Love

Love: Othello and Desdemona

Love and the particular conceptualisation of love during the Renaissance dominate this play. Love is the driving force behind much of the plot and it motivates many of the characters in their actions.

Love in the play

Love, lack of love, or betrayal in love seems to underpin key moments within the drama.
Love obviously intersects with tragedy in the text, and where there is betrayal or the thought of betrayal in love, then that is where we expect to see disorder and chaos emerge.

Historical context

In the Renaissance, we have to bear in mind that most love that happened did not always happen in the romantic way we might conceive of it now.
Marriages were often arranged or completed for practical purposes, with the hope that love might grow and develop between two people.
In this sense, love was a political decision, about retaining social cohesion and alignments.

Othello and Desdemona

It was not about falling in love in the way we conceive of it now. It was an arrangement.
But Othello and Desdemona’s love seems to be genuine and romantic. Desdemona makes it clear that she loves Othello dearly and is committed to him in Act One Scene Three.
You could argue that her love for Othello must be so strong to go against convention and face the wrath of her father.

Love and chaos

Brabantio most obviously represents the old order and wishes Desdemona to marry upon his recommendation.
Although Desdemona and Othello do seem to have a genuine love, perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting that their union breaks the order because of the chaos that their marriage unleashes.
On the other hand, if it were not for the interference of Iago, their marriage may have continued without difficulty.

Love: Iago and Emilia

Iago is a very solitary figure in the play, and you could argue that no-one seems to genuinely care for him.

Iago's jealousy and bitterness

Iago is motivated by jealousy over Cassio. You could also argue that he is bitter because there is a suggestion that Emilia has slept with Othello.

Iago's marriage

His marriage to Emilia seems to have failed because the two of them are not close.
In this way, their marriage is political for both of them are in the service of Othello: Iago in his army and Emilia as his wife’s maidservant.
It could be argued that the deeper reason for Iago’s motivation for revenge is his loneliness and lack of love.

Emilia

Emilia is a character who also seems stuck in a loveless marriage.
She has probably followed convention in marrying Iago, but it seems that she has come to understand just how he operates.
When she learns of his machinations she clearly hates him for what he has done.
Their love always however, seemed to be an arrangement with both of them cynical about the way men and women operate.

1Context

1.1Introduction

1.1.1Specifications

1.2Background

1.2.1Shakespeare

1.2.2Love

1.2.3Tragedy

1.2.4Historical Context

1.3Othello

1.3.1Setting

1.3.2Social Issues

2Act One: Summaries & Themes

2.1Act and Scene Summaries

2.1.1Structure

2.1.2The Exam

2.2Scene One

2.2.1Key Events

2.2.2Key Themes

2.2.3Key Ideas

2.3Scene Two

2.3.1Key Events

2.3.2Key Themes

2.3.3Key Ideas

2.4Scene Three

2.4.1Key Events

2.4.2Key Events 2

2.4.3Key Themes

2.4.4Key Ideas

3Act Two: Summaries & Themes

3.1Scene One & Two

3.1.1Scene One: Events

3.1.2Key Events 2

3.1.3Key Ideas: Love & Tragedy

3.1.4Scene Two: Events

3.2Scene Three

3.2.1Key Events

3.2.2Key Ideas

4Act Three: Summaries & Themes

4.1Key Events

4.1.1Scene One & Two

4.1.2Scene Three

4.1.3Scene Three: Key Ideas

4.1.4Scene Four

5Act Four

5.1Scene One

5.1.1Key Events

5.1.2Key Ideas

5.2Scene Two

5.2.1Key Events

5.2.2Key Ideas

5.3Scene Three

5.3.1Key Events

5.3.2Key Ideas

6Act Five

6.1Scene One

6.1.1Key Events

6.1.2Key Ideas

6.2Scene Two

6.2.1Key Events

6.2.2Key Ideas

7Character Profiles

7.1Major Characters

7.1.1Othello

7.1.2Iago

7.1.3Desdemona

7.1.4Emilia

7.1.5Cassio

7.2Minor Characters

7.2.1Roderigo & Brabantio

7.2.2Other Characters

8Key Themes

8.1Love & Tragedy

8.1.1Love

8.1.2Love 2

8.1.3Tragedy

8.1.4Tragedy 2

8.2Other Key Themes

8.2.1Public versus Private

8.2.2Appearance & Reality

9Writing Techniques

9.1Writing Techniques

9.1.1Structure

9.1.2Genre

9.1.3Form & Language

9.1.4Language & Imagery

10Critical Debates

10.1Criticism & Performance

10.1.1Shakespeare's Legacy

10.1.2Traditional

10.1.3Modern & Contemporary

10.2Approaches

10.2.1Feminist Approach

10.2.2Psychoanalytic Approach

10.2.3Marxist Approach

11Approaching AQA English Literature

11.1Specification A

11.1.1Specification A

11.1.2Love Through the Ages

11.2Specification B

11.2.1Specification B

11.2.2Aspects of Tragedy

12Issues of Assessment

12.1The Exams

12.1.1AOs

12.1.2Mark Scheme

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