Othello, considered as one of the most painful Shakespearean tragedies (Bradley 176), is a fine demonstrator of a man’s mental vulnerability when temptation begins to penetrate his mind, blurring his judgment. In the book Shakespearean Tragedy, Othello is not only a noble hero who is brought down by fatal jealousy, perhaps, because he has married before his time “But, I pray you, sir, Are you fast married? (II, 10-12), according to Iago, but also a protagonist of domestic tragedy that is characterized by repetitive themes, such as love and hate, intrigue and jealousy, revenge and suspicion, self-interest, racism and judgment (Hunt 55). Othello is definitely courageous and efficient in the battle field, judging from his accomplishments in the militia, where he started as a mercenary soldier and is now a general in the army serving the republic of Venice; however, his insecurities and masterly manipulations of people around him, together with his weak character and background, lead to his destruction. He steps into a fight with evil, where his insecurities feed his jealousy, which in turns resulted to him murdering his other half.
Othello is also naïve enough to trust Iago with his personal affairs. He thinks of Iago as a loving, honest friend and he puts his opinion on Iago over Emilia’s word for her husband being a dishonest, mean man: “My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago” (II. 160 p. 652). It is obvious, though, that from the moment his “honest” friend tells him of Desdemona’s supposed adultery, meaning her affair with Cassio, Othello blocks his rational thinking process and becomes emotional. He did not even stop to question Iago’s accusations. The fact that the family heirloom, a handkerchief with special magical powers, which was a gift from Othello to his wife as a token of his affection for her, ended up in Emily’s hands and in turns to Iago’s, was conceived by Othello as another act of disregard on behalf of Desdemona. As a result, Othello was convinced of his wife’s adultery and even though his jealousy was created out of sheer illusion, it penetrated his soul (Ardolino, 2006 p.50). Could it be that he felt superior to Desdemona’s noble cast and place in society that he sees himself unworthy of her love? There is certainly a good reason for his behavior and mindset. Othello appears unable to control his feelings and finds a way out via violence. He showed his rage by killing the woman he loved, but as soon as he realized what he had done, and just a step before taking his own life, he admits that he had loved her, yet wisely: “Of one that loved not wisely but too well” (II 354 p.655). Definitely a portrait of a mentally ill individual.
On the other hand, Desdemona appears helpless to prove her love and devotion to Othello. Although she can stand up for her marriage, her position in society does not allow her to do much. When she is credited with some sort of activity throughout the play, she is characterized as a manipulative woman using witchcraft (Neely, 1977 p. 134). As a matter of fact, witchcraft is often used as an accusation in Othello, as Othello himself was accused of using witchcraft to mesmerize Desdemona: “She is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted/ By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks; For nature so preposterously to err, Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense, Sans witchcraft could not” (I.iii.62-66 p.616). That being said, to many critics, Othello was not a demonstration of a battle between good and evil, rather than among sexes in marriage (Neely, 1977 p. 134). Interestingly enough, the play showcases how people used to think of those getting married. Couples that were bound with the bonds of marriage would be mocked. Indicatively, Emilia tells Othello: “O mistress, villany hath made mocks with love, My husband say that she was false!” (IV.ii. 158-159 p. 652). So, one can understand that Othello had lots to confront on a personal level, and his origins, as well as the prevailing social perceptions on many things, like one’s marital status and their role in the family and society, definitely put an obstacle to his rational thinking process. That made him vulnerable and weak; completely unable to balance what society expected from him and his own desires and feelings.
Specific characters played a significant role in Othello’s mind manipulation and affected the overall outcome. Although, according to Bradley (1905), “Evil has nowhere else been portrayed with such mastery as in the character of Iago” (207), one needs to be careful when interpreting Iago’s words, as they may fail to identify truth from lie in them and misinterpret Iago’s sayings (Bradley 211). Iago may be a mystery; yet, if one looks at how his desires change throughout the play, and what are his intentions towards the other characters of the play, his personality is not much of a mystery anymore (Zender 323). Iago appears to feel rather incompetent, due to his social place and education and sees dangers and betrayals everywhere, even when they are not there. For example, when Cassio kisses Emilia as a token of his noble breeding and manners, Iago, immediately answers: “Sir, would she give you so much of her lips As of her tongue she oft bestows on me, You'll have enough” (II.i. 102-103 p.622). He also seems to have a bizarre change of interest for Desdemona that complexes as the play unfolds. At first, Desdemona is not of great interest for Iago, but soon she becomes the center of his desire, in a very twisted way. Iago wanted to sleep with Desdemona, just as he thought Othello had done with Emilia, until he reaches a final stage, where he wished for Desdemona’s death (Zender 323): “Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” (IV.i.209-210 p. 642). All through the play, he tries to pass on the message that there are different categories of women such as fair and wise, and foul and foolish (Zender 331), as a means to strongly point out that there, in fact, do not exist deserving women (Zender 331), in contrast to Desdemona’s speech in Act II. Indicatively, he says that women are good to “suckle fools and chronicle small beer” (II.i.160 p.623). His misogyny and strong will to destroy Desdemona give him a powerful motive to play with Othello’s mind and make him want to take Desdemona’s life. However, Iago’s goal is not only to see Desdemona fall, but to put Othello in an endless torture and destroy all Othello cherishes, rather than see him dead (Zender 333) “It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor,-- put money in thy purse,--nor he his to her” (I.iii 343-346 p.620) and for that reason he uses Desdemona’s beauty and virtue to provoke Othello’s jealousy. What is the reason for all this obsession on behalf of Iago? Zender (1994) gives an interesting viewpoint, according to which Iago wanted to cover his social and physic inadequacy, as he was nowhere near Othello’s eloquence and social class, by becoming a tyrannous to his own wife (335). When Emilia rebelled against Iago, his misogyny aroused greater than before and wanted the same to happen to Othello. Another point of view wants Iago to have fallen in love with Desdemona and her strangulation, as he has foretold, would be a way to silence her not only to the world but inside him too (Zender 333). Iago clearly despises Othello and wants him to suffer, due to a fake certainly: “I hate the Moor: And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets. He has done my office: I know not if't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety” (I.iii. 385-389 p.620). A man driven and blinded by passion can do a lot of things, and most of them are rather immoral and unethical. This is exactly what Iago does to Othello’s mind, when he repeatedly praises Desdemona’s good voice and her other skills and virtues.
Looking into the social environment Othello was raise in, one can see that there were prevailing concepts that Othello could not –or did not want to- escape, like the fact that men had to be masculine and not be drawn into a woman’s tricks that turned men into “foolish” husbands. Also, Othello had to confront the fact that he was indeed an outcast in his society. He was a remarkable soldier and general, yet in his personal life he was nothing but a black Moore trying to make a fit with the rest of his world. No matter what were the real reasons behind Iago’s intentions, meanness, viciousness and misogyny, truth is that he managed to put Othello into a mental torture that eventually destroyed him.
Works Cited:
Ardolino, Frank (2006). “Pinter's BETRAYAL and Shakespeare's OTHELLO”. p. 50-52. Print. Heldref Publications.
Bradley.A.C (1905). “Shakespearean Tragedy: Lecture on Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth”. (2nd Ed). Print. London: Macmillan.
Cohen, Derek ( ). “Patriarchy and Jealousy in Othello and the Winter's Tale”. Print. Modern Language Quarterly September 1987 48(3): 207-223; doi:10.1215/00267929-48-3-207.
Feather, Jennifer (2013). “O Blood, Blood, Blood: Violence and Identity in Shakespeare's Othello”. Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England, Vol. 26.
Hunt, Pat (2007). “The tragedy of Othello”. Web. Oct. 12, 2013. <http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/the-tragedy-of-othello-26333390.html>
Neely, Carol Thomas (1977). “Women and Men in Othello: “what should such a fool/Do with so good a woman?”. Shakespeare Studies; 1977, Vol. 10, p133-158 Print. EBSCO Publishing.
Zender, Karl (1994). “The Humiliation of Iago”. Print. Sel 34. ISSN 0039-3657. EBSCO Publishing.
Shakespeare’s passages taken from: Bevington, David (2008). "The Necessary Shakespeare". Print. Longman; 3rd edition. ISBN-10: 0205652166
