Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer.

Iago's deception and betrayal to Othello are centered around his belief that Emilia has committed adultery with Othello, "I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets He's done my office I know not if't be true..." (Act I Scene 3 369-371). The irony of the situation comes from Iago not knowing if these are merely rumors or if Othello and Emilia have actually been having an affair. As the plot develops we learn that Othello now believes Desdemona to be having an affair with one of his close friends, Cassio. Even though he never really knows for sure if the affair is taking place Othello jumps to conclusions and condemns Desdemona.

Both decide to handle their situations differently. Iago keeps Othello close to him as a good friend and feeds him all of his information about Cassio and Desdemona. He also keeps his wife by his side. However when Othello finds out about his close friend Cassio he pushes him away and refuses to talk to him. He also begins to treat Desdemona differently alienating himself from her. Ironically the person who pushed his enemies away ended up losing his life. But the one who didn't was not tortured and kept his life.

The three main characters that loose their lives are Desdemona, Othello and Emilia. Desdemona is constantly presented as pure and innocent "A maiden never bold; Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion Blushed at herself..." (Act I Scene 3 97-99), therefore her death is an innocent death, she never betrayed anyone. Her death had no just cause only that it was spurred by Othello's jealousy. The death of Othello and Emilia are not innocent. Othello is constantly portrayed as a dark person this is even seen in Shakespeare's choice to make him a moor, and Emilia is a servant to Desdemona and treated poorly by her husband. Going back to the beginning of the tragedy, Iago 's reasoning for hating Othello is because he believes him to be having an affair with Emilia. It is ironic that Othello and Emilia both die at the end. Othello and Emilia were guilty of an affair or it wouldn't make sense for Emilia to die and it would explain Othello's guilty conscience, he felt he had to kill Desdemona for her betrayal almost as a punishment for himself because he was doing the same thing.

Do you think that things would have been different if Othello had not chosen to push Cassio and Desdemona away? Do you think that Emilia and Othello were having an affair?