Grammar of Moves in Othello

The Grammar of Moves

In Shakespeare's Masterpiece

The Tragedy of Othello""

Othello is the most painfully exciting and the most terrible .From the moment when the temptation of the hero begins ,the reader's heart and mind are held in a vice , experiencing the extremes of pity and fear ,sympathy and repulsion, sickening hope and dreadful expectation. Evil is displayed before the reader forming as it were the soul of a single character, and united with an intellectual superiority so great that he watches its advance fascinated appalled.

Othello is the play's protagonist and hero. He is a Christian moor and general of the armies of Venice, an eloquent and physically powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In spite of his elevated status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a soldier, and his race. He possesses a "free and open nature," which his ensign Iago uses to twist his love for his wife, Desdemona, into a powerful and destructive jealousy that led finally to subvert Othello's career, his marriage, and his life.

The main motivation that arise Iago's desire for revenge against his general and leader Othello was that he has been passed over for promotion to lieutenant. Besides that Iago mentioned more than once in the play that he suspects his wife Emilia with Othello:" It is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office" (I .iii. 369-370). He again mentioned that suspicion at the end of Act II , scene I, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello "wife for wife"(II.i.286). But this doesn't clearly interpret Iago's hatred to Othello and his monstrous actions towards other characters in the play including Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona, and even his own wife Emilia.

Hence, Iago's revenge is not sufficiently justified, which may arise the fact that he is evil by nature because there is no psychological reason or acceptable motivation for all of his crimes. So his problem was to destroy any body stands in his face or in his way for promotion in career and life. As a matter of fact ,Iago has two major aims in his plan of revenge:1)To avenge Othello who excels him in career as a leader ,has a perfect ,virtuous ,and beautiful wife like Desdemona , in addition to choosing cassio over him for promotion. 2) To avenge cassio who has recently become superior to him in career as a lieutenant as well as his wide network of relationships with both men and women. His hellish plan also involved both of Desdemona for her great unconditional love for the black moor Othello. Roderigo as well lost both his jewels and life to Iago who exploit his unrequited love for Desdemona to rub his jewels and uses him to get back on cassio. Moreover , there was his last victim , his wife Emilia , whom he killed to wipe out the last evidence against his crimes when she begins to realize what he really is and to tell Othello that he is the one who asked her to give him Desdemona's handkerchief . So out of his flaming hatred and desire for revenge against all the previous victims stated before, he made certain moves in Grammar to achieve his goals and fulfill his plan. First, he convinced Roderigo to go to tell Desdemona's father about her elopement with Othello to push t o get back on Othello and take his daughter back as it is obvious in the following quotation by Iago in (Act 1 scene i):

Call up her father: Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets. Incense her kinsmen, And though he in a fertile climate dwell, Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy, Yet throw such chances of vexation on't, As it may lose some colour.

But unfortunately, this move didn't go like what he has planned because Othello's wisdom and experience helped him to defend his great love for Desdemona before his father and the Duke. Furthermore, he asked the Duke if his wife can accompany him to Cyprus till he ends his mission there. This result and the failure of Iago's plan disappointed him and pushed him to his second move which is control Othello's mind and make him suspect his wife with cassio as he mentioned at the end of Act one:

The better shall my purpose work on him: Cassio's a proper man: Let me see now, To get his place and plume up my will In double knavery--How, how? Let's see: After some time, to abuse Othello's ear That he is too familiar with his wife. He hath a person and a smooth dispose To be suspected, framed to make women false. The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose

Actually his plan to poison Othello's mind of his wife betrayal and perfidy will need some preparations first which is to shake Othello 's trust in cassio to take his place and to be more closer to Othello. So, he made his third move to get rid of cassio and make him lose his job and Othello's confidence in him as well with help of Roderigo ashe planned in (Act 2 .scene i):

Lechery, by this hand; an index and obscure prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts. They met so near with their lips that their breaths embraced together. Villanous thoughts, Roderigo! when these mutualities so marshal the way, hard at hand comes the master and main exercise, the incorporate conclusion, Pish! But, sir, be you ruled by me: I have brought you from Venice. Watch you to-night; for the command, I'll lay't upon you. Cassio knows you not. I'll not be far from you: do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline; or from what other course you please, which the time shall more favourably minister.

Iago knows cassio pretty well, so he decided to use his rash behavior when he is drunk against him through convincing him to drink more than his capacity limit to make him lose control on his temper when Roderrigo provokes him as they agreed.
The third move actually made a great success as it ended with lieutenant Montano hurt by cassio when he interfered to help Roderigo when he called for help. This of course makes Othello angry with Cassio and he announces his banishment as he said: Making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee But never more be officer of mine.

Then again Iago moves back his major aim to create a false atmosphere of betrayal between Cassio and Desdemona. So he persuaded Cassio to beg Desdemona to talk to his husband so that he can forgive him, meanwhile he pours his dirty lies of Desdemona's infidelity in Othello's ears. Next, Iago moves to his fourth move to provide a fake evidence of Desdemona's perfidy which is his token handkerchief that her husband gave her as a gift. He asked his wife Emilia to steal it for him and he took it and drop it in Cassio's home .Then he came to Othello to tell him about his suspicion of Cassio and warns him to watch her wife carefully:

Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof. Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; Wear your eye thus, not jealous nor secure: I would not have your free and noble nature, Out of self-bounty, be abused; look to't:

Othello is really a wise and great leader ,but he is also a human being ,a man who feels betrayal from his beloved and his best friend , so he asked Iago for a real proof of his speech which led to Iago's Fifth move and his trick to talk with Cassio about Bianca and prepare Othello to conceive that they 're talking about his wife:

Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, A housewife that by selling her desires Buys herself bread and clothes: it is a creature That dotes on Cassio; as 'tis the strumpet's plague To beguile many and be beguiled by one: He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain From the excess of laughter. Here he comes:

After Iago has proved to Othello his speech about Cassio 's affair with his wife ,Othello ordered Iago to get rid of Cassio while he will undertake his wife 's killing. But ,unfortunately Roderigo's appearance to face Iago about his jewels that he took for Desdemona involved him in the intened crime of killing Cassio. Iago ,then decided to get two birds with one shot .That is to say, he convinced Roderigo that Desdemona is going to leave with Othello for Mauritania because Cassio will take Othello's place in Cyprus,so he must kill cassio to prevent Othello from leaving

Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right. He sups to-night with a harlotry, and thither will I go to him: he knows not yet of his horrorable fortune. If you will watch his going thence, which I will fashion to fall out between twelve and one, you may take him at your pleasure: I will be near to second your attempt, and he shall fall between us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with me; I will show you such a necessity in his death that you shall think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now high suppertime, and the night grows to waste: about it.

Finally, there is of course an end and whatever moves that Iago made also has an end ,for good his plan didn't fulfilled completely as he thought although it results in a number of murders and a lot of victims. First of all was virtuous Desdemona who lost her life for false rumors and a blind-loving husband. Then, there is Roderigo who lost all that he had to Iago's devilish evil. Third, it was Emilia, Iago's wife, whom he stabbed after she told Othello the truth about the handkerchief. Last but not least was the tragic hero Othello who killed himself as a kind of self –punishment after what he has done to his innocent loving wife.