A view of family violence as an act of male entitlement, reflective of social beliefs of women as property, removes the tragic glory from Othello’s suicide. Firstly, when Othello strikes his wife in public, then when he kills her, and when Iago stabs his wife, Emilia. Iago uses language to manipulate Othello into a state of doubt about his wifeâs faithfulness. At Othelloâs suggestion, the duke sends for Desdemona. According to Aristotleâs Poetics, a classical tragic hero should be renowned and prosperous, superior in some specific way, so that the reversal of fortunes or downfall, stirs up feelings within the audience of a greater intensity. Othello âYet she must die, else sheâll betray more men,â shows love to the state, âthe story of my life. Societal beliefs also affect victims’ perceptions of the criminality of such actions. For decades, much of the conversation around Shakespeare's Othello has been dominated by issues of race, by debates about who should play the title role, who should not, and if the play should even be performed at all. Credit:Daniel Boud. In consultation with the cast, director Peter Evans made crucial adjustments to the text. In unusually coarse imagery, Iago then introduces the subject of what kind of evidence would resolve Othello's doubts. However, once he makes a decision, he is again the military man, decisive in action. It's not easy to kill someone and it shouldn't look like it is.". ", Later, Othello is adamant the murder of Desdemona amounts to an honour killing: "An honourable murderer, if you will; For nought I did in hate, but all in honour.". Working with fight choreographer Nigel Poulton, Chong Nee and Elizabeth Nabben (Desdemona) created a scene that graphically depicts a woman being killed by her intimate partner. When Brabantio and Othello arrive, the duke insists on evidence to support the old manâs charge that Othello has bewitched Desdemona. Othello and King Shahrayar, from The Arabian Nights, are very similar in their brash decisions.The King was cheated on by his wife and as a result he killed his wife and many wives after that. Gender equality, it noted, will also reduce family violence: Intimate partner violence is likely to be higher when women lack autonomy and men dominate decision-making in public life, as well as in families and relationships. Deeply embedded societal beliefs – for example, the belief … that men’s intimate partners and children are their possessions to do with as they please; that women are inferior to men – influence men’s choices to commit sexual and other acts of violence. Iago’s abuse of his wife Emilia, for instance, is not commented on or apparently even noticed by the other characters. Venetian society is barely aware of male violence towards women. In the final murder scene Othello terrorises Desdemona by directing her to pray, saying: Desdemona: Kill me not, kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight, but half an hour, while I say one prayer. Thus, those straight connections help people to easily feel the violence acts in the play. The commission noted that too little effort is devoted to preventing the occurrence of family violence in the first place. Playing the scene night after night during the production's six-month national tour has been hard, says Chong Nee, who, by the final show on December 4, will have acted the murder of Desdemona more than 120 times. Othello's insecurities are so close to the surface that a few words of hint and innuendo from Iago can tear the confident exterior and expose his fears, desires, and tendency to violence. The implication is that if she actually had an affair with Cassio, Othello would have considered the killing justified, and not taken his own life. "We also have a set of physical exercises we do every day, lots of contact-based push and pull," Chong Nee says. â To what extent is Othelloâs own character the cause of his downfall? We didn't want that. Although Othello was naive and wrong to put his trust in Iago without the presence of any real evidence, he did so partly because of his low self-esteem. âHaply for I am black, And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers haveâ¦â (Othello, Act 3 Scene 3, Line 267) The questions of identity, race, terror, sex, violence, religion and gender raised by Shakespeareâs plays continue to be hotly debated in contemporary culture, though rarely with the subtlety and intelligence found in Shakespeare. Othello’s Lamentation (1857), by William Salter. The Commission shows the causes of family violence to be complex. All these themes are present in Othello. In fact, the word 'whore' is used more in this play than in any other Shakespeare play - over 13 times. There is no honour in killing her even if she was unfaithful. The tragic sequence of events is triggered by the elopement of Othello and Desdemona. "Otherwise, I tend to go within myself and just think about all the negative things that happen in the show. Shakespeareâs use of cosmic imagery when Othello swears illustrates the magnitude of Othelloâs resentment at his own hesitation, as his judgement is usually impulsive, as in Aleppo, (5. Chong Nee and Nabben talk it over regularly. He does this through a series of suggestions and hesitations that entice and implant images into Othello's head that lead him to his own demise. Othello opens at the Sydney Opera House on October 27. Traditionally, she is meant to lie down and be sacrificed. Copyright © 2010–2020, The Conversation US, Inc. Othello and Desdemona by Alexandre Marie Colin. 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