Othello


Dramatic Techniques in Othello


jealousy’. This fatal comment relies heavily on irony as a means of helping the audience to grasp all its hidden nuances.


Irony plays an important part in Othello. For example, the Moor is initially a good man who commits a terrible crime. Meanwhile, the evil Iago masquerades as an honourable man throughout. Irony is a powerful technique that takes advantage of the difference between what is said and what is meant, or what is supposed to happen and what actually happens. It increases the audience’s involvement in the play and heightens the sense of inevitable tragedy.


Soliloquies


The soliloquy originated in Greek tragedy as a speech delivered by a single character onstage. The term comes from two Latin words, solo (‘to oneself’) and loquor (‘I talk’). The character who is alone onstage appears to be thinking aloud. Shakespeare’s soliloquies are modern in that they break what is often referred to as the ‘fourth wall’ separating audience from stage.


An aside is a similar dramatic device, except that the character is not alone. However, when a character makes an aside, it is the accepted


Knavery’s plain face is never seen, till used Iago


Act 2 Scene 1, l.328


convention that while the audience can hear every word, other characters onstage are completely unaware of what is being said.


Soliloquies and asides are central for advancing the plot and for revealing a character’s true state of mind. The most important soliloquies are delivered by Iago, who informs the audience of his plans and motives on several occasions. These speeches contain some of the play’s most memorable language. Because they let us know the true state of the ensign’s complex mind, we understand his obsession with taking revenge on Othello. This intensifies the play’s tragic quality and adds to our experience of the drama.


Iago never hides his intentions from the audience while all the time deceiving everyone onstage. He clearly enjoys his own evil scheming. This makes the audience appreciate his delight in controlling others while condemning its horrific outcomes.


Othello has only one soliloquy (Act 5 Scene 2), which indicates how open he is compared with Iago. As he prepares to kill Desdemona, he convinces himself that he is acting out of justice, not revenge, finally justifying it with the belief that it will prevent her from betraying more men. The soliloquy enables us to see both Othello’s personal trauma and his flawed reasoning.


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