Rachel

=Othello's Insecurity by Rachel Rush=

Shakespeare had a lot of insight into the human psyche. He understood what would hold true and continue to affect all people for centuries to come. One of the things that Shakespeare realized was all human beings have deep insecurities. It’s embedded in all of us. Everybody from a janitor to a CEO is affected by self-esteem issues. In Othello, the main characters vulnerability drives the whole story. Everybody has a different way of dealing with their insecurity and confidence issues. Othello was a character who was skilled in hiding his issues, however, once Iago found Othello’s weak spot there was no turning back. Othello became irrational, weak, and was filled with self-doubt.

In the beginning of the book, Othello was seen as the strong, confident, wise, and well-spoken General of the Venetian Army. He was confident in his abilities and felt that he could achieve whatever he put his mind to. For example, Othello knew that Brabantio would not be very happy with the fact that he had married Desdemona (especially without permission) however, after Iago came to tell him that he was being pursued for this offense, Othello maintained his strength. Instead of succumbing to fear and worrying about what is going to happen now that he’s been caught, Othello says, "Let him do his spite. My services which I have done the signiory shall out-tongue his complaints." (21) This is a prime example of Othello believing in himself. Here, he thinks that what he has done for Brabantio in the past will overshadow what offense he has committed now.

In those times, marriage was no small matter, especially marriage that crossed race and class barriers. This would have been an incredible risk for both Desdemona and Othello. Because, he took such a risk for love, you can definitely assume that Othello was confident he would be able to avoid getting in trouble for what he had done.

While Othello was definitely confident when he first realized that his marriage may be in trouble, he showed a bit of vulnerability while speaking to his superiors. Once Othello was in front of the Duke, Othello didn’t feel as confident about his abilities. You see this when he starts explaining his “rude” speech by saying, "Rude am I in my speech, and little blessed with the soft phrase of peace." (96-97) Othello, very obviously doesn’t think as high of himself when he is around people who are higher than him. If this is how Othello feels about himself when he’s not the superior then that shows Othello’s lack of trust in himself. Why does he put himself down? Does Othello really believe he is in fact inferior because he is “The Moor”?

Othello’s confidence often sways. He goes back and forth and it must take an extreme toll on him. While he is feeling confident, he is levelheaded and able to make rational decisions. When his feelings of insecurity begin to takeover however, Othello begins to change. For example, Othello was extremely confident when Brabantio came to arrest him. When the officers drew their swords on him he chose wise words and said to Brabantio, "Good signior, you shall more command with years than with your weapons.'' (78-79) Who else would be so confident in themselves that they would tell a superior officer that he should not use weapons. This takes strength to stand up to somebody who can crush your whole career and all that you have worked for.

Also, when Othello wins the battle in Cyprus he is extremely confident in himself. This makes sense considering Othello just made it through an extremely life threatening storm. He’s again well-spoken when he reunites with his wife Desdemona. While reveling in his victory he says to her, "If after every tempest come such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death..." (201-202) Here you can see how charming Othello can be when he is happy. Of course, when Othello is happy he is also at his most comfortable and confident. This makes it easier for him to speak beautifully.

You can see that Othello has wonderful qualities when he is feeling confident. However when things begin to go rocky for Othello he begins to change. He is no longer the well-spoken, wise, and great decision maker. Once Iago’s accusations start to really scare him, he begins to become irrational. Instead of confronting Desdemona and/or Cassio, Othello begins to accuse his wife. However, he never says anything to her directly.

For example, Othello says to Desdemona, "A liberal hand! The hearts of old gave hands, but our new heraldry is hands, not hearts.” (155) Here you can see Othello basically telling his wife that she is a whore. He doesn’t say it in those exact words but this is what he means. He talks about how she has been giving her “hand” to Cassio. He indirectly accuses her of having been unfaithful and not being truthful or loyal. Iago hit a soft spot when he began saying that Desdemona and Cassio had something going on. Othello quickly fell into the trap and his insecurity began to take complete control of him. Without ever confronting Desdemona, Othello took more and more evidence from Iago who he believed was extremely honest. Why did this happen? What made Othello so vulnerable? I believe that it was Othello’s deep insecurities that really allowed him to succumb to his weakness.

Before his unfortunate lapse in self-confidence, Othello was extremely healthy. He was the “Valiant Moor”! He was a strong general who exuded confidence. However, after Iago’s plan began to fall into place, Othello was no longer able to be so confident. As he fell deeper into his vulnerable state, his health also began to deteriorate. Othello’s epilepsy returned and began to affect his daily life. He was having epileptic episodes while a war was going on because he believed his wife was cheating on him.

In the end, Othello’s insecurity became his downfall. He listened to Iago who was plotting against him the whole time. Othello never dealt with his issue and he never confronted Desdemona. This led him to extremely irrational behavior. Othello commanded Iago to kill Cassio then went and smothered Desdemona himself. He never listened to either Desdemona or Cassio’s side of the story. It was completely unlike him but by the end of the book, Othello was no longer himself. Because of his insecurity, Othello committed cold blooded murder. After killing two of the most important people in his life, Othello committed suicide. Othello’s insecurity totally consumed him and became quite destructive. Because of this, Othello and many others lost their lives.