Othello - AO4

Othello - AO4

1. Bible

   • Sins of pride, envy, gluttony, lechery, avarice, wrath and sloth

2. Cinthio

   • Shakespeare's source for Othello was a story in Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi, published in 1565
     • An unnamed Venetian moor, skilled in war and highly esteemed by the duke, takes desdemona as his wife and is assigned to battle in Cyprus
       • His unmaed ensign, a man of 'handsome figure, but of the most depraved nature in the world,' fell in love with desdemona, but the love was not recipricated
         • Devised a scheme to plot the death of the Captin and to divert the affection of the Moor from desdemona
           • KIlls desdemona

3. Macbeth

   • In both plays a woman drives her husband to kill, moreover both men are warriors, successful in battle
   • ambition and envy as Iago and Macbeth are both driven by a desire to reach the top but in different ways

4. Antony and cleopatra

   • Inter-racial love
   • a nightmare of racial prejudice and political decline
     • The racist discourses in Antony and Cleopatra are instigated from Cleopatra’s exotic “otherness”. Her African ethnicity allows the Romans to easily label her as a temptress. In an animalistic rage, she strikes the messenger who brings her the news of Antony’s marriage to Octavia which reinforces her barbaric nature in strong contrast to the modern civil code of Romans. Othello’s somewhat animalistic passion also plays up to the stereotype of an untamed barbarian from a faraway and distant land. Firstly, his own stories of slaves, cannibals and Anthropophagi, narrated so passionately to his beloved Desdemona in an attempt to court her, ideologically produce his identity as a black man within a configuration of familiar signifiers. And secondly, his act of violence and aggression at the end of the play compulsively attributes itself to his Moorish heritage. Just as Cleopatra “enchants” Antony, Othello is claimed to have “lured” Desdemona using African spells and necromancy. Both these in
     • In both plays, the community of whites – the Romans and the Venetians – find harbour for their frustrations and malice in racism. This is a more implanted form of racism. The Romans find it easy to blame the dark, foreign Cleopatra whose whims at the height of battle cause the downfall of the virile hero Antony. Iago holds a grudge against Othello for choosing Cassio over him for the position of lieutenant, while Roderigo harbours pure jealousy since Othello seems to have “stolen away” his primary love interest, Desdemona. They hence vent out their anger by blaming his uncivilised heritage and savage origins.
   • Male dominance
     • phallocentric view of women
       • "Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both. "
         • Cleopatra is accused of an enchantress and a lustful predator
     • Women as men's properties
       • Brabantio claims to have had his daughter “stolen” from him and “corrupted”, while Othello claims to have “won” her over. This shows how deep the gender stereotypes are embedded in society.
   • Throughout the play, Cleopatra is presented as typically feminine – lacking in moral responsibility, self-centred and self-indulgent, neglectful of her regal duties, treacherous and devious in her dealing with others. Her every image is highly sexualised, right from the description of her “infinite variety” in Act II till the final scene where she lies naked, dead from an asp-bite to her breast. This further highlights her commodification in a patriarchal society.
   • Slsander of womens sexualities
     • Othello refers to Desdemona as a “subtle whore” and “cunning whore” in addition to multiple references to her as a “strumpet”. Bianca is described by Iago as a “housewife” and “strumpet” while Emilia is labelled as a “villainous whore”.
   • Comparison of Desdemona and Celopatra
     • Desdemona in Othello plays up to the stereotype of the submissive and docile wife. Even after being accused wrongly of adultery and falling victim to misogyny, she continues to obey Othello’s orders. In her final breath she still remains true to her husband, saying ‘Commend me to my kind lord’. She doesn’t fight back or retaliate when Othello smothers her and instead, accepts her death as punishment rather than tragic injustice. Cleopatra on the other hand, is more potent and articulate. She is well aware of the power she has over Antony and although she loves him, she has an interest in flattering her Roman conquerors to empower herself against the threats of Roman patriarchy. As Vanashree Tripathy points out in the Introduction to the Worldview Critical Edition of the play, Cleopatra’s gender renders her “politically unacceptable but sexually acceptable.”
   • Tragedy in both texts
     • The element of Thanatos overcomes Antony who seems aware of the fact that his involvement with Cleopatra is fatal, but always says, “In the east my pleasure lies” (II.iii.39). This sense of escape from responsibility makes him weak in the face of Caesar and Lepidus. Once a great fighter with loyal troops, he lies fallen, his aggressive energy and violent destructive passion replaced with love. Antony’s self-confidence in military matters languishes. Almost everything in Antony’s defeat is attributed to his love for Cleopatra. He is unable to break himself from her and has to face the consequences of the defection of Cleopatra’s ships at sea. The tragedy in the play is not reserved only for Antony. Their cataclysmic love affair spans a vast geographical area – from Rome to Egypt. It results in a political turmoil across continents. Pompey’s attack on the triumvirate threatens the crux of Roman power. Cleopatra’s suicide renders the Egyptian seat of power vacant until her son Caesarion c