Shakespeare Series: Othello

"Othello" stands as one of Shakespeare's saddest tragedies, toying with an audience's hearts as Othello plunges into oblivion and madness. At the play's start, the Moorish general marries Desdemona, the daughter of the wealthyBrabantio. Instantly, Brabantio and a man swoon with love for Desdemona, Rodrigo, detest Othello as an outsider due to the color of his skin, and they claim their racial differences as a substantial obstacle of marriage. Coming into this situation, Iago languishes in his own pity, for Othello promoted Cassio to Lieutenant over the play's villain. As with all Shakespearean tragedies, Othello's life seems quite nice in the first two acts. His love for Desdemona only grows, and he wins a war against the Turks, returning safely to his wife in Cyprus. Iago hatches a plan to both destroy his enemy and obtain the position occupied by Cassio. He incorporates the Desdemona-seeking Rodrigo into his plan as his puppet, promising Rodrigo's crush to him at the plot's completion. In this plan, Iago seeks to gain the complete trust of Othello, break the trust between the lieutenant and the general, and perpetuate a lie that Desdemona cheats on her husband with Cassio. When the sad story unfolds, Iago beautifully wields all the characters into his trap. Subplots surrounding Rodrigo's questioning of Iago, Desdemona and Emilia's (Iago's wife) debates over the roles of women, and Cassio's longing to gain the trust of Othello again add a new layer to the story. In "Othello", a cruelly natured man devises and implements a nefarious plan to destroy Othello, his wife, and their livelihood. 

Throughout this story, Shakespeare uses this brilliant play to express subject matters relevant to both the Renaissance and the present day. Othello's downfall, though tragic, illustrates a belittling that gnaws at all humans from time to time. He transforms into what Iago describes as a green-eyed monster, yet the Moor's experience differs very little from most humans. Jealousy strikes at the core, making another's possession more appealing their one's own. Even today, extremely strong relationships end because envy strikes one of the members. It sparks high tempers, makes people Iago-like madmen, or creates an uncomfortable passive aggression that erodes a relationship. From "Othello", the reader learns to convey their thoughts in a manner opposite that of the Moor. Instead of asking Desdemona about her status with Cassio, Othello acts bitter toward her. In addition, the play shows how the subordination of women often leads to unnecessary suffering. The source of such disaster stems from a sense of duty for wives to obey their husbands. From beginning to end, Desdemona opts to remain silent, even as Othello inexplicably acts rudely toward her. By refraining to speak against Othello as a loyal wife, Desdemona faces the most preventable verbal and physical abuse from Othello. In a reversed manner, Shakespeare invokes his audience with a message on women's equality. While reading "Othello", one finds himself or herself immersed in an applicable world, where the character's actions dramatically mirror that of modern society. 

Though difficult to read at times, I recommend "Othello" to any experienced Shakespeare reader. This play showcases what seems in opinion as the best villain in literature. Iago excellently manipulates everyone around him, in such a way I find myself unable to describe in this short summary. Only in watching or reading the play, one sees how magnificently Iago gains the trust of his peers and slowly incepts the ideas of his plot into their heads. Without ever accusing Desdemona of cheating with Cassio, he sends the Moor into a jealous rage. Contrary to most of the plays I read, I believe it is easier to understand and more enjoyable to watch Othello rather than sit with the book. In a theater, the characters and their emotions come across clearer than the words on a page. Still, I find exposure to this play necessary for anyone who enjoys devise characters and clever literature. Shakespeare brilliantly develops his characters in "Othello", making the change in all of them quite striking. From Act I to Act V, the reader experiences a quick sequence of events that change the gentlest creatures into brooding monsters. Although "Othello" seems to difficult for anyone's first Shakespeare, I encourage those with a grip on the bard's words to read over this exquisite depiction of character change, truest antagonism, and enriching thematic work.