‘To Othello, justice is more important than love’.
Explore ideas around justice in Othello
The theme of justice seems to be intertwined with love throughout Shakespeare’s Othello.
Perhaps given Othello’s military position, he is desperate to maintain justice, resulting in
immediate conflict with the domestic sphere. Indeed, when the audience is introduced to
Othello and Desdemona’s relationship he appears to be apologetic of their love, as if he
himself believes their interracial marriage to be unjust. Arguably this uncertainty makes the
tragic outcome, which now starts to unfold, unalterable as through destroying their love,
Othello seems to serve the justice he craves.
The idea of justice is associated with violence in the extract, perhaps foreboding the tragic
death of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship which later unfolds. Othello once spoke with
clarity, the use of iambic pentameter at the start of the play suggesting his certainty in his
love for Desdemona and belief that ‘not another conflict like this succeeds in unknown fate’.
However, by Act 3, Scene 3, a dramatic change overcomes Othello’s character, which
Shakespeare reflects through his dialogue. Here, he laments, ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’, the
use of a triplet suggesting the deterioration of the clarity he once knew. Arguably, the
importance of serving justice has undermined the love once shared, leaving him uncertain
on how to act, and therefore fatally reliant on Iago’s guidance. Indeed, the gentle language
of love once evoked by Othello now becomes increasingly violent as he compares the need
to serve justice to the ‘icy current and compulsive course’ of the sea; the use of ‘compulsive’
emphasising the necessity of justice being served. Therefore ‘my bloody thoughts, with
violent pace’ metaphorically charge through Othello’s mind, leaving him unable to think
clearly. This ultimately builds up to Desdemona’s tragic death, which Othello treats as an act
of justice for the supposed crime of infidelity committed. In stating that ‘she must die, else
she’ll betray more men’, the ‘compulsive’ ‘current’ of justice is again portrayed, allowing him
to murder his wife. This suggests that the need for justice has overpowered the love he once
held for Desdemona, perhaps leading the audience to question the initial show of love which
was always incompatible with his military heroism.
It certainly seems that Othello’s need to serve justice has resulted in a dismissal of the love
he once held for Desdemona, suggesting that- for Othello- justice is more important than
love. Iago’s manipulative statement that ‘your mind perhaps may change’, is immediately
contradicted by Othello’s blunt ‘Never, Iago’, which could even show frustration at such an
idea. This signals that the love he once held for Desdemona can ‘never’ be returned to, and
now he instead has to follow the quest for justice. Although Othello once attempted to
subvert society’s idea of justice in marrying Desdemona, it seems now he feels some
warped version of justice must take its course. Kieran Ryan describes the ‘venomous rage of
a society whose foundations are rocked by the mere fact of Desdemona and Othello’s
marriage’, a ‘rage’ demonstrated especially through Brabantio who remarks ‘if such actions
may have passage free, bondslaves and pagans may our statesmen be’. Thus their love is
associated with the removal of the ‘correct’ running of society, conveying the notion that their
love is unjust. Where Othello once found the strength to dismiss such ideas, and believed
himself to be worthy of Desdemona’s love, a powerful shift of his characterisation has
occurred where now justice seems not only important but necessary. Here Othello states
that his ‘thoughts’ ‘shall never look back’. This could convey his absolute dismissal of their
previous connection, suggesting that for justice, their love must be forgotten. Although it is
