Deceit and lies can be one of the most distracting factors in human life despite one’s accomplishments. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have brains enough, to be honest,” the play Othello by Shakespeare accurately depicts his words. Othello is a storyline behind a respectable general and the main character, Othello, who endures a series of tragedies from his deceitful and vengeful advisor, Iago. Regardless of its origin, whether from Othello or the “honest” Iago, Deceit is frequently depicted in the play (Smith, 2008). Besides, in most of the play, Iago demonstrates bad reputation in addition to the other characters. For that reason, the readers of this play view him as the most dishonest. This paper aims to examine the theme of Deceit critically and lies in the play Othello by William Shakespeare.
The play is a reflection of these two parts of reality, showing how they might be different from one another in numerous ways, including race, bloodline, and socioeconomic standing. As a Venetian general, the noble but elderly Moor, Othello, is torn between his wife’s affection and the Deceit of his Flagbearer, Iago. Othello presents himself as a wise and honorable man but still human and vulnerable to intense feelings and manipulation. Iago has convinced him that Desdemona has been having an affair with Cassio, a lieutenant for the Venetians stationed in Cyprus. The play’s action takes place in Venice and on the island of Cyprus, where Othello has landed a military fleet to back up his claims to that country’s throne. Desdemona cannot know Othello’s motives, whether romantic or business-related.
The play’s first instance of Deception comes from the main character, Othello, and his wife, Desdemona. The two are responsible for the catastrophe that unfolds because of their lies and betrayal. Since they feared a condemnation from Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, they decided to keep their marriage a secret, which ultimately proved fatal. Consequently, their marriage affair results in Roderigo’s desperation and hopelessness since he is interested in Desdemona for marriage. Iago exploits and uses Roderigo’s hopelessness and despair to influence him into killing Cassio, whom Iago had pointed out as a potential rival for Desdemona. Iago continues with the deceitful influence throughout the play for his benefit. Although Othello recognizes Iago’s honesty and loyalty, he refuses to promote him and makes Cassio his lieutenant. While it’s true that Iago is a villain, Othello and Desdemona help pave the way for him to plot without being discovered throughout much of the play.
Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, is unaware of Othello and Desdemona’s secret marriage, which is a deception to him since he knows that his daughter is not married. Nonetheless, given the couple’s circumstances, it’s easy to see why they chose to keep their marriage a secret. Desdemona is the daughter of a Venetian Senator. At the same time, Othello is a highly-ranked member of the Venetian army and a man of African heritage frequently, whom the community in the play calls a Moor. With the two from two distinctive backgrounds and orientations, it was difficult for them to get approval for their marriage. Upon realization of the lies, Brabantio expresses his sadness to the Duke and the Senators, only for his charges of witchcraft to be disregarded. For that reason, Brabantio furiously implicates a warning to Othello, saying:
Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see.
She has deceived her father and may thee. (Shakespeare 2. 3. 293-294).
In his quote, Brabantio is still bitter that Desdemona chose Othello over her father. As a result, he tells Othello that Desdemona will still deceive him if she can lie to her biological father. Because of its significance in the novel as the source of Othello’s growing doubt, this is a frequently-used quotation. This nagging suspicion plants the germ for Iago to use Othello’s grudge as leverage in their game of cat and mouse.
After witnessing Desdemona break the trust he once had in her, Brabantio chooses to insinuate that Othello will suffer the same fate the next time Desdemona betrays someone she cares about. In his review of the play, Othello titled, “Love, pity, and deception in Othello,” Shown smith indicates that Deceit and lies in Othello lead to one another. Smith’s (2008) utterances implicate the lies that spread throughout Othello’s characters, including Iago, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo. Besides, Emilia thinks that resentment is self-perpetuating, and she sees parallels between Deceit and the cycle of Deceit that it creates. His meeting with Brabantio foreshadows Othello’s mistaken suspicion that Desdemona is having an affair. These are Brabantio’s final words before informing the audience of his death in the second scene of Act V. His death goes unnoticed for the majority of the play.
According to Gratiano, Brabantio’s brother, his brother’s death resulted from Othello wed Desdemona’s marriage. He says:
Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father’s dead.
Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief Shore his old thread in twain.
Did he live now,
This sight would make him do a desperate turn (Shakespeare 5.2. 215-219)
Gratiano’s statement can be taken as sarcastic and rude, but there may be some truth to the implication that Brabantio suffers due to his marriage. Since Othello and Desdemona’s connection puts an innocent bystander in the position of being Iago’s principal accomplice, Roderigo, it is plausible that Brabantio would still be alive if they had been honest about their relationship.
Another instance of Deception, lies, and manipulation in Othello is when Rodrigo gets himself tricked and killed by Iago. An affluent suitor, Roderigo’s feelings for Desdemona is severed once she marries Othello. However, he fails to use the influence of his wealth to win his love back. Instead, he conspires with Iago to spread his decisive action to gain back Desdemona’s love, not knowing that his accomplice has other plans for using him. Roderigo is a wealthy suitor, hoping to marry Desdemona until his affection is severed due to her marriage to Othello. Instead of using his wealth in an attempt to woo Desdemona, Roderigo conspires with Iago in hopes of regaining Desdemona’s favor. Iago has other plans, however, as he says in a monologue:
Thus do I ever make my fool my purse.
For I my own gained knowledge should profane
If I would time expend with such a snipe
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor (Shakespeare 1.3.320-330)
Roderigo is so naïve that he fails to see his trustworthiness and bank account being exploited; thus, Iago continues to be taken advantage of him. He is manipulated with lies to the point that he kills Cassio in Act IV of Othello. Besides, Roderigo is responsible for providing Iago with covert funding throughout the play. In his decisive persuasions to convince Roderigo to kill Cassio, Iago lies that Cassio would have taken Othello’s position, a position he was interested in. In Act V, a duel between Roderigo and Cassio begins. For dramatic purposes, Iago kills Roderigo and wounds Cassio as he escapes the confrontation.
After Othello, Roderigo is one of the most easily manipulated characters since he would have married Desdemona with luck on his side. Besides, Desdemona’s decision to wed Othello makes Roderigo a pliable instrument in Iago’s hands. Successful execution of Iago’s plan would have been more challenging, if not impossible, without the help of Roderigo, who is just but a victim of lies. We aren’t told precisely how Iago puts Roderigo’s money to use. Still, it’s reasonable to assume that he bought information and support from people who stood to benefit from his scheme. Iago is capable of carrying out his grand plan to fool Othello with the help of Roderigo because Othello believes that Iago is trustworthy and loyal to him. Perhaps the most blatant example of lying is Iago’s manipulation of Othello, which he maintains from the play’s opening until almost closing.
Lastly, Othello is deceived into killing his wife because she is not involved. There is no direct explanation for Iago’s treachery, although some hypothesized reasons include Cassio’s success, his pursuit of power, and his enjoyment of cruelty. Iago’s plan to trick Othello involves making Desdemona seem less than human. Therefore, he uses Othello’s trust to him to his advantage by making Desdemona inhuman in Othello’s presence. Before Roderigo’s arrival, Iago says
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch
And out of her goodness, make the net
That shall enmesh them all (Shakespeare 2.3. 265-280).
By the above statement, Iago explains his plan to portray Desdemona’s pleasant personality as scandalous and sexually suggestive. Consequently, Iago makes Othello suspect Desdemona of cheating without coming out and stating it as a way to accomplish his sadistic intentions. He has mastered Othello’s trust and favor while exploiting him.
The plotting by Iago and Othello to kill Cassio and Desdemona is the play’s climax. Nevertheless, Iago fails to kill Cassio, but Othello kills Desdemona in the bed where they had their claimed romance. Having been tricked into believing false submissions from Iago, Othello doesn’t see through his lies until his wife, Emilia, comes clean about his infidelity. This confession by Emilia makes Othello feel shameful and guilty for his involvement in murdering his Wife, Desdemona. He stabs himself to death, which becomes his painful end and the outcome of Deceit and lies from Iago. Furthermore, Iago uses reverse psychology to further inflame Othello’s passions by pleading with him to cool down until they have more information, all of which are lies. Finally, Cassio appears belligerent and irresponsible while drunk, but Cassio does not manage alcohol well. When Iago says Cassio acts like a dog when drunk because of how violent he gets, he’s describing how other people perceive Cassio when he’s inebriated. Iago says:
If I can fasten but one cup upon him,
With that which he hath drunk tonight already,
He’ll be as full of quarrel and offense
As my young mistress dog. Now my sick fool Roderigo,
Whom love hath turned almost the wrong side out, (Shakespeare 2.3.30-35)
Othello had several chances to recognize Iago’s Deceit, but he always failed to do so, even though Iago ultimately prevailed in the key measures he took. His irrational faith in Iago definitely causes him to fail to see the truth. In contrast to Iago, Othello is not evil; instead, he is naive and trusts no one. When Othello betrays the one he cares about, he unquestionably commits the suicidal error of trusting the wrong person; nonetheless, he is not to fault for the sad outcome that follows.
In conclusion, Deceit and lies are common themes in Othello by William Shakespeare. Everything that goes wrong in Othello could have been prevented if Desdemona and Othello had been forthright about how they felt about each other and had chosen their actions more carefully. Even though Iago’s actions are terrible, Othello and Desdemona are the ones who decide how the tragedy will play out. Desdemona and Othello are both immature and make choices that could have devastating repercussions, although Desdemona is much younger than Othello. Othello and Desdemona are to blame for the events that ultimately lead to their deaths, but they also set in motion the chain of events that leads to their deaths. Besides, Iago, who appears to be a good and upright man with no hidden agenda, manipulates everyone and leads to the hero’s downfall. He was utterly unnoticed, earning the nickname “honest Iago.” Desdemona’s portrayal of Othello changed from that of a devoted wife to that of a deceitful con artist. Even Desdemona’s father’s once loving and adoring outlook shifted.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. THE OXFORD SHAKESPEARE: Othello: The Moor of Venice. Oxford UP, 2008.
Smith, Shawn. “Love, pity, and deception in Othello.” Papers on Language & Literature, vol. 44, no. 1, winter 2008, pp. 3+. Gale Literature Resource Center, Web.