Othello Test

The choices of the characters in Othello lead to unexpected results. Iago shovels plague into the men of Othello until they spew the pestilence onto each other. None of the men know who poisons them; they blindly clash with each other like gladiators in an arena. The women of the play are thrown into the arena as well; their demeanors attract conflict with the men, and they also become victims in a battle of souls. The lone spectator, Iago, throws tomatoes from the stand to initiate fights among the gladiators. Tragically, the characters in the play are not aware that they are being put on display until they are mortally wounded. Iago turns people against each other to enmesh them all in a destructive explosion of his tragic vision.

Iago fuels the emotions of the men to react destructively with each other. He "pour[s] pestilence into [Othello's] ear." Ironically, Othello instinctively takes the pestilence because he feels a stronger relationship with Iago than with Desdemona. Othello's romanticism also feeds his self destruction; he takes the slightest hint of betrayal as an apocalyptic calamity. Cassio feels the invisible hand of Iago too. Iago tells Cassio "the general's wife is now the general" while Iago is the real puppet master of the Venetians. Iago plays Cassio like a pawn; Cassio's need to regain his reputation leaves him vulnerable for Iago to take advantage of him. Like Cassio, Roderigo becomes a vehicle for Iago's revenge; the two men are used like disposable batteries and discarded when their purpose is served. Iago is an expert at creating convincing fabrications that warp the opinions of the other characters. The men of Othello ensnare themselves in the entangling lies of Iago, and they eventually suffocate in the net Iago weaves.

The womens' personalities in Othello lend themselves to being abused by Iago. Iago does not need to influence the women to do his bidding; they already possess that characteristic. Emilia is "nothing if not for [Iago's] fancy." She is an unwitting sidekick to the "Prince of Darkness." She does not know she is being used as an instrument in Iago's symphony of destruction. Tragically, she makes the correct intellectual choice by bringing Othello's handkerchief to Iago, but she falls when she learns that she assisted in the destruction of Desdemona and Othello. Desdemona's virtuous beauty and intellect designate her as a prime target for Iago's plans. Desdemona's alliance with Cassio brings her downfall because she was too kind and loyal. She served Othello too well; they "loved not wisely but too well." Desdemona's blunt honesty ironically leads Othello to believe the opposite of what she says. Desdemona and Emilia became victims of their own dispositions.

Iago places tinted glasses over the eyes of the characters in the play. He works his magic by restricting the view of his victims. The characters turn on each other because they see each other as "green-eyed monsters." Men stab what they see as monsters until everyone is wounded or dead. Iago's evilness comes from his relative obscurity within his deeds; he only lights the fuse and hides before he is caught in his own explosion. Iago's tragic explosion that he creates eventually intensifies until he too is caught in his own blast. All the characters are victims to the tragedy, but they also were fuel to the fire.