Manipulation and Staging in Othello

 

Manipulation and staging in “Othello”

by William Shakespeare

Student: Cornea Alexandra

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Manipulation is simply defined in a Cambridge Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary as controll in g some someone  one  or somebody somebody to your own advantage, advantage, often un f air ly or dishones dishonestl tl y. In psychology studies, there can be found much information regarding this term. A more complete definition of manipulation states that manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other’s expense, such methods could be considered exploitative, abusive, devious and deceptive. There are multiple ways used by manipulators to control their victims: by positive reinforcement (includes praise, superficial charm, superficial sup erficial sympathy - crocodile crocod ile tears - , excessive apologizing, ap ologizing, money, approval, gifts; attention), negative reinforcement (includes nagging, yelling, intimidation, threats, swearing, emotional blackmail, the guilt trap, sulking, crying, and playing p laying the victim). Between the manipulative techniques, we can identify lying, lying by omission, denial, rationalization (an excuse made by the manipulator for inappropriate behavior), diversion (not giving a straight answer to a straight question and instead  being diversionary, diversionary, steering the conversation onto another topic), evasion (similar to diversion but giving irrelevant, rambling, vague responses, weasel words), shaming (using sarcasm and put-downs to increase fear fear and self-doubt self-doubt in the victim and to make others feel unworthy and therefore defer to them), playing the servant role or feigning innocence or confusion ( playing  playing dumb by pretending that he doesn’t know what you are talking about or being confused about an important issue brought to his attention). The men who are too trusting, too naïve, too altruistic are vulnerable to manipulation. In this essay, I’ll try to analyze the action and characters of “Othello” by William Shakespeare from a  psychologicall point of view, more  psychologica more exactly, to analyze analyze the way manipulation manipulation functions functions and how does Iago Iago succeed in following his own advantage. I’ll concentrate conc entrate on the relationships between Iago, for he is the manipulating

engine the play,I and theinmen he ction manipulates: Cassio and Roderigo. I’ll discuss this matter relying matter  relying on the firstofdefinition gave, conjun conjunction with theOthello, terms “own advantage”, “unfairly” and “dishonestly”: Why and how does Iago use manipulation? How far is he responsible for the tragic unfolding of events in “Othello”?  “Othello”? 

In the expository scene, Shakespeare concentrates upon the discussion between Roderigo and Iago. The for mer mer pronounces for the first time in the play the latter’s name:  name:  “Thus, never tell me, I take it much unkindly  unkindly  That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse  As if the string stringss we were re thine, shoul shouldst dst know know of this.” this.” (1.1.1 (1.1.1-3) We can observe that in this tragedy, Iago plays an important role, maybe even more important than Othello’s, for the him entire course of the is stemmed his work. He seems to be very and jealous of  everyone around and, because ofplay his own lack of from happiness, he decides to disrupt the insecure contentment of others. His first victim in no one else than Roderigo, a naïve fool, in love with Desdemona, which trusts his happiness in Iago’s hands, suspecting nothing.  nothing.  From the first quotation I mentioned, we can imagine that Iago isn’t using Roderigo and his money for the first time (“That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse/ As if the strings were thine”) t hine”).. Roderigo is an old victim of  Iago’s evil plans, and, in the action of this tragedy, he becomes once again again a victim, but this time it will be fatal. Roderigo, the young fool deeply in love with Desdemona, rich and unexperienced, unable to woo Desdemona by himself , is willing to do anything in order to have her and so he abandons himself in Iago’s hands. Iago Iag o makes him believe that he hates Othello for he had named Cassio, “a fellow almost damned in a fair wife/ That never set a squadron in the field/ Nor the division of a battle knows” (1.1.20 -22) to be his lieutenant. He suggests that both Cassio and Othello are corrupt, as he affirms: “Preferment goes by letter and affection/ And not  by old gradation, where each second/ Stood heir to th’ first.  first.   […]” (1.1. 35-37). Showing hate towards the Moor, he tries to gain Roderigo’s confidence, confidence, to make him believe that he will help him in order to avenge. Roderigo wouldn’t accept to follow the Moor anymore, but Iago, using his cleverness in evil purposes, decides to continue following him, for “In following him I follow but myself” (1.1.57): Iago explains to Roderigo that he has no 2

 

respect for Othello beyond what he has to show to further his own revenge. The next step is to convince Roderigo to be a part of his evil plan, by arousing Brabantio, Desdemona’s father: “Call up her father,  father,   Rouse him, make after after him, poison poison his delight, delight,  Proclaim him in the streets. streets. Incense Incense her kinsmen, kinsmen,  And, though he he in a fe fertile rtile climate climate dwell,  Plague him with flies! flies! […]” (1.1.66  (1.1.66 -70) -70) When Iago talks about corrupting Brabantio's opinion of his fair daughter, Desdemona, he uses the language of poison and plague, which seems appropriate given the nature of Iago's manipulation. When Iago tattles on Othello and Desdemona for eloping, he capitalizes on Brabantio's xenophobic attitude toward mixed race marriages. Here's what Iago says to get Brabantio riled up against Othello: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram  ram    Is tupping your your white ewe! Arise, Arise, arise” (1.1.87 -88) -88) Iago uses racist slurs when he wakens Brabantio with the news that his daughter, Desdemona has eloped with Othello. When Iago says an "old black ram" is "tupping" Brabantio's "white ewe", he plays on Elizabethan notions that black men have an animal-like, hyper-sexuality. The antithesis he uses, “black ram” and “white ewe” evince the fact that he’s  he’s  acknowledged with Desdemona’s innocence (as he’s comparing her to a ewe) but,  blinded andand willing to avenge, slandersand heratand lover, This bawdy and rasist languageby hashate power is meant to upset he Brabantio, the her same time Othello. helps Iago winvulgar, his favor by revealing to him this groundbreaking groundbreaking information. Iago seems to be always in the appropriate place and time. This reveals us one more time his chameleonic character. In one scene, he’s arousing Brabantio, in the next one, he’s next to Othello, poisoning his mind. He’s always finding a good and dishonest excuse to leave, in order to arrive somewhere else where to carry out his  plans. In the scene where Iago and Roderigo are shouting at Brabantio in order to persuade him and make him angr y with his daughter and Othello, Iago says that he must leave, because it wouldn’t be in his advantage to be seen conspiring against Othello: “Farewell, for I must leave you.  you.   It seems not not meet, nor nor wholesome wholesome to my place, To be produced, as, if I stay, I shall,  Against the Moor. […]” […]” (1.1.142-145) Beside playing the role of a victim, Roderigo is persuaded by Iago to take part in his plan, to be his instrument with the help of which he can avenge against Othello for making Cassio his lieutenant, instead of him, when Iago thinks that “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.” (1.1.10). But Roderigo doesn’t know Iago’s entire plan. Iago continuously lets him know that he hates the Moor, in order to gain his confidence, to make him believe that they are sharing the same sentiment towards him and so, they can share revenge also: “[…] Now sir, be judge yourself   Whether I in any just term am affined  To love the Moor.” (1.1.37 -39) -39) “Though I do hate him as I do hell - pains.”  pains.” (1.1.152) (1.1.152)   “I am not what I am” (1.1.64) is the phrase that best characterizes Iago. Every word he spokes is well thought as it to cause evil, pain, revenge and to instigate at murder. In the second scene of act I, Iago walks along with Othello, posing as a good friend and confident by informing him that a man “spoke such scurvy and 3

 

 provoking terms” against him, that he had hardly controlled his instinct to kill him. We can observe that he uses an expression that is in total contradiction with his inner dimension: “little godliness I have” (1.2.9).  (1.2.9).   Unfortunately, because Othello’s sight is poor, Iago has, in more than one scene, the role of Othello’s eyes, Othello’s sight. When Brabantio’s men surround Othello, Ia go, as Iuda did, sells Roderigo, not with a kiss, but saying “You, Roderigo! Come sir, I am for you.” (1.2.58). The phrase can be interpreted in two different ways: “I am with you!” (favorable to Roderigo) or as a sign to confirm that Roderigo is the one that t hat prated and was the cause of Othello’s Othello’s trouble. Using one phrase, he deceives two persons. After a long absence in scene 3, act 1, at the end of the scene, Iago and Roderigo appear once again on stage. The first act is symmetrical, it opens and it ends with the same characters. At the end of act 1, Iago is confronted with a depressive, ready to commit suicide lover, Roderigo. The question that arises is why does Iago  persuade Roderigo Roderigo not to do it? Does Does he do it sincerely sincerely,, or, once again, again, undernea underneath th a friendly attitude, attitude, he conceals conceals a devilish one? The answer is to be found in the redundant words “put money in thy purse” that appear four times in his speech, and three times the idea of making money is suggested in other ways: “fill thy purse with money”, “make all money thou canst” and “therefore make money”. Iago is suggesting that Desdemona will soon change her mind, she’ll get sick and tired of the old Moor and she’ll “change for youth”. When Roderigo doubts Iago’s  promises, the the argument argument given once once again again is the hate hate towards Othello: “I have told thee often, and I re-tell re -tell thee again and again, I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted, thine hath no less reason: let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him.”  him.”   Like the repeated references to plants, usually poisonous plants, references to animals often used by the same character convey ainsense that When the laws of nature, rather of society, are the forces governing the characters this play. animal references are than used those with regard to Othello, as primary they frequently are, they reflect the racism both of characters in the play and of Shakespeare’s contemporary audience.   In the soliloquy which Iago delivers after Roderigo leaves, he expresses the true reason of his desire to avenge: he suspects Othello had slept with Emilia, his wife: “[…] I hate the Moor    And it is thought thought abroad that that „twixt my sheets sheets    He‟s done my office. […]”  […]”  As a consequence, he lays out his plan to cheat Roderigo out of his money, to convince Othello that Cassio has slept with Desdemona, and to use Othello’s honest and unsuspecting nature to bring him to his demise.  demise.   Iago understands that Othello is a compassionate man and naïve: "The Moor is honest of a free and nature, That thinks men that butopen seem to be so,  And will as tenderly be led by th' nose as asses are" are" (1.3.398-400) (1.3.398-400) In Iago's eyes, Othello believes the most unlikely people to be honest, and this will help Iago to gain and maintain the trust of Othello. Ironically, Othello will view Iago, whose character is that of a liar, as the most likely to tell the truth. This trap will be easy for Iago to continue his web of destruction. All over the play, Iago is referred to as “honest Iago”, which maintains the dramatic irony: the audience is aware of Iago’s false attitude, while the other characters of the play aren’t. In this way, a situation has a meaning for the audience, and another  for the rest of the characters. Shakespeare's Othello examines the ease of manipulation through one's weakness. Iago manipulates Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello by using their individual weaknesses as a catalyst to their downfall and ultimate disgrace. Iago exploits Roderigo's love for Desdemona to humiliate Cassio. Iago exploits Cassio's weakness for  alcohol to squander his reputation and rank. Iago exploits Othello's weakness for Desdemona and belief in the military system to acquire vengeance. Iago uses Roderigo as a pawn in his plot to disgrace Cassio. 4

 

Iago schemes to get Cassio drunk because he knows Cassio, who is kind of a mean drunk, will end up getting into a fight. Why? Because he wants Cassio to get in trouble with Othello, is general, so that Desdemona will try to intervene on Cassio's behalf, which will make Othello jealous and suspicious. We can now observe that Roderigo and Cassio are merely pawns in Iago’s hands. Iago’s revenge against Cassio is justified only by a selfish  purpose. This secondary secondary revenge is schemed to help to the main revenge, against Othello.Iago Othello.Iago almost forces Cassio to drink, telling him, as an argument, that they are drinking in Othello’s and Desdemona’s health. He is an expert in knowing men, and he has right believing that Cassio becomes aggressive while drunk, and that’s the weakness he exploits. He fancies that the Moor’s love and consideration of Cassio won’t excuse an inappropriate  behavior, like that of hurting the ex-governor of Cyprus. And his supposition turns out to be right: Othello dismisses Cassio: “[…]. Cassio, I love thee,  thee,   But never more be officer of of mine.” (2.3.244-245) (2.3.244-245) Iago, who is considered to be the most honest, is demanded to recount what happened. In his speech, he tries to excuse Cassio’s behavior, supposing that the rogue who made him angry addressed him an oath “which  patience could not pass”. Once again, Othello is flatted and impressed by Iago’s goodwill. But underneath underneath this deceitfulness, Iago tries only to hide any implication in the affair: “I know, Iago,  Iago,  Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter,  Making it light to Cassio. Cassio. [… […]” ]” (2.3.242-244) (2.3.242-244) After Cassio has been dismissed, his way is clear. He completely forgets about the promise he made to Roderigo, as he doesn’t need his help anymore. Now he can poison Othello’s mind u nhampered, relying on himself, on his devilish cleverness. He adopts the same friendly and interested, attentive attitude towards Cassio, now dismissed. He advises him to importune Desdemona’s help, for “she is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blest a disposition that she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested” (2.3.315-317). (2.3.315 -317). In the soliloquy that follows, the kindness of this of  this “free” and “honest” advice is revealed: “And by how much she strives to do him good   She shall undo her credit with the Moor   –  –   So will I turn her virtue into pitch  And out of her her own goodness goodness make the net  That shall enmesh them all.” (2.3.353-357) (2.3.353-357) Emilia, Iago’s loving and trusting wife and Desdemona’s servant and friend, becomes the next pawn of  the tragedy. She is advised by Iago to help Cassio get to Desdemona. She subdues without asking herself why Iago demands her to do it, in order to prove herself a good wife. “Ha! I like not that” (3.3.35) is the first phrase that poisons and puts Othello’s heart on fire. After asserting it, he feigns confusion, playing dumb by pretending that he doesn’t know what made him say it, but there’s no way of return, return , because the effect is already produced. After Desdemona’s fervent request to pardon Cassio, Iago cleverly carries out his plan, by asking Othello questions that seem to be of no importance, but, related to the given context, when Cassio has just left Desdemona, are enough to wake up Othello’s latent jealousy. “[…]! By heaven, thou echo‟st me  me   As if there were some some monster in thy thought  thought  Too hideous to be shown. Thou dost mean something,  I heard thee thee say even even now thou lik‟st not that   When Cassio left my wife: what didst not like?” (3.3.109-113) (3.3.109 -113) 5

 

All Iago has to do to Othello is make him doubt Desdemona, and jealousy spreads like a virus until he rejects her absolutely. Notably, Iago, too, has no evidence that Othello has slept with Emilia, but the suspicion or  doubt seems to have been sufficient to make him spurn Emilia and persecute Othello. As I stated before, after absurdly supposing that between Desdemona and Cassio something is wrong, Iago hesitates to continue his thought, and opposes himself when Othello asks him to be more precise. Iago does so in order not to raise any suspicions in Othello. But he has nothing to be afraid of, because Othello is firm in his attitude towards his “honest” friend. His trust in Iago will become that strong that Othello will rather believe the  poisonous words spoken by Iago than Desdemona’s Desdemona’s true, sincere words. When finally Iago accepts to share his thoughts with Othello, he lets him know that it is only a supposition, that “perchance he is vicious in his guess”: guess” : “[…]. I speak not yet of proof” (3.3.199)  (3.3.199)  “Yet” is a key word in his statement. “Yet” is like a promise that he will soon find a proof of  Desdemona’s adultery. And Iago has already planned it all: he asked Emilia to steal a peculiar handkerchief from her mistress, a handkerchief that, if it were lost or  “made a gift” gift”, its owner will be damned. And this is how the action of the tragedy will evolve. Othello feigns indifference indifference and disbelief when he hears the blames Iago puts on Desdemona. But Iago convinces him in an unusual way by stating: "she did deceive her father, marrying you" (3.3.209). He takes what were good intentions on Desdemona's part and flips it. She did deceive her father, however Othello fails to realize that it was her love for him that she did such an act. Othello feigns only feigns disbelief , because, deep in his soul, Iago’s poison already started to spread. After Iago leaves the stage, Othello delivers a soliloquy in which the audience can see the impact of Iago’s Iago’s avowal: “[…] O curse of marriage marri age That we can call there delicate creatures ours  And not their their appetites! appetites! I had rather rather be a toad   And live upon upon the vapour vapour of a dungeon Than keep a corner in the thing I love  For others‟ uses. uses. […]” […]” (3.3.272-277) (3.3.272-277) “I had been happy if the general camp,  Pioneers and and all, had had tasted her her sweet body, So I had nothing know. O now for ever   Farewell the tranquil tranquil mind, farewell farewell content!” content!” (3.3.348 (3.3.348-351) -351)  Now Othello is turned on to appearance appearances, s, what he sees on the outside. outside. Othello Othello wants proof proof that his wife is cheating. This is the first time that Iago has been called on what he is saying. Not only is Othello demanding visible proof, he is threatening Iago that he will go straight to Hell if he is trying to pull a trick on him: “Villain, be sure thou prove thou prove my love a whore, whore,  Be sure of it, give me the ocular ocular proof, proof, [Catching hold of him] Or by the worth of man‟s eternal soul   Thou hadst been better have been born a dog  Than answer my waked wrath!”  wrath!”  Iago now has to plan ahead in order to prove his false statement true. This takes more consideration and this is when he decides to bring his own wife into the chaos and have her get a hold of Desdemona' Desdemona'ss handkerchief. Othello begins to provoke, to suggest Desdemona that he knows that she is cheating him, in order to observe obs erve her reactions, but Desdemona isn’t giving him any proof of adultery, but proofs of love and faith. He interprets her “moist hand” as a sign of a “fruitfulness and liberal heart”, a hand requiring “a sequester from liberty, fasting and prayer / much castigation, ca stigation, exercise devout” because it conceals “a young and sweating devil 6

 

[…] / that commonly rebels” (3.4.39-45). (3.4.39-45). He surprises Desdemona when he gets very angry because Desdemona can’t find her handkerchief, handkerchief, handkerchief she got as a present from Othell Othello, o, a peculiar one which, if it were lost, its owner were damned. Othello starts speaking “startingly and rush”. Their meeting goes on fast, the repartees are harsh, there seems to be a rupture of communication between Othello and his wife, the former demanding the handkerchief, the latter praying to pardon Cassio. Act 4, scene 1, with Othello striking his wife in public and storming out inarticulately, is the reverse of  Act 2, scene 3, 3, where, after calming the “Turk within” his brawling soldiers, Othello gently led his wife back to  bed. Now, insofar as Turks represented represented savagery in early modern England, Othello has exposed his own inner  Turk, and he brutally orders his wife to bed. Iago’s lies have not only misled Othello, they have shifted him from his status of celebrated celebrated defender of Venice V enice to cultural outsider and threat to Venetian security. The action of the play takes place almost wholly in Iago’s world, where appearances, rather than truth, are what count. Because of Iago’s machinations, Cassio is pe rfectly placed to seem to give evidence of adultery, and Othello is perfectly placed to interpret whatever Cassio says or does as such. Throughout the play, Othello has  been oblivious oblivious to speech, speech, always always sure that that speech speech masks hidden meaning. meaning. Staging is ver y important in this scene, because Iago, “speaking lower”, revolves the conversation with Cassio on Bianca, a “housewife that by selling her desires / buys herself bread and clothes”, “a creature that dotes on Cassio”. Othello, withdrawn, can’t hear the silent allusion (“Now if this suit lay in Bianca’s power / how quickly should you speed”) and interprets the conversation that follows as a mockery at Desdemona and himself. When Bianca appears on stage holding Desdemona’s handkerchief, the demanded proof is given. Blinded by  jealousy and empoisoned empoisoned by Iago’s devilish plan, Othello doesn’t fancy that Cassio and Iago were speaking speaking of  her. He has eyes only for the handkerchief, symbol of Desdemona’s betrayal. By this point his in weak the play, Othello's mind afraid has been warped. desperately to kill Desdemona, knowing character and being not tocompletely be conquered again He by her body andwants beauty: “Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I‟ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovi de my mind again. This night, Iago.” (4.1.201-203) (4.1.201-203) Othello’s madness and anger has reached the point of no return. He doesn’t even conceal it from the others’ eyes, striking Desdemona in front of her cousin, Lodovico and calling her “devil”. Iago feigns innocence once again when he’s caught into a conversation with Emilia and Desdemona about what has just happened. He ironically asks “How come this trick upon him?” (4.2.131) and he comforts Desdemona suggesting that some “business of the state does him offence / and he does chide with her” (4.2.168 169). In the final scene, the audience is facing the dramatic dramat ic consequences of Iago’s lies: Othello strangles Desdemona.   Throughout the entire play Iago has been successful in his role of being honest as well as being friendly with all. He plays one character against the other in order to keep them all from one another. This technique works because the characters are unable to discuss the matters and realize that Iago has told them all different stories. That is until the end of the play. Emilia begins to dismantle his entire act by stating that Iago was a liar, "you told a lie, an odious lie, damned lie, / upon my soul a lie, a wicked lie" (5.2.176-177). Iago demands his wife go home but she refuses and threatens Iago. His plan is falling apart and his last option is to stab his wife.  Once Iago's wife is slain, Cassio appears on stage. He and Othello are left remaining and Cassio then tells Othello about how he came across the handkerchief. Othello tries to kill Iago Ia go and in doing so states, "if thou be’st a devil, devil, I cannot kill thee" (5.2.284). After he wounds him Iago states back, "I bleed sir, but not killed" (5.2, 285). Iago is implying that he is in fact the devil, for he has been wounded and yet he is alive, he will not die. Othello demands him to speak and tell what he knows of all the chaos. He wants him to answer to what he has done; he wants an admission of guilt. Instead Iago's last words to him are: “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know.  know.   From this t ime ime forth I never will speak word.” (5.2.300-301) (5.2.300-301)

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By Iago not answering Othello he never admits that he is dishonest. Throughout the play Iago has been honest in every man and woman's eyes. He has claimed friendship with them all and set them all up against each other. Here he has the opportunity to come clean, to repent, to ask for forgiveness; he chooses not to do so. Othello loved his wife so much that he cannot live with the fact that he killed her over the false words of Iago and he decides to take his own life. Iago is there watching it all happen and they all lay dying on the bed in front of  him. Yet, Iago has yet to confess to any of it. Iago stands by his last words and speaks not even one final word. He has no remorse. After Iago was successful throughout the entire play he fails at the end. He was skillful in his actions but none of it was completely premeditated. Iago played each of his actions by ear, as the time came he knew the right thing to say at the right time. He seemed brilliant in a disgusting way. He was in fact a villain. But even though he was successful at setting everyone up for his own personal gain he still failed at the end.

The question that arises in the end is the following: How far is Iago responsible for the tragic unfolding of  events in “Othello”? In my opinion, which I also evinced in the body of this essay, Iago is the engine of  manipulation, the most powerful character in the play. He has the role of a director, of a stage manager, for the greatest part of the events taking place in the play are the effect of a lie or of several lies told by Iago. Right from the  beginning of the the play, Iago’s involvement involvement in the play is evident. evident. The pawns he uses in his advantage are numerous  – Roderigo,  – Roderigo, Cassio, Emilia and Bianca –  Bianca –  they are nothing more than Iago’s characters in a tragedy set up by him.

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