The Purpose of the Clown in Othello

Othello, a play written by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy which meets its tragic ending, as Iago plots a plan that ends up with the death of five people. Iago’s manipulation being set as Othello’s main plot, one might hardly remember the Clown, who appears only twice in the overall play. Keeping the focus on the Clown, in this essay, I would like to answer the question - “by the use of the Clown, how Othello conforms to, or deviates from, Shakespearean tragedy’s convention, and for what purpose?” One might regard the use of comedic element, the Clown, as a deviation from the convention of the genre, Shakespearean tragedy. According to a study, however, Shakespeare’s use of the Clown can be defined as the use a Shakespearean fool, who appears in almost every tragedies of Shakespeare (Winterman). Thus, Shakespeare’s use of the Clown should be seen as a way to confirm the genre of Shakespearean tragedy. What is more important here is Shakespeare’s purpose of the use of the Clown: the Clown plays a critical character that intensifies the overall tragedy of the play. Throughout Othello, Shakespeare specifies the Clown’s major roles of giving a comic relief, foreshadowing future plots and working as an extension of Iago’s plotting.

Readers first encounter the Clown in the beginning of Act 3, when the Clown scoffs at the Musicians and talks about “instruments” (III.i.4) in a droll manner. The manner of the conversations acutely contrasts with those which Iago and Cassio goes through, in Act 2, scene 3. One can observe that the Clown appears immediately after times of emotional peak, providing a short relief so that the audience can prepare for the next series of events. Same thing happens in Act 3, Scene 4, when the Clown tricks Desd...

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In conclusion, Shakespeare’s use of the Clown may seem very trivial, considering the fact that the Clown appears very few times compared to other main characters. However, the use the Clown holds specific goals: giving a comic relief, foreshadowing the upcoming plots, and working as an extension of Iago’s plotting. It is never clear to what extent Shakespeare wished the Clown – a typical Shakespearean fool – to be engaged into the whole play; however, it is undeniable that the Clown lubricates the overall flow of Othello.

Works Cited

Nason, Arthur Huntington. NasonShakespeare's Use of Comedy in Tragedy, The Sewanee Review, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan., 1906), pp. 28-37 Avaialble http://www.jstor.org/stable/27530731?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Shakespeare, William, and Jane Coles. Othello. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.