Play Review: Othello is a psychological battle between two men: the deceitful, devious, and depraved Iago, and the simple, honorable Othello, who suffers the tragic flaw of jealousy. Iago spins his web, falsely manipulating his confederate Roderigo, pouring poison into Othello's ear, entrapping Cassio, exploiting his own wife, all to his own evil ends. Early on, Iago is dismayed that the post of Othello's second-in-command is given to Cassio, and decides to win it for himself through a complicated scheme that ensnares everyone in his plot. The parallel is that he loves position and power as much as Othello loves Desdemona. Othello, though a great general, a "noble Moor," is portrayed as a trusting and simpler man, without the breeding and refinement of the Venetians. As such, even though he has won the true love of aristocratic and beautiful Desdemona, he still feels not quite worthy of her, not quite believing in his good fortune. He feels what others feel, that he is not deserving of her, and this insecurity is his fatal flaw; he can be lead into jealousy by Iago's manufactured hints and signs. Even after Othello has named Iago to Cassio's post, it is too late, by then Iago is caught in his own web. His dupe, Roderigo, has spent his last ducats on jewels he asked Iago to give Desdemona, but Iago has taken them for himself. He cannot have Roderigo carrying tales, and must have Roderigo kill Cassio to tie up loose ends. The play revolves around two key axes. One is the way the scheming Iago manages to sway Othello, intelligent as he is, into believing that the faithful Desdemona is not. The lengthy Scene 3 in Act 3, shows Iago twisting Othello's mind, overcoming each of Othello's objections, slowly painting a picture in Othello's mind of an unfaithful Desdemona entwined with a duplicitous Cassio. That scene is a subtle but brilliant masterpiece of the two men in a mental battle, a struggle that decent and trusting Othello loses to the wily Iago. The other axis is that Iago's utter amorality is almost too much to accept. He has some cause: he believes he was unfairly denied the lieutenantcy, appears to believe that Othello has slept with his wife, and may be in love with Desdemona himself. But his resultant acts are beyond all reason. Why? Although perhaps these motivations might be enough for the deviant Iago, I believe that Shakespeare has to take it the next level. Iago's evil is unrestrained because Othello is a Moor, and as such Iago believes that Othello is unworthy of command, undeserving of Desdemona, and has no right to have any control over the cultured Venetian, Iago. The twin roots of Othello's tragedy stem from his race: a black man in a white world, he feels he doesn't merit his good fortune, and so succumbs to mortal jealousy; a simple soldier he is easy prey to Iago's unreasoning and overwhelming racial hatred, as no one would believe that any man was capable of so much loathing, going to such inexplicable lengths. Othello is a play that works on levels, and although not the central characters, Shakespeare has once again written roles of depth and intelligence for women, in Desdemona and Emilia. Though narrower in focus (so few characters!) than other plays, Othello actually ventures into more profound waters. This is as good a psychological drama as Hamlet (300 years before Freud tried to figure out this stuff). Wow. [5★]
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