Othello by William Shakespeare
Great works survive because they remain relevant and timeless. They deal with those fundamental aspects of human life that do not change.
'Othello' is one such work. In jealousy, Othello, the protagonist, kills his innocent wife, Desdemona. Iago, the crooked subordinate of Othello, poisons Othello's mind. Gripped by jealousy and suspicion, Othello eventually strangles Desdemona.
It is fascinating that right at the beginning of the play, Desdemona's father warns Othello that she will betray him. Othello, on his part, registers the remark. Why does her father say so? He almost insists that Othello pay attention to it. Ironically, it is the Othello who so consumed by jealousy betrays her in the most brutal way possible.
I would like to dwell a little more on the remark "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:/She has deceived her father, and may thee." What made him say so with such finality and conviction. Usually, jealousy wrecks lives when there are additional, more subdued and inscrutable problems lurking underneath. These problems are so close that one cannot even see them, and yet these are immensely crucial to the survival and well being of human lives, like air. In more ordinary circumstances, lovers usually do not go that far – that one has to kill the other. They can always talk and resolve issues. However, when jealousy takes Frankenstein propositions, there is more going on than just jealousy.
In the case of Othello and Desdemona, it could be 'race.' Even though they love each other deeply, there are forces that play dark games around them. In Iago, for instance, these forces play more ferocious and fierce dance. Othello is resented for his cultural, and more importantly, visual difference (even though race, at the time Othello was written, was not yet institutionalized as we know of it today). It plays a decisive role in the play, though. On two occasions the word barbarian is used to describe Othello. In the last act, when Emilia, Desdemona's closest friend, castigates Othello for murdering his wife, she refers to him in a color-coded way.
Shakespeare, I suppose was not dealing with 'racism' as we understand it today, but as something that exists. Something that human beings practice to guard and accentuate their self interests. The 'so called' others are created so that they can be exploited. In the context of the play, Iago resents Othello for his success and visual difference. However, at the time, the tool of racism were not that developed and he did not have the vocabulary, the rhetoric, and tricks that he could use against Othello. So he uses a somewhat different strategy to annihilate Othello.
Ever since mankind has technologically progressed immensely, but when it comes to basic human self, concepts such as love, desire, anger, intolerance, jealousy, hatred; it seems like nothing has changed since Aristotle. Not only in regards to how we are as people on individual level, but even in the field of philosophical discipline that examines human proclivities.
'Othello' is one such work. In jealousy, Othello, the protagonist, kills his innocent wife, Desdemona. Iago, the crooked subordinate of Othello, poisons Othello's mind. Gripped by jealousy and suspicion, Othello eventually strangles Desdemona.
It is fascinating that right at the beginning of the play, Desdemona's father warns Othello that she will betray him. Othello, on his part, registers the remark. Why does her father say so? He almost insists that Othello pay attention to it. Ironically, it is the Othello who so consumed by jealousy betrays her in the most brutal way possible.
I would like to dwell a little more on the remark "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:/She has deceived her father, and may thee." What made him say so with such finality and conviction. Usually, jealousy wrecks lives when there are additional, more subdued and inscrutable problems lurking underneath. These problems are so close that one cannot even see them, and yet these are immensely crucial to the survival and well being of human lives, like air. In more ordinary circumstances, lovers usually do not go that far – that one has to kill the other. They can always talk and resolve issues. However, when jealousy takes Frankenstein propositions, there is more going on than just jealousy.
In the case of Othello and Desdemona, it could be 'race.' Even though they love each other deeply, there are forces that play dark games around them. In Iago, for instance, these forces play more ferocious and fierce dance. Othello is resented for his cultural, and more importantly, visual difference (even though race, at the time Othello was written, was not yet institutionalized as we know of it today). It plays a decisive role in the play, though. On two occasions the word barbarian is used to describe Othello. In the last act, when Emilia, Desdemona's closest friend, castigates Othello for murdering his wife, she refers to him in a color-coded way.
Shakespeare, I suppose was not dealing with 'racism' as we understand it today, but as something that exists. Something that human beings practice to guard and accentuate their self interests. The 'so called' others are created so that they can be exploited. In the context of the play, Iago resents Othello for his success and visual difference. However, at the time, the tool of racism were not that developed and he did not have the vocabulary, the rhetoric, and tricks that he could use against Othello. So he uses a somewhat different strategy to annihilate Othello.
Ever since mankind has technologically progressed immensely, but when it comes to basic human self, concepts such as love, desire, anger, intolerance, jealousy, hatred; it seems like nothing has changed since Aristotle. Not only in regards to how we are as people on individual level, but even in the field of philosophical discipline that examines human proclivities.
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