O THELLO Act Four

ACT FOUR SCENE I: KEY POINTS  Iago torments Othello with mental images of Cassio and Desdemona together until the Moor is struck by some kind of seizure.  When Othello recovers Iago has him conceal himself nearby and has some disrespectful banter with Cassio about Bianca.  Othello assumes Cassio is talking about Desdemona. He also sees Bianca throwing his handkerchief on the ground, returning it to Cassio.  He emerges committed to killing Cassio and after a little persuasion from Iago he decides to kill Desdemonda as well.  Lodovico arrives with news from Venice.  Othello becomes so enraged with the increasingly confused Desdemona that he hits her and Lodovico is left wondering if Othello has gone mad.

A BRILLIANT ACTOR: Iago juggles two performances – he hates Cassio but acts in a friendly way bantering with him about Bianca. At the same time he plays a very different performance with Othello – that of the faithful servant who has nothing but his commander’s best interests at heart. Iago MANIPULATIVE AND PERSUASIVE: Expert at using reverse psychology – dangles horrible imagery and hints at the affair, then talks down the importance of these hints. Uses reverse psychology on Lodovico also – refusing to give straight answers makes Lodovico more certain something is wrong with Othello. Throughout the play he raises suspicions to Othello, dismisses their importance and then returns to them when he knows the seed of doubt has been planted. Iago not only persuades Othello to kill Desdemona but also tells him where and how he should do it. EXPERT SCHEMER: Improvises brilliantly, taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. He concocts a story about Bianca wanting to marry Cassio and manages to get from him exactly the sort of reaction he needs to further provoke Othello, who believes Cassio is talking about Desdemona. He engineers to be alone with Othello so he can continue to poison his mind. He turns Lodovico’s arrival to his advantage, speaking mysteriosly about Othello’s madness to sow the seeds of doubt about his sanity.

Othello Dignified and Proud: He has changed dramatically since arriving in Cyprus. Once a model of restraint and dignity (interaction with Brabantio), now he loses control of his speech and self control (hitting Desdemona) Anger, frustration and pride are getting the better of Othello and he is neglecting his duties. Trusting Nature: He is undone by the unquestioning trust he places in Iago. He never once challenges the second-hand information he receives – a serious flaw in a military leader. His love for Desdemona: He clearly still loves his wife – the handkerchief inspires anger towards Cassio for not valuing Desdemona enough. He describes her as a ‘fine’, ‘fair’ and ‘sweet’ woman. However, the strong love he feels fuels his anger at being betrayed and makes him even more determined to have revenge.

Desdemona Strong-willed and Assertive? Her submissive behaviour in this scene greatly contrasts with the smart, diplomatic woman who defies her father’s wishes. She is bewildered by Othello’s behaviour but accepts that she must be responsible for upsetting him and meekly offers to leave. To pacify him she acts with increasing obedience which only angers Othello more – the more personal power she gives Othello, the more he abuses it and this scene marks a turning point in their relationship.

C ASSIO Ladies Man: Previous scenes portray him as a smooth and charming gentlemen popular with women, yet in this scene he is shown in a darker light. Cassio finds Bianca’s devotion to him amusingly pathetic. He mockingly describes how she follows him around. To Cassio, she is no more than a pretty but worthless distraction – a ‘bauble’. His lack or respect for her is clear in the use of several unpleasant and insulting names – ‘customer’, ‘monkey’ He jokes with Iago that he must calm Bianca down when she is upset so he may have no regard for her but he is clearly not finished using her. In this scene then we see Cassio in a harsher light than we have before.

ACT FOUR SCENE II: KEY POINTS  Othello questions Emilia about Desdemona’s behaviour, desperately seeking evidence of the supposed affair.  He also challenges Desdemona, pushing her to admit that she has been unfaithful.  Desdemona tries to persuade Othello of her innocence but he remains deaf to her protests.  Emilia suggests that some evil person must be manipulating Othello with lies but fails to see that it is her own husband doing this.  Roderigo confronts Iago, accusing him of wasting his money. He threatens to go to Desdemona to retrieve the jewels Iago claims he has delivered on Roderigo’s behalf.  Iago sucessfully calms him down and convinces him his only chance of getting Desdemona is by murdering Cassio.

Roderigo In this scene it seems for a moment that Roderigo will redeem himself. He comes across almost respectable, finally standing up to Iago. He has had enough of being manipulated and even threatens to expose some of Iago’s lies. Yet this show of backbone is all too brief. Roderigo is once again easily manipulated by Iago’s story about Desdemona moving to North Africa. He even believes Iago’s outlandish claim that the only way to stop this move is to kill Cassio.

Othello Dignified and Proud: Othello is a military commander responsible for protecting the state. That he is using his time to interrogate maids, desperately seeking evidence of infidelity shows us he has lost sight of his priorities and responsibilities. His behaviour in this scene is far removed from the dignified and proud general we met at the start of the play. He is unpleasant and insulting to Emilia and Desdemona and is quick to lose his patience. His love for Desdemona: There is very little evidence now left of the love Othello once felt for his wife. His speech his angry and bitter and he is swift to lose patience with Desdemona. He is consumed with jealousy at the thought of her sleeping with Cassio and this overrides all his other feelings. Desdemona is still very beautiful but to Othello her beauty masks her inner ugliness. Othello’s trusting nature: Othello no longer trusts Desdemona and is suspicious of her every word. In Othello’s fevered state he seems to think that Desdemona is toying with him, using clever language to conceal her infidelity. It is not just Desdemona that Othello will not trust but Emilia also. He interrogates her at the start of the scene and though Emilia answers his questions and plead with him not to doubt his wife, he does not place any faith in her words.

MANIPULATIVE AND PERSUASIVE: Iago’s powers of persuasion are clearly seen in his confrontation with Roderigo.He manipulates him brilliantly, not only regaining trust but getting him to murder Cassio. Iago employs fear in his persuasion, specifically Roderigo’s fear that he will never be with Desdemona. Iago knows exactly how to play on Roderigo’s emotions. Iago A BRILLIANT ACTOR: He knows exactly why Desdemona is so distraught and yet pretends to be ignorant of her plight, greeting her cheerfully and feigning confusion at her distressed state. He pretends to be shocked when he hears of Othello’s behaviour and immediately takes on the role of gentle comforter. He pretends to be mystified as to why Othello would act in such a way. He comes across as loyal and caring, telling Desdemona that Othello’s anger stems only from “business of the state”. He reassures Desdemona that everything will be alright, all while scheming to ensure her death. EXPERT SCHEMER: In his conversation with Roderigo Iago again comes across as a confident improviser. Iago escapes Roderigo’s threats to expose him excellently, concocting on the spot a story about Othello being transferred to North Africa. Throughout the scene Iago improvises with astonishing ease, it seems that nothing could faze him in his lies. Roderigo begins threatening to ruin him and by the end has agreed to kill Cassio. Iago siezes any opportunity to turn a disastrous situation into an advantageous one.

Desdemona Decent Nature This scene reinforces out sense of Desdemona’s good nature: Though the most hateful abuse is hurled at her, she attempts to understand her husband and get to the root of the problem. No matter how poorly Othello treats her she insists it will not spoil her love for him. Innocent However, Desdemona’s tolerance of her husband’s behaviour also shows her to be naïve and innocent. She is not used to being treated this way and her reaction is confusion and shock. Desdemona’s innocence means she is not equipped to deal with Othello’s behaviour.

THINK ABOUT IT! This scene again demonstrates just how skillful Iago is at manipulating others. Take a close look at how he calms the enraged Roderigo and convince him that it is in his interest to murder Cassio. How does Iago achieve this? What tactics does he deploy?

ACT FOUR SCENE III: KEY POINTS  This scene focuses only on conversations between the two main female characters in the play.  It provides them with a platform for intense philosophical debate on core aspects of human behaviour.  They also debate the potential merits of adultery.

Desdemona Innocent Desdemona’s innocent is more obvious in this scene than any other. It tricks her into believing everything is alright. Reflecting on the cause of Othello’s jealousy she expresses disbelief that adulterous women actually exist. Innocent Desdemona is scandalised and finds it difficult to accept Emilia’s announcement that, yes, women do cheat. Decent Nature Desdemona’s faith in the goodness of people around her and humanity in general has a big impact on her decision-making. Though she is shocked by Emilia’s revelation she does not judge her from it. Rather it makes her more determined to avoid those kinds of mistakes in relationships.

Desdemona Strong-willed and Assertive? Earlier in the play Desdemona displays a steely resolve and independent streak beyond her years. However, where once she defied her father to pursue her controversial marriage, she is now meek and obedient in the face of Othello’s temper. It is not clear if this change is a result of a sense of wifely obligation or fear, or both, but either way she is anxious not to provoke or disobey him. Othello deals with her in a military manner, issuing orders and commands and Desdemona is completely compliant.

EMILIA  Where Desdemona is inexperienced, generous and trusting, Emilia is the opposite: worldly, cynical and wary of others’ intentions. She is far more practical than Desdemona and experience has taught her better than to indulge sentimentality.  Emilia’s speech about adultery is a key moment that highlights just how different these two women are. She takes a realistic view of this kind of betrayal. She would sleep with another man if it would bring her husband material or professional gain. This raises the question of whether or not Emilia has cheated already. Iago’s suspicions about Emilia and Othello may be paranoia, however, this scene shows at thevery least Emilia has the capacity for infidelity.  Emilia has a philosophical side. She proposes what, for the time, was a radical interpretation of why women cheat. Her conclusion is that men have cheated and betrayed their wives for long enough and it spurred wives to abandon their morals.  Emilia is extremely protective of and loyal to Desdemona. While she is devoted, she is no lap-dog and has a fiery streak. She openly expresses her resentment of Othello for the effect he is having on his wife.