Othello by Shakespeare

Where Worlds Collide

In Othello, Shakespeare ostensibly presents us with two very different worlds. For an English audience in the seventeenth century, Venice represented thriving capitalism where wealthy merchants controlled the state, buying powerful military forces to protect their colonial interests. In Shakespeare’s play, Venice appears to be the place of urbanity and civilization, reason and light, the archetypal Renaissance city. In 1.3, although the action takes place at night, the Senators meet in a brightly lit chamber, where light symbolizes the search for control and order

On the other hand, Cyprus, the borderland, appears to be a place of wildness, passion, and rebellion. The island is beset with “desperate tempest” (2.1.21) and “high seas, and howling winds” (2.1 68), and our introduction to the island is a violent storm where the natural boundaries between sky and sea are blurred. However, as with many of Shakespeare’s plays, it may be that the playwright layers into the text a more subtle connection between the two locations. Despite its apparent self-confidence, Venice itself may conceal a suppressed version of Cyprus, revealed through the action of the play. In the opening scene outside Brabantio’s palace, elements of disorder, jealousy, bestiality, theft, and deception are presented to us and prompt us to wonder, long before Othello lands there, whether or not “Cyprus” is already in Venice.

What motivates DECEPTION?

I am sorry that I am deceived in him. (4.1.321)

I am sorry that I am deceived in him. (4.1.321)

Othello is a play about deception and the emotional upheaval it can cause when it goes undetected and unchecked. The character in the play that stands out most clearly as a deceiver is Iago. Iago’s assures Roderigo that he hates the Moor in the first act of the play when he says, “Despise me/If I do not” (1.1.8-9). And he underscores his hatred of Othello later when he say, “I hate the Moor” (1.3.408). While the reader/audience knows this about Iago, Othello does not, so when Othello describes Iago to Cassio as, “most honest,” (2.3.7) the groundwork for the deception to follow is laid. The destruction he causes in the play as a result of his plot to bring Othello down is clear. Iago, however, isn’t the only character involved in deception. Othello also engages in a kind of self-deception, perhaps not as obvious, but present nevertheless in the play. Emilia, whose relationship with her husband Iago is subject to much discussion, engages in a deceit with him when she steals Desdemona’s handkerchief. Even Desdemona can, to some degree, be seen as a perpetrator of deception when she marries Othello without telling her father, Brabantio, who reminds Othello about her ability to deceive when he says, “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see./She has deceived her father and may thee” (1.3.333-4). Later in the play, she tells Othello that her handkerchief is in her possession when, in fact, she has lost it. Roderigo deceives himself into believing that he can woo Desdemona away from Othello by providing cash and jewels to Iago as his go-between. It is difficult to look at Othello and find an important character who hasn’t been the victim of deception. Deception leads to disastrous results for everyone by the end of the play. What point is Shakespeare making about deception in the play?

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Iago’s Motivation -- Now sir, be judge yourself... (1.1.40) What leads a man to the villainy that Iago resorts to in Othello? If Iago is a man of “honesty and trust,” (1.3.323), as thought by Othello, then why would he set the traps that would eventually kill his superior, that man’s wife and eventually his own wife? Is he purely evil or do his motives have merit? The play deals very little with the motives, but spends a lot of time allowing the audience to see Iago almost get away with his dirty deeds. However, towards the beginning of the play Iago does mention at least two reasons for the fatal plans he is setting into motion. One is the fact that Iago has been passed over for a promotion by Othello, who gave his desired military post to Cassio, a younger and presumably less knowledgeable man. “He [Cassio] in good time, must his lieutenant be, /And I…his Moorship’s ancient” (1.1.34-35). Secondly, Iago mentions that there have been rumours of his wife Emilia being unfaithful to him with Othello. “ …it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets [he] ‘Has done my office”(1.3.430). Iago goes on to say that this may not actually be the case, but because he hates Othello so, he will act solely on suspicion. Shakespeare’s Othello is thought to be an adaptation of the Italian writer Cinthio’s Un Capitano Moro. The plot line is very similar in the play, however Cinthio’s “Iago” has a slightly different motivation: he is in love with “Desdemona” and seeks revenge when his love is unrequited. What do you think? Do you believe Iago might have other reasons for his behaviour? What lines from the play can you cite to support your argument?

What’s in a Symbol?

L. Marchetti. Othello, act 3, scene 3, “What will you give me now for that same handkerchief?” 19th or 20th century. Folger Shakespeare Library.

A motif is a recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work. There are symbols and easily identifiable motifs throughout Othello. Symbols found in plays can be defined as objects, characters, and figures that are used to represent ideas or concepts.

You will notice that, in subject matter, this is a dark play indeed. As Iago spins his web to ensnare Othello, the other characters are literally and figuratively kept in the dark. When Othello demands “ocular proof” of Desdemona’s deception, he is still not able to see things clearly. He is blinded by rage and cannot see the truth. Eventually this motif of light and darkness, of seeing and not seeing, are symbolized in the candle to which Desdemona’s life is compared. “Put out the light, then put out the light.” (5.2.7)

Another literary motif is the use of animals in describing Othello. The terms “Barbary horse,” “black ram,” and “beast,” are all used in reference to Othello. This comparison to animals represents the prejudice that Venetians had towards people of Moorish or African descent at the time. In general, describing a person or group of people in animal terms is a way of defining that person or group as being less than human. This prejudice is manipulated by Iago to paint a subhuman picture of Othello in the eyes of Brabantio and other characters. The most predominant symbol in Othello is the handkerchief that Othello gives to Desdemona as a token of his love. Othello describes it as a token of love from his mother, who received it from an Egyptian sorceress. The strawberries embroidered on it were known to be a symbol of chastity. But just as Othello has given this gift to Desdemona as a symbol of his unfailing love, Desdemona’s supposed loss of the item is a symbol to Othello of her unfaithfulness. The creation of the handkerchief itself and the way in which Othello woos Desdemona alludes to another motif that Shakespeare uses, which is mysticism and magic. The handkerchief was thought to hold certain powers because of the way it was made. “There’s magic in the web of it” (3.4.81) Othello says, and was meant to keep Othello’s father close to his mother’s side. Brabantio also says quite plainly that he believes that Desdemona has been bewitched by Othello, and that only supernatural forces would have brought her to love him. Othello argues [quite convincingly] that the only spell he put on Desdemona was through his storytelling. Can you pick out other symbols throughout the play or identify motifs used by Shakespeare and the production designers?

Lighting Darkness

Othello is a play about contrasts – white and black, innocent and guilty, friends and enemies – by contrasting them against each other, you see the stark differences between them. Much of the action of the play takes place at

night, when differences between shapes and colours become muddled, and you can’t trust your own eyes. Iago uses this to his advantage, but what does it mean for the play? Brabantio How! the duke in council! In this time of the night! Lodovico Two or three groan: it is a heavy night: (5.1.47)Theatrical lighting design is as much about designing darkness as it is designing light. In an Elizabethan theatre, there would have been no design at all – the actors would perform in the afternoon while the sun was out and say that it was evening. Today, lighting design is its own field, and this production’s lighting designer, Andrew F. Griffin, navigates the text of Othello to find where light and dark merge.Q: How do you decide what moments within the play to light clearly?AFG: From the simple to the complex, most clues come from the text. For example, if the scene takes place during the day, then it should be bright and clear; if the scene is at night it’s dark and murky. Lighting, as is the case with all elements of design, is an extension of the story being told. However, in lieu of telling a story through the traditional medium of an actor and speech, my story is told through interpretation of the script. The lighting should psychologically connect the audience with the performers while visually guiding them through the story. Q: What moments in Othello are particularly suited for dark lighting?AFG: A great deal of Othello takes place in the evening. However, there are varying degrees of darkness that need to be dealt with. For example, the refracted moonlight that envelopes the action of Act I is different from the night where reveling takes place in Act 2. Darkness has a tendency to be a dirty word in my line of work, but used properly and with care it doesn’t have to be. It’s just another tool I use to tell the story.Q: How do you use contrast in your design?AFG: Contrast is one of the great essences of lighting design. Think of any three-dimensional object you’ve looked at today. Without touching it, how did you know it was three-dimensional? You knew because of the contrast of light and shadow on that object. I can use contrast in varying degrees to over-exaggerate an object’s shape or flatten it entirely. Contrast can also be used to help fool the eye when it comes to darkness. By increasing the contrast and deepening the shadows you can make a scene appear to be darker without drastically reducing visibility of the action.Q: What lighting cues did you take from the text?AFG: Shakespeare wasn’t writing with lighting design in mind. This gives a lot more free reign over interpretation than today’s scripts do, and it’s an exciting challenge. The most obvious things that come to mind are references to light the characters make. For example, at one point after a series of night time scenes Roderigo comments that the sun has risen: a great place to put a sunrise cue. Later, when Roderigo comments that Iago kills him in the dark, you want to make sure that you sculpt the cue so that the area where the murder happens onstage is darker than the rest of the stage.

15-Minute Othello

Othello begins late at night in the streets of Venice. Roderigo and Iago are talking about the recent elopement of Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army, and Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian Senator. They gripe about how much they both can’t stand Othello (1. Thou toldst me thou didst hold him in thy hate.) Roderigo is upset because he was in love with Desdemona and wanted to marry her. Iago is furious because Othello promoted young Cassio to be his lieutenant instead of him. Roderigo and Iago wake up Desdemona’s father Brabantio and tell him that his daughter has run away with Othello (2. Sir you’re robbed. . . Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul.) When Brabantio finds out his daughter is gone, he is very angry and warns all other fathers (3. From hence trust not your daughter’s minds by what you see them act.) Even though Iago hates Othello, he is two-faced and continues to pretend to be his friend. He runs to warn Othello that Brabantio is coming for him. Brabantio arrives and accuses Othello of using witchcraft to make Desdemona fall in love with him. (4. Thou hast practiced on her with foul charms) They bring their argument before the Duke and senators. Othello declares (5.I’ll present how I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, and she is mine), then tells them the story of how he and Desdemona fell in love and married. Desdemona arrives and tells her father (6. I am hitherto your daughter, But here’s my husband.) Brabantio leaves angrily, warning Othello not to trust his new wife. (7. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.) The Duke sends Othello and his lieutenant Cassio to the island of Cyprus to defend it against the invading Turks. But when they arrive, they find out that the Turkish fleet was destroyed by a storm at sea. (8. News, lads! Our wars are done.) Desdemona, Iago, and Iago’s wife Emilia all arrive in Cyprus. Othello is overjoyed to see his new bride again. (9. O my soul’s joy!) He orders that a victory celebration will be held that night. Before the party, Iago plots to destroy the happy love between Othello and Desdemona. (10. I put the Moor At least into a jealousy so strong That judgment cannot cure.)

That night at the celebration, Othello assigns Cassio to keep peace among the partiers. But Iago gets Cassio drunk on wine and urges Roderigo to start a fight with him. Othello returns and is so angry with Cassio that he strips him of his rank, telling him, (11. I love thee, But nevermore be officer of mine.) Cassio, in despair, cries out (12. Reputation! Reputation! Reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!) Iago has had his revenge on Cassio, but he isn’t finished messing with people. He sees an opportunity to make Othello believe Desdemona and Cassio are in love (13. So will I turn her virtue into pitch). He tells Cassio to cozy up to Desdemona and have her talk to Othello for him. Iago then begins planting suspicions of an affair in Othello’s mind, even while warning (14. O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster). Othello is torn. He trusts Iago completely, yet he cannot believe that Desdemona would cheat on him. (15. If she be false, heaven mocks itself!) Desdemona drops her handkerchief that was the first gift Othello ever gave her. Emilia picks it up and remembers that Iago had asked her to steal it for him, though she doesn’t know why. (16. What he will do with it Heaven knows, not I) She gives it to Iago, who plans to use it to further incriminate Desdemona. Iago tells Othello that he saw Cassio with the handkerchief. Othello is so angry that he tells Iago (17. Within these three days let me hear thee say that Cassio’s not alive) to which Iago readily agrees. He then finds Desdemona and asks her for the handkerchief, and when she cannot find it, he flies into a jealous fit. He is now thoroughly convinced that Iago is right and Desdemona has been cheating on him (18. My heart is turned to stone). He decides that he must kill Desdemona. That evening Iago and Roderigo attack Cassio on a dark street, but things do not turn out as planned. Cassio wounds Roderigo and Iago stabs Cassio in the leg, but neither one dies. However, afraid he might talk, Iago kills Roderigo. Cassio is carried away alive. Othello enters Desdemona’s bedroom and stands over her sleeping form, readying himself to kill her (19. Put out the light, and then put out the light) But Desdemona wakes up and says (20. I hope you will not kill me) to which Othello says (21. It is too late) and smothers her. Emilia comes in just in time to hear Desdemona say (22. A guiltless death I die). Emilia runs for

help (23. The moor hath killed my mistress!) Iago, the wounded Cassio, and a group of other officers come in. Emilia reveals what Iago has been plotting all along. In anger, Iago kills her. Cassio is given the responsibility of punishing Iago for his crimes. Othello is overcome with grief that he has murdered an innocent and faithful wife (24. O Desdemon! Dead, Desdemon! Dead! O, O!). He begs the onlookers to (25. Speak of me as I am. Of one who loved not wisely, but too well) He then stabs himself, and delivers his last dying words to Desdemona’s corpse (26. No way but this, Killing myself to die upon a kiss.).

Notes Folger Shakespeare website