OTHELLO:
Soft you; a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know't.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well;
Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinal gum. Set you down this;
And say besides, that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by the throat the circumcised dog
And smote him, thus.
LODOVICO:
O bloody period!
GRATIANO:
All that's spoke is marr'd.
OTHELLO:
I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee. No way but this,
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.
Act 5, Scene 2, Lines 387-409
Summary
Roderigo is dead, killed by Iago. Emelia is dead, also killed by Iago. Desdemona has been killed by Othello. Iago himself, though wounded, still lives. Gratiano, Desdemona’s uncle, and another of her kinsmen, Lodovico, have arrived in Cyprus to witness the multiple tragedies. Iago is apprehended and will surely face the ultimate punishment—death. He has confessed to instigating the crimes of others, which will likely play a large part in his punishment. In the meantime, Othello is to be held as a closely guarded prisoner until he can be returned for trial to Venice. Cassio, already named as his successor, will rule in his stead.
Othello is concerned how this will be reported abroad. He is concerned about his reputation, but he is more concerned with the truth. He humbly points out that he has done “some service” to the state of Venice, a mild understatement. As far as his crime, he wishes it to be told fully, without toning down his flaws or making him more of a monster than he feels he is. His simple statement is that he “loved not wisely, but too well.” Although not easily given to jealousy, he was provoked by “the green-eyed monster” to commit this terrible deed. He threw away his “pearl of great price.”
Othello goes on to tell a story of one of his past adventures, but it is merely a ruse to distract the gathered company from his true purpose. Having a hidden weapon, he demonstrates his actions in his story by stabbing himself. Kissing Desdemona one last time, he dies.
Analysis
In his final speech, Othello numbly accepts his fate, though it will be an acceptance of his own choosing and device. His decision to commit suicide rather than face the dishonor of a trial is reminiscent of the ancient Romans, who willingly sacrificed their lives once they knew that they had brought shame into those lives. The loss of honor is, to Othello, a capital offense, and the execution is his own responsibility.
The concern for one’s reputation is a major theme throughout the play. Iago’s reputation is slighted, both by being passed over for promotion and by being the subject of rumor concerning Emilia’s infidelity with Othello. Brabantio is concerned not just for the safety of his daughter but how such a marriage will affect his standing in the Venetian community. Desdemona is perplexed that Othello would have such suspicion against her character when she has carefully guarded her reputation in marital fidelity. Cassio, in Act 2, Scene 3, cries out, “Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.” Othello’s guilt in murdering his wife, as well as being a part of the situation in which Emelia also lost her life, has damaged his heretofore unsullied reputation. Iago, though duplicitous in regard to Othello’s reputation yet genuine in regard to his own, states in Act 3, Scene 3: “Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, is the immediate jewel of their souls.” A good name was the “credit score” of the Renaissance period. It was on one’s reputation alone that money, career advancement, and even marriage proposals were offered. Without a good name, you were hampered socially, financially, and spiritually. It is for this reason that Othello wants the story told accurately.
Othello points out that he has “done the state some service.” At this point he is being especially humble. His reputation as a military commander is without parallel. He is trusted explicitly in any engagement undertaken. Venice is the richer for there being Othello. Yet, in his modesty, he understates his own importance to Venice.
In regard to the unfortunate end to his life and career, Othello wants the facts to be told plainly yet honestly. He does not want any “spin” put on his actions. He has been dishonorable, not only for committing murder, but even for sinking to the level of jealousy. Though he is concerned about his act being thought better than it is, he is also adamant that he does not want to be thought worse than he is. He does not want to be portrayed as a monster purely out of malice. The deed is bad enough without embellishment. The simple message he wants understood is that he was “one who loved not wisely, but too well.”
But who is the object of this overabundant, unwise love? The obvious answer is Desdemona. Was he unwise to have chosen someone of a different race, a different generation? If the racial element did play a part in this tragedy, it was a part created by Iago. Race is not the primary cause of the death of Desdemona, nor of the suicide of Othello. Perhaps Othello is characterizing his jealousy in the light of an “unwise love,” a love that goes beyond the norm into an obsession. Yet Othello does not seem to be abnormally obsessed with his wife.
From another point of view, his loving “not wisely, but too well” could be a reference to his trust in Iago. Iago’s mercenary spirit must have been at times obvious to his commander. Othello did not seem to show discernment in keeping Iago in his company, but perhaps he did have some idea of Iago’s character, thus leading Othello to bypass Iago in the matter of promotion. Yet still he listened to Iago too closely in the matter of Cassio’s attentions to Desdemona. He placed too much trust in a completely untrustworthy man. With more wisdom, Othello could have avoided putting too much weight on the insinuations that Iago made against Desdemona.
The life and death of Othello follow the path of the archetypal tragic hero. From a place of honor, the hero has fallen through some tragic flaw. In this case, the fatal flaw is jealousy, the “green-eyed monster.” The tragedy, the loss, is well exemplified in the closing remarks of Cassio: Othello was “great of heart.”
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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