Thank You, A Promise to Keep Program, for This Blog Post Idea

After finishing Othello, I can't help but think that there was a bit of phoniness in a rather large plot point. Admittedly, I think this was my favorite of Shakespeare's plays which I have thus far read; yet it rather irritated me how fake and shallow Othello's love for Desdemona was portrayed. In the beginning, it seems that Othello is head-over-heels in love with Desdemona and is so happy that he "cannot speak enough of this content./ It stops me here, it is too much of joy" (II.i.191-192). Yet within three days at the most, he has become so jealous that he wants to "tear [Desdemona] all to pieces" (III.iii.432). It could just be me, but a love that can change from "I've never been so happy before" to "I'm gonna kill that woman!" in a matter of a couple days seems rather shallow.

Perhaps Shakespeare only did this because he was under a time constraint (although a five-act play seems like plenty of time to draw out this progression), but it adds another aspect to Othello's flaws. This rapid volte-face indicates the likelihood that Othello's love for Desdemona was not actually love, but infatuation (If you really want to know the differences between love an infatuation, I've got an entire packet from my APTK lesson to offer. No takers? Hmph. Fine then). This infatuation was exacerbated by his paranoia and doubts, leading to insecure jealousy without even open-mindedly hearing Desdemona's defense. Desdemona genuinely loves Othello; he, on the other hand, does not. This disparity between emotions shows that in reality, Othello and Desdemona's marriage was doomed from the start.

Common Vice (p. 1461, Question 5)

As the truth comes out concerning the events of the past couple of days, Othello becomes distraught and ashamed. He stabs and kills himself, but before doing so, Othello reestablishes a bit of his greatness through his final speech to Lodovico. In this speech, Othello honorably tells Lodovico to "speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate,/ Nor set down aught in malice" (V.ii.341-342). Instead of trying to cast blame for his deed upon Iago, as he very well could, he admits his guilt, yet points out that he was in truth a good and loving person who simply made foolish decisions and was stupidly influenced (V.ii.343-347). It is this extreme guilt and admission of his faults that brings some honor back to Othello. His acts of murder and revenge are inexcusable, yet he reminds the audience that he was as good a man as he could be, albeit a flawed one. This summary of his flawed humanity strikes a chord with the audience, who can relate to Othello's vices, as they too are viced. In revealing that Othello is no different from any of us, Shakespeare portrays Othello as an example of a great man who fell a long way down.

Today Feels Like a Black-Flag Day (p. 1119, Question 2)

Shakespeare's Othello is most definitely a tragedy. Othello's tragic flaw is his gullibility and excessive trust in Iago. This unfortunate misplacement of trust and confidence ultimately leads to his death. As with all Shakespearean tragedies, Othello dies as a result of his own doing.

This classification of Othello as a tragedy immediately tips off the audience concerning the play's darker tone, often more complex style of storytelling, and basic set of themes involving mankind's vices and their consequences. The audience knows from the beginning what to look for while viewing the action: the flaws of the main character, their gradual succumbing to those flaws, and the characters whom cause these flaws to grow within the hero. In Shakespeare's time at the Globe Theatre, a flag of a certain color was hung each day to indicate whether the play being performed that day would be a tragedy (black flag), a comedy (white), or a history (red). Because of this, the audience would always know what to look for. This allowed them to become more involved with the play's plot, as they are able to discern more easily the vital facets of the story.

Heroes and Villains

Right now, I am currently attempting to decide exactly who the main character of Othello truly is. Obviously, Othello is a prime candidate. Besides the fact that the play is named after him, Othello is the target of all of Iago's plans. It also appears that it will be Othello's flaw of "a free and open nature/That thinks men honest that but seem to be so" that causes trouble (I.iii.379-380). This has already occurred in his trust that Iago's "honesty and love doth mince this matter" of Cassio's actions and, because of this misplaced trust in Iago, he strips Cassio of his rank on the spot (II.iii.226-228). This flaw indicates that Othello will likely be the tragic hero.

Yet at the same time, it appears that Iago is the driving force of the action. Nearly everything that has occurred thus far in the play's action, from Brabantio's discover of his daughter's marriage to Cassio's dismissal and decision to appeal to Desdemona, has been a direct result of Iago's suggestion and manipulation. While it appears that Iago is Othello's antagonist, in a way, Iago thus far has actually been a more important character than Othello. It appears that this play might actually focus not on a hero's downfall, but on the man who created that downfall.

Stereotypical Green-Eyed Monster (p. 1119, Question 5)

Thus far, the main themes of Othello have been those of the effects of both jealousy and prejudgment. Iago is almost entirely consumed with jealousy of Cassio's promotion to the rankof lieutenant that Iago knows he is "worth no worse a place" (I.i.11). In addition, we learn that Iago is jealous of Othello, of whom he claims "that 'twixt my sheets/He's done my office" (I.iii.368-369)--that is, has slept with Iago's wife. This theme of jealous drives the majority of the play's action, as it is because of jealousy that Iago lays his plan for revenge.

At the same time, prejudgment is highly prevalent in the play. This theme in the form of racism is highly present in Iago's reference to Othello as a "horse" (I.i.111) and in Brabantio's assumption that Othello must have tricked Desdemona into marrying him (I.i.169-172). This idea of the effect of prejudgment is also displayed when Iago falsely tells Montano that Cassio is an alcoholic who would "watch the horologe a double set,/If drink rock not his cradle" (II.iii.111-112). This prejudgment of Cassio as a drunkard by Montano begins to set public opinion against Cassio; this notion is further supported by Cassio's drunken antics moments later. This theme, like the theme of jealousy, effectively encapsulates oft-present human vices and subtly hints at the serious consequences of such vices. These themes are what mold the story.

For Real, Man! (p. 1119 Question 1)

While analyzing Shakespeare's Othello, the authenticity of the play's plot struck me. The play's actions and insights are all employed by realistic conventions. There are no bizarre symbols or abstract ideas, no fantastical creatures are ingenious inventions. There is simply the story. It is this normalcy which causes the audience to feel so connected to Othello's and Iago's struggles. Tragedies just seem to be more effective in realistic settings. Shakespeare's tragedies in particular are so effective due to their realistic natures. Julius Caesar was particularly tragic because Brutus' ambition was so identifiable. The eponymous stars of Romeo and Juliet portray such powerful yet real love that the audience is greatly moved by their suicides. Even in Macbeth, which admittedly involves the unrealistic inclusion of witches, the power of the play lies in Macbeth's descent into madness. Shakespeare does not bother with fantastical trifles that would detract from his dark themes; instead, he restricts his plots to bare realism, providing a harsh and powerful reflection on man's vices.