A recurring theme throughout William Shakespeare’s works is distaste for love. We have read about how changeable and two-dimensional love seems in the past plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Othello seems to have boarded that idea train as well, for we see the destruction of an extremely genuine and pure relationship (Othello and Desdemona) due to a diabolical plot by a selfish Iago. I have come to notice that marriages are not portrayed in a good light. Though Othello and Desdemona’s was shown to be happy, that joy did not last. There are many things brought to my mind when I think of marriage in Othello, and many I am going to explore and expand on in this post. But most of all, is marriage (not exclusively in Othello) the bond of love or rather a bridge to inevitable misery?

In Othello, women are not seen as good, but rather unfaithful, promiscuous creatures by nature. Iago supports this claim throughout the play, even acting on it through the treatment of his wife, Emilia. However, through this belief comes an act of dehumanization, which of course would lead to corrupt marriages. In Act III Scene III, Othello curses marriage and states that every man’s destiny is to be cheated on by his wife at some point: “O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours And not their appetites!” (266-268) and also, “’Tis destiny unshunnable, like death: Even then, this forked plague is fated to us When we do quicken” (273-275). Furthermore, in Act III Scene III, Othello says, “I found not Cassio’s kisses on her lips. He that is robbed, not wanting what is stolen, Let him not know’t, and he’s not robbed at all” (339-340). The word “robbed” is what intrigued my thought process—as if she were property that was being stolen from him. Although it may not be explicit, it could also reveal Othello’s true thoughts of control over his wife, seeing her as his possession rather than her own person, which I also believe is Iago’s mindset over his wife, Emilia. It is, in addition, comparable to Desdemona’s father’s argument at the start of the play. He attacks Othello with the words, “O thou foul thief! Where hast thou stowed my daughter?” (1.1. 62). Brabanzio’s choice in calling Othello a “thief” provides evidence that he believes Desdemona to have been possession, therefore stolen from him. Furthermore, in Act III Scene III, Iago points out to Othello that Desdemona did defy her own father and marriage opportunities to be with him, and Othello agreed (3.3. 204-206). Rather than trusting his belief that she did this out of pure love for him, he begins to question her loyalty. Othello sees her willingness to defy her father and elope with him as a preface to her infidelity. Due to this, Othello is beginning to view the world exactly as Iago wants him to.

Personally, I find Iago to be the largest cynic when it comes to love and women, There is no doubt he believes marriage to be the bridge to misery. His sexist attitude and abusive, manipulative ways somehow enchant the people he comes across. It struck me as odd that Emilia is so submissive to him. He insults her, and she does talk back (“You have little cause to say so” [2.1. 107] and “You shall not write my praise” [2.1. 114]) but she is quite composed. Another interesting point concerning Emilia is her scene with the handkerchief. Being a close friend to Desdemona, she knows how dear it is to her friend, and yet she dotes on her cruel husband’s wishes to give it to him. She was placed in a situation and given a choice, but does not choose the rational one the audience would be rooting for. Why does she not simply return the handkerchief to Desdemona as if she never came across it? Why did she choose Iago? Emilia proved her loyalty to Iago through this act, and yet he still chooses to believe she is a whoring wretch. We, as readers, can infer that Emilia still craves some sort of affection from her husband, and that perhaps through this gift, he may appreciate her.

Emilia and Iago’s marriage is something I have questioned since the start. Though it could be a political marriage (very likely), what if it was not? What if Iago did believe in love at some point? Though I doubt it, it is a question I have. Emilia has given us no reason to believe she was unfaithful, even though Iago poses the idea that she had an affair with Othello. However, we do not really find out whether Iago believes this to have actually happened, or whether he has created a motive for revenge, using his marriage as an excuse. Iago’s speech beckons us to believe that it is only fair to get back at Othello for the hurt he had caused him by sleeping with Emilia: “And nothing can, or shall, content my soul Till I am even with him, wife for wife” (2.1. 281-282). However, where was there any inclination that Iago cared about his wife and what she does? Although I see it more as an excuse for unnecessary vengeance, I also believe Iago to think Emilia his possession. If he was upset by it, it was more rather out of his own personal offense and sense of control than it was for love for Emilia.

This brings me back to this idea of corruption in marriages. Though the men in the play blame women for their natural ways of infidelity, it is the men who have ruined marriages in Othello and the women who must pay for it. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night, we see love as this frail thing that creates problems, but in this tragedy, it leads to serious events of possible murder that could have been prevented had it not been for one character. Overall, I do think that Shakespeare believed that marriage and love would only lead to sadness and misery, because love does not last; it is a fading flower that dies. However, I think the perspective on marriage is also up to the reader, because I thought that Othello and Desdemona were genuinely happy together before Iago poisoned their love. However, I find the big fault in Othello’s marriage was his lack of trust in Desdemona. Othello chose to believe Iago over his wife without any concrete proof, which goes to show that even perfect marriages have their flaws.