Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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Othello--Response to Writing Guide
In Shakespeare's play Othello the character Othello is a powerful prince who is accustomed to the complete control of his emotions. He has always functioned on the level of the stark simplicity of a commander used to giving orders and expecting immediate response to his wishes. He is a man who is always in control of every situation. His world has been comparatively "black and white" before being thrust into the intrigue and culture of the Venetian court. Othello is not prepared for the wide swing of strong emotions that he encounters when he attempts to carry out the "execution" of Desdemona. His love for Desdemona conflicts with the commands of his own head which tell him that he must kill her as an unfaithful wife. He waivers in his intent to kill his wife and this uncertainty is a new experience for him, which he does not like. Othello cannot control his own mixed emotions. They interfere with carrying out his intentions. His statement, toward the end of the play, "O vain boast! Who can control his fate? Tis not so now," shows that he has lost command of the situation and can't manage his own life, when for all his past life he believed that he was in control of his own destiny and everything around him. He was a proud noble, able to handle all situations, not afraid of crisis, turmoil, or the future. Suddenly Othello is reduced to a common man who questions himself. Othello could despises this new-found weakness.
Pico Della Mirandola's words, on the other hand, express the feelings that Othello used to have toward himself. These words communicate the idea that God feels that Adam has free will and can do whatever he wishes. However, Othello no longer feels that way; he is trapped by his own actions and indecisions. While Pico Del Mirandola's words say that Adam and therefore man can control his own destiny, Othello has lost his self-confidence which he felt was one of his biggest assets. God tells Adam to be confident and that he can be anything he wishes. Othello has lost his confidence and therefore his will to carry on. He kills himself because he has lost his confidence and the control of his destiny. Othello does not see any purpose in living. His life has been destroyed by his own actions and inability to control his emotions. To once again take charge of his destiny he kills himself. Othello may have actually killed himself emotionally at the moment when he killed Desdemona, and the actual act of suicide was the disconnection of the "life support systems."
Lodovico's final judgment of Othello's actions implied that the Moor did not have control over his own destiny any more. Othello had fallen to the plotting of Iago and therefore had sunk to the level of the (slave's) functioning. Othello was not the master of his own destiny. Othello, at the end of the play, did not feel that he could control his own fate and that no one could do so. Mirandola's words expressed the idea that man could completely control his destiny. Lodovico's words, on the other hand, placed Othello's actions somewhere in between the two extremes. Othello was manipulated by Iago's plotting, and Othello's actions were controlled by Iago. Othello trusted Iago and let himself be led to make decisions as directed by Iago. Othello previously was a man who was above such plotting, therefore he probably did not understand that people like Iago could be so deceitful to further their own ends. Iago "plants" Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's room and then leads Othello to think that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Although Othello normally would not believe that an affair is happening, Iago's cunning and feigned caring lead Othello to abandon his usual good judgment. Iago further draws Othello, into thinking that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, by duping Othello into thinking that Cassio is talking about Desdemona when he is really talking about his mistress Bianca. Othello is believes his ears and not his head which would tell him that Desdemona would not do this. Othello bemoans the loss of his "fine woman," but Iago convinces Othello to forget his feelings and listen to Iago. Iago manipulates Othello so that Othello's rage against Desdemona causes him to misinterpret any little thing that Desdemona does or says. Othello does not understand that his reactions are largely directed by Iago. Othello can not cope with his own humanness and is ashamed of how he has been duped by Iago. Othello can not fathom the depths of his own indecisions or the weakness of his actions. Therefore he decides that the only way that he can regain control of his destiny is to die.
Renaissance ideals expressed the idea that human potential could accomplish anything. The power of man's abilities was believed to be unlimited. Man was thought to control his own fate and destiny if he wished. Othello's character in the play brought out the shortcomings of this Renaissance philosophy. The play presented the stark realities that race, position, and the actions of others could strongly influence a man's ability to control his own actions. Othello's Moorish ethnicity was a strong impediment for a man trying to compete in Venetian society. Many Venetians looked down on black people regardless of their position or royal heritage. Othello's position of noble warrior dictated how he was to respond to the world. He was a soldier and was expected to act like one. Renaissance ideals that man could control his own destiny did not take into account that jealousy like Iago's could have overwhelming consequences on the decisions that Othello made. Therefore Othello was partially stripped of the control of his destiny because of the deceit of Iago. Othello's position as governor of Cyprus also dictated how he was supposed to respond to many things concerning court and the local laws. Othello could not always do what he wished because the conventions of the time would not accept actions not in line with the expectations of the time. In general, Othello was a captive of his time more so than he was in charge of his destiny. Although, for most of his life, Othello believed that he was in control of his life and his actions, he often made the responses to life situations based on the accepted conventions of the day. In short Othello and men in general, are shown by the play to be controlled more by their environment than controlling it. Renaissance ideals were just that--ideals. When these ideals were faced with the simple reality of life they did not always hold up well. Othello's intense emotional distress and suicide are an explicit example of what happens when strict expectations cannot be met and reality shows man to be far weaker than he believes he should be.