O THELLO Act Five

ACT FIVE SCENE I: KEY POINTS  Iago and Roderigo wait in the street to ambush Cassio.  When Cassio appears Roderigo attacks him, but is himself badly wounded.  Lodovico and Gratiano are alerted to the scene.  Iago arrives shortly afterwards and discreetly stabs Roderigo in order to finish him off.  He also looks to blame Bianca for the brawl.

Othello Othello as a soldier: There is a sharp contrast between the Othello of this scene and the Othello of Act 2 Scene 3. In the earlier scene Othello came across as a military commander. His greatest concern was for order and civility in the town. His response to the earlier fight between Cassio and Roderigo was stern and immediate. Now, however, he seems uninterested in maintaining law and order in the city. He gives no response at all to the chaos unfolding nearby and is instead focused on the affair. His own jealousy has overshadowed his sense of public duty as a soldier.

AN EXCELLENT ACTOR: Iago makes great use of his theatrical abilities in this scene, shifting effortlessly between the role of general with Roderigo, innocent bystander with Lodovico, protector with Cassio and prosecutor with Bianca. Lodovico and Gratiano buy into Iago’s act of confusion. He convincingly feigns brotherly concern for Iago, binding his wound and calling frantically for help. His cold blooded instinct is clear as he easily pretends to be Cassio’s protector though he plotted his murder and stabbed him. Iago MANIPULATIVE AND PERSUASIVE: Roderigo acknowledges the strength of Iago’s persuasion and shows us the great influence Iago holds over others. Iago convinces Lodovico and Gratiano that Bianca is somehow involved in co-ordinating the attack. He had not anticipated her arrival but instantly finds a use for her in his web of lies. Othello’s brief appearance in this scene highlights Iago’s extreme sway over others. Othello has fallen so hard for Iago’s lies that he is convinced the affair is real and ignores Cassio’s plight. EXPERT SCHEMER: In this scene Iago sets into motion a wave of chaos and exploits it perfectly. He gives a brilliant display of his ability to steer a highly changeable situation to his own advantage. He is uncertain how the fight he has instigated will work out but is confident he can use its outcome to his advantage. When help arrives he deliberately adds to the confusion as the characters attempt to identify each other in the darkness. He exploits this chaos to slip away and murder Roderigo. He also exploits Bianca’s arrival, deflecting attention away from himself by blaming her for the attack

ACT FIVE SCENE II: KEY POINTS  Othello enters Desdemona’s room, determined to kill her. He behaves in a calm and composed way convinced that her death is justice being done.  When Desdemona wakes Othello tells her to pray, that she is about to die and there is nothing she can to so to prevent this.  When Desdemona hears that Cassio has been killed and realises her protests are futile she begs to be allowed to live.  Othello is incapable of believing her and smothers her with a pillow.  Just as he is doing this Emilia approaches the room crying out that a murder has taken place.  Othello eventually lets her in and she tells him Cassio has killed Roderigo.  Desdemona manages to speak one more time before dying and when Othello admits responsibility for her death, Emilia starts to scream “murder”.

ACT FIVE SCENE II: KEY POINTS  Emilia’s cries bring Iago, Gratiano and Montano running.  Emilia confronts her husband about his deception, calling him a liar and a villain. She reveals the truth about how the handkerchief ended up with Cassio.  Iago stabs her and runs off. Emilia dies beside Desdemona.  Othello realises, too late, that Desdemona was never unfaithful to him. He is overcome with guilt and despair.  Iago is captured and partly confesses his crimes but refuses to say anymore. However, letters found on Roderigo reveal much about his various schemes.  Lodovico decides Iago will be imprisoned and tortured; Cassio will be the new governor of Cyprus and Othello will be stripped of his command and taken into custody.  However, after a final moving speech, Othello stabs himself and dies while kissing Desdemona’s lips.

EMILIA  Emilia’s loyalty to Desdemona is clearly shown in this scene. She expresses genuine grief when she sees her dead body.  In her grief and anger she defies Othello himself. Othello’s threats are meaningless to her and she has no fear of him. She is determined to reveal what Othello has done.  She is also determined to expose Iago as a villain and perseveres bravely, defying society’s norms again and again by speaking out against her husband’s wishes.  Emilia pays with her life for this crusade but she dies having achieved justice for her friend. Othello has been exposed as her killer and Iago as a master schemer who has deceived them all.

Iago MALICIOUS AND DESTRUCTIVE: Iago’s malicious nature is very evident in this scene. He is unrepentant about what he has done, utterly lacking in remorse and empathy. He argues he only told Othello what he already believed or was ready to believe. His malicious streak is also clear when Emilia starts to expose him. He threatens her and insults her again and again, urging her to shut up and commanding her to leave. He finally kills her. Whereas Roderigo’s death was out of strategy, Emilia’s is purely out of spite. By the time he stabs her she has already revealed his deception. Murdering her cannot benefit him. It only invites greater punishment from those around him but he does it anyway. Iago’s destructive nature is also clear at the end when Othello demands to know what motivated him. Othello is desperate to know but Iago will say no more. He has destroyed Othello’s life but won’t give him the satisfaction of saying why.

Othello Dignified and Proud: Othello is very calm when he enters the room, he is no longer unsure of himself. He has decided she deserves to die and sees the act as one of justice rather than revenge. Even when Desdemona awakes he doesn’t allow feelings of love or hate to influence his actions. However the moment that he thinks of Cassio and Desdemona making love he immediately loses his temper All his rage and frustration resurfaces and he begins to smother her. His love for Desdemona: Othello thinks Desdemona’s actions with Cassio have made her a “whore” and that she must die. However, the Moor still recognises Desdemona’s beauty and when he is with her struggles with his feelings for her. The moment she is dead he realises what a heinous act he has committed but his true remorse only comes when it is made clear that Iago has been deceiving him and that his wife was always faithful. There is no way he can live with the monstrous deed he has committed and so ends his life, saying that he loved “not wisely, but too well”

Desdemona As we observed in recent scenes, Desdemona is meekly tolerant of her husband’s unnatural behaviour. When she realises he has come to kill her she makes some effort to defend herself and convince him he has no reason to doubt her, but her efforts are meek and achieve nothing. It is almost as if she has accepted her fate, even though she can see no reason for having to die. Perhaps there was nothing she could have done to save her life but she does not even scream or fight. Her behaviour contrasts with Emilia who is not shy about challenging Othello and screaming “murder” once she realises what he has done.