Initial Reaction
I wonder why Othello never spoke with anyone else of what Iago had to say about Desdamona and Cassio. The council of many would have been a better decision rather than just Iago as the only one. If he consulted someone else, he would have told him the right thing to do. It’s hard to believe that Othello having such a high rank and many skills could be such a poor judge of character.
Character Analysis
Iiago has a talent for telling the truth but making other people misinterpret it to his advantage. He definitely is a two-faced character that knows how to manipulate everyone like puppets on a string. I was watching the Batman flick The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan. And the character Harvey Dent reminded me of Iago. Like Iago, Harvey Dent is respected among his peers and is known as this all knowing warrior against evil. But as the film progresses Harvey Dent loses whats most dear to him and is seduced by rage and revenge to become a what he has tried to stop, just like iago
Theme Analysis
A theme in this story is trust; trust is something that is difficult to gain. It’s practically the glue that holds any relationship. For example the relationship of friendship between Iago and Othello, Iago took advantage of Othello’s trust and used it to poison his mind. Another relationship that needed more trust was Othello’s and Desdemona’s. If they would have trusted each other a bit more and communicated what was happening, none of this would have happened.
I think the reason that Othello didn’t consult with anyone about what Iago said because he only trust a few people. If he had consulted with others it could have hurt his chances of acceptance. I love the connection to Batman. Harvey Dent and Iago do not truly show their darker side till the end of their story. The dark side is there, but there is a feeling that they could desert that dark side and return to the other before the end.
ReplyDeleteYour point of why Othello did not talk to anyone else about his relationship is a head scratcher. It is hard to say but Lauren made a good point that he probably did not trust that many people. Othello trusted Iago and he probably never questioned his evil self. He had some insecurities about his relationship so Iago was reinforcing those beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI agree, trust is a huge subject in this story. I think Shakespeare wanted his audience to know what trust can do in relationships with others. It can either make people stronger or break them. Or... it can make you go nuts resulting in killing your wife.
ReplyDeleteI thought about that too. Even though Iago was like his best friend, he obviously did not believe in him enough to make him captain or whatever. He chose someone else. So why not talk to someone else about Iago's suspicions? Why didnt he and Desdemona just go away, the two of them, and talk it out?
ReplyDeleteFirst off, Iago had a very high reputation for revealing the truth so that's why he was refered to as "honest Iago" and that's why Othello somewhat trusted his word. I think the reason he didn't seek council was his criminal intent. If you are considering murdering someone do you first go to police and ask them if it would be justified? Second, I like your reference to a puppet master and Harvey Dent, both great relations. And third, trust is a great theme, I think to go beyond that would be to say something about the benefits of trusting the right people and the pitfalls if contrary.
ReplyDeleteSidenote; This is the first DRJ I've seen formatted correctly