Othello's Jealousy and Iago's Revenge
The Themes of Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice
Aug 20, 2009
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice follows a Venetian general by the name of Othello and the events surrounding the disintegration of his marriage to Desdemona because of the machinations of Iago, who despises Othello with all his heart. This play by William Shakespeare is second only to Hamlet in terms of popularity of staging and adaptations.
Several themes drive the action of the play, the primary one being Iago's intense desire for revenge on Othello for not choosing him as lieutenant. Because of this, Iago uses Othello's insecurities to make him believe Desdemona is cheating through playing multiple situations off each other.
Jealousy and Revenge
The first step in Iago's plot is to turn Brabantio, Desdemona's father, against Othello by revealing that she eloped with the Moor. He's assisted by Roderigo, another of Desdemona's suitors, who is furious that a "thick-lips" stole Desdemona away. Brabantio is furious and arrests Othello when he's found on the streets of Venice.
Desdemona unknowingly thwarts the initial plot by revealing she wasn't ensorceled by Othello, as her father at first believed. Iago is forced to reformulate his plan to bring the hated Moor down, while following the other characters to Cyprus to fight the Turks.
Roderigo goads Cassio, Othello's lieutenant, into a fight at Iago's urging. This results in Othello dismissing the drunken Cassio from his commission, and Iago suggesting that the fallen soldier plead with Desdemona to intercede on his behalf.
This small suggestion fits neatly into Iago's vengeful plan. "And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor, I'll pour this pestilence into his ear, That she repeals him for her body's lust; And by how much she strives to do him good, She shall undo her credit with the Moor (Iago, Act II, Scene III)."
The lies Iago tells about Desdemona's affection toward Cassio drives Othello into a jealous rage, which results in Othello killing Desdemona because he believes her unfaithful.
Treachery in Othello
Brabantio cautions Othello to watch out for Desdemona in an instance of potential treachery. "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father and may thee (Act I, Scene III)." Iago uses this later to remind Othello that his wife's own father said she might betray him.
Iago betrays his duty as Othello's ancient by teasing out Cassio's attraction to Desdemona through leading questions; he also, at every turn, seeds discord by being cloying and obsequious to Othello's face and then deriding him when he departs.
In the beginning of the play, characters refer to Iago's honesty as one of his brightest traits. In fact, he is called "honest Iago" several times by several characters. Not least of these is Othello himself, who praises Iago's honesty at least half a dozen times in Acts I and II alone.
This perception of honesty works to Iago's advantage, allowing him to put his revenge into action. His wife, Emilia, gives him the handkerchief Desdemona loses, the same one Othello gave to her, and he uses this to increase the credibility of his lie about Desdemona's infidelity to the point where Othello isn't swayed at all by her impassioned plea for life before he kills her.
Othello kills himself once Iago's plot is revealed, driven to the depths of despair by the knowledge that he murdered the innocent Desdemona because of his ancient's lies and deceit. In Iago, driven by revenge and malice, Shakespeare created an enduring villain; and in Othello he created the purest sense of the noble, tragic hero. But it's the themes — jealousy, betrayal, and revenge — that make the play shine when actors breath the lines.
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