The Women of Othello Heather Crabbe
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THE WOMEN OF OTHELLO Heather Crabbe The female characters in Shakespeare’s Othello have been variably received throughout history. Desdemona, especially, finds herself the target of contradictory analyses: for some, she is the ideal woman, angelic and pure; for others, overly forward, inviting Othello’s suspicion as well as the audience’s. Rather than falling into either of these descriptions, Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are rather presented as fallible yet admirable human beings in their own right, exhibiting qualities of loyalty, honor, and courage while also possessing human flaws. Conversely, the argument can be made that the male characters are in fact the ones who fall into stereotypes, either as the villainous devil, the overweening fop, or the insanely jealous husband. As Carol Thomas Neely writes, “Three out of the five [prominent male characters] attempt murder; five out of the five are foolish and vain” (216). While Shakespeare overwhelmingly emphasizes the positive qualities of the women in the play, he presents the men in a mostly negative light, as even Othello of the “perfect soul” too easily falls prey to evil (1.2.35). The immediate impression of Othello reveals contradiction; in Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2, Iago and Roderigo, along with Brabantio reflect negatively on Othello, calling him “devil”, “lascivious”, “foul” and “damned” while the Duke and the Officer refer to him positively as “noble” and “valiant.” However, while this may at first seem to present a complex portrait of Othello, since the former are all angry with Othello for various reasons, their views cannot be trusted. Once Othello himself appears, he certainly seems to be as honorable as the Duke, Officer, and Desdemona paint him to be. Also, Othello’s own declaration of his “perfect soul” along with Desdemona’s corroboration of “his honors and his valiant parts” further suggest a virtue in Othello that is untainted and admirable (1.2.35; 1.3.275). Even Iago, who hates him, must admit, “The Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,” highlighting Othello’s trust in others (1.3.17-18). If the audience is to believe these assertions to be fact, Othello’s quick transformation from trusting Desdemona to deeming her false is especially unbelievable. Instead of suggesting Othello as a realistic character, a man who is noble but possesses the flaw of jealousy, the rapidity of his switch pigeonholes him as the typical “jealous husband” who desires to grasp at any sort of suspicion that will justify his mistrust of his wife, and attests to a serious defect in character rather than a paltry ‘flaw.’ His former virtuous qualities of honor, valiancy, and goodness of soul become obscured by the single-mindedness of his mental, emotional, and physical attacks on Desdemona. W. D Adamson remarks that “. both Othello and Iago are moral absolutists . interpreting Desdemona oversimply” (169). For Othello, Desdemona is either sinless and angelic or debauched and licentious—there can be no other view. This, too, calls the realism of Othello’s character into question, as few real human beings see things in only black and white. In the end, even his suicide fails to redeem him as a character because of his refusal to listen to reason; both Desdemona and Emilia have asserted Desdemona’s innocence, and Desdemona herself has pleaded with him to show mercy and spare her life. Othello’s failure to see the truth in his wife 49 and his insistence on ending her life call his previous so-called “honor” into serious question. Neely points out that even in the final scene “. [Othello] persists in seeing himself and Desdemona as ill-fated, unlucky . .”, thus “plac[ing] the blame for [his] actions outside [himself]” (233, 225). While his closing speech in Act 5, Scene 2 may seem to serve as an admission of guilt and repentance, the words “unlucky,” “wrought,” and “perplexed” along with Othello’s claim that he “loved not wisely, but too well” contradict the epithet of “circumcised dog” that he gives himself at the end of the speech (351-365). “Unlucky” places the blame on fate, “wrought” and “perplexed” place the blame on Iago, and the claim of having “loved not wisely, but too well” in fact can be seen to reflect poorly on Desdemona while indirectly praising his own strength of feeling. Thus, even in taking his own life, Othello fails to achieve the level of virtue that even Bianca, the lowliest woman, exhibits in the play. Just as Othello fails to transcend stereotype, Iago also appears to be an especially unrealistic character with no redeeming qualities; from the start Iago’s motives are questionable and his treatment of all, even Roderigo, who he appears to be helping in the beginning, shows him to be devious and treacherous. In Act 1, Scene 1, Brabantio, not even knowing Iago, calls him “profane” and a “villain,” fully illuminating his character from the very first (116; 118). As the play continues, Iago’s speech and behavior continue to add to the impression of his evil nature. His supposed and stated motivation for his hatred of Othello stems from his having been passed over for a promotion; however, even after the position as Othello’s lieutenant is secured, Iago persists in his deception. Additionally, while Iago also adds to his list of resentments the fact that he has suspicion that Othello has slept with Iago’s wife, he also claims to “love” Desdemona, not merely because he desires her but also because of his longing for revenge. Iago’s urging of Othello to kill the innocent Desdemona highlights Iago’s wickedness; though his supposed “love” for her is certainly not sincere, the insistence upon causing her death indicates insidiousness beyond a wish to cause Othello pain. The extreme nature of Iago’s malevolence and his direct involvement in the murders of not only Desdemona but also of Roderigo and Emilia rob him of all humanity. He is not merely a man who is out for revenge, but one bent on destroying everything around him. His murder of Emilia is needless, as she has already proclaimed his guilt in front of witnesses, and in fact it can only serve to increase his culpability and ultimate punishment, thus emphasizing the evil inherent in his character as one who would kill an innocent woman simply for revenge. His additional refusal to testify as to his motivations contributes to the malevolence of his character and places him even further beyond the realm of the believable. “What you know, you know. / From this time forth I never will speak word”, he asserts, and in the play he does not (5.2.353-354). One is left wondering whether or not “Torments will ope [his] lips”, or if rather his future actions will further attest to the allegorical possibilities of Iago as the devil himself (5.2.355). Cassio, though he does not possess the wickedness manifested by both Othello and Iago, does appear to be almost entirely devoid of sincerity and genuine goodness. The one area where he does manifest a positive quality, his love for Othello, in the end causes his disgrace and physical harm. Shakespeare, through not only Iago but through Cassio’s own speech and actions, depicts Cassio as a relatively foolish man 50 who is able to present an appearance of grace and gentlemanliness, but whose behavior belies those gentle qualities he strives to demonstrate. His speech upon Desdemona’s arrival at Cyprus can only be described as melodramatic, and in the words of W.D. Adamson, “sophomoric:” “You men of Cyprus, let her have your knees!/ Hail to thee lady! and the grace of heaven,/ Before, behind thee, and on every hand,/ Enwheel thee round!”(Adamson 180; Shakespeare 2.1.94-97). If, as stated in the speech, he indeed kneels, the theatrical nature of these words in the face of Othello’s still potential death at sea illuminates Cassio’s frivolity and misplaced behavior. Furthermore, while his manners are pleasing and his loyalty to Othello sincere, he is sorely lacking in judgement. In Act 2, Scene 3, Iago easily urges him to further drinking, in spite of the fact that Cassio knows that alcohol has an extremely negative effect on him. Additionally, the fact that he has already had a drink indicates his lack of restraint and self-control, along with a seeming disregard for the responsibilities of his position. Then, when he is in disgrace with Othello because of this lack of judgment and restraint, rather than showing courage and humility through approaching Othello himself for a pardon, Cassio goes behind Othello’s back to entreat a woman to intercede on his behalf. Most damaging to his overall characterization is his total disregard for Bianca, the woman who loves him. At Bianca’s first appearance in Act 3, Scene 4, Cassio greets her with the words “my most fair Bianca,” and “sweet love” and insists against her jealousy, “You are jealous now / That this is from some mistress, some remembrance/No, by my faith, Bianca”(3.4.165-166; 180-183). Easily accepting Cassio’s explanation, Bianca does as he wishes, and leaves him to copy the work in the handkerchief, even though she misses him and has not seen him in over a week. However, when suggested by Iago that Cassio might marry Bianca, Cassio treats it as a joke, in spite of the love and loyalty she has shown him and her willingness to do as he bids. When she reappears with the handkerchief, he greets her with the disparaging, “’Tis such another fitchew! marry a perfumed one.