Fernie, Ewan. "Shame in 'Othello.'" The Cambridge Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 1999, pp. 19-45, www.jstor.org/stable/42967948. Accessed 22 July 2021.
The author asserts that the primary motivation in Othello is not what most critics believe is jealousy, but instead shame. All acts were committed or result from acts of shame. Othello believed himself to be a cuckold and out of shame, killed Desdemona. Brabantio, ashamed that his daughter, Desdemona ran off and married a Moor, died of shame. Iago, whether being passed up for promotion or believing to be cuckolded by Othello operates from a position of shame. In fact, argues the author, Iago is the central agent of shame in the play; he uses shame to manipulate others and is motivated by a perception of shame. "Iago's project is to shame his shamer and payback with shame" (25).
The author offers other examples of individuals being shamed throughout the play; Brabantio (shamed that his daughter married a Moor), Cassio (shamed for dishonoring his position as lieutenant to Othello), Othello (shamed at being "cuckolded" by his supposedly "adulterous" wife, Desdemona), and finally Desdemona (for being accused of adultery by Othello). All of this shaming is intertwined and orchestrated by Iago whose shame originates out of being passed over for promotion by Othello and believing that Othello had cuckolded him with his wife, Emilia.
--David Kase
