OTHELLO JEALOUSY AND DECEPTION ESSAY NOTES
QUESTION: Discuss the themes of jealousy and deception in the play Othello and the methods that Shakespeare uses to convey these to the audience
INTRODUCTION:
In the play Othello Shakespeare uses:
- Ideas (don’t use the word theme) of jealousy and deception are conveyed in many ways
- What better way to bring powerful and successful man to his knees – but jealousy and deception
- Othello a Shakespearean tragedy – 5 acts ending in death of majority of characters
- Shakespearean tragedies are expressions of paradoxes of life – paradox of disappointment
- Shakespeare as a dramatist uses – characters, audience, language (word-play and imagery), stagecraft (play in performance) – no women actors – young boys used
- Othello – protagonist
- Iago - antagonist
- Language techniques used - blank and rhymed verse, dramatic irony (in form of soliloquies), devil imagery, animal imagery, symbolism (handkerchief)
- Types of jealousy – sexual, racial and social status
- Stagecraft - soliloquies, action, time and place, importance of Othello’s colour
PARAGRAPHS:
1. Scene:Act 1 Scene 1
Theme:jealousy and deception
Description:Iago is described as a “demi-devil” and rests confidently on the assurance that people and in particular Othello believes him to be honest. He possesses an exterior glitter which is really sinister and which misleads everyone in the play. Iago’s jealousy and deception is brought about by Othello giving Cassio a promotion over himself and the play starts with Iago complaining to Roderigo, (a gullable friend who is in love with Desdemona and really wants to sleep with her and will do anything to get her) about ‘The Moor.’
Quote:Iago - “I will follow him to serve my turn upon him.”
Technique:devil imagery
2. Scene: Act 1 Scene 1
Theme: racial jealousy
Description: The first time we hear one of Iago’s racist comments is when he is talking to Brabantio about Othello and Desdemona
Quote: “What a full fortune does the thicklips owe
If he can carry't thus!”
Technique: racial imagery
3. Scene: Act 1 Scene 1
Theme: racial jealousy
Description: Racial prejudice - Othello puts up with being the only black man in this play. Roderigo refers to Othello as “thick lips”.
Quote: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is topping your white ewe. Arise, arise;”
Technique: racial imagery
4. Scene: Act 1 Scene 3
Theme:Naïve to deception and social status
Description: Othello seems naïve and unsophisticated to many people because of some of his traits. He is also a dark man, not only because he is black, but because he is mysterious as a person. He believes there is magic brewing everywhere. However, another weakness is that Othello trusts everyone too much and Iago, taking advantage of this, tells him all sorts of untruths, especially the one about his wife and Cassio. Othello’s origin also inhibits him from understanding European women. He did see for himself the deception of Desdemona towards her father and remembered the words he had said to him. Iago also being in the room and hearing this, uses it to his advantage to trick Othello.
Quote: “Look to her, Moor, if thou has eyes to see;
She has deceived her father, and may thee”
Technique:racial and social status jealousy
5. Scene: Act 1 Scene 3
Theme: jealousy and deception
Description: Shakespeare uses this quote to introduce the theme of jealousy as Iago actually pre-warns Othello in the temptation scene of what is to come. The use of small sentences opens up a whole world of interpretations. Othello interprets “I” to mean Iago has something to say but it is too monstrous to say. This then causes the character Othello to think the worst and thus arouses doubt and suspicion in his mind. By repeating everything Othello says he becomes frustrated because he wants answers and Iago will not give them to him. Hence, Iago is able to persuade Othello as he has total trust, attention and interest. An example is Othello’s use of dramatic irony on Iago when he refers to him as “Honest Iago” which basically summarises all of this information in explaining to us how Iago’s deception techniques are able to overcome even the strongest of minds.
Quote: ‘My life upon her faith! Honest Iago,
My Desdemona must I leave to thee:
Technique: dramatic irony
6. Scene:Act 1 Scene 3
Theme:
Description:Iago talking to Roderigo
Quote: “Thou art sure of me:--go, make money:--I have told
thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I
hate the Moor: my cause is hearted;”
Technique:
7. Scene: Act 1, scene 3
Theme: jealousy
Description: Iago is a man consumed with jealousy
Quote:“But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor:
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets
He has done my office: I know not if't be true;
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety.”
Technique:
8. Scene: Act 2, scene 1
Theme: deception
Description: In this soliloquy Iago reveals his plot to deceive Othello.
Quote: “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.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.”
Technique:
9. Scene: Act 2, scene 1
Theme: deception
Description: Iago uses gross words to corrupt and deceive Othello.
Quote: “To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.”
Technique: animal imagery
10. Scene: Act 3, scene 1
Theme:
Description: Cassio turns to him for advice ironically addressing him as “Honest Iago”
and saying in full sincerity
Quote: “Honest Iago,” and “I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest.”
Technique: dramatic irony
11. Scene: Act 3 Scene 3 & Act 4 Scene 1
Theme:deception
Description:Language - Through his use of small sentences Iago opens up whole worlds of interpretations. Othello interprets it to mean that Iago has something to say, but it is too monstrous to say, so he refrains. This causes Othello to think the worst and thus arouses doubt and suspicion in his mind. Othello’s absolute jealousy comes through in his conversation with Iago. It can be seen, through this conversation, that Othello is easily and seemingly foolishly swayed by the simplest of coincidental evidence. Iago, by repeating everything that Othello says, Othello becomes frustrated because he wants an answer and Iago will not give him one. The breakdown of Othello’s remarkable self-control occurs perhaps first
Iago is able to hold off giving Othello evidence of Desdemona’s infidelity until he has Othello’s trust and has created enough doubt and suspicion in Othello and that he is completely unsettled and gullible
Othello is so consumed with anger and jealousy that one might almost expect him to seize Iago by the throat when he challenges Iago to prove Desdemona’s infidelity. Hence Iago is able to persuade Othello that he has total trust and attention and interest. Another manipulative technique in the play Othello used again by Iago is the timing of revelation of information
Quote: “…Is this the nature
Whom passion could not shake?”
Technique: trickery (Iago to Othello)
12. Scene:Act 3 Scene 3
Theme:jealousy
Description:Othello’s whole nature was indisposed towards jealousy or envy of any kind. So once it dominated him, it consumed and finally destroyed him. The disposition of his temperament is to act rashly and impulsively, to see immediate proof and resolve his doubts without stopping to reflect on the consequences of his actions. Of course Iago perceives all this thoroughly. Half way though the ‘Temptation Scene’, when he is handed the handkerchief, Iago is able to assess fully the state of Othello’s inner nature and he turns Othello into a jealous monster - through his vulnerability
Quote:“…Trifles light as air
Are to the jealous, confirmations strong
As proofs of Holy Writ.”
“She may be honest yet. Tell me but this,
Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief”
Technique: symbolism - hanky
13. Scene: Act 3 Scene 3 (165-167)
Theme:jealousy
Description: Jealousy has the power to destroy. It destroys both Iago who is jealous of Cassio and Othello who is jealous of his wife. Iago warns Othello to be wary of jealousy in the Temptation Scene
Quote: “O, beware my lord of jealousy!
It is the green ey’d monster, which doth mock
That meat it feeds on.”
Technique: dramatic irony, hypocritical
14. Scene: Act 3 Scene 3
Theme:deception
Description: Iago says that Michael Cassio should be what he seems when really Iago should be what he seems
Quote: “Men should be what they seem;
Or those that be not, would they might seem none!” (page 105)
Technique: dramatic irony
15. Scene: Act 3 Scene 4
Theme:Jealousy
Description: Emilia tells Desdemona that Othello’s ill treatment of her may be due to jealously and proceeds to echo her husband’s earlier words.
Quote: “…It is a monster
Begot upon itself, born on itself”
Technique:
16. Scene: Act 3 Scene 4
Theme: deception
Description: Othello kills his wife to defend his own honour.In the period setting of the play, to show honour, women are expected to be subservient to their husbands.The characters Iago and Othello reflect this attitude toward their respective wives, giving them reason to feel just in killing these women.Iago kills Emilia because she dishonours him by revealing his manipulation of Othello and Casio.Othello strangles Desdemona because of imagined infidelity, which makes him look like a fool.Both men have different ideas of honour, perceive their own honourable status differently, have different relationships with their wives, and different feelings of remorse.Ultimately they both kill their wives to defend their own honour. Desdemona throughout the play doesn’t believe that Othello is incapable of jealousy and she is puzzled by his manner and supposes it to arise from some problem in his official duties. She deceives herself by thinking this and she cannot allow herself to believe that the hero she married is a mere mortal. She thus lies to herself.
Quote: Desdemona – “Come, come;
You'll never meet a more sufficient man.”
Technique:
17. Scene: Act 4 Scene 1 (56 -59)
Theme: sexual jealousy
Description: In the play, we can see that the jealousy of the characters, have an affect on the audience. For example, throughout the whole play Othello, the tragic hero seems to be very jealous of Cassio. This makes him very vulnerable to the sexual jealousyhe endures and the fact that Iago has told him that Desdemona is sleeping with Cassio. This creates a sense of hatred towards Cassio on Othello’s part
Quote: Iago - “How is it, general? have you not hurt your head?”
Othello – “Dost thou mock me?”
Iago - I mock you! no, by heaven.
Would you would bear your fortune like a man!
Technique: dramatic irony
18. Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
Theme:jealousy
Description:The root of Iago’s envy is anger at Cassio’s military expertise and the fact that he has been promoted to the position of lieutenant in lieu of Iago. Iago himself acknowledges that he is jealous of Cassio,
Quote:“He has a daily beauty in his life
That makes me ugly.”
Technique:soliloquies
19. Scene:Act 5 Scene 2
Theme:deception
Description:Othello knows at the end that he has been deceived. This is shown by the repetition of the words “honest”
Quote:“He, woman;
I say thy husband: dost understand the word?
My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago.”
Technique:repetition
CONCLUSION:
- In conclusion, the ideas of jealousy and deception in the play Othello are examined by Shakespeare through the characters of Iago, Othello and Desdemona.
- Using language as a way of showing the state of mind of each character and manipulating Othello and his personal life, Shakespeare is able to address the themes in a way that draws in the audience through his soliloquies and allows the emotion of the death of Othello’s soul throughout the play to touch and affect his audience.
- The theme of jealousy and deception are prominent throughout the play as they motivate the character’s actions.
- Iago himself was consumed by jealousy and he was the monster who feeds on and mocks Othello’s suffering.
- It is clear that jealousy and deception are the central themes to an understanding of the play and Shakespeare has examined them in a way the audience can understand and be involved.
- Othello was told his wife was cheating on him and he thought he was killing for justice.
- It was Iago’s deception that introduced changes to Othello’s character and when these changes evolved he was lurking and waiting to jump in and take advantage of Othello.
- Othello is unfortunately a man whose character is brought to light of a horrible situation by a deceitful devil named Iago.
- Jealousy does change people in horrific ways. Othello is transformed form a normal human to a spiteful monster