Act three, scene three of Shakespeare’s Othello is an important turning point in the
play: at the beginning of the scene we see Iago’s plan coming into play, and by the
beginning of scene four, all the pieces are in place to orchestrate Othello’s downfall.
The extract I will be examining, from lines seventy-five to one hundred and six,
shows Iago fomenting doubt in Othello’s mind concerning Desdemona, and her
relationship with Cassio. Through this essay, I hope to show a number of different
technical features employed by Shakespeare and demonstrate how these devices are
implicated in interpretation of the text.
The extract begins following Desdemona’s first request of Othello to restore
Cassio to the rank of lieutenant. The tone of the first half of the piece, during the
exchange between Desdemona and Othello, is quite gentle and intimate, suggesting
that at this point in the play, before he has become suspicious of her, Othello truly
loves Desdemona. This tone is reinforced by Desdemona’s language, which evokes
domestic images of typically ‘wifely’ concerns of looking after a forgetful husband.
Providing stark contrast is Othello’s tempestuous outburst at the end of the extract as
his thoughts are manipulated by Iago, creating an air of tension and suspicion. This
swift alteration in the tone of the piece serves to demonstrate to the audience Othello’s
unpredictability and his volatile nature.
The change in tone throughout the extract is echoed by the change in rhythm
from beginning to end. The transition from the relaxed, gentle pace at the beginning
to the staccato stops and starts of the exchange between Othello and Iago helps create
the feeling of tension throughout the scene. The short phrases and stops and starts
also serves to make Othello’s explosion seem all the more threatening as he rants and
raves at Iago, trying to worm out the ‘truth’. The change in pace shows how
Shakespeare (and, by extension, Iago) was an expert on human nature: Othello is
baited through tidbits of information which never fully answer his questions, and
which often pose questions themselves.
Each character is characterised not only by their actions, but by their diction.
Shakespeare’s careful choice of words for each character helps us gain insight into
their thoughts and personality. The language of Desdemona, (supposedly) pure and
innocent, is pragmatic and affectionate, even subservient, demonstrated by the lines
‘Emilia, come. – Be as your fancies teach you: / Whate’er you be, I am obedient.’
Othello, on the other hand, displays colourful language befitting an experienced
soldier, cursing and (as a convert to Christianity) appealing to both heaven and
perdition. Finally, Iago, master equivocator, employs loaded statements and echoed
questions to entwine Othello in his trap. His obsequious methods of addressing his
master, ‘my lord,’ ‘my noble lord,’ and finally: ‘My lord, you know I love you,’ the
audience that Iago is adept in manipulating others to hear and to think what he wants
them to.
Another of the dramatic techniques prevalent throughout this extract, and the
entirety of Othello, is tragic irony. In the extract, almost every utterance is infused
with two meanings; one for the characters and one for the audience. As the audience
have greater knowledge of events within the play than the characters, the outcome of
a plot can be guessed at and watched unfold. The use of irony is central to the
interpretation of many texts, as it can often make characters’ motives appear more or
less clear. As an obvious example, if we did not know of Iago’s hatred for Othello,
we might interpret his questioning as driven by genuine concern. Less obvious
interpretations are also left open, however: is Othello’s readiness to accept Iago’s
claim a sign of his naïveté, a sign of insecurity or an indication he had suspected
Desdemona of infidelity? The question ‘When Cassio left my wife: what didst not
like?’ almost begs the answer Iago wants to give. Similarly, is Desdemona’s
insistence that Cassio be reinstated really as altruistic as it seems? After all, she does
not take much persuasion to champion his cause, and that she persistently does, even
when Othello is hostile to the idea, would suggest that she has more interest in
Cassio’s happiness than her husband’s.
To conclude, I feel that the various dramatic techniques employed by
Shakespeare combine to make an entertaining and engaging play. The believable
personalities of the characters, coupled with the acutely observed interaction between
them serves to create a play which feels perfectly natural. Shakespeare manipulates
his audience as well as his creations through adept use of the technical features
described above, so that there is no one definitive interpretation of the text. Much like
one of Iago’s schemes, the true intention behind Shakespeare’s Othello may never be
known.