Imagery of Love and War in Othello
Imagery of Love and War in Othello
In the play Othello, William Shakespeare combines the imagery of love and war to give the observer a detail look into the personality of the main character Othello. Shakespeare explains with little detail how Othello's military life overruled his civilian life...in a sense Othello was unable to live a 'normal' life and interact with ordinary citizens because of his love for war. Evidently, Othello's failure to make the transition from military strong-man to a rational thinking human being and lover led to his tragic yet self-endured demise. Othello clings to the glory he receives from his military career and places little effects on his new life as a civilian. To better understand the tragedy of Othello one must understand the role that his experiences with war affected him. The experience that made Othello what he was and to a certain extant what he became.
Before and above all else, Othello is a soldier. From the earliest moments in the play, his career affects his married life. Asking "fit disposition" for his wife after being ordered to Cyprus (I.iii.234), Othello notes that "the tyrant custom … / Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war / My thrice-driven bed of down" (I.iii.227–229). While Desdemona is used to better "accommodation," she nevertheless accompanies her husband to Cyprus (I.iii.236). Moreover, she seems unperturbed by the tempest or Turks that threatened their crossing, and genuinely curious rather than irate when she is roused from bed by the drunken brawl in Act II, scene iii. She is, indeed, Othello's "fair warrior," and he is happiest when he has her by his side in the midst of military conflict or business (II.i.179). The military also provides Othello with a means to gain belonging in Venetian society. While the Venetians in the play are generally fearful of the prospect of Othello's social entrance into white society through his marriage to Desdemona, all Venetians respect and honor him as a soldier. It is assumed that Mercenary Moors were, in fact, commonplace at the time.
Othello proclaims his success in love on his success as a soldier, wooing Desdemona with tales of his military travels and battles. Once the Turks are drowned by natural causes, Othello is left without anything to do: the last act of military administration we see him perform is...