Othello feels compelled to take life from his wife on being devoured by the conviction that she has been disloyal. He sends her to bed and follows later with the intention of smothering her; on finding himself still in need of some convincing he lingers and she stirs. Desdemona, innocent, is despondent on waking, quickly interpreting the situation she begs for her life. On being discovered, near dead, and asked who had done this she blames herself rather than Othello.
Faith, truth, strength, articulation, composure and compassion are all taken from Othello but there is never any question that he loves Desdemona. V ii begins with
“It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul:
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars”
An Othello who is genuinely tormented by what it is that he feels must now be done. Even after he becomes lost in this idea that Desdemona has been unfaithful, it is not his hatred of her that drives him to do what he does but his belief that it is the only just and true conclusion. Thus there is an important distinction to be drawn between “It is the cause, it is the cause” and “I wish her dead”. A difference that points to the conclusion that, whilst his love changes form, always it endures.
“……Smooth as monumental alabaster:
Yet she must die, else she will betray more men”
Here the literal reading is that Desdemona must die regardless of how beautiful she is or she will continue to be disloyal. But beauty is an opinion and not an actuality- these metaphors are applied to Desdemona in order to express Othello’s love of her and not to depict her exclusively. Thus the “Yet” refers not to her beauty but to Othello’s love of her. And so we see that the line truly reads; despite Othello’s deep and true and permanent love of her she must die because he thinks it is right.
This scene exposes more than any other the plays opinion on love and how, always, it endures. We see that other emotions dance around it and change its shape but never rid Othello of it completely. Mainly it is his faith that is weakened by Iago and his scheming, or his compassion or his grace but never his love. In this instance in particular Othello has been influenced by both his weakness in faith and his being too easily convinced that to overpower Desdemona is “right” or “just”.
We see also that, nearing the end of the scene (line 334) Othello’s composure returns despite his being unbearably saddened by what he has done. Arguably this return to grace is caused by the restoration of his faith. When faith was bound to love Othello was strong and tranquil it was as this belief in Desdemona departed that Othello crumbled, upon restoration he is, at least partially, redeemed in the audience’s view.
Could not
“ …..of one whose hand
Like the base Indian threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; …..”
be as much a reference to Othello’s ignorance of the value of his faith, that was so easily surrendered, as to Desdemona herself. Othello is saved because he recognises this and rights it by immediately marrying faith and love once more.
Moreover, Desdemona never looses either the jewel of love or that of faith. The audience sees in return to Othello’s increasing magnitude of neglect towards her only an ever-increasing tolerance and humility from Desdemona. Desdemona is not by any means a weak character, as can be seen in the initial scenes where she rebels against her father. She is simply the student of a generous, faithful and patient love that humbles Othello’s. This is painted most vividly in V ii where when asked
“O who hath done this deed?”
Desdemona replies “nobody-I myself-farewell”
Again it is seen that faith linked to love is pointed to. Only Desdemona’s love is everything Othello’s is not. For Desdemona faith and love were never separable, her love of Othello shadowed all else, there was nothing that could not be forgiven, there was never enough evidence to diminish her faith or alter her love. Shakespeare exaggerates this feature of the play by polarising the stages of Othello and Desdemona’s love; when Othello’s failed Desdemona’s excelled. In this scene the love of Othello of Desdemona is most lazy, most poisoned, most twisted and here that Desdemona’s sparkles in her protection of Othello even after he has betrayed her.
V ii is a scene of quarrel between Othello and Desdemona which colours, broadens and deepens the play through an increased density and magnitude of struggles with love and faith. These failings help the audience to better understand the actions of Desdemona and Othello through out and how a relationship so flooded with love could die for want of a drink of it. The last scene is most important as it exposes the extremities of the story and of the love between Othello and Desdemona; a confused love whose subtitles can be very much better understood when they are so enlarged.