HL Past Exam Questions
Othello
questioning the flimsy evidence that Iago presents, Othello resolves to murder Desdemona. Merely at the sight of a handkerchief and the testimony of one man, Othello abandons the composure he displayed in the first act and becomes overwhelmed by a desire for revenge: ‘Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand.’
It is Othello rather than Iago who proposes that Desdemona must die. And although Iago’s evil scheming informs Othello’s decision-making, Othello should be solely charged with Desdemona’s murder as he is the one who both broaches the idea and carries it out. Iago certainly plays on Othello’s weaknesses, but Othello’s need for certainty overrides prudence leading him to make foolish decisions. Othello’s overly passionate nature also contributes to his tragic downfall. From the first moments
he enters the stage, Othello testifies to the strength of his passion for Desdemona: ‘But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea’s worth.’
After Othello has survived the storm at sea he again displays the intensity of his passion for Desdemona. The joy and contentment he finds in his wife is evident to all: ‘It gives me wonder great as my content / To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!’ However, Othello’s overly passionate nature means that his love is readily transformed into
jealousy. Convinced that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, Othello becomes consumed by his own ‘green-eyed monster’. He succumbs to intense jealous passions and embraces the idea of violent retribution: ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’. So intense are his passions that he even invokes hell: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ Othello’s excessively passionate nature leads to foolishness. If he had applied reason and judged the ‘facts’ presented to him he could have dismissed Iago’s insidious suggestions. However, Othello is led by his tempestuous nature. Although Iago stokes the fires of Othello’s passion, the jealous rage is Othello’s and Othello’s alone. Arguably, Othello’s principal weakness is foolish pride. This clouds his judgement and affects his decision-making throughout the drama. It is evident early in the play as he boasts of his adventures before the Duke. The audience can truly appreciate Othello’s excessive pride as he comes to believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Rather than lamenting the loss of a loving wife, Othello cries out for his tarnished reputation. Because of his wounded pride and his belief that his wife is disloyal, Othello feels that he is not a real man and can no longer be considered a soldier: ‘Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war! And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats The immortal Jove’s dread clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone!’
In an effort to restore his sense of himself as a man of principled action, Othello’s pride leads him to pursue ‘justice’ for Desdemona’s supposed crime. Othello casts himself in the role of an agent of justice. This is reflected in his language as he prepares to kill Desdemona: ‘crime’, ‘perjury’, ‘O perjured woman’. He remarks ‘she must die, else she’ll betray more men’. It is his foolish pride in himself as a man of honour that drives him here. Othello needs to feel that he is doing the right thing to restore his view of himself as a man worthy of respect. He tragically murders his loving wife and
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