Othello will serve as my chosen point of emphasis in this essay. I want to investigate his temperamental and judging nature, which led him to murder his wife Desdemona and then commit suicide after learning that his motivation for doing so was a fabricated accusation by his friend Lago. In this play text, I will interact with Othello directly to explore the subject of temperamental conflicts in marriages. This performance is geared toward married couples as its intended audience. It is meant to tackle the issues of temperamental confrontations and mistrust among married couples. Mistrust is one of the many causes of misunderstandings and eventual disintegrations of marriages. Therefore, the theme is meant to highlight the effects of trusting friends at the expense of trusting spouses and relying on rumors to make irrational judgments that later destroy families in the end.
(It is in the middle of the day. Othello is seated on a bench under the shade of a fig tree. He is holding a dry stick in his left hand and drawing with it something in the sand.)
Me: Good afternoon Othello? (The greetings go answered as he seems drowned in deep thoughts. I repeat the same words but this time with a louder voice than the first one.)
Othello: Hey! (His eyes are very wide open to confirm that indeed he was in deep thoughts and could not hear my first greetings). When did you come here?
Me: Just now. Are you okay?
Othello: (Now calm and composed.) Yeah, am fine.
Me: Are you pretty sure you are very okay?
Othello: Yeah I am good. Why do you insist?
Me: From your response to the greetings I could tell that something might be eating your mind.
Othello: Yeah that is true but trust me I am very fine. It is nothing I cannot handle.
Me: Why am I having the feeling that it might bigger than you’re trying to make it look like?
Othello: Uh, It might be true, but still it could be your imaginations getting out of their limits.
Me: Maybe, but still there is a possibility that you are having thoughts eating your mind than you can handle. It is okay if to share what is on your mind sometimes it can of great help than you thought.
Othello: Uh! You have a very inquisitive minds, right?
Me: Not really, I think am just caring when it comes to the people I know personally. By the way, am very sorry for your loss. I thought you would be preparing to leave for his funeral.
Othello: I appreciate your concerns very much. I had planned to leave tomorrow for the funeral, but something awkward and painful to handle came up with the least expectation I could imagine.
Me: Did an alien visit your home?
Othello: (Chuckles) that is funny you know.
Me: It is one of the least things I could quickly think of obstructing you from going to give your father-by law the last send off.
Othello: Can you imagine that Desdemona could cheat on me?
Me: What!? Do you mean your wife?
Othello: Who else? It is as hard for me to believe just the way you are finding it hard to believe. I mean it is very disturbing and hurting from the bottom of my heart.
Me: Did you find her cheating on you with another man?
Othello: Not exactly. I was told everything by Lago.
Me: You be must be kidding me. Do you mean you are accusing your wife of infidelity based on the words of another person?
Othello: Do you think Lago of all the people can come up with a fabricated story concerning my marriage? I don't think he can get too low to such a level.
Me: I cannot judge him on what he can or cannot do. I don't know him very well, but I cannot imagine him creating an absurd story to ruin your marriage for no reason. However, I would advise you against judging your wife entirely based on rumors. You need facts to confirm the allegations.
Othello: You have got pretty good advice to offer. I bet you can make a good alligator, but unfortunately, you don’t understand how I am feeling right now.
Me: I may not have the experience in marriage, but I know how it feels to be betrayed by someone you love. However, I still insist that you calm time and take your time to establish the truth of the matter before you can think of confronting your wife.
Othello: (From his look I could tell he was burning with fury) if you can excuse me, I need to clear my head. (He leaves abruptly without even bidding goodbye. After about ten hours I hear very disheartening news that Othello killed his wife over the allegations of infidelity. After learning that the allegations of his wife’s unfaithfulness were mere fabrications, he sobs so much and wishes he could reverse his time by just half day).
Me: Othello, I least expected this from you.
Othello: (speaking between cries) I should have listened to you. I would still be having my Desdemona. She was the most darling thing that I ever had.
Me: I know, you need to calm down. We will figure it out how to ease things.
Othello: (Sobbing with lots of regrets in his voice) I have killed my darling over my stupid tempers. How will I live with this? I am done and have no reason to live.
Rationale
Othello is furious about the infidelity allegations that he learns about his wife from his very close friend. As another good friend of his, I try to calm him down and advise him to take precaution in looking into the matter of the allegations. However, he is so furious that he cannot contain himself. He leaves me without even saying goodbye, and after some hours I get the disheartening news that he has killed his wife over the allegations. At this point, I feel I have achieved my purpose of enlightening people about the dangers of making irrational decisions out of temper and based on rumors rather than facts. I have clearly outlined how Othello could not listen to the good piece of advice I gave him and let anger get the better of him until he killed his wife. After learning the truth about the allegations, he regrets so much over his actions and sees himself as somebody who has lost everything after taking the life of his wife. His temperamental attitude has caused him a great loss and regret he cannot afford to live with. At this point, I think I have written to my target audience. The intended audience was the married people who mistake to trust their friends at the expense of their spouses.
