Truth In Othello

Perception of Truth

In Shakespeare’s Othello, one’s perception of reality directly influences an individual’s actions in a negative way. This notion overwhelms people to such an extent that their actions, beliefs, and behaviour are hindered by it. Shakespeare demonstrates that human emotions require a person to mask their reality. As such, one’s belief is altered by their perception of truth, which leads to self destruction.

Individuals tend to delve into the darker side of humanity in order to mask their realities. In order to conceal her disloyalty towards her mistress, Emilia supports Iago in his plotting against Othello. Emilia tells Desdemona, “I warrant it grieves my husband as if the cause were his” (3.3.3-4). As a result of her love

towards Iago, Emilia unintentionally lies to Desdemona regarding her husband’s feelings towards Cassio. As, she speaks what her husband leads her to believe thus causing her to inadvertently aid Iago. Emilia’s false perception of the truth results in Desdemona thinking highly of Iago, as she mindlessly trusts Emilia and her opinions. Moreover, Emilia masks her true intentions because she refuses to recognize her husband’s malicious intentions as she is blinded by his love. Similarly to Emilia, Jerome in The Tent Peg, is secretive about his inner feelings regarding JL’s involvement in the camp. As a result, he tries to take revenge from JL by attempting to rape her (Van Herk 218). Jerome’s fear and insecurities towards JL dictate the utilization of his power upon her, which results in his destruction. Jerome’s attempt to rape JL is driven by his need to satisfy his ego. This causes Jerome to create a false version of reality, in which he is victimized by whom he believes to be the villain; JL.
When an individual feels victimized, they tend to place the blame on others, to hide their true feelings. Othello feels rejected and deceived by Desdemona because he is a black man, as a result of this he resorts to taking his anger out on her (4.2.25-92). In reality, Othello feels upset and dejected because he believes he is no longer worthy of Desdemona. However, he does not wish to reveal his weakness in front of her, thus he finds it easier to make her feel victimized by yelling at her and striking her. The anger Othello feels is a direct result of his vulnerability, as such he misinterprets Desdemona’s expressions, gestures, and behaviour, imagining that she has treacherous intentions. Identically, Cap blames JL for his internal feelings and thus he lashes out at her. He calls her a “cocktease, a bitch, and a useless cunt” (Van Herk 105). Cap’s emotions take away his ability to understand JL’s point of view, as he feels deceived by her. As a result, Cap embraces blame as a defensive mechanism in order to achieve validation for his insecurities and actions. Furthermore, both Othello and Cap feel the need to oppress others because it makes them feel better about themselves, while providing them an excuse to suppress their true feelings.
The suppression of one’s feelings can lead to false beliefs of reality. Othello is perceived to be the perfect lover, who is deeply in love with Desdemona. Yet, he fails to trust her at the slightest “evidence” provided by Iago. When Iago tells Othello that he saw Cassio in bed with Desdemona, Othello instantly jumps to conclusions, he exclaims “We say, “lie on her” when they belie her! Lie with her—that’s fulsome” (4.1.35-36). Although, Othello shares his feelings with Desdemona regarding his belief that she is sleeping with other men, he does not give her a chance to explain herself and prove his belief false. As a result, his actions directly reflect this misperception he formed pertaining to Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. In the same way, Iago does not tell anyone, except Roderigo, about him feeling betrayed by Othello (1.1.9-33), instead he finds it easier to take his revenge out on Othello. The readers assume Iago to be the villain, however in the novel Iago himself feels wronged, thus he tries to avenge his deception. Iago’s want to suppress his feelings is motivated by his fear and anger. Likewise, after many years of hiding his true feelings from the rest of the group, Hudson soon reaches his breaking point and thus castigates Jerome (Van Herk 175-176). Before Hudson’s outburst, he was identified as the timid and weak English man. Yet, it is later realized that even he had the ability to stand up for himself. While Othello misunderstood Desdemona, taking advantage of her naivety, Jerome on the other hand perceived Hudson to constantly bear his maltreatment and thus he exploits Hudson’s enduring nature. In both instances, if the men had remained from hiding their inner feelings and emotions, the outcome of the situations would have been different, because their beliefs would not have been damaged by their lack of discernment. Moreover, when Janice does not inform Mackenzie about why she left him, Mackenzie starts to hypothesize explanations for Janice’s actions (Van Herk 91). In fact, Mackenzie starts to list all the things he had done right and blames Janice for not talking to him about her problems. Hence, he refuses to acknowledge the truth that lies in front of him about Janice never returning. Mackenzie’s lust for ultimate knowledge regarding Janice’s decision is a direct result of his fictionalized truth, which causes him liver 10 years of his life in guilt and misunderstandings.
Innocent lives fall victim to the false perceptions one has regarding reality due to hierarchy and inequality.

Iago holds great importance in Othello’s life because he is Othello’s right hand man. As a result of this many times in the play he is referred to as “honest Iago” (2.3.6). Yet, Iago is completely opposite to the title given to him as he constantly uses manipulation and misleading tactics to change other’s understanding of reality. Due to his villainous actions, other characters in the play commit wrongful acts because they believe what they are doing is correct, as they are saving themselves from being mistreated. Subsequently, Othello, Emilia, Desdemona, Cassio, and Roderigo all lose their lives and become victims to Iago’s plotting. Similarly, in the world today, many people tend to commit wrongful and criminal acts because they have a false perception of reality. This fictional belief is caused by society’s need to differentiate others. As a result of this, often innocent lives are lost or ruined. Misconceptions regarding differences in caste, religion, gender, social status, and opinions often lead to unfortunate events such as mass shootings, hijackings, war, etc. This illustrates that one’s perception of reality has a direct impact on an individual’s

belief.
One’s false belief regarding the truth results in negative consequences. This fictionalized truth is motivated by the need to mask reality, the feeling of being victimized, and the suppression of one’s feelings. This results in irrational behaviour because of emotional attachment to a belief or thought which prevails all human instincts because of its paralyzing nature.