Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe. . . .

This post will be focused on the last few scenes in Othello. The entire plot is now being closed off and different characters are reaching the end of their lives. When I had read this section in the past, I have not noticed how intense these deaths are. From lines 105 onwards on page 243, Othello has realized his mistake. It becomes a humbling sight for sore eyes as we see Othello breaking down from a proud general to a mere Moorish figure. Othello draws the bed curtains and lets Emilia in. Emilia informs Othello that Cassio has killed Roderigo. Othello asks if Cassio has been killed as well, and Emilia informs him that Cassio is alive. As Othello begins to realize that his plans have gone awry, Desdemona cries out that she has been murdered. She stays alive long enough to recant this statement, telling Emilia that she was not murdered but killed herself. She dies.

Othello triumphantly admits to Emilia that he killed Desdemona, and when she asks him why, Othello tells her that Iago opened his eyes to Desdemona’s falsehood. Unfazed by Othello’s threat that she “were best” to remain silent, Emilia calls out for help, bringing Montano, Graziano, and Iago to the scene (V.ii.168).

As the truth of Iago’s villainy begins to come out through Emilia’s accusations, Othello falls weeping upon the bed that contains the body of his dead wife. Almost to himself, Graziano expresses relief that Brabanzio is dead—the first news the audience has heard of this—and has not lived to see his daughter come to such a terrible end. Othello still clings to his belief in Iago’s truth and Desdemona’s guilt, mentioning the handkerchief and Cassio’s “confession.” When Othello mentions the handkerchief, Emilia erupts, and Iago, no longer certain that he can keep his plots hidden, attempts to silence her with his sword. Graziano stops him and Emilia explains how she found the handkerchief and gave it to Iago. Othello runs at Iago but is disarmed by Montano. In the commotion, Iago is able to stab his wife, who falls, apparently dying. Iago flees and is pursued by Montano and Graziano. Left alone onstage with the bodies of the two women, Othello searches for another sword. Emilia’s dying words provide eerie background music, as she sings a snatch of the song “Willow.” She tells Othello that Desdemona was chaste and loved him.

This blog post will focus on Othello reaching out to Emilia, who is a minor character with an important role.  At my first reading of this scene, I did not notice that Emilia was important nor the tone Othello had towards her.

Othello interrogates Emilia about Desdemona’s behavior, but Emilia insists that Desdemona has done nothing suspicious. Othello tells Emilia to summon Desdemona, implying while Emilia is gone that she is a “bawd,” or female pimp (IV.ii.21). When Emilia returns with Desdemona, Othello sends Emilia to guard the door. Alone with Desdemona, Othello weeps and proclaims that he could have borne any affliction other than the pollution of the “fountain” from which his future children are to flow (IV.ii.61). When Desdemona fervently denies being unfaithful, Othello sarcastically replies that he begs her pardon: he took her for the “cunning whore of Venice” who married Othello (IV.ii.93). Othello storms out of the room, and Emilia comes in to comfort her mistress. Desdemona tells Emilia to lay her wedding sheets on the bed for that night.

At Desdemona’s request, Emilia brings in Iago, and Desdemona tries to find out from him why Othello has been treating her like a whore. Emilia says to her husband that Othello must have been deceived by some villain, the same sort of villain who made Iago suspect Emilia of sleeping with Othello. Iago assures Desdemona that Othello is merely upset by some official business, and a trumpet flourish calls Emilia and Desdemona away to dinner with the Venetian emissaries.

Othello and Iago enter in mid-conversation. Iago goads Othello by arguing that it is no crime for a woman to be naked with a man, if nothing happens. Iago then remarks that if he were to give his wife a handkerchief, it would be hers to do as she wished with it. These persistent insinuations of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness work Othello into an incoherent frenzy. He focuses obsessively on the handkerchief and keeps pumping Iago for information about Cassio’s comments to Iago. Finally, Iago says that Cassio has told him he has lain with Desdemona, and Othello “[f]alls down in a trance” (IV.i.41 stage direction).

Cassio enters, and Iago mentions that Othello has fallen into his second fit of epilepsy in two days. He warns Cassio to stay out of the way but tells him that he would like to speak once Othello has gone. Othello comes out of his trance, and Iago explains that Cassio stopped by and that he has arranged to speak with the ex-lieutenant. Iago orders Othello to hide nearby and observe Cassio’s face during their conversation. Iago explains that he will make Cassio retell the story of where, when, how, and how often he has slept with Desdemona, and when he intends to do so again. When Othello withdraws, Iago informs the audience of his actual intention. He will joke with Cassio about the prostitute Bianca, so that Cassio will laugh as he tells the story of Bianca’s pursuit of him. Othello will be driven mad, thinking that Cassio is joking with Iago about Desdemona.

The plan works: Cassio laughs uproariously as he tells Iago the details of Bianca’s love for him, and even makes gestures in an attempt to depict her sexual advances. Just as Cassio says that he no longer wishes to see Bianca, she herself enters with the handkerchief and again accuses Cassio of giving her a love token given to him by another woman. Bianca tells Cassio that if he doesn’t show up for supper with her that evening, he will never be welcome to come back again. Othello has recognized his handkerchief and, coming out of hiding when Cassio and Bianca are gone, wonders how he should murder his former lieutenant.

I want to use this post to compare and contrast the love between Desdemona and Othello and the King and Sakuntala. The love of Desdemona and Othello are manifested in Desdemona taking “pity” on Othello’s military exploits and challenges. Her father, Brabantio, would invite Othello to their house and find out about his life, specifically his struggles and victories in his capacity as a solider. As Othello stated,

” Her father loved me, oft invited me, Still questioned me the story of my life From year to year—the battles, sieges, fortunes That I have passed. I ran it through, even from my boyish days To th’ very moment that he bade me tell it, Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances: Of moving accidents by flood and field, Of hairbreadth ’scapes i’ th’ imminent deadly breach,

The love of Desdemona and Othello is born out of pity. In contrast, the love between Sakuntala and the King is born out of lust and love at first sight. On page 899, the King talks about his love for Sakuntala,

If you think my lost heart

Can love anyone but you

A fatal blow strikes a man

Already wounded by love’s arrows

The love between Desdemona and Othello lack the sensual depth found between the kind and Sakuntala. If the love between Othello and Desdemona was developed as such, maybe the actions of each would be different. Maybe its a symptom of Venetian society but clearly there is a lack of direct communication between Desdemona and Othello.

Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio;
Wear your eyes thus, not jealous nor secure.
I would not have your free and noble nature,
Out of self-bounty, be abused. Look to ’t.
I know our country disposition well.
In Venice they do let God see the pranks
They dare not show their husbands. Their best (III:iii:228-234)

For my second post, I wanted to focus on this image I found of Iago and Othello which depicts Act Three Scene 3.  In my title, I included the phrase “sowing the seeds of doubt” as I believe that this pictures communicates Iago sowing the fatalistic seeds of doubt in the mind of Othello. Looking at the image, Othello has a look of deep sorrow and betrayal. He is wearing traditional attire for a Moor, which is different from Iago’s outfit. His sword is  hidden by his cloak and Othello has covered his eyes. The irony here is that Othello covers his eyes to the perceived threat in front of his when he should be concerned about the threat behind him.

On the other hand, Iago is looking intently and making a motion with his hands. His expression is neither sad nor sorrowful but appears to be calculating  and conniving . Iago also appears to be filled with adrenaline, as revealed by his stance and hand motions.  He also has his sword more exposed than Othello, which begs the question. Why didn’t Iago kill Othello right here in this scene? They are hidden away from anyone else and all it takes is one quick strike to end Othello. After reflecting on this, I realized that even if Othello was killed here, Iago would be gain a position he wanted. The line quoted on the bottoms sums up this scene perfectly. Playing on the good nature of Cassio and Desdemona, Iago makes simple and purely innocent actions, such as Cassio leaving  the space or talking to a Desdemona, into signs of betrayal and deceit.

It must be said that Iago is pulling Othello along this journey of pain, suffering, and eventual death. While his reasons for doing so are less than admirable, one must concede that he masterfully executes his plans.

http://history-behind-game-of-thrones.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/iago-tricking-othello.jpg

Were I the Moor I would not be Iago.
In following him I follow but myself;
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so for my peculiar end.
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am. (I.i.57–65)

To start off this blog post I would like to explain my idea behind this blog. After reading Othello, I noticed that Iago was the most interesting character to me. He is a man who is  viewed as evil and conniving. However, I feel that he is a very intelligent character who took destiny into his own hands. I would like to explore Othello Act One Scene One for my first post. In this Scene, we can immediately gauge what kind of person Iago is. He begins the scene talking to Roderigo and using him to set his plan to destroy Othello into motion. Even in the first scene, we can find Iago taking advantage of a person he has power over to do his bidding.

I find that Iago fits the every characteristic of a Machiavellian. Essentially, this personality type describes a person’s tendency to be “unemotional, and therefore able to detach him or herself from conventional morality and hence to deceive and manipulate others. ” This was the definition I found on Wikipedia. I also remember from my psychology class, this personality types are dangerous for workplace environment and day to day interactions, as these individuals have low emotional intelligence. The drive for self-interest brings about Iago’s actions, which was spurred on by Cassio being named Lieutenant by Othello.

Even in the block quote stated above, Iago states, “In following him I follow but myself.” Clearly Iago is driven by the advancement and betterment of Iago and only Iago. This will be an interesting theme to look out for in the rest of Othello.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism