SHAKESPEARE'S OTHELLO – BETWEEN MORAL GREATNESS AND WEAKNESS OF PERCEPTION

Abstract

The paper deals with the theme of the tragic mistake of the main character in Shakespeare’s Othello, based on the violation of generally accepted moral norms of Venetian society. The course of Othello's vain struggle and tragic fall is described, as well as the unfolding of the plot in the light of the establishment of a new moral and social order. Othello's problem lies in his belonging to a different race and his marriage to Desdemona, a representative of the Venetian high class. The relationship between Othello and Iago is analysed in the light of the confrontation between good and evil. His character is so noble, his suffering so heartbreaking, that it arouses in most readers a passion of mingled love and pity that they feel, as for no other Shakespearean hero. The plot of the play revolves around the love between Othello and Desdemona and the manipulative actions of Iago, who makes that love unhappy and tragic. Othello is a man who has succeeded in his life, thanks to his own abilities and the independent decisions he makes. However, there is the villain Iago. Out of hatred for Othello, he tries, from the very beginning, to arouse Othello's doubts about Desdemona's fidelity. Iago is a Machiavellian hero who uses concealment and deception as a means to achieve his own selfish goals. In the last act, we see the destruction caused by passion. Othello asks Desdemona to confess her sin, repent and enter the other world clean. He acts like a priest who grieves for his child and prays for his redemption. He is the redeemer and the jailer at the same time. However, Othello enters the role of a cruel murderer, suffocating the innocent light of her life. The noble hero changes and perishes under the influence of the vian Iago, unaware of the presence of an evil enemy until the very end. That fall is quite natural and logical considering Iago's insidiousness and vile calculation. Othello may have had little knowledge of Desdemona, but his downfall is the result of his deep humanity, selflessness, and faith in human virtue. The basic element that drives Othello's fate is his inability to see reality. Othello is considered to be credulous. He easily succumbs to Iago's suggestions, because he is not rational and does not possess common sense, and this, according to him, is the result of his underdeveloped mind. When it comes to his relationship with Desdemona, he is unable to see that she has not sinned, which indicates that he is not a romantic idealist who sees in her qualities that she does not have. Desdemona is not important to him, but his vision of Desdemona. All this indicates that his decline is, above all, an intellectual decline.