For many theater-goers and admirers of
Shakespeare, Othello remains as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. The intensity of emotion and drama of the play is not surpassed by any other drama. But, like many Elizabethan tragedies, Othello does contain some common elements of the genre. The student should particularly pay attention to two elements found elsewhere in Shakespeare plays: (1) First, there is the Role of Fate. Shakespeare often shows that fate is an overwhelming supernatural force that no man is capable of fooling or cheating. On occasion, Shakespeare presents a character who believes he is superior to fate. In this particular play, that character is Iago (another such character is Edmund in King Lear). But these characters often become victims of fate when their own schemes backfire on them. (2) The second common element is the inclusion of the Reason vs. Emotion Conflict. The ministers of Christianity taught that reason is a special gift from God that everyone has, and with this gift everyone is capable of controlling their passions, emotions, and desires. Yet, time and again, Shakespeare reveals that on occasions when the emotions reach an extreme level, man’s reason disappears. Man then becomes an irrational creature who acts wildly and thoughtlessly. And this is what happens to Othello.
Most critics note that Othello differs from other Shakespeare tragedies because it does not contain any subplots or any lengthy comic scenes. A few critics even find this to be a fault of the play. However, Othello is a play about character. And the plot may be more complex than what it at first appears to be. The reader could view the play as having two plots. There is the story of Othello, who is involved in an internal conflict in regards to his jealousy. But there is also the story of Iago. Iago also struggles with an internal conflict. He seeks entertainment, and he maliciously finds that entertainment by manipulating others. Iago is a clever and intelligent individual who believes he is superior to all men and to the forces of fate or God.
But, like Othello, Iago also falls.
Students of Shakespeare should be aware, however, that not all critics appreciate what Shakespeare has accomplished in Othello. Such
critics complain that the focus is too simple or limited. One critic refers to the play merely as “a villain’s wanton destruction of a marriage.” The same critic contends that this is not a play of imagination bur rather just a play about the triumph of evil. But, as already suggested earlier, there is far more to the play than that.
In terms of charting the plot and rising action of the play, most readers tend to focus on the internal conflict taking place within Othello – the man vs. himself conflict. This conflict reaches its climactic moment (climax) in the bedchamber scene as Othello is strangling Desdemona. However, the conflict is not resolved with the death of Desdemona. Othello continues to struggle with himself after his death, and the internal conflict is extended when he finds out that Desdemona was innocent. Thus, the resolution of this conflict does not occur until Othello kills himself.
But, as noted earlier, a reader could interpret this play by positing Iago as the protagonist or antihero (a protagonist with negative qualities). Iago is in conflict with Othello and other characters of the play, but Iago’s primary conflict is one of man vs. fate. Iago is successful in his conflict with Othello, but he is not successful in his struggle against fate. Iago’s conflict thus ends with Emilia’s confession and with Roderigo’s letter revealing Iago’s treachery.
The primary source for the play is a collection of short stories called the Hecatomithi by the Italian writer Giovanni Battista Giraldi in the 16th century. Giraldi uses the device of stories within a larger story or framework similar to Boccaccio’s Decameron Tales or Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. In the Hecatomithi, a group of ten gentlemen and ladies on a sea voyage are the story-tellers.
The basic characters of the story are similar to those in the play, but they have different names (with the exception of Disdemona). The villain’s motives are more conventional: the Iago-character lusts after Disdemona, but she rejects his advances. The plot elements are also similar. For example, “Iago” steals a handkerchief and plants it in “Cassio’s” bedroom. But the murder is even more horrible: “Iago” and “Othello” beat Disdemona to death with a stocking that is filled with sand. They then pull the ceiling down on top of her to make the death look accidental. Disdemona’s relatives avenge her murder (in a long anticlimactic section). Finally, “Iago” dies when he is being tortured to force him to confess. His body ruptures or explodes as a result of the cruel implements of torture.
Shakespeare also used two other sources. He used Natural History by Pliny (a Roman author of Classical Age) for Othello’s speech about not using witchcraft on Desdemona. And he used The Commonwealth and Government of Venice (1543) for historical facts.