The theme of deception is one of the central themes throughout the play “Othello” written by William Shakespeare. Although the topic for this essay isn’t on deception, it plays a big part still. Iago, the mastermind behind it all, shows how one person can ruin so many others lifes. For instance, he turns othello into villain with a few words and some convincing and makes othello feel like a victim in some of the situations. Throughout the play “Othello”, is many encounters with lies, snakes, secrets, lost trust, etc. It gives a representation of what not to be as a human being. It’s about iago’s tricky ways into peoples heads, making the world crumble around because of one’s jealousy, and making othello the villain in all ends of this play.
Due to othello being black and him marrying a white woman, he is a victim. Obviously people had issues with a black man with a white woman. Reason 1 shows that you couldn’t be a different color without getting some type of hate for it. ( I, i, 117) You’ll have your nephews neigh at you. You’ll have courses for cousins and gennets for germans.” Othello, being the victim, is seen to be out to ruin his wife and future family. All because his skin color. This proves reason 1 by showing that people do get treated differently because of color. Othello and iago have a conversation that seems like it’s being led to something bad and that could possibly upset and ruin othello even more. This quote proves reason 1 by showing that the more lies that are said around from the same person, the more true they might become. The more iago talks about othello’s wife sleeping with cassio, the more he starts to believe it.“Indeed? Ay, indeed! Discern’st thou aught in that? Is he not honest?” (III, iii, 104).
Othello is fed these awful lies by iago. Reason 2 asserts that othello is a victim in this situation because no man wants to hear that there wife is sleeping with another man. Without knowing that these words aren’t true, othello goes on to believe that desdemona is sleeping with cassio. Bianca finds the handkerchief that was given to desdemona by othello, in cassio’s room. Making it look like a bad way around this, iago planned out what would happen and how. “She is protectress of her honor too. May she give that?” (IV, i, 15). Iago is talking to othello about the secret affair going on between othello’s wife and cassio. This quote proves that iago is out to make it sound like othello’s wife is a whore, which makes othello heartbroken, making him a victim. Not to forget that desdemona gave the handkerchief of “love” to cassio and was left to be found.
Othello can be seen as a villain due to his actions, (IV, ii, 215-216) shows that othello can be a very dangerous person. “There lies your niece, Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopped.” Othello admits to killing his own wife to the uncle. This quote proves the counter argument because it gives detail of what othello has done to his wife. He’s turned against her over a rumor, making him a villain at this point rather than a victim anymore. Othello is now feared by the others because his actions have frightened the others. They see him as an angered man who wants revenge on his wife and guilty cassio whos been sleeping with desdemona, but what they fear is how he’ll handle it.
These actions he commited costed not one life, not two, but three all together. That included his wifes, cassios, and his own life at the end of the play. “I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt, prove, And on the proof there is no more but this, Away at once with love or jealousy!” (III, iii, 189). This evidence can be misleading to some because throughout the play othello is being used and manipulated into hurting someone eventually. He’s made to believe these accusations of his wife cheating which angers him to do such crazy actions. That includes killing his own wife, stabbing iago, and then killing himself at the end.
In conclusion, othello is seen as a victim, villain, friend, all throughout the play. But once it gets towards the end of everything and comes down to one title, it’s villain. No matter how many things you’ve heard from one person, should you ever result in murder. Othello presents himself as a victim and a villain, but mostly due to his actions towards the end he is focused as a villain. With deeper consideration, coupled with an open mind, showing the truth, othello just may be the actual villain here. His actions against cassio and his wife desdemona, makes him a murderer which reveals what he was really capable of.
