“Othello” written by William
Shakespeare: The protagonist Othello and his wife Desdemona are deeply in love
despite their age and race difference but their marriage is screwed by the
demonic Iago who convinces Othello about the infidelity of Desdemona with his
fake words. And a series of events and a lack of communication make the hero
believe that his beloved is unfaithful. In this play, the
power of words and face to face communication and miscommunication can clearly be seen. And from
this misinterpretation due to lack of communication stems the tragic end of the
military hero Othello.
Iago, the villain of the play uses humans
most powerful sword ‘words’ to turn the love of Othello into a powerful and
destructive jealousy. He shows how easy it is to manipulate people if the
appropriate words are used in the right context. At that time, there was no
mobile, so all the conversations they had were face to face. Basically all
communications involve the transmission of ideas or of reality but in this
context it is seen that interpersonal communication has a considerate effect. If ideas are used from the simple mediated communication model of Edward T Hall, it is seen that proxemics, kinesics and haptics play a very important role in
expressing ideas and evoking emotional reactions in the opponent: Iago standing
close to Othello, making movements with his hands and other gestures and having
different facial expressions to persuade him of his lies. This also goes with
the theory of Ferdinand de Saussure; the play was spoken in a different
idiolect (different from the present day) but still there is communal understanding
between Othello and Iago. The ‘langue’ used by Iago was the same shared by
Othello and therefore the ‘parole’ was easily understood even though it was
twisted. It can also be said that the words used here are simply representations of
ideas and very different from the reality thus strengthening Bakhtins
‘dialogism’ that meanings are produced when the two speakers speak to one
another. The negative intentions of Iago are given life and are replicated
through his dialogue with the protagonist.
It is also seen that Iago plays with
the feelings of Othello by using the handkerchief he gifted
Desdemona. The handkerchief can be seen as the signifier and the different
meanings associated with it the signified. For Desdemona the handkerchief was a
symbol of Othello’s love and for Othello, it was a symbol of Desdemona herself,
her purity and marital fidelity since the handkerchief belonged to his mother.
He believed that this helped his mother be faithful to his father till her last
breath. And cunning as he is, by taking possession of the handkerchief, Iago
shows it as proof of adultery to Othello. On the denotative level, the handkerchief is
just a small square of cloth used especially for wiping the nose or the mouth.’
But on the connotative level, it implies good as well as bad. This strengthens
Saussure reasoning about the sign having no really ultimate meaning. Othello
doesn’t even see her betraying him and is satisfied with the half-truth and
lives in a world of illusion. Miscommunication can be seen when Othello ask
Desdemona for the handkerchief and she doesn’t pay attention to him; she talks
about other stuffs since she doesn’t know what’s in his mind. Othello on the
other hand is unable to convey his turmoil to his beloved. Othello believes the
lies as part of reality and Desdemona assumes her real world is normal whereas
their lives are slowly being ruined. This miscommunication only aggravates the
situation. It has been truly said: “Speaking is gateway to relationship.
Silence is the gatekeeper” (Crabb et al 99) Being lost in his own imaginary
world, a world full of lies and deceit, Othello kills his wife and himself to
attain peace.
This play is a statement of how
miscommunication (lack of face to face communication between husband and wife)
and misinterpretation (Desdemona not understanding the real meaning of
Othello’s twisted words) can lead to the destruction of an individual and his
surroundings. All problems seem petty in front of miscommunication or
misinterpretation problem since the human mind is complex and it is impossible to know
what is going on in the mind of an individual unless the person voice his
thoughts and opinions and if ever this happens, the ideas can even be
misunderstood or taken in a different way from that of the author’s real point
of view. Which is why face to face communication is the best way to communicate
(questions, answers, arguments, solutions) Nowadays we have all sorts of
technologies but still that didn’t help to reduce miscommunication. No matter
how technological orientated a person might be, that doesn’t help a great deal
if the message itself isn’t being understood or expanded in the right direction.
As Iago and Othello indulge in a conversation, we can see how Iago en-wombs Othello in his deceit!
Being nice, low tone of voice.. Even
though Othello says he doesn’t believe Iago he already starts doubting his wife
and his dream is the proof. Face to face communication.. Instantaneous sharing
of ideas; how both argue their points; questions and answers.
Bibliography:
MLASpark Notes Editors. “Spark Note on Othello.” SparkNotes.com. Spark Notes LLC. 2002. Web. 6 Sept. 2012.
The Chicago Manual of Style
Spark Notes Editors. “SparkNote on Othello.” SparkNotes LLC. 2002. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/ (accessed September 6, 2012).
APA
SparkNotes Editors. (2002). SparkNote on Othello. Retrieved September 6, 2012, from http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/
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