Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello has the ability throughout time to relate to the intrinsic nature of the human condition. Exposing the vulnerability of humanity, Shakespeare confronts the universal concerns such as racism and discrimination, which have a sense of timelessness still present from the Elizabethan age to the modern day. Potentially leading an eternal life, the play Othello is able to be interpreted by each individual differently through the complex language and understanding which ensures its validity in different contexts in society.These diverse interpretations include my own which has further formed an insight on the concern of human emotion such as jealousy and love, when logical reasoning is overpowered by these sporadic emotional inclinations.
The collapse of Othello from a stable and rational hero, to a man driven insane by passion is a prime example of this, also framing the power of society on an individual choices and development as a character. Society’s treatment of the outsider and those with different traits and characteristics from the majority, plants the seeds which can cultivate into a mass of insecurities.Although portrayed as the hero of the play, the racism and class/wealth based discrimination towards Othello is present from the beginning, with the constant reminder of his differences through the racial slurs and references as “moor” “thick lips” and “beast”. This racial prejudice affects Othello’s view of himself as “unworthy of love,” and his confidence throughout the play deteriorates, as his minimal acceptance in the society takes a toll.This thematic concern is one which is repeated in many other contemporary literary texts as the idea of being an outsider is relatable to almost everyone. In the opening of the play, Brabantio’s loyalty as Othello’s friend is quickly altered, when finding out about his relationship with his daughter Desdemona.
The use of bestial imagery is juxtaposed in “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe,” which spreads a misconception of Othello’s character, and suggests immorality and illicit passion in his and Desdemona’s consensual relationship.However, since the time of the plays conception, racism has developed to an extent with animalistic and racist comments being unacceptable. Othello primarily highlights the treatment of an outsider in society, which although in the Elizabethan era was taken to an extreme, still exists today. As a universal concern of discrimination and racism, this develops the timelessness of the play, with humanities issues being the same today as they were over 500 years ago.
Humanity itself has traits which at some point all individuals must experience the negative side of. Othello captures these by depicting the negative connotations related to the human conditions of jealousy, love and trust. As a character Othello is deeply moved by both love and jealousy which leads him on a path of deterioration. The development of Othello’s character continues its spiral downwards where he refers to himself as “a horned man” catching onto society’s bestial portrayal.Although ashamed of this descent, he no longer is equipped with his earlier pride and confidence, thus gives in to the insecurity of his sometimes bombastic nature. As the play concludes, Othello’s language becomes more depraved as his rationality decreases and jealousy grows.
The characterisation of Iago as cunning, apathetic, and manipulative, acts as the polar opposite of Othello whose compassion and love for Desdemona turns to extremes as he ironically uses his love as reason for her murder.By feeding Othello lies and suggestions of Desdemona’s infidelity, the depth of his insecurities are revealed further, when figuratively compared to Cassio who “hath a daily beauty that doth make me ugly”. In the metaphor: “it is the green eyed monster which doth mock the meet it feeds on,” Iago taunts Othello with the false knowledge of Desdemona’s affair with Cassio, and using the symbolism of the ‘green eye monster’, implies reason to be jealous and take action against Desdemona.Acting out of jealousy and passion, Othello’s insecurity of not being “worthy” and able to be loved is exposed further; and he questions himself on whether their relationship is unnatural, or as stated in the hyperbole “nature erring from itself”.
The development of both Iago and Othello as characters portrays the idea contemporary society likes to debate, where humanity may have both good and evil personalities. Their development as characters also proves the consistency of the text and its ability to relate to those who have been unlucky in love.As a text Othello may very likely be critically analysed for centuries to come as its perceptive and descriptive nature and its use of convectional literary and language techniques have allowed readers to gain many different interpretations in its contexts. The play upon both universal concerns such as discrimination in society, and those in all human conditions including love and jealousy, ensure the ability to relate to its readers, sparking emotion and thought, as well as guaranteeing its integrity for years to come.
