Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-22

l
is not more snrely led than he leads
Othello, and yet Othello, the victim OF
his begiilement. calls him "honest, hon
est Iago," and again:
40. brave ingo honest aud Just.
That hast such noble sense Of thy iriencs
wrong
/ Thou teschest me"
And even Desdemona praises him,
saying:
go. good Isgo.
/ What shall DO 10 win my Lord again
Good friend, 20 70 him, Tor By this light OF hea-
ven
I know now how lost Him"
Another criticism that has been made
on the play OF Othollo is that Othello is
too easily deceived, and that he is be-
guiled into bis anger with revenge upon
aud final murder Of his wife by made
quate testimony. Even alacaulay speaks
! of "the uneuspecting confidence with
which he listens TO his adviser and the
! fclly with which he trusts the friendly
/ professions Of man whose promotion
/ he had obstructed, the credullty with
which he takes unsupported assertions,
| and trivial circumstances for uDaDswer-
anle proofs This criticism / deem also
most unjust, and involving m incorrect
apprehension of Othello. This criticism
makes an analysis OF Othelo necessary.
lago says OF him:
"1he Moor is Of free and open nature.
That thinks mon honest tnat but seem % be so'
And again no says in speaking OF
/ him-viz.
1.-The Moor-howbeit that endure him no,'
Is Of a constant, loving, noble nature"
Othello, although he has been in the
service Of Venice as = soldier, was
semi-barbaric in his character, but was
brave, soldierly, high, lofty in his
nature, loyal in every impulse OF his
heart to Desdemona, but not skilled in
social graces, as he says Of himself, in
the Council Chamber OF the Venetian
/ Senate
"Rude am In my speech,
And little bess'd with the set phrase 81 peace;
For since these arms OF mine had seven years
TnI now some nine moons wasted, they have
used
Their dearest action in the tented field:
And little Of this great world can speak
/ More than pertains 70 feats Of broil and battle,
AND therefore little shall grace my cause
In speaking for myself"
And let il be remembered, too, in esti
mating Othello, with what infinite sub
tlety, with what cOnsummate power
Iago deceives him in those immortal
scenes in Act 8, Scene 3, beginning
with
/ Isgo: "My noble lord"
! Othello: "What dost thou say, Iago9"
Iago: "Dd Michael Casslc, when YOU wooed
/ my lady know Of your lover"
! Othello: "He did, from FIRST 10 last Why dost
thou asx,n otc.
forbear from quoting tho whole OF
| these scenes because 1t would occupy too
much space, but of their type and cha
racter they are without parallel in the
| English language in the subtlety of their
strength, depth, and skllful hypocrisy.
| Let it be remembered that Iago had the
absolute confidence of Othello, and that
this play supplies no fact known to
OthelO until the GsnOueBseat that justi-
fies the breaking OF this confidence, and
Iago tells him that he knows of BESIDE
mona's intidelity to him, and that in /
conformity with his promise to Othello |
that he will make Casio tell of his idiSOH
with Desdemona he has Othello conceal |
himself and causes Cassie to talk OF |
his affair with Blanca, Othello overhear- /
ing the conversation, believing that he /
speaks OF Desdemona. In estimating |
this phase too, of Othello's character /
we must not forget the infinite skill with /
which Shakespeare makes DesdemOns |
urge Cassio's suit, and in Act 3, Scene |
4, when Othello ssks Desdemona for the |
handkerchief she deceives him, and |
Othello is aware of the deception, and /
that Othello sees this handkerchief in /
Cassio's possession, and as bearing upon |
this analysis of the character of Othello |
and his deception, Shakespeare, with |
that sublime power which he alone pos /
sessed, in Act 3, Scene 2, makes the dia- /
logue between Othello and Desdemona,
when he kills her, confirm Othello's be-
lief OF her disloyalty.
think, therefore, that the facts en- |
bodied in the foregoing statement were /
ample cause for Othello's complete de- /
ception. The earlier critics on Othelo 1
esteemed jealousy as the motor Of his
conduct, but Coleridge presented new
phase of Otbello by declaring that the
passion of the Moor was not alone
jealousy, but was the agony Of being
forced 10 hate that which he had deyo-
teddy loved. Think that an this cole
ridge does not go far enough, and that
the great motiye that impeis OtheliO is
not jcatousy, bit rersngG upon the
lOomda he lOUed J0r hduin0, rs he be-
there's, betrayed him. i think that
every event of the play establishes this.
In proof of this, Othello says-viz.
"Why, why Is this.
Think'st thou I'd make lie Of Jealousy,
TO follow s:lll the changes OF the moon
With fresh suspicious? No; to he once In doubt
Is once 10 be resolved.
'ris not to make ne Jealous,
To say my wife is fair, feeds we'll, loves COM
pany.
Is free OF speech, sings. plays. and dance, well;
Where virtue is, these are more virtuous;
Nor from my own weak merits will JraW
The smallest fear or doubt OF her revolt:
For she had eyes, aud chose me. No, Iago;
III see before | doubt, whom doubt prove;
And. on the proof, there Is no moro but this;
Away at once with love or iealousy.i
OhelIo's actions spring from the heat
Of blood, fred By a deep sense Of awong,
aOOrking upon q Scmi-bar60ric nature,
and impeIied by an impIacable deslre
for reUengc.
There is no feature OF this play so
beautiful and ennobling as the great de-
votion of Othellos love and Desdemonas
purity. If Desdemona had been guilty
it would have annihilated the tender
beauty and sublime pathos of the play,
and in this is the highest expression OF
Shakespeare's genius.
Another one of the criticisms that has
been made upon this play is that the
love OF Desdemona for Othello is unna-
tural. One of the authorities for this
criticism is the fierce denunciation of
Othello by Brabantio, Desdenona's IA
ther, as well as the antagonist involved
in the roughness, bluntness, and soldier
ly coarseness of Othello, as compared
with the gentleness, refinement, and
delicacy of Desdemona, who was, as '
Brabantio declares, sought Ivy all
"the wealthy curled darlingsof our ma
ton" Indeed, Brabantio goes so far
as to declare, after denouncing Othello in
the bitterest and most uhmeasured
terms-viz. &:
THAT thou hast practced on her with foul
charms.
Abused her delicate youth With drugs or min
erals
And again, declaring in sreaking to