Othello Essay

The Devil's in the Details

The play "Othello," by William Shakespeare, is a classic for many reasons but mainly because of the complexity of the characters he creates. No one personifies this more than Iago, one of the most duplicitous characters in the history of theater. Iago is portrayed as honest and loyal, but his true identity isn't divulged until the penultimate scene of the play. Iago's chicanery is revealed, yet he will not articulate his motive, once again denying the reader, and the injured parties, any satisfaction. Iago's true motive is that he has no motive; instead, he is used as the essence of pure evil, and as a foil to the Christian image of Desdemona.
Shakespeare attempts to ascribe certain motives to Iago, but none can be deemed sufficient to justify his perfidy. In the opening scene Iago complains of Cassio's appointment as Othello's lieutenant: "He, in good time, must his lieutenant be, and I- God bless the mark! - His Moorship's ancient" (1.1.28-30). This complaint is further backed by the argument that Iago has more experience, and more specifically, that he has more battle experience. Iago views Cassio as a lady's man, and a philologist, certainly not someone cut out to be an army lieutenant. It is a classic comparison of field experience versus intellectual capacity, and many times the victor has been the elocutionist. Therefore, we as the reader can hardly feel that Cassio deserves to be killed for his favorable appointment.
Shakespeare then has Iago articulate an argument that we as the reader can't help but find fallacious. Iago asserts, almost whimsically, that he believes abroad Othello, 'twixt my sheets h'as done my office (1.3.378). It is a wildly spurious accusation that he belies in the next breath by admitting that he isn't even sure if it is true. Now does this seem like a valid reason to ruin a marriage, injure one man violently, have a wife killed, and have a man commit suicide? Any reader would have a hard time believing that.
With no justifiable motive for his actions, we are left to view Iago as the essence of pure evil. Iago's treachery is so complete, and his deception so comprehensive that we are forced to view him as Othello later does, as almost a caricature of the Devil. Othello, when Iago's duplicity is revealed, even looks to Iago's feet to see if he has hooves, a blatant reference to the allegedly hooved Devil: "I look down towards his feet- but that's a fable. If that thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee" (5.2.282-283). Othello laments his inability to kill Iago if he truly be the devil, and later goes on to call him exactly what the reader is to view Iago as, a "demi-devil" (5.2.297). Shakespeare is often known for the subtlety and complexity of his writing, but most important, the deliberate nature of it. If he calls a man the Devil, he is certainly implying that there is at least a chance that he is. That chance is compounded by the lack of ulterior motives and the preponderance of evidence pointing to Iago's unjustified malevolence. Therefore, we are left with the simple conclusion that this is in fact a morality play in which Iago is the essence of enmity, and Desdemona the essence of beneficence.

The character of Desdemona is to be viewed in juxtaposition to Iago, and if we are to accept Iago as purely evil, then we must look at Desdemona's actions as wholly good. Desdemona is the pinnacle of virtue in her chastity, honesty, and faithfulness. In her tête-à-tête with Emilia, Desdemona tells us that she would not cheat on Othello for the entire world. Now, we generally would dismiss this as whimsical hyperbole, but Emilia moves the conversation to the practical application of having the world, and therefore, having the ability to nullify any wrongdoing. Desdemona is now faced with the omnipotence of the almighty, and even with that power, she dismisses Emilia's desire as lascivious, and claims that we would, "Beshrew me if I would do such a wrong for the whole world" (4.3.80). This claim would be challenging to veraciously make, even for the most pious person, yet Desdemona makes it with vigor.
Desdemona continues her saint like behavior when she remains unyieldingly faithful and loving, even as her husband's behavior has turned malicious. We see Iago's pernicious poison slowly working over Othello, and his actions begin to reflect his jealousy. Othello even ventures so far as to hit Desdemona, and her reaction could only be described as Christian: "I have not deserved this…I will not stay to offend you" (4.1.241-247). Simply put, Desdemona employs what Jesus implores us to do in Matthew 5:39, turn the other cheek. She embodies the essence of Christian virtue, and therefore, when juxtaposed to the devil-like Iago, we see her in diametrical opposition. We are to conclude that Desdemona is the yin to Iago's yang, and through this established relationship each is further stratified.
Shakespeare uses Iago and Desdemona to create, in essence, a morality play. We see the classic battle between good and evil take place between Iago and Desdemona, but it is not a fair fight. Through Iago's perniciousness he manipulates Othello and Roderigo to create a veritable army of destruction. He manipulates these characters, and as one would assume, three always beats one. Desdemona is eventually seen as a martyr, dying for what she believes in, and the only false words we hear her utter, are a defense of her love and her lord. Desdemona dies a pure death attempting to divert the blame from her lord to herself: "Nobody- I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord" (5.2.123-124). Desdemona's faith as a Christian is confirmed in this double entendre that alludes to both Othello, and her "Lord" above. This deed consummates the narrative of this morality play, and forces us to conclude that Iago's purported motives are insufficient, and that he truly is purely evil.