You will never feel truly satisfied with work until you are satisfied by life
“You will never feel truly satisfied with work until you are satisfied by life.” (Heather Schuck). A successful general that every man admires may not be the husband and boyfriend that every woman wants. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the success of Othello as the General does not fade the failure of him as the husband of Desdemona. The character differences of Othello as the general and as the husband of Desdemona can be shown from the evidence of Othello’s struggles and changes that occur throughout the play. His reputation as the general and the success he has as a general compared to him as a husband can indicate the obvious differences between Othello, the lover, and Othello, the General.
Othello evolved throughout the play due to the struggles and changes that occurred throughout the play. At the very beginning of the play, Othello was extremely confident as a person; he frequently tells others about his war records, the enemy he defeated, and how he led the Venice army. Othello`s overconfidence allows him to give the speech “She lov’d me for the dangers I had passed,/ And I lov’d her that she did pity them” (Shakespeare I.iii.183-184) when Desdemona was questioned for the reasons she picked a husband that was from a different race and background. From the quote that Othello gave out, we can see the confidence that Othello has for this relationship, he has the answer for those who question him. He has complete trust for Desdemona as he believed that Desdemona picked him because his power moved her as an individual showing full confidence and trust for his relationship with Desdemona. Till the middle of the play, when Iago started to work with his plan, Iago brought up the suspension between Desdemona and Cassio. Othello, at first, still has full confidence for Desdemona and refused to believe in what Iago brought up. However, after Iago keeps persuading Othello, Othello was slowly swayed by the words of Iago by saying, “I prithee speak to me as to thy thinkings,/ As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts/ The worst of words” (Shakespeare III.iii.150-152). The quote shows that Othello is starting to become suspicious of what Iago said.
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Despite the failure and trust issues Othello has in his relationship, his repetition and career as the General of Venice army seem to be much successful compared to himself as a husband. Othello overcomes the obstacles of having a different skin color and background, as his ability and personality have proved that he worth being the General of the Venice army. Iago may not be the biggest fan of Iago. Still, from the words of Iago, we can see his respect for Othello’s ability as the General by saying, “Another of fathom they have none/ To lead their business; in which regard” (Shakespeare I.i.163-164). The quote from Iago shows evidence of the reliable leading ability of Othello, considered that Iago hates Othello, and Iago was saying this quote to himself. Having that much respect for someone he hates is a secure sign of approval. When Othello decided that he will no longer be leading the army, he gave a farewell to the army by saying, “I had been happy, if the general camp,/ Pioneers* and all, had tasted her sweet body,/… Th’ immportal Jove’s dread clamors counterfeit,/ Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone” (Shakespeare III.iii.385-397)! In this quote from Othello, we can see his experiences leading the army as the General. His experiences can be summed up from his participation in wars with the Venice army, the horses he rode during the war, and the last speech he gave to the army. We can tell that from his experiences leading the army were extraordinary, which sums up his entire career as the General. Later on in the play, when Emilia exposed Iago’s plan where Othello realized how foolish he was and how wrong was he. He gave the quote by saying, “Behold, I have a weapon;/ A better never did itself sustain,/ … Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!/ O, Desdemona! Dead, Desdemona! Dead! Oh! Oh” (Shakespeare V.ii.304-327)! At the beginning of the quote, Othello brought up a sword he had never used in his battles; he gave a speech on what a weapon is to him and obstacles he had overcome with weapons alongside. From the quote, we can see what a weapon is to Othello, what is a weapon to a soldier, and a man with repetition. From the above quote about Othello, we can have a clear image of how Othello is, the General of the Venice army. Othello is a person with strong abilities, and everyone knows it. He is responsible, and he respects everything he uses during his battle, his image, and loud repetition as the General can be summed up with one word, which is successful.
The significant reason why Othello seems to be the biggest fool in the play is mainly because of the completely different images of Othello, the lover, and Othello, the General. The lover side of Othello as Desdemona’s husband damaged his repetition a lot because of the attitude and action of Othello towards his wife Desdemona, is far from the stereotype thinking people have for him. Iago once said to Othello in the play, “Men should be what they seem;/ Or those that be not, would they seem none” (Shakespeare III.iii.145-146)! Although this quote is about Cassio, the quote seems ironic as it can also be applied to Othello. Othello seems to be the successful and reliable man with power and reputation that everyone admires, and once the perfect man is no longer as perfect as he should be, people begin to judge him. Othello, without Desdemona was known as the General, the man with power, fame, and glory, but with Desdemona, Othello eventually turns into the husband filled with jealousy and going out of control. Lodovico is a man that has conventional thinking for Othello, Othello used to have the image of a respectable, polite gentleman in Lodovico’s mindset. However, when Lodovico entered the middle of the group knowing that Othello murdered Desdemona, he immediately asked to see Othello by saying, “Where is this rash and most unfortunate man” (Shakespeare V.ii.327)? From the attitude and language of Lodovico, we can see that Lodovico is no longer giving respect to Othello. Instead, Lodovico was calling Othello a rash and shows pity to Othello.
The situation illustrates the changes in Othello’s social class, people no longer respect him, no longer admired him, and he is longer the proud General of Venice but a murderer and a foolish person. At the end of the play, Othello gave out his last speech by saying “Soft you; a word or two before you go./ I have done the state some service, and they know’t./ … I took by the’ throat the circumcised dog,/ And smote him-thus” (Shakespeare V.ii.390-408). The man that was once the legendary of Venice is now fallen. He was the man that everyone once admired but now begs people to let him finish his last line. What leads him to his end is because of the failure of his marriage. It stems from his inability as a husband and the failure of picking who to trust.
Othello may be the pronoun of success as a general, his achievement, the war he participated in, and ability is undeniable. Othello’s success as a general did not make him a better husband or a wiser man; his momentum was not able to continue as a lover. From the struggles and trust issues that Othello faced as Desdemona’s husband, it illustrates that a man having a great career may not have a great family. A man that can balance his job may not be able to manage his relationship with his wife. And we will never be truly satisfied until we are satisfied with life.
