“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.
