Othello And Perfume Comparison

Shakespeare’s Othello, Süskind’s Perfume and Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita all present their protagonists as having obsessive tendencies; however the question arises as to whether they were born with it, or whether it developed over time. In Othello, the driving force behind Iago’s evil appears to be a result of his obsession with gaining power and seeking revenge as a result of the societal values of the time. In Perfume, Grenouille is obsessed with scene and its preservation. It is difficult to distinguish whether he has always had this obsession due to his superhuman sense of smell, or whether it developed for a different reason. In Lolita, Humbert Humbert is obsessed with what he would distinguish as ‘nymphets’ and in particular, a young girl

named Lolita. Do all these texts explore how these obsessions materialised?
Obsession is presented in Othello as the main destructive force that leads to the tragic events of the play. Iago is extremely blinded by obsession to the extent that he devotes his whole life to gaining revenge over Othello. The driving force behind this obsession could be seen as a result of Iago’s jealousy as Othello gave Cassio the position that he desired. ‘One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, a fellow almost damned in a fair wife, that never set a squadron on the field’. Here, Iago is claiming that his hatred for Othello comes from him not giving him the job as his military lieutenant. When he claims that Cassio ‘never set a squadron on the field’ he is highlighting that he feels as though he is far more suitable for the role. This could be seen as a reflection of society at the time it is set as it was believed that a man’s military status determined their power and typical views stated that men must aim to be powerful. These views could have led Iago to believe that status and power were the most important things, and therefore this could have been the cause of his obsession with destroying Othello.