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Because Cassio was set up for a crime he didn't commit, his demotion for having an affair with Desdemona seems unfair. He has been framed by Iago to lose his high rank to benefit Iago’s own position. To counter this punishment, Cassio has asked Emilia to convince Desdemona to speak to her husband in hopes of regaining his position, as shown in the quote, “Before we parted. I have made bold, Iago, / To send in to your wife. My suit to her / Is that she will to virtuous Desdemona / Procure me some access” (3.1. 35-38). His approach to this situation may not be too beneficial to his favor since he is avoiding speaking to Othello directly out of fear of being rejected. His tactic to regain his position could backfire on him since words can be modified or misinterpreted when they are passed from one person to another. In this instance, Cassio’s plea is being passed from him to Emilia to Desdemona and finally to Othello himself. In the end, Cassio would be better off speaking to Othello personally to show his true intentions and resolve the issue .

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They truly want to be a good spouse to the other but fail each other because of outside factors such as Othello’s jealous and naive traits. We think it is hard to say if this marriage was good or a mistake because of outside factors such as Iago’s manipulations to both of them. Because Desdemona is very nice, almost like a people pleaser, she goes behind peoples’ backs unknowingly. Othello is jealous; constantly after listening to his enemy and cannot see he is playing right into Iago’s game. On one hand, their flaws make the marriage strained, “Is not this man jealous? / I ne’er saw this before / Sure there is some wonder in this handkerchief” (Shakespeare 11 7-119). This quote shows how Desdemona agrees that there might be some question in the token of love given to her by Othello. On the other hand, Desdemona admits she is loyal  and obedient to Othello, “Farewell my Desdemona, I’ll come thee straight / Emilia, come.-- Be as your fancies teach you / Whate’er you be, I am obedient” (Shakespeare 97-99)

Would Othello and Desdemona’s marriage be different if Iago was not manipulating them?

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As Othello is the main character of the tragedy, his “fatal flaw” is more than obvious. As a gullible character he easily falls into Iago’s lies and manipulation and is convinced that Desdemona has betrayed him for Cassio. In Act 3 Scene 3 he states “I had rather be a toad/ Than keep a corner in the thing I love for other’s uses” (311-314). By saying this he clearly tells that because of his gullibility he realizes he should have protected himself from trusting too easily, being hurt so devastatingly by Desdemona, though he still believes Iago’s lies which leads us to assume he will be hurt furthermore later in the play. By saying he’d rather be the lowest being on earth than be manipulated again it shows us he is ashamed of himself, and he is so insecure in his personal affairs that it is worse than being shunned by the world.

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Cassio is suspicious because he wants to meet with Desdemona so he can get his job back and he was arguing with Emilia.  Iago is suspicious because he is trying to trick Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio even though Iago wants Desdemona. “I know not that; but such a handkerchief-I am sure it was your wifes-did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with” (3.3.496-498). Desdemona is suspicious because she lost her handkerchief and therefore lost her purity.

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Iago views women and Emilia as his property, treats them disrespectfully, and often doesn't consider their opinions. He thinks that women are “pictures out of door, bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended, players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds” (2.1.122-125). In this quote, Iago is saying that women are all the same, and that they do not act the same way in the sanctity of their own home, as they do out in public. He believes that women become rambunctious and scandalous when not in public, and he expresses how he only values women who are “perfect” all of the time. Because of this, Emilia does not view marriage or relationships as significant because she feels as if she doesn’t have a place or opinion. Emilia says “they are all but stomachs, and we all but food,” which truly emphasizes her beliefs on how all men view and treat women (3.4.121). On the other hand, Othello truly loves Desdemona and thinks and speaks of her often. This makes Desdemona have the opposite view of men and marriage than Emilia, and she feels like she has a bigger place in the world, and can have discussions with her husband without feeling inferior.

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Othello has unwavering trust and loyalty in Iago because he feels he can trust Iago with important messages and paperwork. “These letters give, Iago, to the pilot/And by him do my duties to the Senate,” Othello says (3.2. 1-2). This quote demonstrates how Othello trusted Iago to deliver important letters and information for him and complete his official duties to the Senate, showing how he feels Iago is trustworthy enough to handle things of such importance. It also effectively shows how if he trusts Iago to handle letters as important as these, then he trusts Iago to help him deal with more important personal issues. This benefits Iago because it allows him to become closer to Othello and seemingly more loyal. This easily allows Iago to easily deceive Othello and trick him, as Othello feels that his trust in Iago is now unwavering as Iago has handled many important things for Othello, such as the previously mentioned letters.

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Othello’s newfound view of his wife  is due to Iago’s use of manipulative tactics such as using Othello’s insecurities against him. We see this as Iago easily convinces Othello of his “love [being] a 🤬” (3.3.411-12) by using Cassio's situation with his job to make the lies he has created more believable in terms of their relationship. Iago’s manipulation of Othello seems to come easy as the relationship between the Moor and his wife is already doubted and looked down upon by a few of their peers which causes Othello to be insecure and truly trustful of his relationship. Despite Othello asking Iago to “give [him] the ocular proof” (3.3.411-12), his trust in Iago still remains strong as we see him promote Iago to lieutenant. We believe Othello is just naive as he easily trusts in other people’s knowledge of his own relationship in comparison to his lack of trust in his wife.

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Iago has taken advantage of Othello’s naivety and innocence to manipulate him. Iago is well aware of how to trick someone for his benefit while maintaining a nature of seemingly subservience and compassion. He guides other’s feelings to further turn them to his agenda. To prevent Othello from doubting him, he compels Othello to review other characters. He declares that “My lord, you know I love you / For Michael Cassio, I dare be sworn that I think he be honest / Men should be what they seem” (3.3.134, 144-145). With this, he is openly subjecting himself to the premise that those who appear to be honest may very well be that way, but “those that be not (honest), would they might seem none” (3.3 147-149), meaning that those who are liars will seem as if they are honest. The pure analysis of this sends Othello into a spiral of questioning all he knows while Iago remains the empathetic counselor and confidant to him.