Arezou Esmaeeli
Bryan Dunn

English 2, 6th Hour

3 May 2016

Othello Character Personality Songs

Othello- “7 Things I Hate About You” by Miley Cyrus  

    Othello is a very conflicted character, and he has every right to be. He recently married Desdemona and is crazy in love with her. When Iago says that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him, Othello’s feelings toward her starts to contradict themselves. He starts with saying how evil Desdemona is then he continues by talking about how beautiful and sweet she is. “Hang her! I do but say what she is. So delicate with her needle, an admirable musician. O, she will sing the savageness out of a bear. Of so high and plenteous wit and invention!” (IV.i.196-201). He mentions how he must kill her but she has the ability to get the bear to calm down by her kindness and music. In the song, 7 Things I Hate About You by Miley Cyrus, the singer states why she hates him but then lists the reason why she loves him too. “When I think about the previous/Relationship we shared/It was awesome, but we lost it,” Othello believes he lost Desdemona’s love and that their relationship isn’t in place throughout the tragedy. Iago holds a great deal of Othello’s trust and uses it for his own advantage rather than for Othello’s wellbeing. Othello shows signs of contradicting his words throughout the entire play and it’s due to Iago. First, he trusts Cassio enough to make him lieutenant then he believes he is having an affair with Desdemona. Next, he believes anything Iago says then believes that everything he has ever told him is a lie. Othello is obviously easily influenced which doesn’t end in any good.

Iago- “Poor Unfortunate Souls” by Pat Carroll

Iago is a very cunning and manipulative character. He is able to plan situations and execute them so that they work exactly how he wants them. Similar to Ursula in The Little Mermaid, the sea witch who was able to get Ariel to agree to her contract through persuasion and Ariel’s desperate need, Iago made Roderigo and Othello do his bidding because they are crazy in love with Desdemona. “Poor unfortunate souls, in pain, in need,” is exactly how Iago views Roderigo and Othello. He feels as though he is doing all of them a favor, both of them are suffering because of love and he swoops in to save the day. For Roderigo, Iago convinces him that he needs to have a lot of cash and eventually Desdemona will realize her mistake for choosing Othello and go to him. “ I hate the Moor. My/cause is hearted. Thine hath no less reason. Let us be/ conjunctive in our revenge against him. If thou canst/cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport./There are many events in the womb of time which will be/delivered. Traverse, go, provide thy money”(I.III.380-5). Iago tells Roderigo that he hates Othello and together they will both be able to get what they desire, Roderigo will get Desdemona and Iago will get revenge. For Othello, the entire scene 1 of Act 4 is Iago tricking Othello into thinking Desdemona is being unfaithful so that it’ll cause him to want to kill her and Cassio.

Cassio- “Regrets” by Jay-Z

    Michael Cassio is a very intelligent and good looking guy so it’s no wonder why people enjoy his company. He was made second in command by Othello and Iago cannot stand it. Iago finds him an easy person to frame, after all he made it seem like he was having an affair with Desdemona and that he is irresponsible on the job. Once Othello found out about Cassio drinking and causing a fight to happen, he stripped him of his title as lieutenant. “In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets/ On the, rise to the top, many drop, don't forget.” “My reputation, my reputation! I’ve lost my reputation,/the longest-living and truest part of myself!/Everything else in me is just animal-like. Oh, my reputation, Iago,/ my reputation!”(II.III.230). Cassio’s character is the once trusted lieutenant who turned out to be a drunk. His character helps support Iago’s evil plot and plays a crucial role in making Othello turn against Desdemona even without the intention of doing so.

Emilia- “Oath” by Cher Lloyd

    Emilia is one of Desdemona’s closest friends, quite possibly her best friend. Emilia is an honest character who seems to know the true personalities of people throughout the play. While Emilia works for Desdemona, it is obvious they love each other. Emilia would only say good things about Desdemona and would always defend her. When she found out Othello had killed Desdemona, she told him that he killed someone so innocent, so sweet and wonderful and that he is the devil. “Wherever you go, just always remember/That you got a home for now and forever/And if you get low, just call me whenever.” Emilia will always be there for Desdemona even when she lays on her deathbed. “Ay, ay! O, lay be by my mistress’ side” (V.II.279).  Even when Emilia is near death, she wants to be there for her mistress. The bond Emilia has with Desdemona is very strong and the most true throughout the play.

Roderigo- “You’ll Be Back” by Jonathan Groff

    Roderigo is so in love with Desdemona’s beauty that he hates the fact that someone like Othello is able to win her love. To Roderigo, Othello is only a man of color. He is different, which makes him not at all worthy for such a wonderful woman. Roderigo is a young man while Othello has a few years on him. “You’ll be back, soon you’ll see. You’ll remember you belong to me.” The singer is saying that even though you’ve made your decision against me now, soon you will come back wanting to be by my side. This is just like Roderigo who believes that something must be out of place if someone as high class as Desdemona would settle with someone much lower. “I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love,” relates very well to how Roderigo believed killing Cassio would definitely help him find a way to Desdemona’s heart. “I have no great devotion to the deed/And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons” (V.I.7-8). After Iago talks him out of giving up on trying to get Desdemona’s heart, he persuades him that committing crimes is better than giving up. “A pow of/ drowning thyself! It is clean out of the way; Seek thou/ rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy than to be/ drowned and go without her”(I.III.374-7). Roderigo is very naive character that’s only goal in life is to win Desdemona’s heart which he believes he will receive if he kills her friends and gives her expensive gifts.

Desdemona- “Blinded by Love” by The Rolling Stones

    Desdemona is a beautiful, kind and caring woman who had wealthy suitors come from all over begging for her hand in marriage, but she only had eyes for Othello. “My only sin is loving you too much” (V.II.44). Desdemona makes sure Othello knows her love for him many times throughout the play. Whenever Othello accused Desdemona of being unfaithful, she always responded thoroughly confused as to what is going on and says she has only been with him. She’s very innocent and wouldn’t even believe people are able to be unfaithful to each other especially if they are in love. “The queen of the Nile/She laid on her throne/And she was drifting downstream/On a barge that was burnished with gold/Royal purple the sails/So sweetly perfumed/And poor Mark Antony's/Senses were drowned/And his future was doomed.” Desdemona may as well have been the queen of the Nile. She is treated like a goddess, she comes from a wealthy family yet she is kind to everyone. Much like Mark Anthony, Othello’s life was slowly falling apart the moment he met her. “Now it's no use crying or weeping/

You better lock up your soul for safe keeping.” Nothing at the time was able to stop Othello from killing Desdemona. Desdemona cried and tried to tell Othello the truth, but it was no use. She begged for Cassio to come clear things up but he was believed to have been dead by then. She was going to be killed regardless.

Dear Othello by Arezou Esmaeeli

My father doesn’t know my love

Is greater than the sea- greater than anything

You tell me these real cool stories

About you fighting- living, surviving

I know you are busy

But save some time for me

I really love thee

I hope that you will notice

My interest in you- my heart grows for you

I know I’m not worth the worries and times of despair

I know you are busy

But save some time for me

I really love thee