OnFaithandLoveinMarriageofOthello

李宁

【Abstract】Othello is a good reflection of trust， distrust， and mistrust.This paper proves marriage based on distrust dooms to fail by analyzing Othello and Desdemonas marriage.Based on strong faith and love， their marriage is happy， but when faith is destroyed， even love still exists， life cannot be harmonious and peaceful， Amarriage bonds were broken with the loss of faith.

【Key words】faith； love； marriage； Othello

Shakespeares Othello is a good reflection of trust， distrust， and mistrust.This paper proves marriage based on distrust dooms to fail by analyzing Othello and Desdemonas marriage.Based on strong faith and love， their marriage is happy， but when faith is destroyed， even love still exists； life cannot be harmonious and peaceful.

I.Marriage based on strong faith and love

When we come to Othello we find ourselves dealing with characters whose tragic fate derives clearly enough from their own deliberate choices， not from any pressure in their environment.So we regard Othello as a humanist tragedy.

Shakespeares Othello is a drama of marriage and love based on faith.Othello and Desdemona join in marriage after only knowing each other for a short nine months， which exemplifies a great leap of faith for both of them.He loves Desdemona so dearly just because he finds her to be the embodiment of integrity， sincerity and loftiness of mind.These qualities， together with her youth and beauty， make her his ideal of a woman.Desdemon is aware of the extraordinary figure she must be cutting in this scene and of the misinterpretation that will naturally attach to what she has done， but she is neither strident in self-justification nor hesitant and tentative.If her choice proves tragic （as it does） this is not because of any weakness in the capacity to choose.Othello is indeed a tragic choice， but he is not a wrong choice， for he totally fulfils the deepest impulses in her entirely admirable nature.Desdemona chooses the best of men， but even the best of men， the play insists， is subject to corruption.

Maybe Othello and Desdemona trust on each other two easily.However， just as what Zak says “to trust is human”.Strong faith and love bond the marriage Desdemona and Othello， however， these bonds are broken when Iago manipulates Othello to believe Desdemona betrays her marriage by having an affair with Cassio.

II.Faith was destroyed

Iago is double faced and he does not appear to be whom he really is.Othellos collapse into madness， comes when his worst suspicious， aroused by Iago.The strong faith was destroyed not only because of a villain Iago but also because of flaws in Othello his own make-up.His tragic flaws “pride， jealousy， imbalance of reason and passion， temper， and his too trusting nature” combined to turn him to the shadow of his former steadfast self.

In addition to his misplaced trust， Othello had an imbalance of reason and passion.He had allowed his jealousy to get the better of him.He was so passionate and loving of Desdemona that when he was betrayed， he felt that he had lost everything.It was also his passion that made him take justice into his own hands on two occasions； first when he thinks that it was his duty to rid the world of someone who would easily betray men， and he kills Desdemona， and secondly， when he feels the need to rid the world of a jealous murderer and kills himself.Because of Othellos military background， Othello tended to see things in black and white and was inclined to act decisively and swiftly.Because of his military upbringing he did not question Desdemona straight away about her faithfulness and trusted his men whole-heartedly as a good leader should， but he became blind to the reality.

Moreover， Othello was controlled by his anger and jealousy.In the beginning of the play， Othello is calm and everything a hero should have been.Yet， the same Othello acted differently as Iago takes control of Othellos flaws.His eloquence at the beginning of the story， which he had when speaking of how he wooed Desdemona， had broken down to sharp gutturals and short sparse sentences.At one point， in a fit of jealousy， Othello would ramble：

Ultimately， Othello was all too human.He had flaws like any other person.The faith between Othello and Desdemona was destroyed by Iagos plot which had effects on Othellos tragic flaw and Desdemonas innocence.

III.Love was not destroyed

Although the faith was destroyed， love cannot be broken at the same time.Desdemona didnt blame on Othellos murder.Desdemonas love toward her husband didnt change， even when she was dying she truly loves him.When Othello decided to kill his wife， he was also very sad.

He knew he was killing the one he loved， “it strikes where it doth love”.But what kind of love is it that leads Othello to murder his beloved Desdemona， as his motive-“Yet she must die， else shell betray more men”.He made the decision due to his personality and life experience as a solider.His love was true and pure but also foolish， just as what he said “love not wisely， but too well”.This means his whole life had been transformed by his love.His total commitment meant that if he believed he had lost Desdemonas love， life would become a desert.While Othello loves Desdemona “too well”， it is a possessive love rather than selfless.The play portrays women as either virtuous or “strumpets”， with chastity valued highly.In this context even the slightest imputation of infidelity is enough to destabilize Othellos faith in his wife.

IV.Marriage bonds were broken

Although love still exists between Desdemona and Othello， marriage bonds were broken with the loss of faith.No matter how strong they love each other， life cannot be peaceful when suspicion stirs up.Othello was suffering in suspicion.To trust on Iago， it means to accept his beloved wifes disloyalty which hurt him a lot； to distrust on Iago， what he said will hover around him， it is a shadow in his heart.For him， from that time on all the glory has gone， all the peace has gone， what left is only chaos.What Iago choosed to manipulate is the tragedy of bedroom which Othello cannot bear， maybe all the man cannot endure as Tolstoy says： “Man can endure earthquake， epidemic， dreadful disease， every form of spiritual torment； but the most dreadful tragedy that can befall him is， and will remain， the tragedy of the bedroom.”

IV.Conclusion

Strong faith and love bond the marriage between Othello and Desdemona， when faith is destroyed， even if love still goes on， life cannot be harmonious， Because the quality of faith in another is the highest expression of love.So love based on distrust dooms to fail.

References：

[1]Kenneth Muir.Shakespeares Tagic Sequence.Hutchinson University Library London.

[2]Liu Bingshan.A Short History of English Literature.He Nan Teachers University.

[3]Martin Stephen.Longman Exam Guides English Literature.Longdon：Longman，1986.

[4]Praveen Bhatia.The Tempest.USB PublishersDistributors.

[5]Stanley Wells.The Cambridge Companion To Shakespeare Studies.Shang Hai Foreign Language Teaching House.

*延安大学社科基金，项目号：yds2012-15。课题名称：乔治·爱略特小说中女性身份认同研究—以《丹尼尔·德隆达》为例。