Othello

Imagine living a perfect life. A life where everywhere you look, success has blessed your path. Your career is at the top of its game, you just married the women of your dreams, and by achieving all this you have gone against all rules of your society. You are what they call the minority of the town, the person who is laughed at and joked about. The person who is looked down upon in the world, a former slave turned general. However all of this means nothing, because you have esteemed to be a living legend on the battlefield, married the senators daughter, and are now ready to start a new and happy life. What happens when somebody puts a different pair of sunglasses on your face? When your lenses are changed from optimistic rose colored to evil, judgmental jet black, you see the world from a totally different perspective. It becomes a place where you are not blessed with success, but plagued with worry, hate, and skepticism. In Shakespeare's Othello, Iago changes Othello's perfect existence into a world where he believes he is the victim and not the great and powerful general. In the play it is not Othello's stupidity that makes his mind go astray, but his life in a world where he is ignorant of how things work is what makes him the evil follower he became.

In the first part, Othello possesses a sense of pride in himself and what he has accomplished in life. He is a man whom no one would think to second guess or confront issues such as his wife cheating on him, because the fear of severe repercussions such an act would cause. Othello shows extreme amounts of confidence when first arriving at Cyprus:

Come, let us to the castle.

News friends! Our wars are done, the

Turks are drowned.

How does my old acquaintance of this

Isle?

Honey, you shall be well desired in Cyprus,

I have found great love amongst them.

O my sweet,

I prattle out of fashion , and I dote

In mine own comforts. I prithee good

Iago,

Go to the bay and disembark my coffers.

Bring thou the master to the citadel.

He is a good one, and his worthiness

Does challenge much respect. Come,

Desdemona,

Once more well met at Cyprus. (2.1.329-46)

In this passage Othello shows his charisma and power. He valiantly sails in last steps, of the boat, and proceeds to give them the news of how the Turks are drowned and defeated. Othello also shows he has no problem saying that Desdemona will be well loved in Cyprus. Even the words he uses shows that he is a proud man and has a lot of respect not only for other people but also for himself. He then has Iago fetch his luggage and carry them, which you will not see a lot of in the following acts. Later on in the play it seems like Othello almost becomes Iago's servant. He will do anything and everything just to hear what Iago has to think about Cassio's non-existent love affair with his wife. Othello right now is in heaven he is probably the happiest man on earth. He is putting all of his emotions into one person, Desdemona, the women he is ready to spend the rest of his life with. Iago knows hitting their relationship with a fake affair will be the ultimate heart breaker for Othello.

Iago uses many tricks which makes it very easy for Othello to believe him about the possibility of an affair. He acts like he does not care and makes it seem like he is only trying to help. "As for satisfaction of my thought,/ no further harm" (3.2.254-55). Iago says aloud little comments about Cassio and Desdemona, but when Othello asks Iago what he had said, he acts like he was just thinking of something himself and it was not meant to be heard by Othello. Othello pleads with Iago to tell him what he said and what he thinks he should do. Iago then explains everything that he "never wanted" Othello to hear. For instance Iago comments to Othello:

Iago. I did not think he had been

acquainted her.

Othello.