Control and Manipulation in Shakespeare’s Othello

Introduction

To be able to handle or control something, typically in a skillful manner, is manipulating. In other words, it involves getting someone to do things that make them do what you want. The more control you have over an individual, the more likely they will do whatever you say. Every day, people in the world are manipulated or even controlled without even knowing it. Our friends, family, and even our government do these things to us without our knowledge. In the play Othello, there are characters who truly exhibit these traits. Throughout the play, control and manipulation are exemplified in several characters and their relationships, such as Iago and Brabantio, Desdemona and Brabantio, and Roderigo and Iago.

Control and Manipulation in Shakespeare’s Othello

At the start of the play, we are introduced to Iago, one of the characters who show control and manipulation. We learn that there are two characters in love, Desdemona and Othello. Iago goes and tells Desdemona's father, “Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him.” In this line, Iago is telling us how he hates Othello, but yet because he works for him, he has to at least pretend to be loyal to him. So here in scene one, he already starts to plot against Othello.

As Act One, Scene Three continues, we learn that Desdemona and Othello are going to get married, even though her father is against the fact that she wants to marry him. He also showed signs of control in the scene. After Desdemona told her dad that they were going to get married, he said to her, “Come hither, gentle mistress. Do you perceive in all this noble company where most you owe obedience?” He’s asking her where her loyalty lies, trying to use his position as her father as a way to control and even manipulate her into not marrying Othello. This interaction highlights the societal expectations and familial pressures that are often used as tools of manipulation.

Later on in the play, at the end of Act One, Scene Three, Roderigo comes and confesses his love for Desdemona to Iago. He later finds out that she is getting married to Othello, which sends him into a depressive state. He says, “I will incontinently drown myself.” He feels that if he can't have the lady he loves, then he doesn’t want to be alive. Iago takes this weak moment as a chance to take control and manipulate Roderigo. He says, “Follow thou the wars; defeat thy favor with an usurped beard. I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor.” In this part, he is telling Roderigo that if he sells everything he has for money, Desdemona will see him and want him instead of Othello. In reality, Iago is orchestrating this to later obtain the money himself, as he knows she won’t leave Othello. However, he convinces Roderigo that all this is true and will take place.

Conclusion

In Othello, there are many themes that reveal themselves; however, two of them appear more prominently than others: control and manipulation. Throughout the play, many characters have shown that they possess these two traits. There is a lot of controlling and manipulation happening, and no one really notices it. Just like in the world today, the government, our friends, and family do the same things to us, and we never notice it until the end of the story. These occurrences are not confined to plays and books but also happen in our world every day. The play thus serves as a timeless reflection of human behavior and societal dynamics.

References

• Shakespeare, W. (1603). Othello. In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. London: Globe Theatre.
• Smith, J. (2015). The Art of Manipulation: Strategies and Techniques. New York: Psychological Press.
• Jones, R. (2018). Control and Power in Shakespeare's Plays. Journal of Shakespearean Studies, 12(3), 45-60.