Blind Trust In Othello

The play Othello by William Shakespeare paints a picture of a noble character by the name of Othello. Othello’s nature was “noble, innocent, modest, and free” and yet he still possessed several tragic flaws that ultimately led to his downfall (Martin 47). Othello suffered from many flaws but the largest were jealousy, quick judgment, and blind trust in Iago. While Othello’s tragic flaws were clearly present these flaws would never have led to Othello’s downfall had it not have been for Othello’s greatest flaw, blind trust in Iago. Othello’s blind trust in Iago led to other flaws such as jealousy and quick judgment playing a major role in Othello’s life in the play Othello by William Shakespeare. Othello’s greatest flaw was blind trust in Iago

Early in the play Othello by William Shakespeare Othello clearly shows sound judgment and logical reasoning behind his conclusions. When Brabantio attempted to take Othello in for stealing Desdemona from him Othello did not react with anger, but instead with logic and told Iago and Cassio to “Keep up [their] bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (Shakespeare I.ii.76-77). Othello did not act quick nor rashly in this scenario. Later, in Cyprus, Othello once again displayed his sound judgment in the way he addressed a drunken Cassio by asking “How comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot” (Shakespeare II.iii.200). Othello gave Cassio a chance to defend himself and appeared to follow the Venetian method of questioning him rather than simply assuming Cassio to be guilty. Othello appeared to have sound judgment, but almost immediately after showing blind trust in Iago he lacked “the judicial temper, and in important crises [did] not observe the judicial procedures” (Martin 47). As soon as Othello shows blind trust in Iago Othello is only nominally “searching for evidence; in actuality he is crying for certainty at any price, and doing so in the office of prosecuting counsel” rather than take his time and make sound rational judgments (Kliger 137). Othello became completely ensnared in Iago’s web and believed Iago’s every word as

Othello was not a naturally jealous man. Jealousy was simply not in Othello’s nature until Othello started exhibiting blind trust in Iago. Othello’s initial sentiment when Iago started to point out that there was a possibility that Desdemona may have been having an affair with Cassio was that “she had eyes and chose [him]”(Shakespeare III.iii.220). Initially Othello did not act jealous as it simply was not part of his nature. It can be said that “Othello is one not easily jealous, but being wrought, perplexed in the extreme” (Shakespeare V.ii.405-406). Throughout the play Othello’s blind trust in Iago led him to a perplexed state in which he was vulnerable to flaws that he did not usually struggle with. In a perplexed state Othello “becomes jealous and eventually a murderer” (Kliger 222). Without Othello’s blind trust in Iago Othello would never have become perplexed and would not have led to flaws that resulted in the murder of Desdemona. Othello recognized his growing problem as he said “There is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy” and yet Othello was still unable to shake his jealousy as Iago kept feeding him lies (Shakespeare III.iii.222-223). Othello became so jealous that he began to think he would be “happy if the general camp, pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body, so [he] had nothing known” (Shakespeare III.iii.397-400). Othello’s jealousy was