Deceit And Betrayal In Shakespeare’s Othello
Shakespeare’s Othello features many deceitful, traitorous, and twisted acts, none more than Othello. He betrays those that he love. The character of Othello is introduced to us as a gentle and kind lover. However, his ease in trusting others and manipulating them made him vulnerable. Through his actions and word play, he becomes a man driven by hate and love. The play’s ending portrays the demise of the character in a dramatic way.
Othello appears to readers as an honourable, loving man who is fond of his wife. This is evident in his very first scene, where he describes with adoration his love for Desdemona. He says that he thrives “in the love of this fair lady, and she in my” which highlights Othello’s first interactions with the woman he loves most. The word “fair” reveals how Othello views her as dainty, pure and innocent. This will contrast with the words he uses later to describe her. He then professes again his love for her as he approaches, and says that he has “but an hour to spend in worldly affairs, and of love” before he departs for the war. His use of “worldly matters” shows that he believes she is godly and angelic. However, his adoration of this woman is short-lived as he’s betrayed by another person he loves.
Othello’s transformation into a monster is a result of Iago deceiving his wife. Othello feels betrayed. This is intriguing to readers as they become more sympathetic to a character of his caliber, due in part to Iago’s folly. Othello also makes them hate Iago. In Act 4, scene 1, Othello is blinded by his rage and “falls into an trance”, while Iago speaks of the “credulous idiots” being caught. Othello, blinded by rage, “falls into a trance” and Iago talks about how the “credulous fools are caught”. He accuses Desdemona in the next scene of holding “the office opposite Saint Peter”, which contrasts with his earlier statements about her being godly. In the next scene, he accuses Desdemona of being devilish because she does not keep the doors of Heaven like Saint Peter but rather the “gate to hell”. Readers will not be surprised when he decides to kill Desdemona because his mental state has become too corrupted and twisted to stop.
Othello has shown that his descent into madness is far different from what the reader expected. This is due to the fact that his love and trust in Desdemona at the beginning turned into hatred. Readers are less surprised about the ending as the story unfolds. In fact, they expected it because Othello had placed his trust in the wrong person and did not trust the right person. His actions are so important to the entire play. It is not only Desdemona who benefits from his actions, but every character. He had a lot of respect and love for Cassio. But “Iago kept his word” and tried to kill Cassio in what Othello thought was a noble cause. He admits that both he and his readers are “fools! fool! Iago is called “Fool!” because he believed in him. However, realizing that this was too late to change his mind, he ends up killing himself. Othello is a tragic hero who dies an accidental villain.
Shakespeare’s choice of words for the characters in the play only reinforces the interpretation that readers may have. Othello’s speech showed his growth as a fool, and the negative effects of his actions were evident. His trust caused everyone to be stabbed. Everything became mad, and the reader is reminded to not trust anyone.
