The Significance of Places in Othello

“The very elements of this warlike isle, Have I to-night fluster’d with flowing cups”: Which Significance Does Shakespeare Give to the Locales in the Play of Othello?

In Othello by Shakespeare, the changes of locations are various and numerous, each one having its meaning. The play firstly takes place in Venice, where the Moor just got married with Desdemona. Othello is then sent for state-affairs to Cyprus, where the play is mainly set. The movements in Cyprus are mainly from inside the castle to its front. The last scenes are occurring in the bedchamber, where Desdemona is killed. Because of the small number of stage directions and the difficulty to describe exhaustively the characters in a play, those changes of places are crucial and significant. Indeed, Shakespeare uses different locales to illustrate the position of characters in a hierarchical society and therefore the trust put in them, the way in which Othello and Desdemona’s relationship will develop and the outburst of Othello’s violence, causing a gradation of danger. Shakespeare uses the shifts from “above” to “below” as an illustration of the characters’ situations in society. In act one, scene one, Brabantio is above, which has a meaning of superiority. The following quotation demonstrates the idea of Brabantio’s power, when he says: “But thou must needs be sure/ My spirit and my place have in them power/ To make this bitter to thee” (1.1.102-104). The fact that he mentions the power of his place is an evidence of his authority, which is confirmed, when Iago says: “You are – a senator” (1.1.119). When the latter goes down in the street to find out the truth about his daughter’s wedding and to have his revenge on Othello, he is at the same level as the other ones in the street – he is no longer a calm and reasonable senator but a furious father. Later in the play, the distinction between “above” and “below” is again present when Cassio asks the Clown to “bid ‘Good morrow’, general” (3.1.2) under the window of Othello and Desdemona’s bedroom. It implies that Cassio has lost his place at Othello’s side inside the castle, being retrograded at the same time. Consequently, a link between characters and locations is

established by Shakespeare in order to describe and to provide more information about the characters. The inside and the outside locales are used as a metaphor for the trust main characters have towards each other and consequently their status in hierarchy. Indeed, the inside is private, where only honest and trustworthy characters are authorised. This is shown when Cassio is not allowed inside the castle anymore because he is accused of mutiny. For the rest of the play, Cassio is only seen in the front of the castle, which is a public place; it is thus not a privilege. Another example is in act three, scene two when Othello discusses in a room of state-affairs with gentlemen and Iago. The fact that Iago is there instead of Cassio means that he took his place and a step forward in the intimacy. Moreover, in act four, scene two, Desdemona asks Emilia to call Iago for help: “And call thy husband hither” (4.2.107). What happened before is that Othello called Desdemona a strumpet and now, she needs Iago to help her in understanding Othello’s change of behaviour. This shows that Iago has not only reached the centre of political affairs, but also the intimacy of the couple. Hence, Shakespeare suggests a correlation between trust and places. In addition, the metaphor for the trust is extended to its ultimate point, when the inside of the castle is reached. Indeed, generally speaking, a castle is hard to penetrate because of its structure made for protection and its raised situation. Therefore, because Othello’s castle is on a warlike island, it is expected to be build for defence. Metaphorically, this means that the people, who are in the castle are supposed to be even more reliable. Moreover, it is Othello who has the power to decide, who is trustworthy enough to be allowed inside, as shows the following quotation: Iago: I’ll send her to you [Cassio] presently; And I’ll devise a mean to draw the Moor Out of the way, that your converse and business May be more free. (3.1.37-40)

Here, Cassio needs Othello away to penetrate in the castle, proving the point brought up above, namely Othello being the master of the castle. However, Othello judgement is obscured due to his blind confidence in Iago. As a consequence, Shakespeare reinforces Iago’s influence on the Moor by putting him inside the castle. The castle is not only a place synonym of high trust, but also an image of Desdemona and Othello’s marriage. The change from Brabantio’s house to Othello’s castle can be perceived as an evolution of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. Indeed, the paternal house has been transformed into the matrimonial castle. This evolution is reinforced by Desdemona’s declaration to honour her husband instead of her father: Dedemona: I am hitherto your daughter: but here’s my husband, And so much duty as my mother show’d To you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord. (1.3.185-189)

In this quotation, no doubt persists about the shift. Moreover, the fact that the castle has become the matrimonial house implies that the marriage is supposed to be more resistant and stronger than anything else coming from outside. However, the castle – or marriage – is going to be violated by a believed trustworthy character, similarly to what happened in Brabantio’s house. Therefore, Shakespeare forewarns of the prospective events that should be similar to what already happen in Venice, namely the violation of trust from inside. Another way used by Shakespeare to warn of the future events, is the change from the civilised Venice to the remote and wild Cyprus, where natural instinct and passions govern. Firstly, the scene in the council chamber shows the political structure of Venice, where reason and justice reign. Indeed, Othello is more reasonable than Brabantio because he proposes justice be made: “Where will you [Brabantio] that I go/ To answer this your charge?” (1.2.8485). Then, when they arrive to Cyprus there has been a tempest, which not only reinforced the danger of wildness, but also the gap between the two worlds. Because a tempest is an intense

expression of nature, it can be perceived as a foreshadowing event for the catastrophe that will happen – the murder. Indeed, Othello’s rational attitude is no longer present in Cyprus, where his passions are burst out. For instance, when he strikes his wife, he lets his anger be released. Moreover, his behaviour shocks people from Venice as Lodovico insists on, in: “Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate/ Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature/ Whom passion could not shake?” (4.1.270-272). This transformation proves the link between Othello’s behaviour and the place where he is. Therefore, not only Iago, but also the isle of Cyprus are at the origin of Othello’s violence because it reveals inner instincts and increases passions, reinforcing the fact that Shakespeare uses locations as descriptions of the characters. Another change of locales that illustrates Othello’s passions is the scenes occurring deep inside the castle – in the bedroom. Indeed, the more it goes inside in the intimacy, the wilder his passions become, transforming the inside in a hostile place. It can be assumed that because they go to private places, the characters can be more themselves. Therefore, Othello is going to let his extreme passions be revealed to Desdemona. In fact, Desdemona is killed there because Othello thought her to be the traitor, who brought Cassio in the bedroom. Othello feels the most intimate place in his house violated, as he says in: “O, it comes o’er my memory,/ As doth the raven o’er the infected house” (4.1.20-23). Thus, he has to eradicate the traitor, who infected the house as Iago suggests in “Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she has contaminated” (4.1.212-213). Consequently, the matrimonial house is not secure anymore, not only for Othello, but also for Desdemona. Then, when Othello locks the door of the bedroom, Desdemona is trapped, which increases the danger until it reaches its extreme point, the murder. Thus, the bed, symbol of their union and their intimacy is transformed into death-bed, a tomb. Finally, the doors reopen, when the tempest has ceased, revealing the horror to the public. Finally, the one in danger is no longer Desdemona but Iago, who finds himself locked in the hostile castle. Consequently, Shakespeare reveals at last, not only the real visage of Othello, but also the false idea of protection brought up by the castle, inversing the situation of indoor security. To conclude, Shakespeare uses carefully each place, giving them significance for both the characters and the events. From the seemingly most insignificant changes – from above to below – to the most obvious one – from civilisation to wildness, he illustrates the character’s powers in the society, the level of trust granted to each main character, the evolution of relationships and the gradation of danger through the movements of the play. The genius of Shakespeare resides here in his great capacity to give importance to every details of his work, providing still nowadays a need to analyse it. Finally, even though the movements of the play might be thought as secondary, Shakespeare proves it to be the contrary by using them as traits of main characters.