Analysis of Othello by William Shakespeare

Analysis of Othello by William Shakespeare
A brief synopsis of the plot
The play opens on a street in Venice, Italy. In the opening scene Iago, Othello’s ensign, and Roderigo, the suitor of Desdemona, decide to tell senator Brabantio that his daughter Desdemona has left to marry Othello without her father’s permission. Brabantio confronts Othello, but finally he is convinced by Othello and Desdemona that they love each other and gives them permission. At the same time Turkish invasion is reaching Cyprus, so Othello is asked to sail to Cyprus and lead the defence forces against Turks. All main characters travel to Cyprus, but when they reach Cyprus they find out that the invasion was dispersed by a storm. At the party Iago manipulates Cassio to make him drunk, for which he is fired. Cassio asks Desdemona to convince Othello to give him his job back and Iago uses this meeting to persuade Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Moreover, Iago slip Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room which proves her infidelity. Othello trusts Iago and mad with jealousy he asks Iago to help him kill Cassio and Desdemona. Iago manipulates Roderigo to kill Cassio, but Roderigo is not successful and both are hurt. Meanwhile, Othello kills Desdemona. After she is killed, Emilia, Desdemona 's servant and Iago 's wife, discovers the subterfuge. She declares Iago a liar and explains the true story. When Othello sees the truth, he tries to kill Iago, but he is not successful and finally commits suicide.
Main Characters
Othello is a Christian black Moor who is the general of the armies of Venice. He begins as a noble man who is a respected soldier and a loving husband. However, because of his naivety and trustfulness he becomes an irrational, jealous and violent person who kills his own wife.
Iago is Othello’s ensign and the main antagonist in the play. He is a brilliant manipulator who wants to take a revenge on Othello, but his motivations are not clearly expressed in the play.
Desdemona is a beautiful, young, white lady, who refuses to marry any of rich men and has a relationship with Othello. This posture confronts sixteenth century attitudes about society, marriage and race.
Roderigo is a rich, foolish and jealous suitor of Desdemona who is repeatedly manipulated by Iago.
Michael Cassio is appointed as Othello’s lieutenant, which makes Iago furious.
Emilia is Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. She is a cynical woman, who is loyal to her mistress.
Periodization and historical context
Shakespeare is the best known author from Elizabethan era, which is a period of time between 1558 and 1603. Elizabethan literature can be described not only as the period of growth, but also can be characterized “by a new energy, originality, and confidence” (TalkTalk, 2013, [online]). “Elizabethan drama often used poetical metre (rhythm) for its dialogue, especially the five-foot iambic pentameter” (TalkTalk, 2013, [online]). However, the term Elizabethan literature is only chronological reference and “does not describe any special characteristic of the writing” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013, [online]). According to Encyclopaedia Britannica (2013, [online]) some of the other key writers of this period are Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Roger Ascham, Richard Hooker, and Christopher Marlowe.
Both Shakespeare and Marlow were very popular authors during Elizabethan era. Both used “controversial subjects for their drama, including the question of political power” which we can see in Tamberlaine the Great by Marlow and in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (TalkTalk, 2013, [online]). There were even more authors writing about similar issues. For instance, Thomas Kyd was influenced by William Shakespeare a lot, which can be seen in his play called The Spanish Tragedy because it is very similar to Shakespeare’s Hamlet (TalkTalk, 2013, [online]). Social conditions were doubled during this period – there were rich people who became even richer and on the other side poor people who became even poorer. This gave reasons to many authors to write the pamphlets providing view of “a horrific world of vagabondage and crime, the Elizabethans’ biggest, unsolvable social problem” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013, [online]). The pamphlets of Thomas Harman and Robert Greene, as well as Shakespeare’s King Lear are the most important and well-known ones. Moreover, during this period many works focused on black and exotic people started to be written. As the examples we can use Shakespeare’s Othello, and Johnson’s The Masque of Blackness.
Literary influence on creating Othello
According to Johnsen-Neshati (2005, [online]) the basic source for the plot of the play Othello was a short story written by Italian writer Cinthio Giambattista Giraldi. “The plot of Cinthio 's story centres on four characters, all of whom Shakespeare borrowed for his tragedy: the Moor, the Ensign, the Captain and the Moor 's wife, Disdemona” (Johnsen-Neshati, 2005, [online]). However, all these characters are a little bit differentiated from the original ones. For example, “Cinthio 's Moor reflects certain racial stereotypes of the day, such as a proclivity toward jealousy and passion, whereas Shakespeare takes pains to establish Othello 's heroic qualities alongside his blind spots” (Johnsen-Neshati, 2005, [online]).
The contrast of black and white colour in Othello
The contrast of black and white has a crucial meaning in Othello. It is represented mainly with a race because Othello is Moor and the contrast between a white beautiful girl and a black Moor is fascinating for people through many centuries. (Hilský, 2010, 538) The contrast can be seen in the speech of Iago when he wakens Brabantio with the news that his daughter eloped with Othello:
IAGO
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise;
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.
Arise I say! (Shakespeare, 1968: 54)

The term Moor was used for non-whites or Muslims of any origins. These people were stereotypically referred to as devils or villains and their blackness was connected with moral corruption, animal sexuality, sins, tendency to be jealous and mean, while white colour was considered to be pure and noble (Johnsen-Neshati, 2005, [online]). Hilský (2010: 542) pointed out that Roderigo and Iago are trying to impose their view of Othello that correspond with Elizabethan racist stereotype of black man or Moor: IAGO
Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you 'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you 'll have your nephews neigh to you; you 'll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.
[…]
I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs. you 'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you 'll have your nephews neigh to you. (Shakespeare, 1968: 55)

However, Iago’s words are hypocritical because when Othello appears we realize that he is a trustful, level-headed, wise and serene person which denies all stereotypes about Moors. Instead of a black devil there is a judicious man, a soldier who does not like useless violence (Hilský, 2010, 543). Nevertheless, during the play Othello changes and becomes a jealous and villainous person because of his trustfulness.
Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses black colour with an irony. For example, when Desdemona sees Othello’s jealous humour, she “refers to black bile, one of the four ‘humours’ that were thought to affect human emotion” (Kay, [online]). Moreover, black colour is mentioned by Othello as well. He calls Desdemona “begrimed and black as mine own face” (Shakespeare, 1968: 119) and talks of “black vengeance” (Shakespeare, 1968: 121). The paradox is that it is Iago with whom “black vengeance” is associated.
In my point of view, this play is timeless because it deals with issues like race or jealousy that are still valid these days, although this play was written almost four centuries ago. As I see it, the fact that Shakespeare was able to write about these issues makes him a brilliant and unique playwright.
References:
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Elizabethan Literature. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. [online]. 2013 [cit. 2013-12-30]. Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/184911/Elizabethan-literature

HILSKÝ, Martin. Shakespeare a jeviště svět. Praha: Academia, 2010. ISBN 978-80-200-1857-1.

JOHNSEN-NESHATI, KRISTIN. A Cultural Context for Othello. In: Shakespeare Theatre Company [online]. 2005 [cit. 2013-12-30]. Available from: http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/plays/articles.aspx?&id=83

KEY, Karen. Race in Othello. In: Britain in print [online]. © 2013 [cit. 2014-01-01]. Dostupné z: http://www.britaininprint.net/shakespeare/study_tools/race.html

SHAKESPEARE, William. Othello. London: Penguin Books, 1968. ISBN 0-14-070707-7.

TalkTalk: Elizabethan Literature. © TalkTalk [online]. 2013 [cit. 2013-12-30]. Available from: http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0026117.htm

References: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Elizabethan Literature. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. [online]. 2013 [cit. 2013-12-30]. Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/184911/Elizabethan-literature HILSKÝ, Martin. Shakespeare a jeviště svět. Praha: Academia, 2010. ISBN 978-80-200-1857-1. JOHNSEN-NESHATI, KRISTIN. A Cultural Context for Othello. In: Shakespeare Theatre Company [online]. 2005 [cit. 2013-12-30]. Available from: http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/plays/articles.aspx?&id=83 KEY, Karen. Race in Othello. In: Britain in print [online]. © 2013 [cit. 2014-01-01]. Dostupné z: http://www.britaininprint.net/shakespeare/study_tools/race.html SHAKESPEARE, William. Othello. London: Penguin Books, 1968. ISBN 0-14-070707-7. TalkTalk: Elizabethan Literature. © TalkTalk [online]. 2013 [cit. 2013-12-30]. Available from: http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0026117.htm