Othello: the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare
Finally, Iago's plans start to wedge their way in between Othello and Desdemona. As wine made Cassio quick to anger, Iago's doubts planted into Othello's mind made the Moor quicker. Though Desdemona is the focal point of the scene because of Othello's demands of the stolen handkerchief, Emilia provides an insight to marriage that characterizes Iago and his marriage.
"'Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are all but stomachs and we all but food. They eat us hungerly, and when they are full They belch us," (III.iv.97-100). Though not unprecedented in Shakespearean plays, Emilia suggests an unsettling theory that, in marriage, men inevitably use and discard women. Emilia's metaphor may have been intended to be humor, but it provides an invaluable insight into the character and motives of Iago.
Since Emilia's views of marriage were undoubtedly influenced by her own marriage with Iago, their descriptions of the husband's role also describe Iago from a perspective he wants others not to know.
Apparently, Iago holds an objectifying opinion on women; Emilia describes men as simply consuming women then discarding them instead of savoring them. This chauvinistic tendency reinforces the assertion that Iago treats others as pawns in his schemes against Othello. Othello is not meant to be a partner in the army, but an enemy in the way of success; Roderigo is not meant to be a partner in a symbiotic scheme, but a money purse. This much can be surmised through superficial analysis, but perhaps deeper insights can be gleaned from Emilia's opinions. Perhaps Iago's unpleasantness stems from his imperial persona; perhaps his character got in the way of his love and his professional schemes are all he has left in the world after all companions are consumed.
No comments:
Post a Comment