How and where does Othello show his self-doubts and self-loathing? Does he begin to agree with the Venetians that Desdemona’s love for him was a kind of violent unnaturalness?
Explain your answer.
Othello is deeply insecure about his personal qualities and his marriage, which weakens his sense of self. Othello comments on the color of his skin, turning it into a symbol for how poorly spoken and unattractive he is; he is plagued by self-doubt. Of course, his words are actually more complex and beautiful than those spoken by any other character in the play. Othello doubts that Desdemona could love him, because of his misconception of himself as being uncouth, poorly spoken, and old; because he begins to believe that Desdemona cannot love him, he starts to believe her guilty of infidelity. How Othello sees himself directly influences how he views Desdemona's love.
Othello's dialogue includes the pervasive black/white imagery to express his grief and rage at Desdemona's alleged treachery: "My name, that was as fresh as Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black as mine own face"(III.iii.386-388). Although the allegations against Desdemona are personally hurtful to him, Othello focuses more on the public ramifications, rather than the private. Iago's "proofs" also rely on the animal imagery which has run throughout the play; he makes Desdemona and Cassio seem like lustful lovers, describing them as "prime as goats, as hot as monkeys" (III.iii.403). This comparison is calculated, since Iago knows that thinking of Desdemona as lusting after another man disturbs Othello greatly.
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