Othello Act 4 Scene 1

Shoshana Ginsbury
Act Four Scene One: Explore the significance of this extract in relation to the tragedy of the play as a whole
This extract is from Act Four, Scene One of William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello. In terms of the five-act tragic structure, it is part of the fourth act- the ‘falling action’, during which the conflict of the play unravels, and the direction of the ending is made clear. In this extract, an arguable turning point is reached when Othello slaps Desdemona, and his hatred of her, and plot to kill her is given an element of physicality and inevitability. This extract comes after tragic villain Iago is shown to present his last dubious piece of evidence to Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity- an overheard and misconstrued
Shakespeare uses the character Lodovico as a device to show this. Lodovico, a Venetian general, arrives in Cyprus, unaware of the tragic undercurrents that have been developing in regard to Othello’s life and story. Lodovico is used by Shakespeare as a reminder to the audience of the former high status and grandeur of the play’s tragic hero. In Act Two, Scene One, Othello is referred to as ‘worthy governor’. In this extract, Lodovico is presented, calling Othello ‘worthy General’, unaware of any change to his character or reputation. The word ‘worthy’ is significant in Shakespeare’s repetition of it, as it has connotations of a diligence, dedication, and perseverance towards a deserved role or title. While this may have been true of the Othello earlier in the play, the one who faced ‘battles, sieges, fortunes’, at this point in the play, the downturn of Othello’s reputation has begun. Though it is brought more sharply into focus with Othello slapping his wife, the seeds of Othello’s degradation have already been sown. The idea of the change in regard of Othello is emphasised by the re-emergence of Lodovico, who is a reminder to a Jacobean audience of the change in setting, and therefore the change in character of the play’s protagonist. The move from the civilised, ordered city of Venice to the more uncivilised Cyprus reflects a change in the play’s action and in the
This extract presents a shift, a pivotal moment in their relationship. It is a moment of physicality, of Othello hitting his wife and hurting her due to the manipulative influence of Iago. This episode is made all the more poignant and tragic against the backdrop of their relationship in former acts. The Jacobean era was not a time of gender equality- it was a time of strict roles for men and women, of women being seen as less powerful or independent than men. Therefore, Othello and Desdemona’s relationship would be seen by a current audience as a balanced, healthy one in the first few acts, with Desdemona referred to as ‘our great captain’s captain’. Additionally, Othello gives Desdemona a forum to speak and defend the wholesomeness and love of their relationship in Act One Scene Three’s quasi-trial, with his line ‘send for the lady… and let her speak of me’. In this extract, their relationship is quite the opposite, presented as wrecked, unequal, without the easy communication and harmony of the first act. Desdemona speaks of ‘sweet Othello’, whereas Othello calls her ‘devil!’. This sudden, impassioned exclamation, in contrast with Desdemona’s term of endearment is an effective way of showing Desdemona’s powerlessness and lack of knowledge about the degradation of her marriage. Shakespeare reflects the wreck of their