E X T E N S I O N NOT ONLY JEALOUSY What is the real cause of Othello s downfall? Is he simply a jealous man? The tragedy of Othello shows how corrupting and destructive jealousy is. Othello is jealous of his wife s love and Iago is jealous of Cassio and hates Othello because he has given Cassio preference and power. But the Moor does not show this destructive passion early in the play, he gets suspicious of Desdemona s faithfulness only because of Iago s manipulation. The real key-note of the tragedy is the contrast between appearance and reality, the inability to understand man s real nature. Iago makes everyone believe that he is faithful, hides his evil intentions under a mask of honesty and changes the reality of facts for his own purpose1. Othello, who is considered a barbarian by many in the play, is gentle, noble and frank. His real problem is alienation: the valorous Moor is of another race, he does not belong2 to the society in which he lives. The theme of racism, in fact, plays a very important role3 in the tragedy. It is easy for Iago to play on Othello s deep4 insecurities about his race. The Moor is an example of a noble black man at a time when black men were known only as slaves. Othello represents the failure5 of the black man to be similar in status to the whites. Iago, on the other hand, embodies6 the prejudices of the white race against the different. He believes that the union between members of two different races (Desdemona and Othello) can menace the existing social order. The very contrast between the black man, Othello, and the white woman, Desdemona, exemplifies this cultural tension. So the tragedy becomes an example of how racial prejudices can have tragic consequences. J. Vickers - M. Freni Directed by H. Von Karajan 1. purpose: scopo. 2. belong: appartenere. 3. role: ruolo. 4. deep: profondo. 5. failure: fallimento. 6. embody: incarnare. 71