One expected reaction to reading Shakespeare’s Othello is to feel very much pity for the general. He was fooled by an evil man who wanted to ruin his life for no apparent reason. He was “forced” to murder the love of his life.
Another expected reaction is to be flabbergasted by Othello’s absolutely ludicrously rash response to Iago’s trickery. If he loves Desdemona so dearly then I do not see why he does not personally ask her if she is having an affair. If he trusted her word when he was being accused of using witchcraft on her then it would only make sense to trust her word now. Othello does not even think to confront Cassio or any other person besides Iago. The only person he directly hurts is his innocent wife. I can think of reasons as to why Othello acts the way he does but I think that would take the magic out of the play. Human beings are irrational. If we were rational then a lot more would make sense and we would never be dumbfounded by our own decisions. That same irrationality is what drives Othello wild. He could have taken a more logical approach to the situation but because he is distraught over Iago’s suspicion, he chooses to ignore any logic and let his irrationality as a human being dictate his decisions.
What I find interesting is that it does not take him a long time to realize that Iago is a villain. All it takes for him to realize the truth is hearing Emilia say she gave Iago the handkerchief, “O thou dull Moor, that handkerchief thou speak’st of / I found by fortune, and did give my husband; for often with a solemn earnestness — / More than indeed belonged to such a trifle — / He begged of me to steal’t” (Act V, Scene II). It is odd that right after strangling his wife to death, his reasoning begins to function again. Really, Othello is a dislikable character.
Image Sources:
http://17rg073sukbm1lmjk9jrehb643.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/othello4.jpg (Aw Othello)
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52403b09e4b0284d431e4457/t/53037d46e4b0c37a400514f9/1392737607182/ (Accurate summary of the play)
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/60768841.jpg (I wish it was academically acceptable for me to just call Othello stupid and move on with my life)
