When one thinks of marriage, the thoughts that come to mind in my opinion are that of bliss, love, and devotion not cursing, hatred and condemnation. Albeit, this vastly recurring theme, is not only seen in todays “modern world,” but also in the times of The greatest playwright; William Shakespeare. This theme of failed marriages can be seen in a plethora of Shakespeare’s play from “Hamlet,” to “Romeo & Juliet,” and the most exemplified example of all “Othello.” Othello’s marriage to Desdemona is compromised in a multitude of ways in the beginning of its unification in terms of pity, racism and class.
Pity: There are a plethora of times where the marriage of Othello and Desdemona was threatened by pity. This can be seen when Othello says “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them.” (Act I sc.3 line 193,194.) This clearly shows that Othello felt that Desdemona only loved him out of pity of the misfortunes he had to endure. This thought alone before the marriage had even been consummated is room enough for doubt in Othello’s mind thus causing the downfall of his marriage, because a marriage should be founded on trust not pity. Another way the thought of pity doomed the marriage was because his own father-in-law cursed the marriage instead of blessing it. This can be seen in the article “Lago’s Alter Ego: Race as projected in Othello,” by Janet Adelman, where the author states “…Lago needed Barbantio to convince Othello of Desdemona tendency to deception and the disproportion of Othello as her marriage choice…” (Adelman, pp. 126) This shows that even though Barbantio was just a vessel for Lago, to plant the seed of “pitifulness,” in the marriage, he succeeded because the marriage was already founded on a “shaky foundation.” By condemning the marriage the day it began, the fate of the marriage was in a never ending spiral downward, because it brought forth the idea that Desdemona and he are not equals. Also, that someone of Desdemona’s stature would only enter a marriage with “moor,” is out of pity and not true love. This idea that this was not a love filled marriage but that of pitifulness thus gradually condemned the marriage. Not only did pitifulness condemn this marriage, but so did racism.
racism: Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is the target of racism throughout the duration of the play. This racism is evident when Othello is constantly referred to as “The Moor,” throughout the play. It can also be seen when Iago says to Barbantio “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” (Act I sc.I 97-98.) This representation of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage in such a manner, shows that their marriage is looked down upon because Othello is described as a “old black ram,” and Desdemona a “white ewe,” the use of these descriptive words are comparing their sacred matrimony to animals. In this regard the marriage between Othello and Desdemona is considered less then those of the same race. This constant reference to Othello as an outsider can be seen when Barbantio says “A maiden never bold…To fall in love with what she feared to look on!” (Act I scene iii. line 112-116) Barbantio is telling Othello that Desdemona would never have married him because he is from a different race. By saying this to Othello he is saying that Othello is a lesser being than the venicains and that it is preposterous that they are married. This in retrospect may have led him to believe that he is a lesser being then those around him because not only is he racially slurred by his kinsmen his marriage is denounced by Desdemona’s father. This constant bombardment of “racial segregation,” and “otherness,” may have been internalized by him. This can be seen in the article ” Lago’s Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello,” by Janet Adelman. Adelman states that “…Othellos experience of race as it comes to dominate himself as polluted…undeserving of Desdemona’s…” (Adelman). This proves that the constant reinforcement of himself as a “lesser being,” made him believe that he was actually less than the people around him and did not deserve Desdemona because she was of higher statues than him. The constant reference to Othello as a “Moor,” could also have made him lose his identity as a being. This can be seen in the article ” Othello’s Alienation,” by Edward Berry, When the author states ” He tends to lose his individuality as a Moor and to become a representative of humanity…” (pp. 316) This loss of individuality and becoming subject racism also further “segregated,” him and potentially made him feel as if he had no worth. This feeling of worthlessness thus may have “poisoned,” his mind and made him feel unworthy of Desdemona and thus caused mistrust in his marriage.
Class: The class systems within Othello play a very important role in the downfall of the marriage. This can be seen in a multitude of ways throughout the coarse of the play. Albeit there are many times where class played a vital role in the play the most prevalent altercation about class that induced the fall of the marriage was at the beginning of the play, between Othello and Barbantio. This differentiation between an “insider,” and an “outsider,” is most prevalent when Barbantio says “Run from her gaurdage to the sooty bosom of such a thing as thou-to fear, not to delight!”(Act I sc.2 line 89-90) This distinction that Barbanto makes about who is of higher statues then the other, because he like most, if not all the citizens of Venice perceive themselves to be above Othello, despite his military ranking. Albeit this military ranking Othello is still seen as unworthy in Barbantio’s eyes. The importance of class in the Venice society can also be seen in the article “The Unpinning of Desdemona,” by Denise A Walden. According to the author “Desdemona’s unpinning as Emillia makes her bed…”( The unpinning of Desdemona,” Walden) This shows that Desdemona was of higher statues due to the fact that she had someone to assist her in her everyday life. This difference in class systems would have put a strain on the marriage due to a different set of ideals. This constant reminder that they belong from two vastly different societies would compromise the marriage, and cause mistrust in the relationship, thereby dooming it.
Conclusion: The unification of Desdemona and Othello was condemned from the beginning. The reason of pity brought forth that out of the sheer innocent nature of Desdemona would have married Othello not for his valor. The evil nature of Racism brought forth this “distance,” in the marriage due to one race believing that they are superior to the other and causing a assumption of unworthiness. Lastly, Due to the fact that they are from different classes and social settings, fate in a sense brought them together. Albeit, they were brought together, they were doomed from the beginning and the misconceptions that occurred allowed for their marriage to fail despite their best efforts.
Work citied page: Adelman, Janet. “Iago’s Alter Ego: Race as Projection in Othello.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 2, 1997, pp. 125–144. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2871277. Berry, Edward. “Othello’s Alienation.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 30, no. 2, 1990, pp. 315–333. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/450520. Walen, Denise A. “Unpinning Desdemona.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 58, no. 4, 2007, pp. 487–508. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4625012.
Shakespeare, William “Othello.” Ed. Mowat A. Barbara, Werstine Paul. Folgers. 1993, 2017. print
Work citied Images:
edelsemple, Posted by. “Review Essay: Othello at the Abbey and Shakespeare in Ireland.” Shakespeare in Ireland, 24 May 2016, shakespeareinireland.wordpress.com/2016/05/24/review-essay-othello-at-the-abbey-and-shakespeare-in-ireland/.
“Othello Tickets | Cambridge Battery | Halifax, NS | Fri, Jul 13 at 7pm – Sat, Sep 1 at 9pm.” Ticket Halifax, http://www.tickethalifax.com/events/53879940/othello.
A Doomed Marriage 