ACT V, 2: WHO CAN CONTROL HIS FATE?
The rest of the scene, then, moves rather quickly. Emilia arrives and tells Othello of Roderigo’s attack on Cassio. Emilia then hears a muffled cry and realizes that Desdemona is dying. Emilia listens to Desdemona’s dying words and then confronts Othello. Othello explains that her own husband, Iago, was the one who brought proof of Desdemona’s infidelity (line 148). Emilia is stunned by this information, but a few moments later she screams for help. Montano and Graziano, along with Iago, enter the bedchamber.
Emilia then confronts Iago before everyone about his actions. Despite Iago’s warnings and threats to Emilia, she explains how Cassio received the handkerchief directly from Iago himself (lines 237-38). This is the point of recognition (or epiphany) for Othello. He now realizes that he has been tricked and fooled by Iago (lines 241-42).
Othello rushes after Iago, but Montano takes Othello’s sword before Othello can reach Iago. However, Iago, who is desperate, angrily stabs his wife. Emilia, before she dies, asks to be placed by Desdemona’s side. Iago rushes out of the room, but Montano and others chase after him.
Graziano attempts to keep Othello prisoner in the bedchamber, but Othello pulls out a knife. However, Othello has no desire to fight, or to live, any longer. He asks, “Who can control his fate?” (272). As Shakespeare reveals in this play, no one can. Othello, Desdemona, and Emilia certainly could not control their destinies. And, more ironically, even Iago, who thought he was master of his fate, discovers that even he cannot control his own ultimate destiny. For once, Iago’s scheme fails him. Fate is a powerful force that even the cleverest of men cannot change or alter.
Montano and others bring the captured Iago back into the bedchamber. Othello rushes at Iago; and, before the guards can remove his weapon, Othello stabs Iago. But the wound is not a mortal one, and Iago will live only to be tortured and imprisoned later.
There is a second instance of Iago’s scheming not turning out as planned. Although Iago killed Roderigo, Iago did not know that Roderigo had written two letters: one of them explains how Roderigo was asked to ambush and kill Cassio (lines 317-18) and the other was a letter that Roderigo was going to send to Iago to express his anger and discontentment (lines 322-24). Thus, even though he is dead, Roderigo is able to bear witness of Iago’s treachery. Iago could not control his wife, and he could not control Roderigo. Only the force of fate could.
Before the play ends, Othello makes one final speech. He asks the officers from Venice to relate his story to the Duke and others when they return home. Othello requests that when they explain what happened, they should speak objectively and directly, without bias (lines 351-52). Othello then asks them to describe himself as someone who “loved not wisely but too well” (353). Othello realizes that he has acted foolishly but also that his foolish behavior was partially the result of his excessive love for Desdemona.
Othello then proceeds to relate three metaphors to describe his situation. The first metaphor concerns a poor and lowly Indian who comes from an extremely poor village (line 356). The Indian finds a pearl of extremely great value that would bring enough money to make his entire village comfortable. But the Indian thinks the pearl is just a worthless stone and tosses it away. Othello is comparing himself to the Indian, and Desdemona is the pearl. Othello is thus suggesting that he threw away something valuable because of his ignorance. Othello was ignorant of Desdemona’s virtue and honesty.
The second metaphor refers to trees found in Arabia and India that drip a sap or resin called myrrh (lines 359-60). Myrrh (which is used in perfume and incense) oozes from these trees, sometimes in great abundance. Othello, who is crying in this scene, compares his excessive tears to myrrh. His sadness is so intense that he cannot stop crying.
The third metaphor concerns a Turk (and the reader should remember that the Turks are the enemies of Venice) who beat up a citizen of Venice and made fun (“traduced”) of that city-state (lines 362-63). Othello then adds that he took that Turk by the throat and stabbed him. Then Othello stabs and kills himself with his knife. In this metaphor, Othello is both the Turk and himself. He realizes that his behavior reflects badly upon Venice. His murder of Desdemona is a crime, and that has made him a criminal (or enemy) of Venice. And, so, Othello becomes his own judge and jury and proceeds to execute himself for his crime.
Othello’s tragic fall in this play is the fall from greatness and honor. He was the hero of Venice and distinguished for his outstanding service to this land. People honored him, and they were proud to have him as the commander of their army. But at the end of the play, Othello is a murderer and a criminal.
He has sunk to the lowest level of Venetian society.