In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello is presented as a man of stature and distinction, so much so that others often preface his name with the word "valiant" (1.3.50). He is someone who, despite the prejudice attached to his skin, is deemed worthy of the love of the beautiful Desdemona because of the merit of his service to the Venetian government. He reiterates this himself in his defense of his marriage, saying: “I must be found. /My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ will manifest me properly (1.2.30-32),” and he is finally accepted by the authority of Desdemona’s father and the Duke of Venice. From the beginning, Shakespeare establishes the importance that duty plays in Othello's world. His dedication to the Venetian state is rewarded by the devotion of his wife and those who serve him. However, at the end of the play, Othello finds his life and reputation destroyed due to the clever calculations of his deceitful officer, Iago. The unfolding of Iago's scheme creates confusion and conflict among all the characters, forcing them to arbitrate between how they feel and their sense of duty in their respective roles and showing the consequences of deception, whether veiled or perceived. In Othello, duty and love are invariably linked, and as the tragedy unfolds, Shakespeare demonstrates love's capacity to pervert conceptions of duty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayPerhaps the character most unwavering in her sense of duty is Desdemona. In her opening lines of the play, Desdemona addresses the shared sense of duty she faces between her father and her new husband. She said to her father: “My noble father,/ I perceive here a shared duty./ To you I am bound for life and education/… you are the lord of duty/… But here is my husband. And as many duties as my mother showed / Towards you, preferring you to her father” (1.3.181-190). Taking the example of her mother, Desdemona assumes the feminine duty of devoting herself fully to her husband. From the beginning of the play, Desdemona is extolled as the embodiment of feminine ideals. Brabantio, extolling his daughter's virtues, describes her as "a young girl never daring" (1.3.97). Despite her initial dilemma between her duty as a daughter and her new duty as a wife, she is decisive and remains faithful to this commitment until her death. The reader can trace her devotion from the beginning of her marital happiness in her desire to go into battle in order to remain at her husband's side, until her final disappearance. Although she is innocent of any wrongdoing, once he succumbs to the suspicions aroused by Iago, Othello becomes increasingly cruel to his wife. However, after repeatedly accusing her of betraying him with Cassio and cruelly calling her a whore, Desdemona arguably becomes more determined to remain respectful to her husband, telling Iago and Emilia: "And always will , even if he shakes me / For divorce beggar – love him tenderly, / Comfort forgive me! Wickedness can do much,/And his wickedness can overcome my life,/But never taint my love” (4.2.162-166). This response demonstrates that Desdemona's love for her husband has distorted her sense of duty to the point that she is willing to die for it. Furthermore, after being humiliated by her husband who hits her in front of visiting dignitaries, she is comforted by Emilia who denounces the inequalities between men and women. Desdemona responds only by saying that she hopes to use women who denounce their husbands as an example of how not to act (4.3.61-82). But rather than being rewarded, Desdemona is arguably ultimately punished for her unwavering love and sense of duty, as the object ofhis tireless devotion becomes his eventual murderer. Desdemona is a character seemingly connected by the love she has for the male characters in her life. The only instance where she has defended herself against the will of men in her life is when she defends her marriage to Othello and transfers her allegiance from her father to her husband. It is this quality that ultimately obscures her sense of the value of her own life – so much so that until the end, in the final moments before her death, she still addresses Othello as “ my lord” (5.2.88). Unlike Desdemona, Emilia's sense of duty is much less tied to that of the men in her life. Emilia even makes a strong statement against the type of blind female devotion practiced by Desdemona, saying, “Let the husbands know/Their wives are sensible like them.” They see and smell/And have their palate for both sweet and sour, Like husbands,” essentially saying that women have no more responsibility than men to remain respectful (4.3.70-74) . Instead, as she is almost always at his side, Emilia focuses her devotion largely on Desdemona rather than her husband. However, despite her conflicted relationship with Iago and his mistreatment of her, even Emilia experiences love's capacity to obscure the sense of duty. While being in love troubles Desdemona, Emilia is clouded by her desire to receive him. When she finds Desdemona's handkerchief, she decides to take it to Iago, dismissing his suspicions by saying: "What is he going to do with it/God knows, I don't./I'm only satisfying his fantasy” (3.3.306-308). . Emilia's desire to receive her husband's love distracts her from her duty to her mistress and leads her to provide Iago with the final piece needed to carry out his plan. This costs not only his mistress's life, but his own as well. Meanwhile, through the character of Iago, Shakespeare demonstrates how actions are affected in the absence of duty or love. Ironically, Iago is the first character in Othello to bring up the concept of duty, and in doing so his deceitful nature is revealed early on. After bitterly stating his grievances regarding Othello's authority and Cassio's promotion of himself, Roderigo responds that he would resign if he were in Iago's place. However, Iago responds by revealing his true motives, saying, "I follow him to serve him my turn" (1.1.44). Iago's belief that Othello had scorned him erased all sense of duty and manifested itself in revenge. In fact, he goes on to denigrate those who, in his eyes, are blinded by their sense of duty to others, and instead praises those who serve their own interests. He said to Roderigo: “There are others / Who, adorned with faces of duty, / yet keep their hearts turned towards themselves / And, throwing only demonstrations of service to their lords, prosper thanks to them » (1.1.52-56). Iago expresses the belief that a false sense of duty can be used for one's own benefit. As he says to Roderigo: “In following him, I am only myself” (1.1.60). Iago is beholden only to himself, but he unequivocally understands the important role that duty plays in Othello's life and is able to use this knowledge to his advantage. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Iago effectively sows doubt in Othello about Desdemona's devotion to him under the guise of a devoted servant with only the interests of his master in mind. While Othello understands his artificial suspicions towards Cassio, Iago masterfully evokes his sense of duty towards Othello in order to use his master's misplaced trust against him by assuring him with phrases.