How is dramatic irony used and to what effect in Othello?
One of the many reasons Shakespeare’s works are so renowned is his expert use of literary
devices; specifically, the utilization of dramatic irony--which is the situation where the audience
possesses knowledge the characters do not. The use of this device in the play Othello creates a
devastatingly successful effect at capturing the audience and increasing the impact of the play.
Othello is a powerful story centering around a deceit that leads to the downfall of all the
characters. Othello, a ‘Moorish’ black general, awards the role of lieutenant to the soldier
Cassio. Iago, another candidate for the lieutenant position, is overcome by jealousy and, further
motivated by the belief that his wife Emilia is cheating on him with Othello, comes up with a plan
for revenge. Using Desdemona, Othello’s pure, innocent and pale wife, he tricks Othello into
believing that she is cheating on him with Cassio. The entanglement of lies, jealousy, betrayal
and poorly timed interactions results in a tragic ending that leaves the audience speechless.
Dramatic irony accentuates the impact of the characters on the play, while illuminating the
audience just enough that they become invested in the plot.
Dramatic irony, as a literary technique, is prevalent in several scenes of Shakespeare’s Othello,
as it virtually creates the basis of the play. Mainly, this literary technique is present in Iago’s
monologues. Iago knows more than anyone else in the tragedy, seeing as he is the
‘mastermind’ behind Othello’s fall into madness. Therefore, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in
Iago’s soliloquies to present information he wishes for the audience to know, but not the
characters. Iago is a truly villainous man, and the depth of his corruption becomes transparent
through his interactions with the audience. In these soliloquies, he explains the true motivations
behind his lies and deception. For example, in act 3, he says “Till I am even with him, wife for
wife.” With this, the audience understands that the true reasoning for his deception is because
he suspects Othello is sleeping with his wife. Thus, by tricking Othello into believing that
Desdemona is cheating on him--an eye for an eye, to simplify. In contrast, everyone around
Iago, Othello in particular, have an incredible amount of trust in Iago. In fact, Othello often refers
to him as “honest Iago”, a title which is not easily earned. The dramatic irony here is that while
the audience knows the true motivations for Iago’s actions and lies, Othello believes him to be
true. This wrongly put trust is the driving force of the plot, as it ultimately causes the demise of
the one person--Desdemona--who truly loved Othello. Without the presence of dramatic irony,
the plot of Othello would fall apart.
Dramatic irony is sometimes present in the form of foreshadowing, rather than through the
characters. For instance, there is foreshadowing in the interaction between Brabantio and
Othello in act 1. In this scene, Brabantio is cursing at Othello, as he believes he has ‘stolen’ his
daughter Desdemona away. Brabantio’s anger is fueled by his racism, as he calls Othello “the
blacker devil”, “Moor”, and accuses him of performing witchcraft. Ultimately, he accepts his loss,
but utters a phrase that will, tragically, spoil the plot of the play. He says, more or less, “I hope
she [Desdemona] tricks you as she did me.” Not only is this line incredibly ironic, seeing as
Desdemona did not ‘trick’ anyone. This simple line also foreshadows the deceit that will take
place and, when combined with the information from Iago’s soliloquies, informs the audience
that a tragedy will unfold. The audience realizes that while Desdemona herself will not mislead
Othello, he will still be fooled into believing that she did by Iago. Thus, this creates tension,
further pulling in the audience and engaging their interest. The interplay of these literary devices
increases engrossment, which is a major component of its success.