Throughout Act 4, Othello is resolute in his belief that his wife has been unfaithful. Any amount of truth put before him he sees ulterior motive, any reasoning he finds unreasonable, and any swear he finds heresy. Surely, we give much credit to the heartless Iago and his diabolically silent weaving. We absolutely do loathe him. But, what of our faith in the noble Moor? Why can't he see the truth? Let us us not forget his past. All of his victories, did he not have to deal with cunning and treacherous adversaries? Ofcourse he did. Perhaps he never had a betrayal from his own camp, but certainly in those years he experienced insubordinacy. Maybe even he did not. Perhaps his appointment of Iago to any position at all shows the first identifiable short comings of his prestigious and honorable past. But there is nothing conclusive here to think he could not unravel Iago's plan and halt the play short of tragedy.
Perhaps it is our other characterization of Othello that makes us feel his rage is unbreakable and his reason is irrecoverable. His painting as an exotic man, an outsider, a man from afar. A wild man, a 'barbary horse.' Without more elaboration on these characterizations, since specifically they are beside the point, does Othello's inability to halt himself now seem more believable, or even expected?
But, regardless of Othello's traits, is Iago's plot not too inhumane to be detected by a soul?
Similarly to in The Merchant of Venice, where a Jewish character faces anti-semetic speculation and determines he must seek revenge based on (an anti-semetic stereotype) monetary accounts, we see Othello the Moor unable to contain a rage that progresses him into uncivil and animalistic fits.
Shakespeare is not perpetuating stereotypes. Othello is barred to his torment by a destructive and inescapable vice, an expertly lying close friend. Does the audience accept Othello's tragic fate as a finality for every man, perhaps even moreso difficult because of Othello's nobility, or is it seen that a different type of man would be able to regain a level head and bring an outcome to be rejoiced?
2 comments:
I liked how you referred to Iago as Othello's inescapable vice. A confidant is an important thing to have especially in a foreign place. It is upsetting to the audience to see the immense trust Othello puts in Iago. The fact that Othello needs a trusted friend, and this friend turns out to be a perfect foe, one can refer to Iago as a vice. Great post!
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