246 OTHELLO
The nature of this exchange, and
the fact that Othello calls it a
“sacred vow” (3.3.463), has led critics
to characterize it as a sinister echo
of the wedding ceremony between
Othello and Desdemona, which the
audience is not invited to see. As
well as making Iago his accomplice
in Cassio’s murder, Othello promotes
him to the position of lieutenant.
Now Iago has replaced Desdemona,
figuratively, and Cassio, literally, in
Othello’s life.
In spite of Iago’s villainy, the
character receives as much
attention as Othello. Historically,
actors have competed for audience
acclaim when performing these
roles. Othello’s dependence on
and vulnerability to Iago’s deceit,
coupled with Iago’s ambiguous
motivation and manipulative skill,
make them a dynamic and even
disturbing couple, who drag one
another down into a pit of
psychological horror because
neither one can control his jealousy.
From the 18th century on, leading
actors performing the play began
to double up and alternate the roles
of Othello and Iago. In a famous
example from the Victorian era,
English actor Henry Irving and
American actor Edwin Booth
alternated roles in a production
at the Lyceum Theatre in London.Set in a modern army, the
award-winning 2013 National Theatre
production in London imagined Iago
(Rory Kinnear) and Othello (Adrian
Lester) as long-time comrades.A husband’s jealousy
Strip away the Venetian court,
the social hierarchy, and the
military setting, and at the heart of
this play is a story about a husband
and wife separated by a malicious
conman. With its grand opening
scenes in the political world of law
and warfare, the play’s domestic
focus may seem strikingly
incongruous. Shakespeare narrows
his focus gradually through the
action so that the final scene takes
place in a bedchamber. That the
Venetian army, politicians, and
lords spill into this same room
reminds the audience how
vulnerable the private life of a
public figure like Othello truly is.
To acknowledge that this tragedy
is triggered by jealousy is to admit
something fundamentally insecure
about human trust and, most
disturbingly, about love.
Where does this jealousy come
from? After hearing her defense,
Brabanzio disowns Desdemona and
warns Othello that, having deceived
her own father, she is likely also to
be false to her husband. The seeds
of suspicion are sown in Othello’s
imagination from the first act of the
play. However, it is really Iago who
baits and encourages Othello’s
mistrust of Desdemona. Iago’s four
most powerful words are “look to
your wife” (3.3.201).
Jealousy and envy eat away at
the core of this play. Brabanzio,
Cassio, and Roderigo all experience
some kind of envy that reflects and
orbits the central jealousy between
Iago and Othello. The image of a
bright-eyed monster feeding and
slowly growing fat is sickly and