THE CHARACTER OF OTHELLO
OTHELLO’S KEY CHARACTERISTICS
The beginning of the play (act 1-act 3)…
The mediator:
• Shakespeare portrays Othello as a prudent, level-headed individual who seeks to resolve
con ict rather than cause it. We see this particularly in the rst scene in which he appears, when
he tells Brabantio’s men, ‘Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them’ (A1S2),
indicating that he doesn’t view violence as a solution.
• This all suggests he is immune to the type of toxic masculinity (impulsive, belligerent, vain) that
de nes many heroes in literature and within his own military culture.
The leader:
• ‘Cassio, I love thee, but never more be o cer of mine' (A2S3). This scene might imply Othello is
willing to sacri ce his own loyalties in order to act the perfect leader; he acts on the will of
others, not his own, and this may foreshadow Iago’s later puppetry.
• His a nity for peacemaking and ability to inspire others aligns him with a Messiah-type
persona; as Othello is black, this would have been a controversial statement in the Jacobean
era, due to the excessive whitewashing of the Church.
The doting husband:
• Shakespeare portrays Othello’s devotion to Desdemona, conveying the mutual respect the
couple share. We get the impression that Othello cares for her beyond her body or her
childbearing ‘duty’. When Othello tells the Venetian senate to ‘send for the lady and let her
speak of me to her father’ (A1S3), Shakespeare presents the faith Othello has in her, as well as
his appreciation for her voice and opinions.
The lover:
• In addition to Othello’s respect and loyalty to his wife, Shakespeare conveys how love brightens
Othello’s spirit. His speech is full of joyful, fearless imagery, such as ‘My soul’s joy, if after every
tempest come such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death’ (A2S1) and ‘the
greatest discords be that e’er our hearts shall make’ (A2S1).
• Shakespeare portrays him as an optimist, bolstered by the strength love brings him. He feels
like together, they can face anything, even ‘death’ itself; the ultimate goal for lovers. The
references to nature and music draw strong parallels with traditional love poetry, and convey
how powerful love makes Othello feel.
The gullible disciple:
• Shakespeare implies Othello’s trust is greater than his own self-doubt or insecurity. The
declaration ‘O then heaven mocks itself’ resembles someone swearing to God, thus
demonstrating how Desdemona’s honesty forms the foundation of Othello’s worldview.
• However, Shakespeare suggests Othello is too quick to trust: numerous times he comments on
Iago’s trustworthiness, calling him ‘good Iago’ (A2S1), ‘most honest’ (A2S3) and ‘full of love and
honesty' (A3S3). We see that Othello is naive in his blind trust.
The rational thinker:
• In an example of ‘famous last words’, he declares, ‘On the proof, there is no more but this: away
at once with love or jealousy!’ (A3S3). Shakespeare hints at Othello’s hubris: he is overcon dent,
believing himself immune to the feelings that would compromise rational thought.
The end of the play (act 3-act 5)…
The tortured soul:
• Whereas before he was a picture of rationality and calm, now he is wild and restless; he
laments, ‘Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content’ (A3S3). Shakespeare implies Othello’s
greatest nemesis is his own mind. Paranoia is his undoing. No longer able to trust his own
feelings towards Desdemona, he relies too heavily on physical proof.
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, • He demands Iago ‘give [him] the ocular proof’ (A3S3) and tells Desdemona, ‘Our new heraldry is
hands, not hearts’ (A3S4). This obsession with evidence, things he can touch and see, is a
precursor to the ordeal with the handkerchief. His insecurities take over, and he reduces
Desdemona to a series of arbitrary objects and gestures.
The warrior:
• While before Shakespeare presents Othello’s military attributes as his ability to lead and make
strategic decisions, now we witness the bloodthirsty side of his army background. Shakespeare
illustrates Othello’s regression to a warmongering soldier, reacting to con ict with violence and
fury. You could argue he loses his military authority, becoming instead a foot soldier to Iago.
• He swears, ‘My bloody thoughts with violent pace shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble
love’ (A3S3); this is a soldier’s vow, portraying Othello’s wrath and blood-thirst. Love is a
weakness and an obstacle he must overcome to attain victory.
The judge, jury and executioner:
• His worldview narrows and he is immune to voice or reason. In military terms, he goes AWOL:
He is a lone wolf, ghting his own personal war. He executes a death warrant for Cassio and
Desdemona, saying, ‘To confess and be hanged for his labour. First to be hanged and then to
confess’ (A4S1); this paradoxical statement re ects his broken state of mind.
The cuckold:
• He proclaims, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ (A3S3) and ‘I will chop her into messes. Cuckold
me!’ (A4S1). This last remark reveals his xation on being cuckolded; he is infuriated that she
would ‘dare’ humiliate him. Shakespeare uses this unrelenting viciousness to suggest the truth
is no longer important to Othello; he craves validation and for his masculinity to be reinstated.
RELATIONSHIPS
Desdemona:
• When the play begins, Othello and Desdemona have eloped, unbeknownst to her father. They
fell in love during Othello’s visits to her house to speak with her father, as Othello entertained
Desdemona with tales of his life in foreign lands. While others disapprove of their union because
of Othello’s race and outsider status, it is one of the reasons Desdemona loves him.
• Ultimately, Shakespeare portrays the malignancy of self-doubt and insecurity, particularly a
man’s insecurity in his own masculinity. Othello’s love for Desdemona is therefore usurped by
his paranoia; all traces of his previous trust in her are gone. His wife becomes a source of fury
and humiliation for him, and he reduces their marriage to the traditional dynamic of a man
ghting for authority over his wife.
• In the end, he believes it is his duty to murder her in order to save others from the fate of a
cuckold. He views her death as a sacri ce for the bene t of all men, choosing male solidarity
over romantic love.
Iago:
• Their relationship is imbalanced and Othello’s regard for Iago is genuine, whereas Iago’s loyalty
to Othello is just a facade. Othello appears unaware of how his decision to promote Cassio
could have o ended Iago, suggesting his commitment to his job is an obstacle to forming true
bonds with people.
• Iago insinuates Othello’s decision was made based on rank and reputation, not skill; this
accusation suggests the uneven distribution of power within society is another barrier to true
male friendship.
• The relationship between Iago and Othello is the epitome of an abusive relationship, where Iago
is the manipulator and Othello is the unwitting victim. Therefore, Shakespeare uses their bond to
explore the other side of love, the antithesis to Othello and Desdemona’s, and yet the victor.
Brabantio:
• Through references to a time before the play takes place, the audience learns that Brabantio
and Othello used to be very close. Othello says, ‘Her father loved me, oft invited me, still
questioned me the story of my life’ (A1S3). However, upon discovering Othello’s marriage to his
daughter, Brabantio is enraged. He views their union as unnatural, and is convinced Othello
stole his daughter from him.
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, • Secondly, Shakespeare suggests Brabantio is comfortable with Othello’s race, exploits it, even,
as he takes such pleasure in his ‘exotic’ tales, until he becomes involved with his own daughter.
This hypocrisy reveals society’s fears of the Other.
• However, Brabantio becomes a reminder of Desdemona’s previous duplicity; Othello inherits his
anxieties of having Desdemona stolen from him.
Cassio:
• Cassio is chosen to be Othello’s new lieutenant, making him another of Othello’s closest
advisers and friends. The rank of lieutenant introduces a formal aspect to their relationship; in
the end, this jeopardises their friendship, because Othello chooses duty over friendship and
demotes Cassio.
• Cassio’s demotion is a catalyst for the con ict between Othello and Desdemona.
Emilia:
• Emilia is the only other woman we see Othello properly interact with. The vast majority of these
interactions take place after Othello’s transformation; as a result, Emilia becomes a target for
Othello’s women-hating. He refers to her as a brothel-keeper and a whore, illustrating his belief
that all women are sexual, deceitful beings.
• In the end, Emilia is the one who exposes Iago’s plots and convinces Othello of Desdemona’s
innocence. Othello’s tale of female solidarity is con rmed, but not in the way he once thought:
Emilia defends Desdemona when no one else will, exonerating her and forcing Othello to
examine his own actions.
KEY THEMES
Jealousy and cuckoldry:
• One way Shakespeare conveys this deterioration is through structure and form. At the beginning
of the play, Othello conducts himself well; he speaks in a measured meter and respectful tone,
such as when he addresses the Venetian council: ‘Most potent, grave, and reverend signors, I
will a round unvarnish’d tale deliver of my whole course of love’ (A1S3).
• However, once he is engulfed by his jealousy, he loses these qualities. As Iago’s lies take hold,
he “falls in a trance” and Iago tells Cassio not to disturb him, else ‘he foams at mouth and by
and by breaks out to savage madness’ (A4S1).
• A man who couldn’t control his own wife wasn’t worthy of power or respect, hence a ‘beast’.
The bestial metaphor suggests a cuckolded man has no place in high society, and so is
relegated to being an animal.
• ‘Monster’ holds a double meaning: Othello is concerned with embarrassment, viewing a
‘monster’ as someone who has failed socially, while Shakespeare foreshadows Othello’s fate as
a murderer, someone who has failed morally.
Race and colonialism:
• Shakespeare uses the character of Othello to explore the idea of colonialism as well as the idea
of race. Though these may manifest in similar ways, there is a crucial di erence between the
two: colonialism refers to one culture eradicating another through hostile occupation and
exploitation.
• Iago’s psychological manipulation of Othello can be viewed as an allegory for colonialism. Iago
represents the white man who takes over the country (mind) of the Other, stripping the black
man of personal identity and free will. Iago plans to ‘abuse Othello’s ear’ (A1S3) and ‘pour this
pestilence into [it]’ (A2S3); the imagery depicts Iago’s intent and desire invading Othello’s mind,
a metaphor for Europe’s occupation of foreign land.
• When mourning Desdemona’s ‘lost’ innocence, he says, ‘Her name, that was as fresh as Dian’s
visage, is now begrimed and black as mine own face’ (A3S3). This simile shows that his race
and her betrayal are intrinsically linked. In the eyes of Othello, Desdemona has taken a fall from
grace, and now he views her as he views himself. He aligns his ‘black’ appearance with sin and
shame, while coupling her ‘name’ with the ‘fresh [...] face’ of a goddess, which implies a good
reputation comes from being the ‘right’ race.
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