Intimate relationships and their interpersonal communication is a key theme throughout The Moor Othello. The bard contrasts three types of relationships and reveals which one he believes is the best. Iago and Emilia, Othello and Desdemona, and Cassio and Bianca comprise the trio of relationships in this renowned tragedy.
Our antagonist’s relationship with his wife is unideal; it seems they married out of custom rather than affection. Iago says his wife—Emilia—“bestows…her tongue [to him]” (2.1.113) too often, then goes on a rant about the defects in all women. Emilia reveals that she “would…make her husband a cuckold” (4.3.86) if given the right price. This mutual disrespect for each other exposes the troubles that come when marrying not out of love. The nature that Shakespeare kills this couple (murdered by a spouse and tortured to death) reveals that he believes this to be the worst kind of relationship.
The bard contrasts this unloving marriage with one that perhaps loved too much: Othello and Desdemona. Unlike Disney movies, Shakespeare seems persistent in his belief that love at first sight always fails. Why is it that the top Venetian general so easily succumbed to the plot of an ancient? Love. With very little questioning, Othello immediately believed honest Iago’s lies and called for the death of his sweet Desdemona.
Shakespeare is revealing the faults of love at first sight. Because the speed at which the protagonists married, Othello’s and Desdemona’s relationship had no base: Othello didn’t know the vigilance with which Desdemona kept her honesty. He did not know that she wouldn’t cheat on him “for all the world” (4.3.77). This very basic character trait would have been realized if their engagement had been extended by only a few months.
Once eloped, however, they became vulnerable to Iago’s scheme. The ancient was able to make Othello doubt his newlywed bride while keeping Desdemona ignorant of the issue. Their short relationship reduced their communication skills which lead to further issues: murder and suicide.
Shakespeare enhances his opposition to eloping by making the only successful relationship in the play a slow relationship. Cassio has no “[intention]…to marry [Bianca]” (4.1.135-138) in the foreseeable future; this makes any polygamous activity (not that any occurs) less infuriating. Furthermore, when Bianca had a problem with Cassio, she communicated it to him. She related the problem, then invited him to “come to supper” (4.1.177) where it is assumed they would discuss the issue (unless either of them happened to lose a leg on the way there). This relationship being the only one to survive all five acts reveals that this is the best kind of love.
Accumulating this evidence of determining the best and worst relationships is the way each couple handles the handkerchief—a symbol of interpersonal communication. After stealing the napkin from Desdemona, Emilia gives it to her husband almost without thinking. Only after Iago possesses it does she question the importance of its purpose (3.3.364); however, she withdraws the matter when Iago waves her away. When Othello finds Desdemona lost his handkerchief, he immediately assumes her guilt. Not once does he consider she could have lost the tissue in an honest manner. Bianca, however, has a controlled argument with Cassio about the handkerchief. She believes it “is some minx’s token” (4.1.172) but gives Cassio the opportunity to explain.
The survival and communication of Cassio and Bianca reveals that Shakespeare believes in taking things slow—a revolutionary idea in the patriarchal society in which he lived. His insight on the faults of marrying for status and eloping for speed show that love is a hazardous concept, and—to survive—one must handle it with extreme caution and excessive time.
Work Cited:
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. New York: Washington Square, 2004. Print.
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. New York: Washington Square, 2004. Print.