls upon the Christian religion, crying “O, heaven forgive us” (Act 4.2, line 101), and in response to Othello’s accusation that she is a whole, she replies “No, as I shall be saved” (Act 4.2, line 94). Desdemona’s lines throughout this scene are those of an innocent and confused young woman. This creates for a highly ironic aspect, as earlier in the play Othello staked his life on her honesty, yet at this point he refuses to believe her innocence and is certain that she has betrayed him. Although Othello’s respect for Desdemona has evidently degraded, she speaks to him with strong adoration, even though his words to her are harsh. The exchange in lines 74 to 92 are particularly revealing. In this portion of the passage, Desdemona entreats Othello, using the same language that she has used throughout the play towards him, “I hope my noble lord esteems me honest” (Act 4.2, line 74). However, Othello’s reply is nothing like the gentleman that he appeared to be earlier in the play, nor like a man speaking to his wife, ending with “that the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born” (Act 4.2, lines 78-79). Desdemona’s response is typical of her character, and shows the deep love that she holds for Othello. If she had committed the crime that Othello was accusing her of, then it is likely that she would have been either assertive or highly defensive. However, she is neither, at this point she is completely unaware of what Othello is angry with her about. This can be seen in the way that she protests to him, “Alas, what innocent sin have I committed?” (Act 4.2, line 80). In this passage of Othello, the way that Othello’s character is presented is very different to the way that it was earlier in the play. He has degraded significantly from the charismatic and calm man that was seen earlier in the play. Shakespeare uses language carefully in this passage to produce a mirror of an earlier scene, where Othello had been the rational one, and Desdemona’s father highly irrational. The strong play on black and white, and, good and evil makes this a particularly powerful passage that sets the scene for later parts of the play, and shows the strong effect that Iago’s manipulations have had on Othello. Othello has shifted away from a noble character, and this scene shows a different side to his nature, a movement towards an angry and vindictive man. Read More