Introduction
Throughout one's life, conflict plays a major role. Conflict is a kind of discord, argument or disagreement arising within the self or a group. This is what is known as internal and external conflict. Internal conflict occurs in the mind of an individual when they face two opposing issues or alternatives or when they find fault with their own actions or character. External conflict, on the other hand, happens between one person and another or group. Conflict can also arise between what is imagined or apparent, to what is the reality. For example, the characters and the text present this form of conflict. The characters Iago; Othello and Desdemona turn out to be very different from what they present themselves to be at the beginning. The play Othello by William Shakespeare certainly lends itself to analysis in terms of conflict. There is an interesting interplay between the characters and the themes they portray. Othello, Iago, Cassio provide a rich interplay of different forms of conflict, which in turn makes the play interesting. This paper examines the conflict resulting from how characters in Shakespeare’s Othello perceive the world in terms of appearance and truth.
One of the most prominent incidences of conflict in the play Othello involves the persistent insinuations made by Iago regarding Desdemona’s unfaithfulness to Othello. This happens in the first scene in act IV. Iago tells Othello about how Cassio has lain with Desdemona. This sends Othello into a great rage to the point that he collapses. The great deception occurs when Othello emerges from his trance, and Iago asks him to hide and watch Cassio’s face as Iago asked him how many times, how and when he had slept with Desdemona. Iago presents Othello with “ocular proof,” of Desdemona’s handkerchief, which is now in Cassio’s possession. Iago watches from a hidden position as Iago pretends to ask Cassio questions about his sexual encounters with Desdemona. At this time, Iago does not talk of Desdemona but Bianca, a prostitute. At this point, Othello experiences internal conflict as he wonders how his wife, Desdemona, would be so alluring yet be so unfaithful. He ponders over the credibility of Iago’s insinuations. This is a conflict between what he imagines being the truth and what the reality is. The significance of this conflict is that it enriches the plot of the story and gives rise to the theme of deception as well as to the characterization of the play.
The second instance of conflict that emerges from appearance versus reality is personified by the character Othello. Desdemona, Iago and Cassio perceive Othello as confident, quiet and respectful, even conservative. They know him “the noble moor.” However, this demeanor and personality soon vanishes, and the perceived reality is shattered. For example, in Scene II, Act 1 he asks, "What if I do obey?" While this is a question aimed at Brabantio, it is more of a challenge rather than a question. Othello seems to be daring anyone to respond, and it could be a rhetorical question. He also adds "my parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly." This is a show of his confidence and composure. This could also be his way of saying that his true self will come out and change people’s perspectives about him. This is the persona of “the noble moor” that he wishes to portray. However, when Othello gets news from Iago that Desdemona could be cheating on him with Cassio, he loses his calm and composure and enters into a state of “savage madness” (IV.i.52). He loses control of his speech, writhing in the ground in a fit. At this point, Othello is very far-removed from the composed persona displayed at the opening scene of the play. This discord in Othello’s character traits serves to advance the plot of the play as well as to portray the theme of conflict.
The third obvious conflict surrounds the relationship between Iago and Othello. Iago’s appearance to Othello is very far removed from reality. Also other characters such as Emilia and Desdemona initially perceive Iago and Othello’s relationship as one based on mutual trust. He wants Othello to believe that he is loyal to him and is ready to serve him. However, this ends up to be a deceptive move by Iago. This discord between appearance and reality is apparent to the audience, but it is not apparent to Othello. In this regard, there is discord between what Othello perceives to be true about the nature of Iago’s obeisance to him and what is actually true. Iago says, “I follow him to serve my turn upon him” (Shakespeare, I.i.45). Iago seems to be open about his true nature to other people apart from Iago and Cassio. He says “I am not what I am” (I.i.71) to indicate that he presents himself falsely as someone whom he is not. Iago’s true nature becomes apparent to Othello when he discovers that Iago has been lying to him all along. This leads to Othello’s external conflict with Iago as well as an internal conflict with himself for being so gullible to the extent of killing Desdemona. This internal conflict leads him to stab himself to death. The importance of this “appearance versus reality” element of the play is that it advances the plot, and the themes of conflict and deception.
The fourth example of the “appearance versus reality” element of conflict is personified by the character Desdemona. Desdemona marries Othello the noble moor. She has a good reputation founded on her honesty and truth. Iago works to discredit her and to throw her character into disrepute by insinuating that she has been unfaithful to Othello and had relations with Cassio. Through Iago’s persistence in propagating this lie, what appears to be true about Desdemona’s character is indeed not true. Othello perceives Desdemona as an unfaithful wife, and this is the reason why he experiences internal and external conflict. The internal conflict comes when he feels disdainful and hurt while the external conflict arises between him and Desdemona as well as Iago (Tuten 2). Because of Iago, Desdemona is cast as unfaithful, immoral and trashy. However, this could not be further from the truth. She is extremely loyal and trustworthy to Othello. It appears like Desdemona has something to hide after she loses the handkerchief (which had been stolen by Iago through Emilia) and tells Othello that she does not have it at that moment. This only serves to increase Othello’s doubts over her fidelity and to advance Iago’s ill intentions. The fact is that she is only lying to avoid hurting Othello since the handkerchief is valuable as a family heirloom, and he may think that she did not handle it with the attention it deserved. The purpose of this
Emilia is also at the center of the false reality. She colludes with her husband Iago to steal a handkerchief belonging to Desdemona and give it to Cassio. This would prove to Othello that his wife had been having secret relations with Cassio (Abrahams 181). This act, the only disloyal one towards Desdemona turns out to be devastating. It is the evidence that convinces Othello that his wife is unfaithful. The little theft of the handkerchief contributes to her friend’s death. It appears like she was in on the plot with Iago to ruin Othello’s marriage, but this is not the reality. Her mistake leads to her own internal conflict. She redeems her character, or at least tries to do so, by exposing the truth about Iago’s plan to discredit Cassio and ruin Othello’s marriage. With this act, more conflict emerges between her and her husband, Iago (Abrahams 181). This is because Iago perceives her as loyal to him. He believes that she could not expose his ill intentions towards Othello and Desdemona. This is another instance of “appearance versus reality” and its serves to spark conflict. The reality about her character emerges as she exposes her husband. However, she has to pay for it with her own life. She dies with pride because she does not die in vain. The significance of the “appearance versus reality” element surrounding Emilia is that it is used to characterize her and advance the theme of loyalty and deception.
Conclusion
Conflict in life is a normal occurrence. Conflict may be in the form of disagreement, an argument, a discord in ideas and perceptions or between appearance and reality. This is no different from Shakespeare’s Othello, whereby different characters interact to advance different themes and the plot of the play. Conflict in Othello may be explained in terms of how the different characters perceive other characters and the world around them at large. One of the examples of this involves Othello. Based on the insinuations made by Iago regarding the fidelity of his wife, he thinks that his wife is cheating on him with Cassio. What appears to be true in Othello’s eyes is far from the reality. The reality is that Desdemona is loyal to Othello. The second example of conflict that is based on a character’s perception of the world around him is depicted by Othello. Desdemona, Iago and Cassio perceive Othello as confident, calm and respectful, even conservative. They know him as “the noble moor.” However, their perceptions are conflicted when he emerges as rough and ruthless after Iago tells that his wife’s has been unfaithful.
The third example of conflict arising from a wrong perception is that of Iago and Othello. To Othello, and even to Emilia and Desdemona, Iago is loyal. However, this perception is wrong, and it leads to different conflicts. Fourthly, Othello perceives Desdemona as unfaithful because of the lies he has been fed by Iago. Her character is revealed in the end by Emilia. Fifth, Emilia is perceived by Iago as loyal to him, but she throws away this loyalty to tell the truth. Although it is too late to save Desdemona’s life, she exposes her husband and conflicts with him leading to her death. Undoubtedly, the instances of conflict in Othello are numerous.
Work Cited
Abrahams, Eileen. ""I nothing know": Emilia's Rhetoric of Self-Resistance in Othello." Sederi IV 14.3 (2004): 179-188. Print.
Shakespeare, William, and Norman Sanders. Othello. Cambridge [Cambridge shire: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Print.
Tuten,, J. Christine . "Emilia's Intentions in Othello." Yahoo Contributor Network. Version 1. Yahoo! n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. <http://voices.yahoo.com/emilias-intentions-othello-2664206.html>.
