Iago and Othello

The Jordan Times crossword puzzle is one of my favourite pastime. As the English poet William Wordsworth said, “whenever I am in vacant or in pensive mode” these puzzles work like magic and give me a tantalising feeling when I finish them.

If the puzzle asks you to fill in “Shakespearian” evil character, Iago would spring to your mind.

I always wondered why Iago hated Othello so much. And how come a dark-skinned Moor would rule an Italian city?

Was Iago xenophobic, I often wondered. Was he secretly in love with Desdemona, Othello’s’ lovely wife?

How could Othello be oblivious to the fact that his trustee and confidant hated him utterly?

Why would Othello be driven so blindly to kill his wife without any question over the loss of a simple thing like a handkerchief?

Othello, this Shakespearean play, scared Laurence Olivier who wouldn’t play the role till later in his life.

One discovers the subtle complexity of the characters that are controlled by a simple straightforward narrative. It is a story of love, jealousy and a mellow drama that ends in tragedy. 

Literature is often an imitation of life. But does life imitate art?

Can we, for instance, think of President Barack Obama and Donald Trump as modern reincarnations of these great Shakespearean characters?

To the best of my memory, Iago never referred to Othello’s religion. I am not sure whether there was insinuation that Othello was a Muslim by referring to his Moorish background.

Trump does not refer to Obama’s colour, although he is sometimes accused of racial bigotry.

Iago speaks of Othello’s colour, but not religion; Trump speaks of Obama as being a Muslim who was not even born on the US territory.

Europe is now full of right-wing Iago-style movements.

Daesh is accused of being an extreme, bloody, movement. So were the ultra right-wing parties in Europe and the KKK in US. All these bodies often used religion as a camouflage for their heinous acts.

Jordan is at the forefront of a coalition facing such extreme movements. Many Muslim countries are shouldering the responsibility to stave off such cancerous groups.

We in Jordan are often quizzed by Western journalists, politicians and researchers over what we are doing to counter terrorism. We painstakingly explain our strategies, policies and measures to deal with it.

What is the world doing to help us?

There is lethargy over political resolution of the problems created by Daesh and others; extreme right movements are gaining ground in Europe; and Israel goes on with its anti-peace measures unabated.

It is true that right movements in the West would be in part a reaction to terrorism practised in the name of Islam. But is it not true to that Western extremism and bias are fuelling our extremism just the same and even more?

The writer, a former Royal Court chief and deputy prime minister, is a member of Senate. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.