Result Of Iago's Mental Manipulation Of Othello example essay topic

The play in question, "Othello", initially presented us with a highly respected and judicious protagonist, namely Othello. Despite the fact that he is of a different race and colour than that of his Venetian counterparts, he has managed to rise up the hierarchical ladder and secured for himself the position of a general. The main plot of the play revolves around his gradual belief of unfaithfulness on Desdemona's part, surreptitiously fed to him by his supposedly loyal ensign, Iago. Othello's ever mounting paranoia and suspicion adds an element of suspense as the play labours on towards its bloody conclusion, with Shakespeare effectively illustrating the dilemma Othello is going through by utilizing devices such as directing (such as Othello's epileptic fit), language and metaphors. In this essay, I will be focusing on how Othello's language and perhaps any other linguistic devices used by him to further emphasize his underlying thoughts that present themselves during the unfolding of the play. Unlike his nemesis in the play, Othello's speech, although eloquent and "laced with silver", is consistently unambiguous and lucid in its meaning, containing no ulterior implications about his behaviour.

The focus of his language will mainly be extricated from Act 4 Scene 2, with comparisons taken from other parts of the play to reinforce the points highlighted throughout the essay and to reveal the significant differences Othello's language has undertaken due to the psychological torment imposed upon him by Iago. The scene opens with Othello questioning Emilia for possible suspicious occasions that occurred between Desdemona and Cassio, which would allow him to remove all traces of doubt from his mind and at least give him the peace of mind to believe that he is indeed justified in his thoughts and his imminent actions. He launches question after question at her in his attempt to break through Emilia's demeanour and engender a confession from her that his wife is indeed guilty of infidelity, but to his dismay, she firmly states that her lady is innocent. His interrogative manner towards Emilia is contrastingly different to that when he demanded an explanation about who started the brawl between Rodrigo and Cassio. When questioning Emilia, each question is presented to us in its simplest form, indicating his desperation for an immediate answer and his lack of patience to listen to a circumlocutory account of their actions together. "What!

Did they never whisper? Never, my lord Nor send you out o'th " way? Never". However, when roused from his chamber by the tolling of the alarm bell, he weaves his sentences with great eloquence and thought before raising the question as to who initiated the squabble. "What, in a town of war, / Yet wild, the people's heart brimful of fear, / To manage private and domestic quarrel, / In night, and on the court and guard of safety? / 'Tis monstrous.

Iago, who began't?" His equanimity that was present during this scene is no longer present during Emilia's questioning perhaps due to the fact that the matter is dearer to his heart and because it holds a more urgent placing than that of his men. A reason as to why his composure has deteriorated so may be the result of Iago's mental manipulation of Othello and because of this, he could no longer think calmly and rationally when interrogating Emilia. Also missing is his sense of self-confidence. His incessant questioning of Emilia seems to reflect his insecurity regarding the matter as he has begun to seriously doubt Desdemona's love for him whereas in the other scene, he was brimming with confidence when he proclaimed that due to the lack of answers coming his way, his patience was running thin and if he was to "stir, or do but lift this arm, the best of you shall sink in my rebuke" as he is indeed the better and more skilled than any of the other men present. Another incident where his confidence and composure shone through can be found in one of the opening scenes when Othello is threatened by Brabantia and his band of men but instead of faltering, he calmly pacifies them by carefully weighing his words and telling them to put their weapons away while at the same time, adding a subtle tinge of sarcasm when he reminds them that their weapons would be of no use to them against accomplished soldiers such as himself and his attendants. "Keep up our bright swords, for the dew will rust them".

From this scene in question, we also learn about his newly found views of his wife as he condescendingly refers to her as a "whore" and a "strumpet" during his paroxysm. He obviously feels so disgusted and betrayed by what she has done that he even uses cosmic imagery to underline the malevolence of the sin that she has not committed, as even the forces of nature despise what she has supposedly done behind his back. "Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks; / The bawdy wind, that kisses all it meets, / is hushed within the hollow mine of earth / and will not hear it". His opinion of Desdemona and of women in general has decreased so greatly to the point that he even demeans Desdemona and Emilia to being but a whore and a madam working in their brothel. "Leave procreant's alone and shut the door"; "We have done our course; there's money for your pains" This view of women was most probably incited by his dialogues with Iago as it was after one of their discussions that his thoughts such as these first arose. In the previous scene, he confesses that the main curse of marriage is the women's infidelity due to their insatiable lust and because of this, men are able "to call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites!" However, this ephemeral notion of his soon disappeared when he caught sight of his beloved wife and rejected all evanescent thoughts of doubt and suspicion.

However, if this is compared to when she arrived by his summons in the particular scene, he no longer felt comforted by her presence as he did before because his feelings of love towards her are eclipsed by his overwhelming notions of suspicion, which were placed in his mind by the fabricated truths dispensed to him by Iago. Instead he acknowledged her by asking her to come to him so he could see her eyes, as if gazing through the windows to her soul would reveal any sign of innocence. "Pray, chuck, come hither... Let me see your eyes" This change in emotion can be further juxtaposed by looking at an even more previous scene in which they are reunited after his victorious battle against the Turks. When greeting each other, Othello speaks of how if after every storm he would experience such joy as being united with his lover again, then he wished that the "winds blow till they have wakened death", for he had never experienced such happiness until that day. Just by looking at these three scenes in chronological order, it is clear to see that slowly but surely, the web of doubt that Iago has woven into the intricacies of Othello's mind have steadily begun to take over his former rationales due to his trusting nature.

From that scene alone, as well as the parallels made to the other scenes in the play, we can see that the Othello's state of mind has obviously undergone dramatic changes in what he perceives to be true and in who he believes to be true. This catalyst for this transformation is none other than Iago as he is responsible for polluting the mind of Othello as revenge for not appointing him to be his lieutenant in the first place. Othello's character has now become rash and uncertain, as he does not seem to realize the need to slow down and question his wife calmly about the allegations. This fact perhaps brings to light a flaw in their relationship; the lines of communication between the two have not yet been properly established.

His distrust towards his wife becomes evident when he reacts angrily to her not comprehending the motive behind his questions. It is obvious to see that this change in Othello was indeed engendered by Iago although Othello made the change easier to mastermind by being too trusting in his nature. This naivet'e on Othello's part was what made it so easy for Iago to set his scheme in motion while also because of the fact that Othello had no reason to doubt Iago, who has his heart set on manipulating Othello towards his downfall. Eventually, Iago's true intentions are revealed to Othello, but by that time, it is too late.