Othello Essay - Grade: A PDF

Preview

Summary

Iago’s Betrayal of Othello and Its Relation to the Meaning of the Work...

Description

Othello Essay: Iago’s Betrayal of Othello and Its Relation to the Meaning of the Work In Shakespeare's Othello, traitorous acts of betrayal not only culminate in the play's tragic ending but also drive the very events of the play. Although the play comprises numerous acts of betrayal, Iago’s plot against Othello constitutes the primary act of betrayal in the story. Filled with bitter hatred toward him for his promotion of Michael Cassio, Iago devises an elaborate scheme to ruin Othello by feigning loyalty to him while employing Cassio to court Desdemona in such a way that he can poison Othello’s mind against his wife. From his depiction of Othello’s betrayal, Shakespeare demonstrates a keen understanding of the evil of human nature and the shortcomings within even the best of human qualities. In depicting this particular betrayal as premeditated, exploitative, and out of proportion to the perceived nature of the crime, Shakespeare intends to convey that the sin of betrayal embodies a diabolical act among the worst of all possible crimes and a downright affront to everything pertaining to human conscience and morality. Iago's deliberate, premeditated, intention to render Othello miserable characterizes the first aspect of his betrayal of the Moor. Sorely embittered with Othello’s failure to appoint him as his lieutenant, Iago expresses outrage that he has been overlooked in favor of an inexperienced mathematician. In return, Iago expresses to Roderigo his insatiable desire for revenge and affirms that “I am not what I am” (I.i.62), “In following him, I follow but myself” (I.i.55). Although Iago may have the appearance of a faithful and loyal servant, his apparent faithfulness proceeds from anything but that. His service to Othello only serves the purpose of gaining his trust until he finds an opportune time to overthrow him (I.i.39-62). Not only, however, did Iago premeditate the betraying of Othello, but the exact method by which he would he achieve this end. Iago’s ability to do so lay in his superior comprehension

of the potential failings within each of the characters coupled with an almost seeming omniscience regarding how to exploit these weaknesses. This can be clearly perceived when he confesses to himself early within the play, “The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so” (I.iii.369). In recognizing the nobility and integrity of Othello, two of Othello’s most admirable qualities, Iago quickly realizes that Othello’s resulting belief that men should “be what they seem” (III.iii.128) can easily be exploited. Othello perceives Iago as truly honest and there exists no reason for him to suppose otherwise, especially when he believes that men are, and ought to be as honest as he. Ironically, Othello’s two best qualities constitute the source of his downfall. In addition to being too noble and thus gullible, Othello experiences plagues of insecurity over the faithfulness of his spouse as well as his race. Nor is Iago by any means unaware of this and he slyly suggests the possibility of an affair while further weakening Othello by hinting that his race has probably caused Desdemona to “match you with her country forms” (III.iii.237) Although Othello constitutes the main person that Iago seeks to destroy, Iago takes advantage of more than just the flaws of the Moor. Through recognizing Othello's primary weaknesses, however, Iago can expose the shortcomings of others in order to ultimately play upon the weaknesses of Othello. For instance, through the realization that Desdemona constitutes Othello’s joy in life and that he possesses an aptitude for insecurity, Iago realizes that he can exploit Cassio and Desdemona as a means to ruin him. In Cassio he has a “person and a smooth dispose To be suspected,” (I.iii.367-368) while in Desdemona he has a woman “framed as fruitful As the free elements” (II.iii.300-301). With a circumstantial arrangement of events, it would not be difficult for Iago to exploit Cassio’s good nature and Desdemona’s willingness in

order to “abuse Othello’s ears That he is too familiar with his wife” (I.iii.366) and lead him into a “jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure” (II.i.274-275). The gratuitous and completely overblown nature of the revenge form the last aspect of this particular betrayal. While not unreasonable for Iago to feel disappointment over his failure to be promoted, the measure he took in responding to this failure cannot be justified in any sense whatsoever. As governor of Cyprus, did not Othello possess the authority to give the position of lieutenant to whomever he saw fit? Although Iago may have felt that “I am worth no worse a place” (I.i.10) and that Cassio embodies an incompetent mathematician unfit for such an eminent position, as the appointed ensign of Othello, he ought to have honored the governor even if he may have disagreed with his ruling. Given the nature of the relationship between the two, did not Othello have a right to expect loyalty from his appointed ensign? The fact that Iago would unhesitatingly, for such a petty “crime,” betray so treacherously someone who trusted him to the degree that Othello did distinguishes this particular betrayal as being an evil completely out of proportion to any degree of “injustice” felt. An unspeakable act of evil that involved a heinous, premeditated scheme to bring endless misery and regret against one who neither expected it nor deserved it describes the totality of Iago’s betrayal of Othello; in fact, it went against one who had every reason to expect the utmost loyalty. The fact that he betrayed the trust that Othello had in him by feigning friendship and then exploiting all the weaknesses not only of Othello himself but of all those who loved and were loved by Othello renders the crime all the more vile. In providing an ending to the play where the betrayal ultimately culminates in a “tragic loading of the bed” (V.ii.359) and a miserable demise for all the characters, Shakespeare demonstrates that there exists perhaps no worse crime that one can commit against another. According to Shakespeare, betrayal serves as a diabolical

and damnable act that violates all notions of a moral conscience and which leads to a tragic ending for all those involved in it.

Works Cited Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Othello." Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. By Robert DiYanni. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997. 985-1070. Print....