Othello
Act 2 scene 1
The war was really just a pretext for Shakespeare to get Othello away from Venice.
Cassio's speech is very formal, befitting the court more than the battlefield. Iago had complained about Cassio that he hasn't been tested in battle. But it is Cassio's courtesy, his manners which will be his downfall. Iago will use these against him with Othello who mostly knows the ways of the battlefield and is not as knowledgeable about manners.
Iago's cynicism and mysogyny is evident to us the audience though those on stage take Iago's statements as jest.
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How this must have rankled Iago.
When Othello uses the web imagery, he refers to the hankerchief, and he uses it in a romantic way. Here Iago uses web as a trap with himself as the spider. Iago draws our attention to Cassio's mannerism of courtesy, the kissing of the fingers. We see this on stage, but Iago draws our attention to it. Iago's metaphors are gross, though, since clyster pypes are syringes which could be used for an enema.
This is the highest point in the play which shows us the love between Othello and Desdemona. The court scene in Venice was perhaps too formal. He calls her the warrior (the masculine part of the self), and she calls him "dear Othello" giving him a more feminine side, so that they are the perfect couple. When Othello says "'Twere now to be most happy," he doesn't really expect that this is the happiest he will be, but Shakespeare does.
Iago is trying out his idea on Roderigo to see if it might work on Othello. Roderigo is a gullible fool and is easily convinced. Iago attacks Desdemona, here calling her fickle, focusing on the differences between them, the black/white imagery
Perception is everything. Iago wants all to see things in a cynical way. He does not idealize anything or anyone. Within this speech, he contradicts himself about Othello. He recognizes the admirable qualities in Othello and Desdemona, but this causes him to hate them. Along with claiming several contradictory motivations, he here contradicts himself, which causes us the audience to doubt whatever Iago says.
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