Othello: Thematic Analysis

Reed Trevelyan
Pre-AP English II
Thematic Analysis
March 25, 2011
Thematic Analysis
One theme in William Shakespeare’s play Othello is that friends, if provoked, become irreparable enemies. Othello, the general of Venetian forces, has many advisors that he claims to know well and trust irrefutably. However, his paragon advisor, Iago, is not as loyal as he claims to be. He has received word that Othello slept with his wife Emilia, and he now seeks revenge. His plan to spread lies and rumors through the ranks of Venetian high command eventually ends the lives of many, yet Iago never saw the flaw in his actions. Shakespeare portrays this theme through soliloquy, irony, and the use of omniscient narrator. Most of Iago’s soliloquies keep the reader informed of his plans. In Act I Scene III, Iago first explains his intentions through soliloquy. Just recently he had been in the presence of Othello, and behaved as a responsible general. He then reveals his plans to undermine Othello and be anything but truthful. His anger and hate for Othello shows through with lines such as “But for my sport and profit, I hate the Moor” (Act II Scene I). Through soliloquy in the beginning of Act II Scene I, he speaks of the anger eating him from the inside, and his utmost desire to destroy Othello’s relationship. His feelings were changed from loyal advisor to bitter outcast because of one action. One main part of tragedies is irony. Quite normally in these works, characters are led astray in the most tragically ironic ways possible, whilst the reader looks on in disbelief as the protagonist plays right into the villain’s hands. In Othello, dramatic irony is used to lead the main character down the path of destruction. Through the use of irony, characters lead others to murderous thoughts in a domino-effect chain reaction. After the first rumor involving Iago’s wife Emilia, more lies are spread about Desdemona’s relationship to Cassio. Once Othello has been driven mad by jealousy and rage, he kills Desdemona in the main ironic upset of the play (Act V Scene II). Iago also kills Rodrigo before he exposes Iago’s true identity, yet Rodrigo’s life could be spared if Iago had been truthful. Finally, in the climax of the play, Othello realizes that all he did could have been avoided if he had only believed his wife, and kills himself, overridden with grief. Such a tragic end was brought about by an ironic realization. He realized all he had done was because of a disgruntled advisor with an affinity for sewing lies and deceit, and that he was not who he seemed. The use of an omniscient narrator provides the jumping off point for irony to be used to great effects in the play. Since the story revolves around secrecy and treachery, access to Iago’s every thought gives readers more information than the characters themselves. Hence we can clearly see Iago’s brooding emotions and scheming mind at work when he realizes he can use Rodrigo and Bianca to plant suspicions into Othello’s mind. It pulls the curtain off of Iago’s secretive campaign against his superior and explains his root reason for committing so many crimes, for he too has been the victim of cheating women and wishes to share his anguish with someone else (Act II Scene I). Iago, which has been provoked by Emilia’s alleged unfaithfulness, wishes to take out his anger on Othello, whom he believes has committed this crime. Literary elements such as soliloquy, irony, and omniscient narrator help the reader understand this core theme of friends becoming enemies.