Othello revision - A05

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Ambiguity in Othello


When Shakespeare's theatre group became known as the King's men under James I, many of Shakespeare's contemporaries found themselves imprisoned for upsetting the authorities - some have said it is the ambiguity of his plays that allows them to be critical.

Sources of debate 


  • the character of Emilia - refuses to be quiet and suppress the truth yet she was the one who stole the handkerchief and said nothing when Othello asked
  • Cassio - should we see Cassio as a good man who helps to restore order or a threat to order (the effect of alcohol on him, the ways in which he treats women, self-centred) or is he in situations where he just has to play along with the lads 
  • Roderigo - are we meant to pity him as weak and impressionable or be angered by his self-serving readiness to do evil
  • Brabantio - Should we condemn Brabantio for his racial intolerance or pragmatic attitude to being worried for his daughter

The presentation of Venice 

  • 'home to the incredible richness of literature, painting, architecture, music'
  • 'symbolised the depths of political intrigue, decadence and moral depravity'
  • It produced on the one hand, Baldassare Castiglione's The Courtier ' a testament to the importance of civilised, courtly demeanour'
  • It also produced Niccolo Machiavelli's 'The Prince'
Venice is believed to be a place where people behave in a civilised way, the rule of law prevails

'what tell'st thou me of robbing? This is Venice / my house is not a grange'

Compare to how the first senator is not deceived by the Turks' 'pageant to keep us in false gaze' on Rhodes rather than Cyprus.

In Venice, the Duke gives Othello and Desdemona a chance to defend themselves, a stark contrast to Othello's merciless 'trial' of Desdemona in Cyprus.

Against this, Pete Bunten argues
  • 'the racism in the play is expressed by four Venetian characters'


The presentation of Desdemona

  • 'Desdemona is helplessly passive. She can do nothing whatever. She cannot retaliate even in speech; no not even in silent feeling' - A.C Bradley
  • 'Desdemona made a very specific decision to marry this man ... that makes her in some ways extremely strong, an active participant' - Sam Mendes
  • 'The lady is little less than a wanton ... she falls in love and makes a runaway match with a blackamoor. Desdemona has been false to the purity of her sex and condition when she married Othello' - John Quincy Adams (1863)
  • 'There are two kinds of women, one being superhuman, totally virtuous ... the other kind is a dissembler, a deceiver, because of sexuality. One can cross into the subhuman camp at any time , but once in it, one can never return' - Marilyn French, links to the Madonna-whore dichotomy

Abigail Rokison-Woodall

Before we meet Desdemona, she is prescribed to us as 'the ideal Renaissance woman, pious, modest, and obedient' 

'the picture described is an idealised one' (Roderigo speaks of her duty and beauty, Othello describes her as gentle)

'And yet as soon as we see her, she proves to be assertive, sexually liberated and witty' 'an unconventional female independence'

'that i did love the Moor to live with him / my downright violence and storm of fortunes may trumpet to the world'

Othello reports that it was Desdemona who gave him 'the hint' - fulfils Brabantio's statement that she was 'half the wooer'

'And yet, by the time we get to the willow scene, she seems subdued, obedient and resigned'

'Desdemona's spirit, clarity and realism do not desert her entirely in the latter half of the play as many critics and performances imply' - Carol Thomas Neely

The presentation of Iago

  • 'psychologically Iago is a slighted man, powerfully possessed by hatred against a master who (as he thinks) has kept him down' - Neville Coghill
  • 'the audience becomes complicit in Iago's intention' - Sean McEvoy
  • 'It's a given in the army ; military life is based on loyalty and a code of honour amongst soldiers... that's why Iago feels betrayed, because he believes that seniority and length of service should be what determines promotion' - Nicholas Hytner
  • Germain Greer thought his primary motivation was mindless racism

Iago's Motivations

  • anger at being overlooked at lieutenant
  • anger at Othello maybe sleeping with his wife
  • racism
  • love for Desdemona
Called the search for Iago's motivations 'the motive hunting of motiveless malignity' and concluded that ultimately Iago is evil for the sake of being evil.

Most of Iago's motive hunting takes place in his soliloquies (meant to be personal speeches), so it is as if he is trying to convince himself - do psychopaths have to justify their behaviour to themself

Martin Wangh - 'Iago should be read as a paranoic by hatred for the wife of the man he cannot admit he desires'
Wangh treats Iago as a case study in repressed homosexuality - this desire causes him to despise Desdemona
            Such a reading explains why Iago tries to hard to provide reasons to himself for his actions and feelings given the homophobia of the time.

It also explains he moment at the end of A3S3 when there are similarities between Othello and Iago's kneeling vows and the service of matrimony.





























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