In Act II of Othello and I we come away with one thing that is for certain; Iago is without a doubt the villain and antagonist of this story. He manipulates all characters of the play for his need of revenge. We first believe that he is just jealous that Othello appointed Cassio as lieutenant but later we learn the real reason he is going through all of this trouble. He is doing this because he has suspicions of Othello to have slept with his wife. The other conflict that is taking place in this play is that Othello has married a senator’s daughter. You may ask yourself why that is such a problem right? The only reason why this is an issue is because Othello is black. He is a warrior that is in power but he will not accept that due to the color of his skin. This shows that racism has been around a very long time. Iago manipulates Rodrigo to make it seem like he is trying to help him get Desdemona but in reality he has a whole different plan. You see his plan in his soliloquy where he says he wants it to seem like Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio and he wants to steal money from Rodrigo. He also manipulates his wife to speak on behalf of Cassio to persuade her to become closer to Cassio.
It was interesting to see that Othello was accused of using “charms” on Desdemona to make her fall in love with him. She shoots that down and says she married him under her own free will. Brabantio has such a problem with Othello due to his skin color but he just disregards the work he does on the battlefield, which he should get a lot of respect for. He drowned the Turks and that is a cause for celebration. He is valued as a great warrior but it seems that is just not enough in the eyes of the senator. He does not want his daughter to love a man that is black. You are able to see that blacks are viewed a certain way, even Iago says that Desdemona is “making the beast with two backs.” He convinces the senator to search for the daughter and really convinced him that it was a problem due to the vulgar way he spoke about Othello and his daughter.
We see the direction that Iago plan is going in and the more I read this play the more I dislike Iago. He is ruining the lives of all in the play based strictly on his own jealousy. He has no prove of the other accusation of that Othello slept with his wife either. He tries to shame Cassio by getting him very drunk causing him to do an act that he would not normally do and he is doing this all to take down Othello. While reading this it made me think of a few questions:
1)Why do you think that Brabantio has such a problem with Othello marrying his daughter who claims she loves him, when he doesn’t have an issue with him being a powerful member of society? It is very different from what we have read in the past because warriors are very well respected.
2)Do you believe Iago main motive to destroy Othello is because of the promotion he gave to Cassio or because he believes he slept with his wife, Emilia?
3)Why do you believe Iago always talks about women in a negative, derogatory way? Do you believe the play agrees with the way he speaks about women?
4)What do you predict will happen at the end of the play when everyone finds out about Iago’s plan? Do you believe Iago will be punished and put to justice for his lies?
I feel that Brabantio’s problem with Othello marrying his daughter could possibly stem from the issue of race as you had mentioned. It could also be because he views his daughter as property and an innocent young woman, he doesn’t want to believe she would get married behind his back. I think Iago’s motives are a result of both the lieutenant position going to Cassio and the belief of Othello sleeping with his wife. He feels deceived in both instances, so that is enough for him to want to seek revenge on Othello. I predict this play to end terribly for Iago since he is betraying almost every character in the story so far, though I feel there is a possibility that he will be punished for his cruel actions.
In my opinion, I felt Barbantio was upset at his daughter and Othello marrying because his daughter was “stolen” from him as if she was a piece of property. He “had lost half his soul.” He felt betrayed by their secret marriage. It also seems there is racism going on. Even though the story doesn’t seem obvious about it, as you continue reading you notice hints leaning to racism. Othello was never called by his name and instead they would call him by “moor”, “barbary horse” and “thick lips.”
Lago just seems like an evil person. I think he was angry because he didn’t get the promotion and he believes Othello has slept with his wife. I believe he is jealous and has insecurity issues. He probably was scared from a woman figure in his life to make him so evil and bitter. Eventually karma will get to him
Iago*
I think that Brabantio has a problem with Othello marrying his daughter for a number of reasons. First, they have known each other for a long time and when people get to know each other, they see good and bad. There is a possibility that Brabantio thinks of Othello as a good man, just not fit for his daughter, who is looked at highly in society. I also feel that race is definitely a factor, and that the fact that they went to marry without his approval is another large issue. As a father, he probably feels betrayed by his daughter, and also by a friend in which he respects both very much prior to the situation. Regardless of anybody’s roles in society, I think it is important to take a step back and understand the relationships between each involved, their values, and the respect factor that did not take place.
1) I believe Brabantio’s main problem with his daughter marrying Othello is that he was Moor. They keep calling him moor behind his back instead of using his actual name. I think Desdemona knew that Othello’s race will be a problem that is why they ran away to merry each other.
2) I think that main motive to destroy Othello was because of the promotion. From the beginning he shows he’s anger and unfairness of the whole situation. I don’t think he cared for Emilia as much as he cared for his career.
3) Because he has to be a villain in all ways.
4) I believe that he will be punished, because justice almost always prevails.
In my opinion, I believe that Brabantio has an issue with Othello because of his race. Also because Desdemona, has rejected all the other handsome men that was introduced to her. Her father is surprised and shocked that she chose Othello over all others. I also agree that lago is the mastermind behind all this. I believe he will repay throughout if not by the end of the play at least that is what I hope for. Then again, because this is a Shakespeare play and he normally writes tragedies, lago might get away with it. We would have to read and find out!
1) I believe that Barbantio looked to Othello solely as a source of entertainment. Othello shared many stories of battle with Barbantio, but this is all they connected on. Othello is still called a “moor”, a term given to people of a darker descent. I think there is an issue of race and that is why Barbantio cannot accept his daughter being married to Othello.
2) I think Iago is someone who only looks to maximize his own utility. I don’t think he goes out of his way for anyone unless he is gaining something. Iago is doing this because he is angry that he did not receive the promotion.
3) I think Iago has to play the role of a villain in all aspects of the play.
4) Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, this story is more than likely going to have a tragic ending.
1) I think Brabantio doesn’t like Othello because of his skin color. He probably views him as a someone who is below him. The issue of race has been around long before this story was written and is still around today, so I feel that given the time period in which this was written, it is a logical reason for his attitude towards Othello.
2) I think Iago is mad at Othello because he didn’t get the promotion. We see from the beginning that Iago has some strong feelings about this situation. He felt that he was the perfect candidate for the role.
3) I think Iago talks about women in a negative way because he views himself as better than them. I feel that Iago in general believes that he is better than everyone. In his mind, he is ideal human being.