False Love in Othello

From Romeo and Juliet to the Macbeths, Shakespeare incorporates a loving relationship between two main characters. But do they actually love each other? In Othello, Shakespeare focuses on Othello and Desdemona’s relationship the most. And while many readers plainly interpret them as genuine lovers, Shakespeare hints to the contrary. He argues that Othello doesn’t truly love Desdemona. Shakespeare uses Othello’s tone about his reputation, the handkerchief, and his jealousy of Cassio to criticize Othello‘s true motives for marrying Desdemona.

Othello’s tone toward being a cuckold means that he only married Desdemona to improve his reputation That’s because Desdemona is rich, white, and Christian, and all three strengthened his reputation. But when Iago explains how Desdemona is cheating on him, he proceeds to lament on his unacceptable reputation as a cuckold, rather than on his loss of love. Othello lashes out, “A hornéd man’s a monster and a beast” (4.1.75). Shakespeare’s diction of “horned,” a synonym of cuckold, emphasizes that Othello cares more about fixing his reputation as a husband of an adulteress wife rather than fixing his relationship with Desdemona.

Othello’s tone towards being a cuckold is enraged because Shakespeare makes the metaphor comparing a cuckold to a “monster.” Monsters are only outcasts because they are perceived that way by other people. Othello doesn‘t want other people to think of him as a cuckold, because then he will lose their respect. He will then become more of an outcast than he already was by being a Moor in a white Venetian society.

Get quality help now

Prof. Finch

Verified

Proficient in: Drama

4.7 (346)

“ This writer never make an mistake for me always deliver long before due date. Am telling you man this writer is absolutely the best. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Othello’s tone when describing the handkerchief is meant not only to strengthen his reputation, but also to scare Desdemona Othello doesn’t care about Desdemona’s love as much as his handkerchief. He describes the design of the handkerchief to Desdemona, “And it was dyed in mummy, which the skillful / Conserved of maidens’ hearts”. Just as he did not desire to be labeled a cuckold before, Othello’s need for a clean reputation is also shown here because the handkerchief has strawberries sewn on with “maidens‘ hearts,” or virgins‘ blood.

This detail symbolizes that if Desdemona loses the handkerchief, she loses her virginity, and then Othello becomes a cuckold, Furthermore, Othello describes the handkerchief as magic, giving Desdemona a very orientalist image, by claiming it was made from a “mummy” Othello’s tone when describing the origin of the handkerchief is very creepy. It’s almost as if he is trying to frighten Desdemona because he knows that due to her upbringing in Venice, she’ll never understand the exotic nature of the handkerchief Shakespeare probably specifies its exoticness to illustrate the drastic cultural differences between the Venetians and the Moors — or at least how they were interpreted in the Elizabethan era. Here, Shakespeare is not only arguing that Othello cares more about the handkerchief while he scares Desdemona, but he is also criticizing Moorish culture as being too exotic, a common Elizabethan interpretation, While Othello’s tone describing the handkerchief scares Desdemona, his tone to Iago shows his jealousy of Cassio over Desdemona.

In essence, his envy of Cassio has a greater effect than his love for Desdemona. After Iago’s famous speech describing jealousy as a green—eyed monster, Othello refutes him by reaffirming his lack ofjealousy, “Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw / The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt, / For she had eyes, and chose me” (3.3.218—220). Despite Othello’s diction claiming that Desdemona “chose Ihiml,” Othello’s tone communicates that he is jealous of Cassio. If he weren’t jealous at all, he would have no reason to reaffirm Desdemona’s loyalty to him. Moreover, he says he doesn‘t “doubt” Desdemona‘s loyalty, but in the succeeding passage, he commands Iago to show him proof of Desdemona’s cheating. Therefore, Othello’s tone indicates that he really does doubt Desdemona, or else he wouldn’t ask for proof These two interpretations demonstrate Shakespeare’s theme that what is said is not always the truth.

That‘s because Othello says two things that are actually opposites of what he believes. Othello’s jealousy for Cassio is furthered by the fact that he views Desdemona as a possession. Shakespeare is conveying that because Othello views Desdemona as his possession and not as his lover, he is jealous of Cassio the same way a baby sibling would be jealous of his brother over a toy, In conclusion, Othello doesn‘t truly love Desdemona because he cares more about his reputation, scares Desdemona with the story of the handkerchief, and is more jealous at Cassio than in love with Desdemonal While it is commonly overlooked, Shakespeare’s use of tone communicates that Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is much deeper than just another love story.