Themes

• Prejudice - The most prominent form of prejudice is racial prejudice. (1)

  • In the very first scene, Roderigo and Iago call Othello a "Barbary horse" and "thick lips" - the prejudiced characters describe Othello as an animal, defining Othello as an outsider and less human, less deserving of respect
  • Othello has internalized this prejudice, describing himself in unflattering racial terms and when he believes he has lost his honor, he quickly becomes the kind of monster that he is accused of
  • Many characters also exhibit misogyny, primarily focused on women's sexuality
• Prejudice - The most prominent form of prejudice is racial prejudice. (2)

  • Othello's age is also a reason for insulting him
  • Characters displaying prejudice seek to control another person or group who frighten them - a strategy to identify outsiders and to place yourself within the dominant group
  • Othello concludes his suicide speech by boasting that he killed a Muslim Turk, a "circumcised dog" who had murdered a Venetian citizen - Othello uses religious prejudice against Muslims to cement his place within Christian Venetian society.
• Appearance vs Reality - tragic plot hinges on the ability of the villain, Iago to mislead other characters (1)

  • Othello is susceptible to Iago's ploys because he is so honest and straightforward - "the Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be so; and will as tenderly be led by th' nose/ As asses are"
  • The language of the play refers to dreams, trances, and vision, highlighting what seems real may actually be fake
• Appearance vs Reality - tragic plot hinges on the ability of the villain, Iago to mislead other characters (2)

  • As Shakespeare develops his plot against Othello, Iago creates scenes within scenes - setting up encounters between two characters and putting a third in the position of a spectator.
  • Iago manipulates Othello so that he sees the appearance that Iago wants him to see, rather than the reality - Iago becomes a kind of "director" and Shakespeare draws attention to how a playwright and actors create an appearance onstage
• Jealousy (1)

  • Iago refers to jealousy as the "green-eyed monster." - jealousy is closely associated with the theme of appearance and reality.
  • Othello demands that Iago provide "ocular proof" — he demands to see reality but Iago provides circumstantial evidence which Othello, consumed by his jealousy, accepts
  • Othello's jealousy impedes his ability to distinguish between reality and appearance
• Jealousy (2)

  • While the prejudiced characters in the play call Othello an animal or a beast, Othello's obvious honor and intelligence makes these attacks ridiculous but when Othello is overcome by jealousy, he does become beast-like
  • Othello is also not the only character in to feel jealousy as both Iago and Roderigo act to destroy Othello out of jealousy, with disastrous consequences
• Manhood & Honor (1)

  • Othello has attained political power through his military might
  • Iago gets Cassio drunk and causes him to humiliate himself, asserting that reputation is all that makes you human and reputation is more valuable than anything in the world
  • Military exploits allow men to build their honor, and when not in war, it is their ability to command the faithfulness of their women
  • Later, Iago drives Othello to question his own manhood by making him doubt whether he has power over his wife
• Manhood & Honor (2)

  • In despair over his suspicions about his wife's faithfulness, Othello believed to lose control of the woman in his life is to lose everything that makes him human - without his honor, he sees himself as an animal
• Womanhood & Sexuality (1)

  • Two contrasting images of womanhood - the virtuous and loyal Madonna, and the whore
  • These images are male fantasies imposed on women—ideals that men want woman to fulfill, and roles women therefore purposefully play for men
  • Desdemona often describes her devotion to Othello, playing the role of the virtuous wife - Iago stokes Othello's jealousy showing that there is no way for a man to tell the difference between a truly virtuous wife and one who is just playing the role
• Womanhood & Sexuality (2)

  • Iago's wife, Emilia, complicates the Madonna and the whore as she wants to please her husband but is not wholly loyal, and even tells Desdemona that she believes many women would cheat on their husbands
  • Emilia proves her own independent virtue by defending Desdemona's virtue and revealing her husband's crimes in the process
  • In terms of pure virtue or voracious and deceptive sexuality, the play ultimately shows that real women are far more complex