iii Othello: A Tragedy of Perception By Susan Abbassi, B.A., B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the Department of English California State University Bakersfield In Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of Masters of English Spring 2014 ii Copyright By Susan Abbassi, B.A., B.A., M.A. 2014 iv Othello: A Tragedy of Perception By Susan Abbassi This thesis has been accepted on behalf of the Department of Eng! ish by their supervisory committee: Dr. Andrew Troup Dr. Susan Stafinbil v Acknowledgements I would like to thank my parents, Mina and Mostafa, whom despite not being here with me, always supported me emotionally. Their motivations and kind regards have empowered me to move forward and perform my very best in my education and life. I also would like to thank Dr. Andrew Troup and Dr. Susan Stafinbil for their assistance in helping me write this thesis. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Michael Flachmann who initially inspired me to write this thesis. Susan Abbassi vi Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..1 Summary of the Play……………………………………………………………………………2 Who are the Moors?......................................................................................................................6 How is the Portrayal of Moor in Othello?..................................................................................11 How Does Othello’s Moorishness Influence His View of the World?........................................14 What Happened to Othello’s Positive Worldview………………………………………………19 Othello’s Thought Pattern……………………………………………………………………….23 Othello’s Identity………………………………………………………………………………..28 Othello’s Need for Social Space………………………………………………………………...31 Othello’s Chaotic Mind………………………………………………………………………….36 How Does Desdemona Respond to Othello’s Change in Perception?..........................................46 What is The Difference Between Desdemona and Othello?........................................................49 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….....54 Work Cited……………………………………………………………………………………....56 1 Introduction In the play of Othello, Shakespeare perfectly explores the issue of racial tension that existed in the Elizabethan era. Othello, a loyal soldier and the protagonist of the play, appears as an outsider in Venice because of his dark skin; he is repeatedly and often harshly judged by others based on his different ethnic background and special outward characteristics. Despite being a warrior of high status, he cannot be fully embraced by the white people around him due to his otherness. He is further alienated from other Venetians, and almost all characters—including Othello himself—acknowledges his blackness and therefore his differences. Edward Berry, one of this play’s critics, argues in“ Othello’s Alienation” that Othello portrays the stereotypical view of white men toward Africans in the Elizabethan era. In fact, Berry sees Othello as “a tragedy of perception,” believing the characters’ negative view point toward the play’s protagonist leads to its tragic ending (317). In other words, Othello loses his high reputation and becomes capable of destroying his own life only after he began internalizing the Venetians’ poor perception of him. In his article, furthermore, Berry argues that Othello is set apart from other characters in every respect—in his blackness, culture, past, and even his language, but he finds the most significant difference in Othello’s Moorishness—the characteristic that, to Berry, gradually and surely influenced Othello’s life and view point. Berry believes that Iago’s evil plan creates a situation in which Othello is forced to reveal his repressed Moorishness: "his uncontrollable passion, for example, his superstitious interpretation of the handkerchief, or his ritualistic attempt to make the murder of Desdemona a sacrifice” (316-7). Berry, however, does not regard Othello 2 as an inhuman savage; he asserts that the self-prejudice, or poor-self-image, was latent in Othello, and Iago, through his evil plan, guides Othello to reveal his concealed self-prejudice. Although I broadly agree with the arguments of Berry and believe that Othello is a tragedy of perception, I do not see Othello as a realistic portrait of a Moor. What Berry does not seem to acknowledge is the importance of Othello’s final realization. After knowing the truth, and recognizing the reality of his mistake, Othello seems to return into his previous way of looking at the world. Though he is still as black as before, a Moor, a man without a past, he is capable of admitting to his mistakes and accepting the truth, proving that jealousy, cruelty, and evilness were not deeply embedded within him. In other words, Othello’s Moorishness did not destroy his idyllic life; instead, the negative perception of Othello toward his Moorishness was the main cause of his final annihilation. For this reason, I will seek to present Othello as the main cause of tragedy within this play, for I believe it was Othello, himself, who submits his thoughts, mind, and will to Iago through his chaotic thoughts, unmanageable fears, and wild suspicions. Summary of the Play Othello begins on a street in Venice, where Roderigo and Iago are arguing. Roderigo has been paying Iago to suit Desdemona for him, yet he has found out that Desdemona has married a black general named Othello. Iago argues that he also hates Othello since Othello has recently 3 given the position of lieutenant to Michael Cassio, an inexperienced soldier, who according to Iago does not deserve to have this position. Roderigo and Iago then go to Brabanzio’s house and cry out to him, claiming his daughter, Desdemona, has been stolen by Othello. Shocked and betrayed, Brabanzio finds out that his daughter is in fact missing, so he decides to gather some officers to find Othello and thus rescue his beautiful daughter. Iago, not wanting to reveal his hatred toward Othello, quickly leaves to join Othello before Brabanzio gets to see him. At Othello’s lodging, Othello is informed that his help is needed in Cyprus, and he must go and speak with the duke about this matter. At this time, Brabanzio and his group arrive and begin accusing Othello, claiming he has stolen Desdemona using witchcraft. The duke and the senate, however, are quite sympathetic toward Othello, and Othello, too, defends himself and asserts that he has wooed Desdemona through his stories of adventure and not witchcraft. In this moment, Desdemona enters the scene and confidently defends her marital choice and bravely declares her pure and true love for her husband. Disappointed and upset, Brabanzio leaves the senate meeting, and soon Othello and Desdemona get ready to go to Cyprus. In Cyprus, Montano, the governor of Cyprus, along with three gentlemen stand on the shore. One of the gentlemen states that the Turkish fleet has been wrecked in the storm. Cassio’s ship soon arrives, and soon after that, the second ship carrying Roderigo, Iago and his wife, and Desdemona arrives. Cassio politely treats Desdemona and claps her hands, and in this moment, Iago addresses the audience by stating that he will use this incidence to destroy the reputation of 4 Cassio. Then Othello’s ship arrives, and he greets Desdemona and states that in the evening, they will celebrate the Cyprus’s safety from the Turks. When everyone has left, Roderigo complains to Iago, arguing he has no chance of getting to Desdemona. Iago, however, once again assures Roderigo that Desdemona, herself, will soon change her mind when she faces the black body of Othello; he argues that Desdemona will look for someone else to fulfill her sexual needs. Iago, however, claims that Desdemona may search for Cassio to fulfill her needs, so Roderigo must destroy Cassio’s high reputation by getting him into a fight at the revels. Then Iago explains to the audience that this is the first and important part of his plan for ruin Othello. At night, Iago gets Cassio too drunk and then asks Roderigo to go and start a fight with him. Being so drunk, Cassio chases Roderigo across the stage and later stabs Montano. Othello, who had left with the intention to consummate his marriage, soon returns to manage the problem. Seeing Cassio as the main cause of the problem, Othello strips Cassio from his position. Cassio expresses his melancholy to Iago and asserts that he can never regain his previous high status; however, Iago argues that Cassio can easily get back his position through getting help from Desdemona. Then Iago explains to the audience that he wants to raise the jealousy in Othello by portraying Cassio and Desdemona as lovers. Cassio sends some musician to play beneath Othello’s window in order to please Othello, but Othello orders the musician to go away. Cassio then tries to speak with Desdemona, and Iago tells him that he will take Othello away so that Cassio could privately talk to Desdemona. When 5 Iago, Othello, and some other gentlemen have gone to examine some of the town’s fortifications, Cassio gets to talk to Desdemona. Desdemona is quite sympathetic to Cassio and promises him to do all she can to make Othello forgive Cassio. As he is leaving, Iago and Othello return, and Cassio leaves without speaking to Othello. Othello then asks Iago to find out if Cassio was the person talking to Desdemona, and Iago, in this scene, begins to kindle the fire of jealousy in Othello. Iago claims that Cassio and Desdemona are involved in a sexual relationship. At night, Desdemona goes to call Othello for supper and finds him feeling unwell. She offers her handkerchief to wrap around his head, but Othello rejects it. The handkerchief drops to the floor, and Emilia comes and picks up the handkerchief and later gives it to Iago since he had repeatedly asked her for it. Iago uses the handkerchief as an evidence to prove Desdemona’s infidelity. He tells Othello that he has personally seen Cassio wiping his beard with Desdemona’s handkerchief. This really upset Othello, and he promises to take revenge on both his wife and Cassio.