The Power of Language: Othello

The Power Of Language: Othello

Othello is a 17th Century tragedy written by William Shakespeare. This text centres around four characters: Othello, his wife Desdemona, his lieutenant Cassio, and his trusted advisor Iago. This text is one of wiliam shakespeares most famous plays that uses aristotilean tragedy conventions and is still greatly valued.
Language plays an important role in expressing ideas in Othello. The characters in this text reveal many values and beliefs of the context through the use of language. The major themes in this text are gender, racism, love, jealousy and betrayal and these themes are still very relevant to present day society.
Through the course of ‘Othello’ many different techniques are used such as imagery, metaphors and similies. Through these techniques many things are revealed such as the values and beliefs of the context.
One of the many issues brought up in this play is gender inequality. The context in which this play is set in is a patriarchal society. Women are mistreated and silenced by this patriarchal society throughout this play, for example in Act 4 Scene 1 when Othello hits and insults Desdemona in public when he finds out that Cassio has taken over his position in Cyprus.
Iago displays an arrogant and misogynous attitude towards women. He views them as subordinate and the inferior sex. Much to the disappointment of Desdemona and Emilia, he expresses his views on women as merely sexual objects; they’re to satisfy man’s desires as shown by when he says:
“Come on, come on. You are pictures out of door, bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended, players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds.” (2.1.109-111).
This demonstrates Iago’s conventional and stereotypical views of women.
Iago has an unhappy marriage to Emilia. He criticizes his wife continually, for example when he comments to Cassio that he would have experienced enough if Emilia treats him with her lips the same way she treats Iago with her tongue. Iago: “Sir, would she give you so much of her lips, As of her tongue she oft bestows on me, you’ll have enough. (2.1.100-103)”
Desdemona criticizes Iago for his views, and while waiting for Othello to disembark, she engages in a 50-line conversation, in which she seemingly tries to humour him. This speech reveals to us that Desdemona is viewed as rebellious and disobedient.
Imagery plays an important role in depicting women as immoral through the play with women being called many terms such as “Hobby-horse”, “Minx” and “Minion”. Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are all called some of these names throughout the length of the play. Through the disregard for the emotions and feelings of women by men in the play we can see how it agreed with the patriarchal views on women of its context.
Their male counterparts treat women throughout the play as objects. This is evident through the death of all but one woman, Bianca. Feminists believe these women die because of men’s need to have them as a possession that they can control and if they can’t control them then they are of no use to them. Iago takes his revenge out on Emilia, his wife and property by killing her even as she speaks.

The image that leads to the death of Desdemona is that of the embroidered handkerchief given, by Othello, to Desdemona. The handkerchief is a very important symbol of love, lust, and Desdemona’s sexuality. As Iago stages for Cassio to be seen with it, it demonstrated to Othello that he has lost Desdemona; therefore for his honour she must not live. When Brabantio discovers that his daughter and the moor have eloped he does not believe that Desdemona could have gone with Othello by her own free will so he accuses Othello of using magic on her.
Racism is another very important theme in Othello. Throughout the play many comments are made about Othello’s race and his colour, most from Iago. Iago refers to Othello’s "thick-lips" (I.i.66) and to him as "an old black ram" (I.i.88-89).
One scene that comments on Othello’s race is when Iago and Roderigo shout outside Brabantio’s house one evening, he awakens and comes to a window. Iago then uses rude animal imagery to insult Othello, telling Brabantio that the black Moor has seized his greatest treasure, his daughter, and at that very moment is defiling her.

’Zounds! Sir, you’re robb’d; for shame, put on your gown;
Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul;
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. (1. 1. 92-97)

When Brabantio reacts with disbelief, Iago replies with a metaphor that this time compares Othello to a horse:

’Zounds! Sir, you are one of those that will not serve God if the devil bid you. 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. (1. 1. 105-111)

Roderigo supports Iago’s story. Iago then says, “I am one, sir, that comes to tell you, your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs” (1. 1. 121). Roderigo adds that Desdemona is indeed in the “gross clasps of a lascivious Moor” (1. 1. 131). Brabantio, now convinced of the truth of the story, tells Roderigo to summon help.This scene uses imagery and metaphors to describe Othello. Through the use of these racist metaphors and imagery it is revealed that the context that this play was set in was a highly racist society and many people felt this way about black people such as Othello.In ‘Othello’ language played a major role in communicating ideas and expressing beliefs.