Universal appeal of Othello

The universal appeal of Othello lies in its portrayal of dramatic relationships. Discuss with reference to the play.

In the tragedy Othello Shakespeare explores the dramatic relationships between men and women of different classes and ranks, mainly in paternal, marital and fraternal aspects, thus creating a universal appeal to the play. He exposes the fragility of the human psyche and its duplicity through the relationship between the titular character and the manipulative antagonist, whereas the intimacy between Othello and his wife exposes the destructiveness of excessive passion. Conclusively, however, it is the paternal relationship between Brabantio and Desdemona that represents the ever-changing nature of human behaviour.

The congenial relationship between Iago and Othello portrays the treacherous nature of the human mind. There is no single description for the unbreakable and ironic relationship that exists between the general and his ancient as it is in constant flux. From the start of Act1 Scene1 we are presented with the duplicity and manipulative nature of Iago seen through the paradox “I am not what I am” which relates the true nature of Iago any audience would find appealing and intriguing. Moreover, Iago takes advantage of Othello’s trust and betrays his marriage to Brabantio with extensive use of racially charged discourse “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” to not only present Othello as a man of sexual promiscuity, but also introduce Othello as a stereotype of the coloured race to the audience and the respectable minister. Othello on the other hand, is completely ignorant of Iago’s actual intensions. Othello refers to Iago throughout the play with pervasive use of dramatic irony and high modality “Honest Iago”. Othello’s naivety allows for Iago’s power hungry nature to ultimately shift the statue between them opening up Iago to have a prominent influence over him thus making the play even more appealing to a universal audience and conveying the sadistic mind of Iago. In addition, despite the appearance of loyalty and brotherhood in this relationship, Iago in reality is the main cause of Othello’s degradation. Iago uses repetition of Othello’s rhetorical question “Is he not honest?/ Honest, my lord?” to increasingly inflict emotional pain onto Othello and implant seeds of Desdemona’s infidelity into his mind thus increasing his demise and displaying his hidden jealousy. Thus portraying, that the drama in the play lies in the tension between appearance and reality, making the play more appealing to an audience.

The marital relationship between Othello and Desdemona is a breach in the audience’s expectations, as Desdemona chooses her own husband, moreover a black man to marry in secret from her father. This is symbolised in the exclamatory statement of Brabantio “O she deceives me/ Past thought!” appealing to the audience by emphasising Desdemona’s bravery. Othello’s integrity and honesty is shown in the repetitive statement “It is most true; true I have married her…” conveying his commitment to his new wife and surpassing the audience’s expectations of a coloured man of the Elizabethan era, making the play more appealing. The rapid deterioration of their relationship is seen in the rhetorical question “…Made to write ‘whore’ upon?” which foreshadows Othello’s fragmented mindset. The obsessive behaviour Othello exhibits with the idea of Desdemona’s infidelity escalates to a point where he murders her but still alternates between loving and hating her. This is highlighted in the metaphor “Yet I’ll not shed her blood, Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow” which represents Othello’s internal conflict and makes the character more alluring to a universal audience. In addition, Desdemona’s innocent and noble death portrayed in the exclamatory pleas “O banish me, my lord, but kill me not!”, “But while I say one prayer!” creates drama in her relationship with Othello, as it is a sign of his loss of control.

The paternal relationship between Brabantio and Desdemona is atypical for the Elizabethan epoch. Desdemona’s deceit is portrayed through Brabantio’s frantic repetitive use of exclamatory sentences and rhetorical questions “O unhappy girl! With the Moor, say’st thou?” conveying the anxiousness, fear, concern and panic the father feels towards his daughter. This is appealing to an audience as it portrays the progressive nature of Desdemona as a woman. However, Desdemona does acknowledge her respect towards her father through the noble and righteous tone “My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty” portraying her understanding of her filial duties towards her father, but accentuates her inability to reconcile them, making the play universally appealing. Conversely, Brabantio spends a considerable time questioning the traits of his daughter and comparing her with the Moor, shown in the cataloguing and racial mockery “Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy/ So opposite to marriage that she shunned” conveying his values towards the coloured race and representing his attitude of his daughters marriage to ‘the Moor’. In addition, Brabantio through the use of rhyme “So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile, We lose it not so lone as we can smile” emphasises his emotional sorrow and grief providing a further appeal to the play. Moreover, the foreshadowing of the devastating collapse of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship depicted in Brabantio’s parting words to his son in law “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived me and may thee” creates a supplementary appeal of the play by alluding to a disastrous conclusion to the tragedy.