Othello: A Battle of Love and Deception - Research Paper Example

Othello: A Battle of Love and Deception Othello which is a tragedy written by Shakespeare is set inthe backdrop of Cyprus during the Venetian-Turkish War. It was one of Shakespeare’s unique writing techniques to show the plot in view of the political and social setup. It is about the decline of Othello, the Moor of Venice, in the hands of his ensign Iago whose ironical honesty causes mayhem. Othello blindly follows and trusts Iago. We are initially told that it is Roderigo who loves Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian senator Brabanzio. When Iago informs him of her secret marriage to Othello, we know what kind of character Iago is. The evil in Iago has nowhere else been so perfectly displayed as it is in Othello. Shakespeare resurrected an animalistic nature of Iago who knows nothing about the world except manipulation of innocent lives and taking pleasure in their grievance. On the other hand, Othello’s work demands more attention. He is physically powerful and respected by everyone around him. But his “free and open nature” which is twisted by Iago, leads him into experiencing the most disparaging jealously towards his own wife who loves him unconditionally in return because of her ingenuousness. Thus, we find love and deception at the heart of this play, in concert with each other to a fatal end. Love has merely become an object of reason for Othello ever since Iago has bewitched his heart against Desdemona. It becomes a psychological barrier for Othello as well as Roderigo who fail to understand how things would get any better. One constantly wonders why Iago would go so far as to kill Othello’s ego only because he places Cassio as his lieutenant. Therefore it becomes highly essential to examine all the lines said by Iago. The audience can judge him as a scoundrel at a glance (Bradley 2007). We find him talking to Roderigo against his master, Othello. He considers Cassio to be careless and proves it through his treachery. Othello could not have appointed a young or inexperienced lieutenant for himself. But Iago thinks otherwise. He is married to an unrefined woman who appears as Desdemona’s servant in the play. He is considered vulgar and he admits that he is fond of speaking bluntly. His humor is satirical and he never takes serious matters, lightly: Men should be what they seem; Or those that be not, would they might seem none! (III.iii.) He is known for his honesty which is the most incongruous trait he possesses. He openly claims his love for Othello but we all know it is not true. He aspires to learn the military science but we all can see that he is not suited for that job. He is a good judge of character but he fails to channelize his quality. He uses Desdemona after Cassio is stripped from his post as a lieutenant (only because of Iago) because he knows that she is too naive to appreciate the intricate plot he is knitting against Othello. While Iago’s success is an acknowledgement of the way an actor can manipulate the audience’s most superficial habits of mind, Iago directly pins them for the audience to show how ‘complex vulnerabilities’ they can create (Kolin 2002). We see the decline of Othello as soon as he demands for explanation of the accusation on Desdemona, from Iago. He places reason above love and he confronts his fate in agony (Weedin 1975). In scene three of the first act we find Iago foreseeing this type of man’s nature and the operation of reason: …Our bodies are our Gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners… (I.iii.) And again, …If the balance of our lives had not one scale of Reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness Of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions… (I.iii.) This surely seems to be the kind of reasoning he is going to opt for, throughout the play. Iago uses Roderigo as a medium of consolation, knowing that he is wrought upon by his love for Desdemona. We observe that he still considers it possible to take a chance on his failed love. Iago deceives him as well. We find him running away at the end with murder upon his shoulder. Iago is portrayed as a weak character in the play. We find him plotting against his master, we find him deceiving Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona and his own wife Emilia for his beastly desires. All this adds up to give him a Mephistopheles like character (Bradley 2007). The reason that he compared with a satanic figure is to simply come to a conclusion that he is an outcaste. On the other hand, Othello, who is a man of emotions, is acceptable in the society, but he is the one who faces tragedy in his life. This could have happened to Roderigo. But Shakepeare chose a black man to portray the nature of the Other. This otherness has nothing to do with his race or his background. It has to do with Iago’s animosity toward him. Iago is portrayed like a spider versus Othello who is like a fly. He becomes a helpless victim of Iago just like a fly does when it approaches a spider’s web (Baxton 1990). One should not overlook how Iago manages to twist Othello’s feelings of resistance to kill Desdemona into full commitment. O balmy breath, that almost doth persuade Justice to break her sword! One more, one more! (V.ii) The handkerchief which is the symbol of love, faithfulness, chastity and marital fidelity, ends up in Iago’s hand only to reverse the meanings it symbolize. Morality enters the scene when all Desdemona needs is trust from her husband. But he insists it happen otherwise (Kolin 2002). Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee And love thee after… (V.ii) It is Iago’s sense of power that he wants to satisfy the most. We find him constantly longing for it. He takes delight in acts that allow him to take the lead. When Roderigo exclaims that he must inform Brabanzio of Desdemona’s elopement with Othello, Iago takes gleefully adds: Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell As when, by night and negligence, the fire Is spied in populous cities. (I.i.) A sensible person would try to extinguish the fire but Iago fuels it for the other characters in the play (Bradley 2007). We do see Desdemona as the only character fighting for Love. She has no doubts in her head, no conflict in her heart. Like an Elizabethan woman, she lives in her own world, secure from any mishap. At least she thinks she is. It is her thought which is of significance. She does not have to battle with herself. On her death-bed, she confesses to Emilia that she has committed suicide, to protect her husband. There was immense hatred in her husband’s eyes. But she was convinced that Othello was not like that. Love starts to battle with Deception from here onwards. The power of this love was missing throughout the play. It is in the words of Emilia that the audience finally takes joy and admiration (Bradley 2007). She allows us to feel the resentment and wrath for Iago: A halter pardon him and Hell gnaw his bones! (IV.ii) At the end of the play, there is an eerie silence. Everyone seems to question what the matter really was. Should the play have been named after Iago instead? Should it be called the nasty tragedy of Iago? These questions are still being thought of in the critics mind (John, 1966). When Iago’s wife realizes what he had done, she is utterly bewildered. She has no power over him (Baxton 1990). Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her. Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her, As true hearts cannot bear. (IV.ii.) One can never conclude this argument on the facade of love over deception in Othello. There is always a strand of questions lingering over the readers of this play. They can appreciate Desdemona’s loyalty for her husband but they fail to believe Othello’s wrath and disgust for his wife. They fail to believe how a person like Othello, a metaphor of power and strength could be fooled by a low creature like Iago. There is no justification for Iago’s deeds. He does not even deserve to be Othello’s ensign (Bowman 1943). For him one can only speak in his own tongue and call him: Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible (IV.ii) Love is a strange thing in Othello. It is a kind of passion that can kill. When Othello commits suicide he begs to be remembered as a man who loved too well but not wisely. The play revolves around love where Desdemona truly loves Othello and remains faithful to him. The play becomes a tragedy owing to the deception and it truly portrays the themes of love and deception in the play. Works Cited Books: Bradley, A.C., Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, The Echo Library (Middlesex, 2007) pp. 95-132 Kolin, Philip C. Othello: New Critical Essays, Morality, Ethics and Failure of Love in Shakespeare’s Othello, Routledge (New York, 2002) pp. 255-270. Articles: Bowman, Thomas D., College English, Vol. 4, No. 8, A Further Study in the Characterization and Motivation of Iago, National Council of Teachers of English (May, 1943) pp. 460-469. Braxton, Phyllis Natalie. South Atlantic Review, Vol. 55, No. 4, Othello: The Moor and the Metaphor, South Atlantic Modern Language Association (Nov., 1990) pp. 1-17. Shaw, John. Shakespeare’s Quarterly, Vol 17, No. 2, “What is the Matter?” in Othello, Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University (Spring, 1966) pp.157-161. Weedin, E.K., Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, Vol. 15, No. 2, Love’s Reason in Othello, Rice University (Spring, 1975) pp. 293-308. Read More