Author Archives: k.wang

“I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this, / Killing myself, to due upon a kiss” (Othello, Act 5, Scene 2, lines 420-421).

My thoughts on the play? I actually found myself really enjoying it. I usually hate reading Shakespeare, and I always dread trying to decipher what’s happening. From high school, I disliked Romeo and Juliet and thought Macbeth was OK. However, for Othello I actually really enjoyed reading this play. Everything from the characters to the action and what with everything going on, it was exciting to say the least. I loved the feeling I got each time Iago was able to get away with something. He was very subtle in controlling everyone around him which I really enjoyed. One thing that I realized I didn’t like was that this play took place within the span of three days. With everything that was going on, it can be easy to forget that. The reason behind why I don’t like this is because it doesn’t really make sense. Within three days Iago is able to convince Othello that his wife cheated on him? It just doesn’t add up. Neither the fact that he would go from a loving husband to a spiteful jealous one in that time. Another point that I both liked and disliked is how Othello is so quick to believing Iago. Without that occurring none of the events that followed would have ever occurred so I do like that it happened the way it did. However, I didn’t like it because I felt that Othello was too naïve. After having the delusion that Iago is correct, he fails to listen to logic nor reason. He doesn’t have the slightest doubt of what Iago is saying. However in his defense, Iago did this in a strategic way without Othello suspecting him. However, overall I liked the book. It was an exciting read that I will be rereading in the future!

“Oh, no, he goes into Mauritania and taketh away / with him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be / lingered here by some accident—wherein none / can be so determinate as the removing of Cassio” (Othello, Act 4, Scene 2, lines 257-260).

Iago as a character is pretty much the definition of evil. He feels no remorse for any of the actions that he does and is able to act on with no mistake. Throughout the play he is able to commit horrible acts towards Othello because he justifies his own actions by believing that Othello has it coming. Iago stated before that he’s doing this because he didn’t get the promotion and he thinks that his wife, Emilia, had an affair with Othello. He doesn’t care for what his actions might cause and controls everyone around him in order to do so. Iago literally treats everyone as his own personal puppets and without them even knowing. Roderigo is a clear example of this. From the start, Iago makes it quite clear he is only using Roderigo and is in no way helping him get Desdemona to like him. He even says later on in the following act that he would be taking Roderigo’s money, and he does it! What’s even worse is that by act 4 even though Iago has stolen Roderigo’s money, he is still able to trick Roderigo into thinking that he’s still trying to help him. He is able to trick Roderigo up until the very end of the play where he takes Roderigo’s life in a conflict in order for there to be no witnesses and to further advance his plans. In addition, he even uses his wife for his plans. He tricks her into thinking that he means no harm and is able to have her do multiple things in order to advance his plans. He is truly evil because he is able to control everyone around him, having no problem with any of it.

“Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate / Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature / Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue / The shot of accident nor dart of chance / Could neither graze nor pierce” (Othello, Act 4, Scene 1, lines 297-301)?

I found this excerpt to be really interesting because of how Othello is supposed to be seen as a calm and collected man. Lodovico describes Othello in this manner because before Cyprus, this really was how Othello was as a person. At the beginning of the book, he really is calm. At the very start when Brabantio’s and his men encounter one another, it seemed like they very well might have fought with one another. However, Othello calmly is able to assess the situation and stop everyone from fighting altogether. “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust / them (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 76-77). He only said one line and everyone withdrew their swords. Following this scene in scene 3 where they meet the duke, Othello is able to keep his composure. He is able to calmly tell everyone the truth in a clever way that benefits him. In addition, there was another moment in the play where this point was quite apparent. When Cassio stabbed Montano in the second act Othello stated that he was surprised at Cassio’s recklessness and that he wasn’t thinking. However, as the play continues, Othello’s own demeanor changes for the worse. He starts to act in the very opposite of how he acted at the beginning of the play. The once calm collected commander is now emotional and quick to judge. The Othello before would never have been so quick to accuse his own wife to be a whore. It was all because Iago was able to really get into Othello’s head that his entire thought process changed.

“By the world, / I think my wife be honest and think she is not. / I think that thou art just and think thou art not. / I’ll have some proof” (Othello, Act 3, Scene 3, lines 438-441).

I found that in the previous scene it was quite surprising that Othello had treated his wife in the manner that he did. However, it really surprised me when it escalated to this point. Othello is so quick to jump to conclusions that he never takes the time to actually think rationally for himself. By the end of the scene he still only knows what Iago has told him (Cassio talking in his sleep, and wiping his beard with her handkerchief). All of his actions follow in the footsteps that Iago has readied for him. However, even these two pieces of evidence that Iago has provided isn’t enough to go as far as to take revenge on them. None of this is solid proof as it is all based on Iago’s speculation. I even thought that by the time the two meet they would at least be able to talk about it and clear things up. However, I was proven wrong when Othello only tried to push Desdemona away. This surprised me as well because when I think of two people who are about to marry, I imagine the two to be close. I would imagine that if there was anything ambiguous, it would be easier to talk about. It seems like Othello is able to talk about his love for Desdemona everywhere except to her face. I can’t help but feel that everything was so rushed in deciding to take revenge against them. In addition, later on when he is finally able to confront Desdemona with the missing handkerchief, he fails to listen. Everything he hears from Desdemona goes in one ear and out the other. At that point in the play, Othello is so wrapped up in his delusions and fear that nothing can be done to change his mind.

(Nabil Kanson’s painting, Blinding Rage)

“Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love, / Till that a capable and wide revenge / Swallow them up. <He kneels.>  Now by yond marble / heaven” (Othello, Act 3, Scene 3, lines 519-522).

Here is a photo that is part of Nabil Kanso’s collection of paintings titled Othello. It features a bunch of paintings that represents the play, Othello. The piece I have chosen is titled Blinding Rage, which I believe represents the scene where Othello finally snaps. This painting itself is actually very dark. The dark figure in this painting is Othello, and the other two figures seem to be Desdemona and Cassio. I feel that this painting represents Act 3 Scene 3 at the end where Othello snaps and vows revenge on them both. In this scene he flies into this rage, and he completely puts the blame on them rather than question Iago. It would make sense with this painting’s title, Blinding Rage. In the painting, it almost seems like the two white figures are afraid and they even seem like they are skeletons. The background has a very hellish feeling to it, and makes it feel evil. In the painting, it actually seems like Othello goes well with the background, it seems to depict the black figure to be something close to evil. I believe that in this painting, Othello seems to be a very corrupting figure, corrupting those around him. It feels like the two white figures are dying as the evil around them takes over.

and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sOyJ8pqPCU (CorkShakespeare)

“I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter / and the Moor are now making the beast with two / backs” (Othello, Act 1, Scene 1, lines 129-131) .

Upon watching this scene in class, I decided to watch another adaptation and watch how the two differ/compare to the text. From class, I thought it was interesting that this movie actually had Roderigo and Iago in the shadows because it was just something that I would not have thought of unless I had actually seen it myself. So after I decided to watch another version of the same scene on the Youtube channel called CorkShakespeare. CorkShakespeare is a Youtube channel that records their own take on a variety of Shakespeare plays and put it on Youtube. They instead took another approach but similar in that the two characters were hidden. They instead had Iago and Roderigo on the stage with Brabanito off stage to indicate that they couldn’t be seen by him. Again I noticed that the two were not noticed by the Venetian senator, but this time I connected two and two together.  It made a lot of sense to me just because it wouldn’t have worked out otherwise. If they had not been in the shadows, Iago would have been noticed immediately when they encountered one another in the following scene. It was only after watching this scene did I notice Brabanito directly asks who are you. Roderigo answered while Iago didn’t which made so much sense to me. More on the CorkShakespeare video, I actually really liked the way they interpreted Iago and Roderigo’s tone of voice. I felt that they had Iago’s controlling tone down which really displays the power and control he has over Roderigo during the moment. My biggest critique for this version is the props it had and its setting. I felt that they could have done so much more instead of having a draped over background with tile floor. However, they were probably low on budget and it’s not like it’s an actual movie, so I can’t really complain. Overall, I agreed with the choices they made for this scene.

“But men are men, the best sometimes forget. / Though Cassio did some little wrong to him, / As men in rage strike those that wish them best, / Yet surely Cassio, I believe, received / From him that fled some strange indignity / Which patience could not pass” (Othello, Act 2, Scene 3, lines 256-261).

In this part of the play, Iago said the quoted lines following the stabbing that occurred between Cassio and Montano. I highlighted this part of the play because I believe this is where Iago gets really cunning. Iago’s plan is quite apparent from the start of the play. He makes his plans and intentions to ruin Othello quite clear. I had my doubts as to how he would actually go about executing his plans, and whether or not they would go successfully. It seemed like things were actually not going in Iago’s favor after it was revealed to everyone that Othello had Desdemona’s consent in marriage (act 1). However, at this point in the book I felt that it became quite possible for everything to go in Iago’s favor. The reason being is that before, he had the skeleton of his plans but there wasn’t anything concrete because his plan had not been put into motion yet. It’s only after the stabbing of Montano that Iago really able to do anything. Here, Iago tries to appear as if he’s only trying to do good by being on Cassio’s side. By doing so, Othello believes that Iago has only good intentions in trying to help him and is only refraining from saying anything offensive towards Cassio in an effort to protect him. I thought that this was really clever of Iago and it’s impressive that he is able to pull this off without anyone’s notice. This is Othello’s first mistake and from here it only gets worse for him. It’s from here that Iago is able to get close to Othello and insinuate the thoughts of Desdemona cheating on him for Cassio.

(Taken from the 1995 film version of Othello)

“Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! / For I’ll refer me to all things of sense, / [If she in chains of magic were not bound,] / Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy, / So opposite to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy curlèd darlings of our nation, / Would ever have, t’ incur a general mock, / Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom / Of such a thing as thou—to fear, not to delight. / Judge me the world if ’tis not gross in sense / That thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, / Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals / That weakens motion. I’ll have ’t disputed on” (Othello, Act 1, Scene 2, lines 80-93).

This excerpt is taken from Brabantio’s first encounter with Othello after being tricked by Iago in the first scene. The reason why I found it so significant is because you can clearly see Othello being discriminated against for being a Moor. Prior to this scene, I thought that Brabantio perhaps didn’t want anyone to marry Desdemona. He clearly rejected Roderigo’s advances on his daughter, so maybe he just felt that he did not want anyone to take his daughter away. However, when I read this scene, my views on the situation completely changed. There were hints of racism when he referred to him as a Moor in the last scene, but here he made it completely clear it was because of his skin color. Brabantio refuses to believe that Desdemona would dare pick Othello out of all the men who have asked to marry her. He even goes on to say that she wouldn’t run off with him unless she was tricked or even drugged. However, why should this come across as such a surprise? We know that Othello is an experienced commander in the army he serves in and he even knew Brabantio prior to this encounter. After this scene, we know that Brabantio had invited Othello over a couple of times where Othello told him of his own life stories. It seems like there isn’t much of a reason for Brabantio to be so against their marriage, yet he is so quick to jump to the conclusion that this marriage is completely forced.  It’s obvious that if Othello wasn’t a black Moor, Brabantio would not have any problem with their marriage. At the same time, considering the setting that this play took place in this shouldn’t come across as such a surprise.