Othello: Act III; Scene III; Lines 345-357

I had been happy, if the general camp,
Pioners and all, had tasted her sweet body,
So I had nothing known. O now, for ever
Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content!
Farewell the plumed troops and the big wars
That makes ambition virtue! O, farewell!
Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th' ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!
And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats
Th' immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeit,
Farewell. Othello's occupation's gone.

In this speech, we have a surprisingly prescient, self-aware, version of Othello. He is, at this point, beginning his descend into madness. Iago has just planted, within his mind, the growing 'idea' of Desdemona's infidelity, and our titular character bemoans the appearance of this newfound suspicion. Throughout his speech, it is as if Othello can see and predict the extent to which his jealousy will grab a hold of his heart and soul. Already he realizes that the matter will overtake his life, and make all else pointless.

Quite simply, Othello is bidding adieu to his former identity as a soldier, and "welcoming" (or rather, dreading) the coming of his new identity, as a jealous husband. He says "farewell" to a list of war-related images, and his wording implies, at once, a veneration for the life of a soldier, as well as an apparent understanding of the ruthless blood-soaked depravity of the battlefield. That is, though Othello seems earnestly nostalgic for war, he is also somewhat damning in his word choices. Ergo, he presents a dual picture.

He begins his speech by alluding to a "tranquil mind" and feeling "content," and then segues into "plumed troops" and "big wars." He is lumping all of these 'items' into the same metaphoric bag; they are the 'items' of his past. Therefore, there is a connection between being "tranquil" and "content," and participating in "wars." The latter breeds the former, or maybe, the former exists within the latter. Either way, for Othello, memories of a peaceful "mind" coincide with memories of "troops" and wartime. Which signifies that he views soldiering in good terms, as far as his mental/emotional state is concerned. He then makes more similarly positive comments, mentioning a "spirit-stirring drum" and "glorious war."

Nevertheless, he also includes some rather negative connotations. The "fife" is "ear-piercing," the "trump" is "shrill," and the "mortal engines" (the cannons), have "rude throats." Despite the apparent peace and tranquility of his former "occupation," Othello still evokes a glimmer of wartime terror. He juxtaposes the "troops," the "banners," and all that "pomp," with a disconcerting, terrifying, aural cacophony, giving us a view of war at once idealized and horrifying.

Still, Othello is more emphatic in his praise than in his criticism. And this is fitting, as he is mourning the loss of his soldiering life. Othello clearly understands the power of his jealousy. He divorces cause (infidelity) from effect (jealousy) by implying that he would have been "happy" if he had "nothing known" of Desdemona's misdoings. This makes 'jealousy' into an individual entity; or, as Emilia calls it later, into a "monster." Othello is not so much angry at his wife's actions. He is angry at his perceived 'knowledge' or suspicion of those actions. What matters to Othello is not what Desdemona has actually done, but rather, that his jealousy has been woken from its slumber and given free reign. Knowing the strength of its grasp, Othello thus screams "farewell" to his former "occupation," along with all the 'items' that it once entailed. He has become a new man, so to speak. A man led by the "monster" of jealousy. No longer does his life revolve around war. Now it revolves around suspicion, doubt, insanity, and distrust.

We get, then, a character who is led by his emotions, and who even realizes how his emotions will take a hold of his psyche, renouncing all that once defined his nature. In many ways, Othello resembles King Lear. Both are victims of rash emotional tempers. The former is led unthinkingly into blind jealousy, and so murders his wife. The latter is led by unthinking pride, and so renounces his daughter. In both cases, the men only come to see how they have strayed, after they have dealt their punishment on the focal woman, although Lear is allowed a reunion with his 'victim.'

~ Guido Pellegrini