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Othello: Truth and deception - Coggle Diagram
Othello: Truth and deception
Desdemona hid her marriage to Othello from her father - capability to lie
Brabantio says 'She has betrayed her father, and may thee' (Act 1, Scene 3) - suspicion surrounding female characters and sets Desdemona up as a perpetrator due to societal expectations that disregard her word
Context
During Elizabethan era, religious changes were common
Morality plays were microcosms of real social problems, order and structure, utilised one man character that is symbolic of mankind and goes through difficulties, play supports a moral message providing guidance to audience members who felt uncertain about afterlife or sins
Othello contrasts the villainous character Iago and struggles with psychological turmoil - he struggles between believing Iago or his wife stuck in a liminal space of uncertainty - succumbing to the temptations presented by Iago
Morality plays included vice characters that rep evil and chaos - Iago symbolises inherent evil as he leads Othello to his downfall - vice characters seen as 'devils' - reflects religious views that the devil could walk among ordinary individuals, tempting them towards sin - dramatic irony
Morality plays usually send the audience with a good moral message in which the protagonist made the right choices - Othello may be defined as a nihilistic play so the ending is more tragic
Othello does not experience any redemption at the end as he commits two sins (murder and suicide)
Revenge is the main reason Iago decides to deceive and break Othello's marriage
Believes he has been cuckolded due to Othello sleeping with Emilia
Jealousy of Cassio being promoted instead of him
'In following him I follow myself not I for love and duty But seeming so, for my peculiar end' (Act 1, Scene 1)
Shows his duplicity making him a consciously evil villain who wants to cause havoc due to personal problems - knows he can cause distress for his own advantage without the Moor questioning his sincerity
Duplicity is also shown through his movement - moves in and out of shadows so is not visible to other characters
Warnken claims 'Iago manipulated Othello, but Othello is no mere puppet...by the middle of the play, his thoughts and feelings echo Iago' - Portrays the sinister nature of Iago's deceptiveness which resulted in Othello enacting those views too
Iago's plot to destroy Othello leads to his betrayal of numerous characters and abuse of his power as a trusted advisor
'O will I turn her virtue into pitch and out of her goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all' (Act 2, Scene 3) - soliloquy by Iago and extends his plan use Desdemona's good nature against herself - he continuously has bad intentions
Double revenge - uses Cassio to make Othello believe Desdemona is unfaithful - In Act 5, Scene 1 Iago uses body language to make Othello believe Cassio is speaking about his affair with Desdemona even though they are speaking about Bianca. Othello claims '(aside) Look, how he laughs already!' (Act Five, Scene 1)- 'aside' hides him from others but visible to the audience creating more tension
Roderigo is also deceived by Iago - he is easily swayed by him but he is taken by a fool throughout
However, he does question his sincerity and success of their plan
'Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and performance are no kin together' (Act 4, Scene 2) - he is aware of Iago's evil nature yet he is still deceived
He uses Emilia who gives Iago the handkerchief but she turns against him at the end - 'You told a lie, an odious damned lie: Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie!' (Act 5, Scene 2) - she is horrified he lied about Desdemona to her, making her complciit in his evil deeds
Iago's manipulation is the main driving factor
In Act 3, Scene 3 he constantly repeats 'Honest?' after Othello - Iago's use of honesty as a weapon in order to emphasise own villainy hidden through a facade
Othello's excessive reliance on trust and loyalty creates certain sensitivities in their relationship and a vulnerability for Iago to manipulate him
Iago's rank is lower but he has control within the dialogue - Iago holds power in terms of deceiving Othello while he has a higher social position
Iago's deception is evidently successful when 'Men should be what they seem' (Act 3, Scene 3) - knows Othello is falling for his tricks reinforcing his 'honest' demeanour to fool Othello
Contrasts with what Iago says In Act 1, Scene 1'I am not what I am' - Iago constructs his own character adding to deception
Othello claims 'By the world, I think my wife be honest, and think she is not; I think that thou art just, and think thou art not' (Act 3, Scene 3) - trying to hold onto hope of Desdemona being faithful but doubts are surfacing. Use of antithesis and constant change of mind shows psychological turmoil and Iago's acute sense of understanding humans
Othello is so prone to external influences as he places a lot of importance on his honour
His position in Venetian society enables him to access spheres his race would have prevented him from accessing - he would actively avoid transgressing social codes and values
Venetian men would have valued their masculinity and reputation so insisting Desdemona disobeyed him with another man he is put into a humiliating position
Women represent honesty and innocence compared to men - due to lower social status it means their honesty is questioned and twisted into something deceptive - heightened sense of tension and complicating love relationships through false deception
Desdemona is native and an idealist about her outlook on marriage so falls victim to Othello's jealousy
'Tis not ever a year or two shows us a man' (Act 3, Scene 4) - Desdemona needs to be more aware of the jealous man Othello is - Emilia may be disillusioned and argues now that his doubts and suspicions have arisen he will continue to question her honesty - Emilia foreshadows her fate