Who's to blame for the tragedy Othello? I honestly struggled with this question for a while. The obvious answer is Iago right? Somewhat but not really. Fine then, Othello! Nope, while he definitely had his moments, I still can’t place all the blame on him. Okay then.. Desdemona? Definitely not. Look just stop guessing, because it wasn’t a person. It was a combination of people, or their hamartias I should say. Never heard of a Hamartia? The official definition is: “ A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine”. While not all the characters were heroes or heroines, the all had fatal flaws that served to quickly erupt into chaos and result in tragedy.
Let’s start with Iago. His fatal hamartia was his jealousy. Referring back to my earlier post about Iago being gay, he was always compensating for his jealousy and self-inadequacy. This becomes ironic when he famously says,”O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”(III.iii.15). Iago was jealous of Othello and Desdemona’s love, jealous of Cassio’s lieutenancy, Cassios’s looks/character “If Cassio do remain, he hath a daily beauty that makes me ugly” (IV.i.20-21). Maybe if his jealousy hadn’t made him such a malicious, hateful person, he wouldn’t have done what he did. Next we have Othello. Ahh poor Othello. Throughout Othello, I found myself simultaneously wanting to give Othello a hug and punch him in the face. His lack of confidence was his hamartia and largely allowed for Iago to see it and act on his weakness. Society and how he thought of himself made him think that he was never good enough to be with a woman like Desdemona so he accepted it so easily. For instance, when Iago first told him about Desdemona, Othello didn't believe it, but he stopped and said, “And yet how nature erring from itself..”(3.3.267). In his mind it only made sense that Desdemona wouldn't stay loyal to someone like him. He never cared to confront her about it, because he believed nothing but. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. As much as I would like to say Iago was the biggest villain, Othello served as his own personal worst enemy. He believed that he could never be loved and so he became so. He killed the one person who stayed loyal and true to him. He played someone strong on the outside with his military role, but he was weak on the inside. Last but not least, Desdemona. During the entire play I wanted to reach through the pages, grab her by her shoulders, shake her, and say, “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? FIGHT BACK!”. When Othello slaps her, all she says is ,”I have not deserved this”. (IV.i.267). And that’s just one of the situations in which she should’ve stood up for herself. She was weak. So was it her love that made her weak? I still can’t say. Either way, she never stood up for herself. She let everyone (with the exception of Roderigo, for obvious reasons) walk all over her. Even in her last moments as Othello was trying to kill her, she didn’t fight, or stand up for herself. She simply said,”Nobody, myself. Farewell.”(V.ii.152). If she would’ve taken a stand long before her death, she could’ve changed everything. But she was too weak. Moral of the story, Othello, although very frustrating, can be learned from. Don’t let your flaws defeat you.
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Just some background, I've previously read two other plays written by Shakespeare and I actually enjoyed them. So reading Othello didn't really change my opinions on him. The one thing I do have to say, is that tragedies are way more frustrating than tragic. The hallmark of a classic tragedy is a lack of communication and an innocent (but ultimately at fault) hero, which Shakespeare definitely gave us. After Reading Othello, I can definitely understand Shakespearean english much better. Each time I read, I found myself looking less and less at the meanings and relied more on my own interpretations, which I suppose is a good habit to practice and will be useful in college. But believe me, none of that came easily. So lucky for you, I made you an official Shakespearean cheat sheet! (Kinda). Down below I have some tips and tricks that saved me during Othello and that can hopefully aide you on your journey through the labyrinth that is Shakespeare.
Cliche? I know, I know. Every character in Shakespeare can’t be gay. Right? Maybe.
The literal first second I finished Othello I was utterly convinced that Iago was as gay. Let’s start out with the obvious. He was in bed. With Cassio. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Out of all people, Iago ends up in bed with one of the most hunky guys in the entire play? Not only in bed, he even says,”he would gripe and wring my hand...then kiss me hard...then laid his leg o’er my thigh” (III.III.475-483). Do I really need to go on? Not to mention this would make sense as part of the reason he wants Cassio dead. (If I can’t have him, no one can?) and his distinct hatred for Bianca. Bianca was more than harmless, but Iago always went out of his way to to slut-shame her. This conveniently leads me to my next point. Why is Iago such a woman hater? “She puts her tongue a little in her heart”(II.I.180), “Villainous whore!” (IV.II. 48), “In Venice.. They dare not show their husbands their best conscience”(III.III.230), “You rise to play, and go to bed to work”(II.I.128). The list goes on and on. Throughout the entire play, Iago shows a clear annoyance or distaste of the women. Shakespeare had to give him Roderigo as a sidekick to express the smallest hint of desire towards Desdemona because he couldn’t himself. Not once does he even show his own wife a true form of affection. Weird right? Not as weird as Iago’s dodgy (and and nonexistent) motives. Iago’s main target is Othello. We think this is because he’s angry about the lieutenant-ship, but in actuality, it’s because Othello is the main character that seems to have a “true” love. Not just in a successful marriage, but an abnormal biracial one at that. What if his true jealousy was of Othello’s ability to display his love? Othello and Desdemona served as a constant reminder of what Othello could never have. This in turn makes him the ultimate cynic/villain. His “vat of acid” moment if you will. His second target or maybe most convenient collateral damage was Cassio because he “supposedly slept with Emilia”, which refers to my earlier point of his frustration of being in love but not being loved back by him. In a way, I actually pity him. He has an infinite amount of internal anxiety and no self worth. “If Cassio do remain, he hath a daily beauty that makes me ugly”(IV.I.20-21). He feels small by the mere existence of others. Iago tries to overanalyze everyone and understand them because he cannot understand himself. *Mic Drop* |
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