MAIN THEMES
From
ClassicNotes on Othello
Appearance vs. Reality: Especially relevant to the issue of Iago's character;
for although he is called "honest" by almost everyone in the play, he is
treacherous, deceitful, and manipulative. Also applies to Desdemona, as Othello
believes that she is deceitful and impure, although she is really blameless
and innocent.
O.J. and Nicole
Simpson
Race: Race is an extremely important
theme; it has a great amount of influence on how people regard Othello. Race
also determines how Othello perceives himself as a rough outsider, though
he is nothing of the sort. Othello's race sets him apart, and makes him very
self-conscious; it makes him work hard and look carefully after his reputation,
so he is regarded as equal to the white people that surround him.
Pride: Especially important with regards to Othello; Othello is
defensively proud of himself and his achievements, and especially proud of
the honorable appearance he presents. The allegations of Desdemona's affair
hurt his pride even more than they inflame his vanity and jealousy; he wants
to appear powerful, accomplished, and moral at every possible instance, and
when this is almost denied to him, his wounded pride becomes especially
powerful.
Magic: Usually has something to do with Othello's heritage. Othello
is charged with using magic to woo Desdemona, merely because he is black,
and therefore, "pagan." Yet, Othello does have real magic, in the words he
uses and the stories he tells. Magic also reappears when Desdemona's handkerchief
cannot be found; Othello has too much trust in the symbolism and charm of
the handkerchief, which is why the object is so significant to him.
Order vs. Chaos: As Othello begins to abandon reason and language,
chaos takes over. His world begins to be ruled by chaotic emotions and very
shady allegations, with order pushed to one side. This chaos rushes him into
tragedy, and once Othello has sunk into it, he is unable to stop his fate
from taking him over.
Self-knowledge: Othello's lack of self-knowledge makes him easy prey
for Iago. Once Iago inflames Othello's jealousy and gets the darker aspects
of Othello's nature into action, there is nothing Othello can do to stop
it, since he cannot even admit that he has these darker traits.
Honesty: Although the word "honest" is usually used in an ironic way
throughout the text, most characters in the play go through a crisis of learning
who and who not to trust. Most of them, unfortunately, trust in Iago's honesty;
this leads to the downfall of many characters, as this trust in Iago's "honesty"
became a crucial contributor to their undoing.
Misrepresentation: This also allows Iago to gain trust and manipulate
other people; misrepresentation means that Iago is able to appear to be "honest,"
in order to deceive and misdirect people. Othello also misrepresents himself,
as being simple and plain-spoken; this is not for deceptive effect, but also
is used to present an image of himself which is not exactly the truth.
Good vs. Evil: Though there is much gray area between these two, Iago's
battle against Othello and Cassio certainly counts as an embodiment of this
theme. Iago and his evil battle to corrupt and turn the flawed natures of
other characters, and he does succeed to some extent. By the end of the play,
neither has won, as Desdemona and Emilia are both dead, and Iago revealed
and punished.
Justice Clarence
Thomas