The play Othello composed by William Shakespeare portrays the tragedy of a character whose blind jealousy deprives him of everything he has. Due to its complexity and controversy, Othello was and remains a stumbling point for a lot of critics and researchers. Difficulty in the interpretation of this tragedy is caused by its characters` questionable morals. Moreover, with further analysis one may see that the theme of marital issues and betrayal in this tragedy is supported by another theme of morality and amorality which will determine the actions of not only the main character but that of everyone else. By contrasting two opposite characters like Iago and Othello Shakespeare presents two divergent understandings of the moral code as well as the notion of morality itself. Interweavement of Iago`s deadly intrigues and Othello`s moral code and his hot temperament distort and blend morality with amorality making these two characters extremely complex and hard to interpret only from one standpoint. Taking into consideration Othello`s behavior and actions at the beginning of the play and the end the question arises– does Othello truly have and believe in his moral code or he is convinced that he has one because he cannot clearly define good and evil? To answer this question, one should analyze Othello`s protagonist regarding his moral code and personality and his inability to distinguish good and evil.
It should be mentioned that at the beginning of a play Othello shows his moral code which was evident in his treatment of his wife. Moreover, he excluded such a moral notion as jealous because he categorically states that it cannot be a component of a soul of a nobleman. The evidence of lies in Othello`s conversation with Iago when he states that:
“Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw
The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt,
For she had eyes, and chose me. No, Iago;
I'll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove;
And on the proof, there is no more but this:
Away at once with love or jealousy.” (Shakespeare Act I Scene I)
Othello`s interpretation of morality and amorality cannot be fully evident and understood only by analyzing this very protagonist. The issue of morality of the play come up when looking at the moral aspects of it, and that can be reached only by due consideration of all the moral relations of the various persons of the involved in the drama. Thus to understand what were the main causes of Othello`s transformation into a horrible and the furious beast one has to contrast it with his antagonist Iago who represents all the main components of amorality. Othello’s sins can only be blamed on one man who poisons his mind and feelings, Othello “loses all command of himself, and his rage can only be appeased by blood” (Hazlitt, Para. 1). It should be mentioned that some critics entirely blame Iago for Othello`s decision to kill Desdemona; however, one wonders whether a nobleman who embodies a strict moral code – one who is a general – yield to jealousy and commit the crime of murder? That can happen only if such a man has no sense of moral code that he believes in and support. Othello`s origin and race could have been the reasons why he committed homicide. He points out that his hot temperament and origin were stronger than morality and that his inability to logically and methodically analyze situation instead of yielding to rumors and emotions were cause by his small introspection. It is obvious that Othello has a simple heart. However, his moral code of a noble person should have been stronger which evokes idea does he truly have morality or he simply took some codes of conduct and followed them?
It is evident that Othello’s morality is nothing more than a weak set of beliefs that can be easily dismissed by emotions. Just like A. C. Bradley points out, “such jealously as Othello’s converts human nature into chaos, and liberates the beast in ma; and it does this about one of the most intense and also the most ideal of human feelings” (page 1). In this case, his morality can be treated as amorality especially when evil outdoes the good in him. Moreover, it should be mentioned that some critics point out that Othello and Iago mirror each other’s vices. For instance, Iago seems to be trustworthy and honest due to his disguise while Othello is seen as a deceiver and a trickster. Furthermore, Iagos amorality code appears to be stronger than Othello`s moral one who makes these characters extremely hard to interpret because it evokes a controversy regarding relation amorality to morality.
All in all, taking into consideration Othello`s deed one may see that his moral code is nothing more than an artificial set of rules that he does not follow because morality promotes a firm belief that one should act this way and no other.
Works Cited
Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy (London: Macmillan, 1904): pp. 168171. Quoted as "Othello's Distinguishing Characteristics" in Harold Bloom, ed. Shakespeare's Tragedies, Bloom's Major Dramatists. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. (Updated 2007).
Hazlitt,William. Characters of Shakespear's Plays (London: Macmillan, 1817): pp.2931. Quoted as "Othello's Mind" in Harold Bloom, ed. Shakespeare'sTragedies, Bloom's Major Dramatists. Philadelphia: Chelsea HousePublishing, 1999. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literature. Facts On File,Inc. Web. 22 Apr. 2016
Shakespeare, William. Othello. New York: Dover Publications, 1996. Print.
