OTHELLOAct V Scene II

PREVIOUSLY, ON OTHELLO…

(Almost) everyone is dead.AND

(most of them) who aren’t are going to…in just a few moments…

Stay tuned.

“WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS SCENE?”

OTHELLO’S SOLILOQUYDESDEMONA’S “TRIAL”

THE “EXECUTION”EMILIA KILLED

SILENCING OF IAGOOTHELLO’S SUICIDE

WHAT ELSE?

LIFE GOES ONNOBODY REALLY CARES

ANDGRATIANO BECOMES RICH

WHAT ELSE???

POETIC JUSTICE (REALLY?)

BUT WHO?

THEMATIC FOCI

LIGHT AND DARKNESSSILENCE AND VOICE

TRUTH AND DECEPTIONREASON AND PASSIONLOVE AND JEALOUSY

SELF AND OTHER

AGENDA

A PSYCHOANALYSIS OF OTHELLOTHE ENDING & “POETIC JUSTICE”

THE ANTAGONIST & THE “WINNER”

OTHELLO’S MIND

A DELUDED MAN WHO SEES HIMSELF AS A DELIVERER OF

JUSTICE, AS ONE WHO BELONGS TO A RIGHTEOUS CAUSE.

THE DELUDED OTHELLO

“It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul”(5.2.1)

“Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.”

(5.2.6)

THE DELUDED OTHELLO

Othello views himself as part of a righteous cause to “defend” men from adultery and therefore he believes that Desdemona must be

killed so that other men would not suffer the same fate as him.

A deluded Othello who already believes that his wife is unfaithful. He conducts this “show-trial” to convince himself and to support

his view that Desdemona had been unfaithful.

THE DELUDED OTHELLO

“(Emilia) [Within] My lord, my lord! what, ho! my

lord, my lord!

(Othello) What noise is this? Not dead? not yet

quite dead?”

(5.2.96-97)

THE DELUDED OTHELLO

Othello has lost his rationality, he could not differentiate Desdemona’s voice from Emilia’s voice.

Compare this with his soliloquy, what is the significance of this?

Desdemona’s importance to his own well being?

THE VENETIAN MOORAn attempt to integrate into Venetian society as a part of the men? Defending men against unfaithful wives like how he defended the

territorial integrity of Venice against the Ottomans?

It is really an irony that nobody really believes in this “cause” because in Venetian society, “whores” and “strumpets” had rather

high social statuses. It was a social norm.

Again highlights how Othello has never really integrated into Venetian society. He was merely seen as an other.

HOWEVER,

HE IS REALLY IN A DILEMMA.A DEFENDER OF JUSTICE?

ORA LOVING HUSBAND?

DESDEMONA’S LIGHT“Put out the light, and then put out the light.

If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,

I can again thy former light restore

Should I repent me. But once put out thy light,

Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature,

I know not where is that Promethean heat

That can thy light relume. When I have plucked thy rose

I cannot give it vital growth again,

It must needs wither. I’ll smell thee on the tree.”

(5.2.7-5.2.16)

DESDEMONA’S LIGHTDesdemona’s light is juxtaposed to a candle light. Both lights can

go off with ease – a testament to Othello’s power and physical strength. However, unlike the candle, Desdemona’s light, once extinguished, cannot be lit again even with the fire from Greek

gods stolen by Prometheus. This foreshadows Othello’s regret – he cannot relight Desdemona’s light, and thus he extinguishes his

own light to be with her at the end.

So his dilemma is, would he kill Desdemona, something that he would regret later, or would he preserve her life, for now?

OTHELLO’S LOVEOh, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade

Justice to break her sword! One more, one more.

Be thus when thou art dead and I will kill thee

And love thee after. (kissing her) One more, and that’s the last.

So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep,

But they are cruel tears. This sorrow’s heavenly,

It strikes where it doth love. She wakes.

(5.2.17-24)

OTHELLO’S LOVEOthello loves Desdemona, but still has to carry out justice. He would kill her and later love her. He aligns himself with god, as both punish those whom they love. This heaven imagery again highlights his “righteous cause”. His deadly “sweet kiss” again

reflects that it is because of his love for Desdemona that he must carry out this execution.

In short, he does not get satisfaction from killing her, but sadness, he weeps “cruel tears” at the thought of the act.

OTHELLO’S LOVE“If you bethink yourself of any crime

Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace,

Solicit for it straight.”

(5.2.28-30)

“Well, do it, and be brief. I will walk by.

I would not kill thy unpreparèd spirit.

No, heavens forfend, I would not kill thy soul!”

(5.2.32-34)

OTHELLO’S LOVE

It is evident that Othello loves Desdemona at heart and he sees killing her as a form of liberation from the apparent sins that she

had committed against him.

He plays the role of God again, about to deliver her from her sins, such that she might enter heaven, and at the same time doing

justice for himself and other men.

OTHELLO’S LOVE

“One more, one more.

Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,

And love thee after. One more,”

(5.2.17-19)

OTHELLO’S LOVE

Notice how Othello kisses Desdemona three times.

Why three?

OTHELLO’S LOVEThree: The number of divine perfection

The Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Othello yet again sees himself as God, able to deliver justice and liberate Desdemona, yet the irony is that Othello is the one who is far from perfect, and the imperfect Desdemona that he eventually

killed, is definitely, still his perfect wife.

OTHELLO’S LOVE

“I that am cruel am yet merciful,

I would not have thee linger in thy pain.”

(5.2.99-5.2.100)

OTHELLO’S LOVEWe see again how Othello sees the killing of Desdemona as

liberating, as something he does not want to do, but had to. And so he hopes that Desdemona would be able to die in the least

amount of pain.

Even at Desdemona’s deathbed, Othello still loved her.

Does he, or does he not?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

WHAT IS ON OTHELLO’S MIND DURING HIS FINAL SPEECH FROM 5.2.337-354?

POETIC JUSTICE

JUSTICE IS SERVED AT THE END OF THE PLAY, BUT TO WHOM?

SOCIETY DICTIATES TO WHOM JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED.

POETIC JUSTICEDESDEMONA IS DEAD

OTHELLO IS DEAD

RODERIGO IS DEAD

BRABANTIO IS DEAD

IAGO WILL BE DEAD SOON (I HOPE)

VS

A REALLY RICH GRATIANO

CASSIO THE GOVERNOR

POETIC JUSTICEDesdemona dies because of her defiance, going against Venetian

society and marrying Othello virtually sealed her fate.

Othello killed a Venetian woman, even though she is an outcast, she is still white, a more superior race than him. Defiance against

social order led to his eventual death.

By going against societal norms, their love is DESTINED to fail.

POETIC JUSTICEThere are many other reasons that led to Othello’s downfall.

Desdemona’s stupidity?

Othello’s passion?

Iago’s manipulation?

POETIC JUSTICEIago, by questioning his place in society, get punished for his

deeds. One does not question his place, one accepts it. Defiance ultimately is futile.

Brabantio, as a senator who acts like anyone but a senator, dies too. The fatal flaw seen in those who died in the end is that they all

have failed to conform to what society expects them to do.

The consequences of non-conformity: DEATH

VIS-À-VIS…

Cassio, never questioned his position, he did not have an ambition to climb further up the social ladder.

Gratiano, a Venetian in all that he does, survives, and inherits Othello’s fortunes.

POETIC JUSTICE

CONFORMITY IS THE KEY TO SURVIVAL IN OTHELLO.

DEFIANCE EQUATES TO DEATH

THE FINAL 10OTHELLO HAS MERELY BEEN USED BY THE PRAGMATIC AND PRACTICAL

VENETIAN SOCIETY FOR HIS VALUE AND MILITARY TACT.

WHEN THIS VALUE IS LOST, HE IS USELESS TO SOCIETY.

THE FINAL 10“O Spartan dog,

More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!

Look on the tragic loading of this bed;

This is thy work: the object poisons sight;

Let it be hid. Gratiano, keep the house,

And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,

For they succeed on you. To you, lord governor,

Remains the censure of this hellish villain;

The time, the place, the torture: O, enforce it!

Myself will straight aboard, and to the state

This heavy act with heavy heart relate.”

(5.2.360-370)

THE FINAL 10Notice how the sight of the three bodies poison’s sight?

There is really no mourning for Othello’s death. It again highlights how Venetian society had used Othello to fulfil their gains.

Being a Patriarchal society, it clearly brings out how the male to male relationship is nothing but based on mutual benefits, while

the women, more of an emotional relationship.

The more urgent matter at hand seemed to be Othello’s riches and how to punish their own who failed to conform, Iago.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

WHO IS REALLY THE ANTAGONIST IN THE PLAY? IAGO & EMILIA?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

WHO REALLY WON?

“Demand me nothing: what you know, you know:

From this time forth I never will speak word.”