Jealousy and Ignorance in Othello, the Moor

Jealousy and Ignorance in Othello, The Moor of Venice

In Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice, the concepts of love and friendship are explored through the manipulation of Othello by Iago. In this play, Iago is able to destroy the relationship between Othello and Desdemona, his wife, by convincing Othello that his wife has been disloyal to him and the sanctity of their marriage. An argument may be made that Othello's jealousy clouded his judgment and that his ignorance of what romantic love was contributed to his demise.

Othello, the Moor of Venice is the tragic story of the war hero, Othello, and the great lengths that his supposed friend and compatriot, Iago, went to in order to take away Othello's political power. Iago's quest begins when he is passed over for promotion and Michael Cassio, who he believes to be less qualified than him, is promoted to the position of lieutenant. It is during this time that Iago first attempts to create a conflict between Othello and Brabantio, a Venetian Senator and Desdemona's father, by informing him that Othello and Desdemona have secretly wed; Iago hopes that this information will create circumstantial misunderstandings that will escalate to the point that Othello will be punished. Although Iago is able to win Cassio's post, he continues to manipulate Othello through the exploitation of his "love" for Desdemona and eventually causes him to lose control over his life and brings forth his demise.

At the end of the play, after Iago has successfully contributed to the tragic downfall of Othello, Othello recognizes his faults and wishes to tell his story of how he was "one that loved wisely, but too well" so that others may be able to learn from his mistakes (5.2.394). Though Othello is able to recognize what he did wrong, he believes that it was not jealousy alone that contributed to his demise, but contends that he was "one not easily jealousy; but being wrought/Perplex'd in the extreme" (5.2.395). It is through Othello's confession that the concept of love, and how he defines it, arises; did Othello love Desdemona so much that he was blinded by jealous rage and unable to see beyond their relationship, or did he not love her enough to take the time to understand her as a person and as a wife?

Othello lack of compassion and understanding of women can be traced to his upbringing and environment. Othello has spent a great part of his life moving from one military campaign to the next, and although he is a foreigner, is able to be promoted to a highly respected military rank and position. Moreover, Brabantio believes that Othello does not have the charm or skills to legitimately woo his daughter, Desdemona, and accuses Othello of using witchcraft to seduce his daughter; Brabantio exclaims, "Damn's as though art, thou hast enchanted her" (5.2.344).

Additionally, Othello does not know how to interact with his wife and often treats her as though she is an object. Othello does not like having Desdemona out of his sight and goes to great lengths to keep her by his side including taking her with him when he is sent to fight against the Turks. Othello's possessive behavior and nature are easily "wrought" into jealousy; Othello is easily convinced that Desdemona has betrayed him by sleeping with another man. Othello's suspicions over his wife's behavior are unwarranted and a byproduct of his imagination; for example, when Othello is afflicted with a headache and Desdemona attempts to ease his pain, his lack of understanding towards her compassion towards him startles her so that she drops the handkerchief -- a gift from Othello -- she had been using to attempt to alleviate his headache. Later, Othello demands that Desdemona show him the handkerchief, which he claims has been enchanted to guarantee faithfulness to the person that is in possession of it. Because Desdemona had previously discarded the handkerchief, Othello convinces himself that she is being and has been unfaithful to him. Additionally, Desdemona is chastised for no particular reason and only defends herself by telling him that she has "not deserved this" (4.1.252).

Desdemona, despite all the grievances that she has allegedly committed, has not been given the opportunity to defend herself. Othello would rather listen to Iago's lies than Desdemona's truth. In the end, Desdemona blames herself for her own death because she should have stood up for herself and forced Othello to listen to her. Desdemona admits that it was not Othello's fault that she was killed, but rather "I myself" (5.2.124).

Desdemona gave too freely of herself and was never able to ascertain what her role in Othello's life truly was. She blindly followed him onto battlefields, accepted his unwarranted punishments, and even blamed herself for her death. Because Desdemona never stood up against Iago's accusations, she is responsible for her own death. Desdemona could have saved her life, or at least attempted to instead of standing idly by her husband, if she had spoken up or inquired as to what was on Othello's mind and what was bothering him.