Another well-known example of a tragic drama that centers on the main character's fall from grace due to numerous flaws he discovers within himself is William Shakespeare's Othello. The three major themes of the play are dishonesty, love, and deceit. Othello, despite being mainly a man of righteousness, is a naive individual who readily believes lies told by others without much effort on their part, which causes him to be easily drawn into the web of lies woven by Iago. However, even though Iago initiated the process of his downfall, Othello’s flawed character is what ultimately contributed the most to his ill-fated demise that was bound to take place one way or another.
Iago completely loathes Othello, and sets in motion a plan that will automatically lead Othello towards his fate. The brewing storm of hatred takes full force when Othello chooses Michael Cassio to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant, even though he has no solid experience in fighting battles. Iago’s plan involves turning Othello against Cassio by indirectly feeding him false information and creating scenarios that would lead Othello to assume the worst about Cassio. Iago manipulates Othello in such a way that he never directly states anything to make him suspicious, but does so by way of inference. For instance, in scene 3 of act 3, upon witnessing Cassio talking to Desdemona, a carefully thought out conversation initiated by Iago takes place
Iago: Ha! I like not that.Othello:What dost thou say?Iago:Nothing, my lord; or if—I know not what. (37-39)
Iago insinuates that he does not like what he sees. He gives off the impression that he meant to say it in a low voice in order not to alert Othello, despite that being his real intentions. Upon Othello questioning him, Iago lays into motion his plan of corrupting Othello’s mind against his wife and Cassio, a mere innocent soldier who was only talking to Desdemona after Iago had placed doubts in his mind. When Othello questions if it was Cassio he just saw talking to his wife, Iago suddenly jumps to an unforgivable conclusion that he, Cassio, would surely not dream of having an affair with Othello’s wife.
Even though Othello asked no such question, Iago skillfully plays the role of an innocent bystander while carefully implying such a meaning that would leave Othello doubting his wife. Herein lies the fault in Othello’s character. Had he been smart and less trustful of other people, even those closest to him, he would have easily seen the blatant lies that Iago was spewing to get his revenge against Othello.
Iago himself set this up, but Othello is unaware of this and Iago's way of saying he disapproves hinting at something more than just mere talk going on between the two. He plays his part in such a way that Othello will think that Iago did not mean for him to overhear, even though he did. This action of Iago has planted a seed of jealousy and hatred in Othello's mind, which continues to grow as the events proceed. Upon further questioning, Othello continues to grow suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona, and he places more and more of his trust in Iago without seeing right through him.
Othello not being a native further gives Iago a chance to exercise his control over him in Venice, with Othello remaining oblivious to the city's culture. Othello places his trust in Iago because he knows more about the happenings of Venice. Furthermore, society's standards also seem to have somewhat contributed toward cementing Othello's stance regarding his wife. The circumstances surrounding their marriage, and the fact that she was younger and fairer than him, contributed to his insecurity and led him to believe that she definitely must have been unfaithful to him because society did not allow for a match like theirs to be a happy one.
In scene 3 of act 3, Iago takes advantage of this situation by saying “She did deceive her father, marrying you…” (238). Iago does this to strengthen Othello’s beliefs that his wife has been unfaithful, given how easy it was for her to disobey her father to be with Othello. This sentiment is also echoed by Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, earlier in scene 3 of act 1. Even though Othello should have seen Desdemona’s deceit towards her father as loyalty towards him, he chose not to trust her as he is reminded of both Brabantio and Iago’s words that she is more than likely to be unfaithful to him. Their words, combined with the societal norms, make it more than easy for Iago to convince him of Desdemona’s supposedly true nature. Furthermore, in scene 3 of act 3, Othello says,
'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death. (316-318).
This proves that Othello was always of the view that it was in a man’s destiny to be cheated on by his wife. His mind was already made up, given the circumstances; Iago only needed to do some convincing to push him in that direction.
As time passes, Iago continues to control Othello without him knowing it, as a result of which Othello eventually ends up killing Desdemona over an affair that she never had. Othello’s blind trust in his friend and his failure to comprehend that not everyone is what Iago has shown them to be are what eventually become the result of his imminent downfall. He chose to place all his trust in a man who manipulated him in such a way that it seemed like only he could assist Othello in the choice of the successful path in life. Being naïve is what got him into trouble in the first place.
In conclusion, it can be argued that Othello’s downfall would not have occurred had Iago not interfered in such a malicious way. But, his demise was inevitable. Iago was just a means of directing him towards those circumstances that were bound to occur sooner or later. He only indirectly gave the impression that Desdemona and Cassio could be having an affair. He neither denied nor confirmed the rumors that he had given rise to. Had it not been him, it would have been someone or something else. The fact that Othello readily believes Iago’s lies only shows his weak character as he was so ready to lose faith in his wife without even asking her about it. However, if Othello had been more strong and resilient, perhaps he would have seen Iago for what he was and avoided such a mess altogether. Although his intentions were pure and his character was a good one, those same personality traits within him that one would see as good contributed to Othello’s undoing and Iago succeeding in his plans.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice. Ed. Russ McDonald. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. Print.
