All the games you played...

In the song "Set Fire to the Rain," Adele sings about a man who manipulated her in a relationship.  One part of the song says:

"But there's a side to you
That I never knew, never knew.
All the things you'd say
They were never true, never true,
And the games you play
You would always win, always win."

These lines perfectly describe Emilia's feelings toward Iago when she discovers that Iago lied to Othello about Desdemona.  This song is full of bitter emotion toward another person; Emilia is also bitter after finding that her husband basically caused the death of her best friend.  Iago constantly played games throughout the entire play.  He only told the truth when he was alone on stage.  Iago "won" his games because he caused the death of his own wife, Othello, and Desdemona, destroying any power that Othello had over himself.  I believe the only reason Iago manipulated others was so that he could feel powerful.  Although Iago does not replace Cassio, he is able to take out Othello who was admired by the Senate.  I think the creepy smile at the end of play really explains everything...

Othello, Act V

Lodovico (to Iago):  "O Spartan dog, More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!  Look on the tragc loading of this bed:  This is thy work."  (V.ii.360-364)

Iago, my fave.

Tragedy or comedy?  Pretty tough decision, but I'm going to have to go with tragedy.  When the story closes, a total of four people have died:  Desdemona, Emilia, Othello, and Roderigo.  Unfortunately, Iago is injured not to the point of death.  This play also combines elements of a melodrama due to an appeal to the emotions.  For example, the work calls for sympathy for Othello and hatred for Iago due to his evil plan (and creepy smile).  I think to really understand the play, the audience must first experience elements of the play such as Iago's annoying qualities and Roderigo and Othello's stupidity.  Without this, the type of drama can never be discovered.  Typically, in a Shakespeare tragedy, everyone dies at the end; however, the information that led to the deaths is pertinent in the understanding of the character's emotions and misunderstandings.  Emotions are a key factor in all plays, but most especially in a tragedy.  Without the suspense and intensity leading up to the end, I probably would not have paid much attention to the story.  The element of tragedy is built into the dramatic irony and suspense making the work more interesting than depressing.    

Othello the Puppet

Othello:  "Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men." (IV.ii.6)

At the beginning of the play, I really liked Othello; he seemed like a really chill guy.  I mean, he was a war hero, and he truly did love Desdemona.  Over the course of the final act, I really lost a lot of respect for the guy.  Let's start with the excerpt mentioned above.  So, let me get this straight: the only way to get a person to stop doing something bad is to kill them?  If the world really ran this way, there would be complete and utter chaos.  Two wrongs do not make a right, but in the mind of Othello, he is always right.  Typical alpha male attitude (strike #1).  Secondly, Othello listens to everything Iago says.  I mean come on!  Does anyone in this play have an independent mind!?  Roderigo, Othello, and Cassio are all manipulated by Iago in some way, shape or form, creating his own puppet show.  The only people who are smart enough to stay away from the man are Desdemona and Emilia, the two women in the play.  I think this shows that the women are the most independent characters in the play sticking to their opinion and standing up for what they think.  Shakespeare may be making a social commentary on his time where women were constantly mistreated.  With this play, Shakespeare defines women as strong, moral people with strong ideas and opinions, the opposite of the view of society. 

Othello, Act IV

Roderigo:  "Every day, thou daffest me with some device, Iago, and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me all conveniency."  (IV.ii.175-176)

Finally, someone figures out that Iago may not be as honest as everyone thinks.  But of course, it is Roderigo, one of the least independent of the bunch...

In the excerpt above, Roderigo mentions that Iago may not be all that he promises; however, later he falls into Iago's trap, telling Iago that he will kill Cassio.  This dramatic irony creates suspense for the reader.  Suspense is created many times throughout Act IV.  In this act, Iago is finalizing his plan, slowly sowing seeds of treachery and lies along the way.  For example, Bianca returns angrily to Cassio after finding that the handkerchief Cassio had given her "belonged to another woman."  When Othello witnesses this scene, he assumes that Desdemona gave the handkerchief to Cassio, and Cassio in turn gave it to Bianca, his prostitute.  We, the audience, know for a fact that this is not the case because we saw Iago plant the handkerchief in Cassio's path; however, this creates suspense because the audience is constantly waiting on the moment when the characters finally figure out the truth.  The audience possesses a significantly greater amount of information than all of the characters because we are able to witness every character's emotions and thoughts through soliloquies and stage directions.  This effect allows the audience to better understand the dramatic irony of the play.

Othello, Act III

"I never knew A Florentine more kind and honest." (Act III, Scene 1, lines 38-39)

Major dramatic irony right there!  Obviously, the audience understands that Iago is a deceiving character while Cassio assumes he is a great man.  Iago is a master at tricking everyone into seeing him in a different light.  For example, Roderigo sees Iago as a close friend.  Othello thinks Iago as a wise, level-headed adviser and soldier.  Cassio (as shown above) figures Iago is "kind and honest."  But what these characters do not see are the evil soliloquy's that follow each act.  Iago is constantly plotting against his close companions and friends.  Eventually, I think this web of lies will cause self-destruction.  Trickery can only take a person so far. 

I find it interesting that Desdemona is the only character who actually finds a flaw in Iago's character.  When they are talking about "the perfect woman," Iago reveals that the "true" place for a women is in the home cooking and taking care of children.  Desdemona shakes this insult off, but I feel as if this comment will come back to haunt Iago.  Desdemona shows compassion towards Iago's wife, Emilia, while Iago constantly insults her intelligence and appearance.  Iago's attitude points to the common attitude of men around the time of Shakespeare.  Even when acting out a Shakespearean play, men acted as woman characters in order to keep the women off stage.  I think Shakespeare is trying to make a social commentary about society's treatment of women.  I hope that Desdemona proves women can be strong too, stronger than the lies Iago spews.

Othello, Act II

"And nothing can or shall content my soul Till I am evened with him, wife for wife."  (Act II, Scene 1, lines 277 - 278)

Theme:  Jealousy is a powerful, often destructive force. 

An obvious theme in Othello  is jealousy.  In every almost every scene, jealousy is displayed through Iago and Roderigo.  In the excerpt above, Iago states that he will not be satisfied until he is even with Othello; basically, he wants to have sex with Desdemona so that Othello knows how it feels to be cheated on.  Iago is pretty immature if the only thing he cares about is revenge.  But nevertheless, his actions progress the theme of jealousy and destruction in the play.  Roderigo displays jealousy through his obsession of Desdemona who is married to another man.  Obviously, Roderigo is pretty jealous of Othello.  He listens to Iago's every word because he wants to make Desdemona fall in love with him.  In the process, he loses all of his money and still does not win the girl.

This theme adds a dramatic element to the play.  Without actions of revenge and backstabbing, would the play actually be interesting?  Destruction of lives almost always keeps people interested in a story line.  I think the power of the ideas increase the pleasure of the experience because people can really relate to themes such as jealousy, love, and hatred.  These are emotions experienced daily by everyone.  Relation to material influences people to keep reading.  I do not think this play is too didactic - Shakespeare does not beat the reader over the head with common themes.  Instead, he uses subtle details to illustrate theme; however, sometimes themes are hard to spot.  Human concerns are definitely an important factor of the play, but I do not think Shakespeare is insufficient in his presentation.  Sometimes, focusing on details helps us more than being beat over the head with a theme.

Othello, Act I

"But words are words.  I never yet did hear That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear." (p. 1377, lines 217-218)

I thought this line was a perfect summary of Act I of Othello - there is a lot of accusing, claiming, and talking, but no action takes place to really back it up. 

At this point of the story, I believe that Othello is the protagonist of the story.  The entire act speculates Othello's actions such as the marrying of Desdemona and his hiring of Cassio over Iago as officer.  Since Iago and Roderigo are constantly complaining and brown nosing, they are probably the antagonists.  For example, Iago basically spends Scene 1 complaining about Othello and his marriage, but in the opening of Scene 2, he states: "Nay, but he prated And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms Against your honor..."  Seems to me Iago is a little bit of a hypocrite.  Ironically, Cassio and Iago may be foil characters.  On one hand, Iago is dedicated to military life, and he loves to drama.  Cassio is an arithmetician who seems very low-key.  Minor characters such as Brabantio shed light on the marriage of Othello and the motives of Iago and Roderigo.  Because Iago and Roderigo try to twist the story of Othello's marriage to Brabantio, Brabantio assumes that Othello is a dirty man.  This points to Iago's drama-oriented nature.  At the end of the act, Brabantio learns that his daughter does love Othello.  Brabantio also advances the plot by fleeing to the Duke after talking to Iago about the marriage.  The Duke advances the plot by settling conflicts between characters.  The Duke embodies a feeling of wisdom that is lacking by major characters in the play.  Without this voice of reason, all other characters are lost.  This allows characters to move forward with their lives.