Friendship In Othello

The tragedy of “Othello” is the destruction of one’s integrity. The play is one of the great Shakespearean tragedies, which are all “a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character,” (Oxford Dictionary) who in this case is Othello. He was a Venetian general living in Cyprus with his lovely wife Desdemona. The play begins with one of his most trusting friends, Iago, who is furious about Cassio being appointed as Othello’s lieutenant rather than him. Given this, Iago forms the web that he would use to ensnare the characters that he would use to bring Othello down for him. As consciously crafted the evil work of Iago is, the play is truly about Othello and the great

Throughout the play, he would often talk about Iago in the same manner as in Act 2, scene 2, “a man he is of honesty and trust”( II,ii. 323-324). Given that Othello trusted who he thought was his best friend, it was easier for Iago to bring Othello down. The root of Iago’s evil intentions is jealousy, which he describes to be like a “green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (III,iii. 196-197). He speaks of it in a way that captures how it affects man because that is what he was going through after Cassio got the lieutenancy. Knowing how jealousy eats someone up, Iago uses that upon Othello by introducing doubt in one of the greatest things he had, his love in Desdemona.

The way Iago worked into Othello’s head is that he made it seem like he was helping him by thinking of different possibilties, which only fed the green-eyed monster in Othello. “Their best conscience is not to leave ‘t undone, but keep ‘t unknown,” (III,iii. 235-236)said Iago, which exaplains exactly how he functions. He tells Othello what he wants to hear, which is what builds the doubt of Othello. “Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio…I would not have your free and noble nature, out of self-bounty, be abused” (III,iii.

Even after all the change they had gone throuhg, when he is about to kill her, the audience sees hints of what they used to have because it is the first time they are talking with the connection that they had. It is in this short episode before her death where it is shown that Desdemona truly knew who Othello was and that Othello just wants the best for Desdemona. “Some bloody passion shakes your very frame,” (V,ii. 53), Desdemona says this to Othello, which shows that she knew that there was something wrong with him and that it was his passion that ate him up. We see that he loves her and wants the best for her because he insists that she pray before he kills her because “[Othello] would not kill thy unprepared spirit,” (V,ii. 36). Othello is a different man and can no longer give her the love that she deserved. His heart had grown so cold that he cannot give her mercy, so he rather decided to kill her with a clean spirit, to get the love and mercy from elsewhere. On that note, a guiltless death she dies (V,ii.