Hamlet


Othello


Exam Techniques A rejected follower


The Moor shows poor judgement in his dealings with others, often failing to recognise the consequences that will arise from his decisive actions. He broke military tradition when he passed over Iago for promotion, abandoning ‘by old gradation, where each second,/ Stood heir to the first’. Othello had not considered the effect on his bitterly offended ensign, who now follows him ‘to serve my turn upon him’. Why did he choose the inexperienced Florentine Cassio who is a ‘bookish theoric’? What does his choice tell us about the Moor?


Is Othello insecure about his lack of education and civilised manners? He admits to being unsophisticated, ‘Rude am I in my speech,/ And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace’. Did he choose Michael Cassio because he was the go- between in his courtship of Desdemona? Was he not aware that Cassio had ‘unhappy brains for drinking?’ It seems that as an outsider living in a white urban society, Othello is never really at ease in Venice.


An abused father


Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, once accepted the Moor as a welcome guest in his home. This was presumably because he admired Othello as a military officer who had experienced ‘hair-breadth scapes i’ the imminent deadly breach’. Yet Brabantio’s attitude changes dramatically when Othello elopes with his daughter. The elderly Venetian senator feels betrayed and embarrassed, fearing that Desdemona will ‘incur a general mock’. He reacts by judging Othello as a cultural stereotype who must have resorted to witchcraft, ‘practices of cunning hell’, to win his daughter. Was Brabantio naive in allowing this ‘extravagant and wheeling stranger’ into his home?


There are several other questions about the relationship between the two men. Why did Othello elope? Did he suspect that Brabantio would object to the marriage? Did Othello not consider that he might be abusing Brabantio’s hospitality by deceiving him? Or did he think that he had acted honourably in marrying Desdemona? What is clear is that Othello’s status in Venetian society directly affects all his relationships. Unfortunately, he is not fully aware that he may be accepted for his ‘service’ to the city-state, but not as a member of a prominent Venetian family.


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Using Othello as a Comparative Text: Theme or Issue A demoted friend


Othello’s soldierly skills are not equal to the task of administering the island of Cyprus. When confronted by a drunken street brawl involving his lieutenant, he becomes flustered and reverts to his military background. The Moor demands certainty, ‘Give me to know/ How this foul rout began’. Having initially misjudged Cassio’s character weaknesses, he now acts decisively, dismissing their friendship, ‘Cassio, I love thee/ But never more be officer of mine’. He has made an ‘example’ of the lieutenant and deprived him of rank and reputation. Othello prides himself on being an honourable man who upholds justice even at a terrible price to himself and others.


A dishonest friend


Ironically, Othello relies heavily on the man he passed over for promotion, ‘honest’ Iago. The two men have a complex relationship and the embittered ensign reprogrammes the Moor to view himself through the prism of racial


This fellow’s of exceeding honesty


Othello Act 3 Scene 3, l.287


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