Beginning with the opening lines of the play, Othello
remains at a distance from much of the action that concerns and
affects him. Roderigo and Iago refer ambiguously to a “he” or “him”
for much of the first scene. When they begin to specify whom they
are talking about, especially once they stand beneath Brabanzio’s
window, they do so with racial epithets, not names. These include
“the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66),
“an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary
horse” (I.i.113). Although Othello appears
at the beginning of the second scene, we do not hear his name until
well into Act I, scene iii (I.iii.48). Later,
Othello’s will be the last of the three ships to arrive at Cyprus
in Act II, scene i; Othello will stand apart while Cassio and Iago
supposedly discuss Desdemona in Act IV, scene i; and Othello will
assume that Cassio is dead without being present when the fight
takes place in Act V, scene i. Othello’s status as an outsider may
be the reason he is such easy prey for Iago.
Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in
Venice, his skill as a soldier and leader is nevertheless valuable
and necessary to the state, and he is an integral part of Venetian
civic society. He is in great demand by the duke and senate, as
evidenced by Cassio’s comment that the senate “sent about three
several quests” to look for Othello (I.ii.46).
The Venetian government trusts Othello enough to put him in full
martial and political command of Cyprus; indeed, in his dying speech,
Othello reminds the Venetians of the “service” he has done their
state (V.ii.348).
Those who consider Othello their social and civic peer,
such as Desdemona and Brabanzio, nevertheless seem drawn to him because
of his exotic qualities. Othello admits as much when he tells the
duke about his friendship with Brabanzio. He says, -“[Desdemona’s]
father loved me, oft invited me, / Still questioned me the story
of my life / From year to year” (I.iii.127–129).
-Othello is also able to captivate his peers with his speech. The
duke’s reply to Othello’s speech about how he wooed Desdemona with
his tales of adventure is: “I think this tale would win my daughter
too” (I.iii.170).
Othello sometimes makes a point of presenting himself
as an outsider, whether because he recognizes his exotic appeal
or because he is self-conscious of and defensive about his difference
from other Venetians. For example, in spite of his obvious eloquence
in Act I, scene iii, he protests, “Rude am I in my speech, / And
little blessed with the soft phrase of peace” (I.iii.81–82).
While Othello is never rude in his speech, he does allow his eloquence
to suffer as he is put under increasing strain by Iago’s plots.
In the final moments of the play, Othello regains his composure
and, once again, seduces both his onstage and offstage audiences
with his words. The speech that precedes his suicide is a tale that
could woo almost anyone. It is the tension between Othello’s victimization
at the hands of a foreign culture and his own willingness to torment
himself that makes him a tragic figure rather than simply Iago’s
ridiculous puppet.
