Travesty of Trust A Close Reading ofThe Tragedy of Othello Moor of Venice III iii 257
257 This fellow’s of exceeding honesty, 258 And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit 259 Of human dealings. ... Othello speaks these words after Iago’s clever manipulation of his (Othello’s) mind. Iago’s seemingly innocent, out-loud musing about the lack of convention in Desdemona and Cassio’s relationship simultaneously questions Desdemona’s fidelity to her husband and plants the seed of jealousy in Othello. It would be oh so easy to blame Iago for his miserable manipulative machinations and his duplicity – but to do so would simply undermine the full extent of Othello’s tragic flaw – his trusting nature. Othello is a clever man. ... Time and again, Othello displays his ability to reason and logically analyze and approach problems that arise. ... It is this analytical ability that he possesses that is his greatest trait and what makes for his most tragic flaw – trust, combined with his apparent “fairness” (demanding of proof of Desdemona’s infidelity before damning her), or perhaps, more apt, misplaced trust (in Iago’s honesty and true friendship). ... The most interesting part about this speech is the irony of Othello’s first few words.