At the beginning of Shakespeare's play
Othello, we learn that Roderigo had courted Desdemona. Roderigo
is an aristocrat and a Venetian. But these are his only two qualifications as a
potential husband for Desdemona.
Roderigo is a dupe, a
fool, a bungler. He is in no way equal to Desdemona in intelligence. He is easily
manipulated by Iago:
"Thus do I ever make my fool my
purse."
He is unable to hold
his own against Cassio, who beats him up soundly in Act 2; his attempt to murder Cassio
fails in Act 5.
Roderigo pursues Desdemona in a
stalker-like way. Even after she has married someone else, Roderigo will not let her
go, but with Iago's seeming help tries to break up the marriage. Later when Iago
convinces him that Desdemona is in love with Cassio while still being married to
Othello, Roderigo incredibly still thinks he can win Desdemona's love. Despite all
indications to the contrary, Roderigo thinks he has a chance with Desdemona. Roderigo's
infatuation/obsession can hardly be called love.
Early in
the play, we learn that Brabantio had declined to entertain Roderigo as a suitor for
Desdemona:
"My
daughter is not for
thee."
Brabantio is right.
Roderigo is not intelligent enough, brave enough, or moral enough for the almost
angelic Desdemona. No, Desdemona chose correctly. Othello is brave, noble, honorable,
respected, smart. Unfortunately he is also trusting and passionate. It is these
traits that Iago uses to turn what is a beautiful relationship into a tragic one. Even
Iago admits that without Iago's interference, Othello would prove to be a "most dear
husband" to Desdemona.
No comments:
Post a Comment