Importance of military in Othello Essay Example

Importance of military in Othello Essay Example Importance of military in Othello Paper Importance of military in Othello Paper During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, global confrontation between Turk and Christian worried military theorists. Turks were renowned for their courage, skill and cruelty on the battlefield. European warfare was also passing through a transitional stage between feudal hosts of the Middle Ages and permanent professional rmies of modern times. Othello is a condottiere fighting by contract for Venetian Republic, reflecting what European warfare would become. Yet, his self-fashioned image of a romantic and chivalric hero defeating the infidel in order to win a fair damsel is remnant of a medieval idea. Thus, confusion behind the two constructs and thus in Othello himself is inevitable. Othello takes place in a military background almost exclusively, and this is important to the tragedy, as it affects Othellos understanding of love, the importance of honour and reputation to the male protagonists and furthermore enables the audience to perceive both the external conflict between the Turks and Venetians, but also the internal conflict in Othello. This dimension allows the pay to be defined as both a public and domestic tragedy. Throughout the play, Othello makes statements such as Tis better to be much but to knowt a little. This conveys Othellos surprise, suggesting he has only learned things many take for granted. His occupation is also crucial to the tragedy, as it is his stories of the battlefield that initially woo Desdemona: she loved me for the dangers I had passed. However, we as an audience become aware of the fragility of their loves foundation as the play progresses through the symbol of the handkerchief. Othello weaves an intriguing and romantic story describing its history (further emphasizing that Othellos heroic narratives were an important factor in winning Desdemona), yet throughout the play, the handkerchief is stolen (showing their loves vulnerability) and proceeding the temptation scene when Desdemona tries to bind Othellos aching head with it, he states it is too little, indicating that their love cannot rid Othello of the suspicion of being cuckolded in his mind. It is Othellos occupation, then, that initiates the tragic process. Furthermore, Othellos naivety in matters concerning love makes him vulnerable to Iagos verbal predation. He is quick to believe what Iago tells him, even to Iagos surprise who states that the Moor already changes with my poison. It is Othellos occupation as a soldier that causes this, as the milieu of soldiers was virile and male-dominated. The soldiers life in Shakespearean times was lacking in female contact as long durations of time were spent in the company of soldiers alone. Iagos occupation as a soldier also contributes to the readiness at which Othello believes him. A Venetian, Iago states he knows the women of Venice well. Venice was infamous for its courtesans, and Iago easily convinces Othello that Desdemona is no different than the untrustworthy and seductive women of Venice. This knowledge inevitably arises from his career, as soldiers were infamous for womanizing. Another important aspect to a soldier that is important to the tragedy is honour and reputation, reputation reputation! The significance of honour to Othellos central characters mobilizes the tragic outcome as Renaissance soldiers lives were dominated by it, especially since it was still the age when chivalry majorly contributed to the rules and discipline of the army. Othello demonstrates the desire to preserve his honour when he dismisses Cassio after his drunken brawl. Othello rather solemnly states he is no more his lieutenant, suggesting that those that lose their honour must be dismissed as a customary practice. Othello states he will make Cassio an example, despite the close relationship the two formerly shared. Cassios drunkenness is not without significance, as there was rules against drunkenness on duty, and Thomas Digges Stratioticos clearly states that dronkennes doth turn men into beasts. Othello aligns himself with this view as he enters in the barrack room, declaring his soldiers have turned Turk Turks being associated with brutal and animalistic behaviour. It is Cassios lost honour as a soldier that causes his dismissal and continues to mobilize the plot. Othellos brutal sense of honour is also demonstrated in a scene crucial to the tragedy when Othello decides to murder Desdemona. He says the justice of it pleases me, chillingly suggesting that strangling her is the moral and honourable thing to do. Othello constructs himself as a romantic and chivalric knight, and a characteristic of this identity was winning a damsel of a higher social station. If this woman was to lose her status, Othellos self-fashioned status was also in jeopardy. Thus when Edmund Spensers Red Crosse Knight discovers the fair Fidelia is really the foul whore Duessa, he is emasculated. When Othello becomes convinced that Desdemona is equally foul, his occupation is gone. The chivalric ideal upon which he has built his military vocation is destroyed and his reputation gone, and thus he decides that it is just to destroy her. Iago also plays upon this ontological insecurity when he says He that filches makes me poor indeed, suggesting that wronging someones name is the worst offence of all. A soldiers propensity to seek revenge is also crucial to the tragic plot. It is this that plays a large part in Othellos decision to kill Desdemona. This is due to vengeance being a principal element in a soldiers life, as many wars are fought on the basis of vengeance; a soldier learns to retaliate subsequent to being wronged, and thus Othello sees this as a natural medium of correcting Desdemonas apparent transgression, causing it to be somewhat explanatory of Othellos merciless killing of her, the woman he loves. When discussing the murder with Iago, Othello speaks in prose showing the systematic approach to revenge, as would be common in the devising of military plans. Yet, his speech is also punctuated with short sharp utterances to reflect how his passion is beginning to prevail over his military reasoning: O tis foul in her with mine officer! Thats fouler. Elizabethan military treatises agree that the careful selection of subordinates was a Generals most important duty. For Othello, that Desdemona would be topped by his handpicked is ignominious and degrading, and far more subversive than Desdemona being unfaithful with another. Thus Othellos quest for revenge is rooted in the desire to uphold his reputation as a great general: a way of being a black man in a white mans world. It is also essential to the development of the plays tragic situation that the male protagonists are soldiers as it allows the incorporation of professional jealousy one of Iagos apparent motivations. Although Coleridge stated that Iago was a motive-hunting malignity, there are instances in the play that signal a tension between those in different military positions. Iagos initial complaint against Othello is regarding his selection of officers. As Giles Clayton in 1591 stated, a lieutenant must be a man of great experience and knowledge in service. It is on this basis that Iago deems Cassio, a bookish theoric as unfit for the position. Another of Iagos grievances regarding Cassios appointment is that letter and affection obtained it. However, the audience learns that Iago has also tried to attain the office by persuading three great ones of the city to make personal requests to Othello, showing that Iago is just as guilty of trying to attain this office by letter and affection. It is also clear that Cassio was also chosen a more legitimate basis as he knew Othello well enough to serve as a go-between during his courtship of Desdemona and also knew of their love, a shock even to Desdemonas father. Furthermore, he is trusted enough by the Senate to be made governor of Cyprus. However, although Cassio is a valid choice for lieutenant, he does remind Iago rather snidely of his position, saying the lieutenant is to be savd before the ancient. In regard to Iago, his position as an ensign allows the audience to see the duplicity of his character and increases the irony surrounding his falseness. Readers of Othello have noted the verbal irony in the noun phrase honest Iago that reverberates throughout the play. However, the Ensign, as Elizabethan military treatises agree, must have been selected because of his upright and honest character. This is because the Ensign carried the flag, an emblem of the nobility of war and a representation of the country. Therefore, he must have been trustworthy enough for the soldiers to follow into battle. Garrard insisted that the Ensign must be a man of good account. Iago is hardly honest, however. He professes his lack of loyalty to his superior officer: not I for love and duty / But seeming so for my peculiar end I am not what I am. This supposed honesty that Iago should possess as the Ensign perhaps accounts for Othellos propensity to trust him. This is also due to the close relationship the Ensign and General were intended to hold. This proclivity to have confidence in Iago mobilizes the tragic situation, as Othello disregards pleas from his innocent wife even on her deathbed. Lastly, global struggle between West and East, Venice and Turkey is dramatized in the final act in the psychological battle within Othello. His last speech is central, as when he kills himself, it is in the same manner as he once killed the Turk who had beaten the Venetian in Aleppo. Therefore, Othello is reasserting the myth of Venice as a rational and ordered place on the outside, but having a corrupt internal structure; his rational and virtuous self destroys the irrational and cruel Turk within. Through this suicide, he is also acknowledging that he is both Venetian and Turk. Thus, the plays domestic conflicts also dramatize the conflict between places and cultures, as the West felt itself to be in contact with the barbarous East. The precarious ness of a nations identity is expressed through the tragedy of Othello. In conclusion, without the Othello being firmly founded on a military basis, the tragic plot could not be effectively mobilized. The milieu of the soldiers also allows the attitudes and relationships in the play to unfold, and also show how the desired characteristics of a soldier are in direct opposition to acting in a civilized and rational way in situations away from the battlefield.