Gilbert, Rob, &c. Those authors who have the art, like Byron and Rousseau, of embodying themselves in their works, may claim precedency of every writer, excepting such a one as Shakspeare, the greatest of all geniuses, who, instead of penning his own sensations and emotions, and thus erecting a monument to one man, at will conveys himself spiritually within the breasts of other men, breathing life and immortality into hundreds. How different from the Edward Waverleys of the Scotch novels is Othello!-a butt and still a hero-moved, it is true, at the onset, by the scheming of a demon, yet the seed sown was only as a grain of mustard; while, in its growth, it was as the greatest among herbs, becoming a tree, so that birds might lodge in the branches thereof. If Iago supplied the text, Othello originated the commentary and discourse; Iago was the spokesman rather than the head-piece of the Moor, who reflected deeply, yea, ruminated till his brain was overwrought, (though unhappily his reasoning was merely one-sided,) and, in the end, the force of his passions carried along the coldblooded seducer, who, for the time being, was not the leader, but the led. Like a lion of the forest, inflamed to ferocity by the snares which entangle him, does Othello, by an effort of his might, tear asunder every trammel, and rush madly forwards to spread fury and destruction around. Not so Cassio, whose part is only secondary, and whose passions are not excited; he is deluded, and his folly aids in his undoing: we may generally doubt those who are overkind, and conclude that such a one as Iago is too much of a meddler for trust. Most men have something of the fool in them; and if Iago had not been surrounded by such, he must have found himself busy to his cost. To be led is no disgrace to a woman, as it is to a man: yet Desdemona is not influenced by Iago, who proceeds merely on the knowledge of her worth, and the conduct to which that goodness will incite. She is as a goddess, ever, of her own accord, acting truth and mercy; and the beauty of her holiness is delicately exhibited by the tempter's forbearance-darkness retires at the approach of light-those of lesser purity he might sway, but vice holds no communion with untainted innocence; had he essayed on her his hellish counsels, one gentle look of amaze must have wrought as did the light touch of Ithuriel's spear on Satan-up in his own shape, should the fiend have started, discovered and surprised. What bewitching naïveté and irresistible persuasion are displayed in her intercession for the lieutenant! "What! Michael Cassio, That came a wooing with you; and many a time, Hath ta'en your part." This little piece of arch simplicity, so lovable and feminine, is admirably calculated to win her point, and please her husband, summoning recollections which still more endear her to him-recollections of that most hallowed, most exhilarating, most of heaven-upon-earth period of a man's life—his happy courtship. O the pity, that an evil spirit should have been empowered to sunder these congenial souls, who loved like Adam and Eve, their common parents; with like reverential devotion on her part, protecting dignity on his confiding loveliness, and admiring tenderness unblemished fidelity, and unbroken trustfulness-virgin modesty, and becoming pride-matronly, meek, yet dignified obedience, and rightful authority, yet coupled with a joyous willingness in yielding to the wishes of the object of affection! O the pity that discord should have untuned their harmonious sentiments! Still, we cannot hate Othello; there is no self-complacency in his revenge -misery overwhelms him-the sorrows of Romeo are pictorial in comparison of his-a sense of his own inferiority, his unworthiness of Desdemona, misleads him : here was the overthrow of a stately edifice, the utter wreck of a majestic vessel ! The generosity of woman in pleading for the unfortunate, and her tendency to be stimulated rather than discouraged by a show of opposition, are manifested in the first doubtful interview between Othello and his spouse. Her guileless confidingness, whenever it is brought into play, goes near to mar the black plotting of Iago, except that it is more difficult to eradicate than to plant suspicion : "No, sure, I cannot think it, That he would steal away so guilty-like and Desdemona's frank avowal, that challenges inquiry, "Why, your lieutenant Cassio," does not banish, save momentarily, his dark visions from the bosom of the ill-omened Othello, his excessive fondness, his thorough appreciation of the immense value of that pearl of great price which he possessed, rendering him the more apt to suspect that other claimants would dispute the benefits of his estate-the nervousness incident to all affectionate hearts, respecting the permanence of so dear a blessing, leading him, when food for jealousy was cunningly presented, to credit that the eye of his wife had glanced aside to note allurements in the countenance of a stranger. Desdemona has judgment to discern the honesty of Cassio's face; but none to detect the double meaning of Iago's-the good she could understand, the vicious she could not comprehend-vice was too uncongenial-she was inexperienced in the ways of wickedness-she had not contemplated, much less practised them. So amiable is that sympathy which is warped to her injury! Oth. Went he hence now? Des. Ay, sooth; so humbled That he hath left part of his grief with me; I suffer with him. Good love, call him back: and that "not now" of the still doting husband speaks, O how plainly that the poison of distrust had taken effect-that poison which too soon was to be fatally diffused along all his throbbing veins ! But her eloquence, poor, simple fool! will not be withstood, and reasserts almost its wonted influence; "Let him come when he will; I will deny thee nothing: yet an "almost" must be inserted, for the granting of her innocent petition is preceded by a weary "Pr'ythee, no more:" and Desdemona, excited by the unusual exertions she has been making, for her lord's sake much more than for her own, that he may not lose a faithful friend and skilful officer, the mediator of his love, connected with so many pleasing passages of their bygone days-excited from her ordinary equanimity, observes not the strangeness of Othello's request, "I do beseech thee, grant me this, To leave me but a little to myself." If he had been habitually studious, or had had business to plead, the case would have been otherwise; still, the unsuspicious dove dreams not of evil; and, flurried by her late zeal, gratified by her success, she playfully asks, "Shall I deny you? no:" then, in full confidence that no ill betides, that her husband's love is unchanged and immutable, she utters, "Farewell, my lord."-" Farewell, my Desdemona;" when, his affection being yet the same, he adds, "I will come to thee straight;"-grudging every moment passed in absence from her. She, unselfish, and free from the exacting temper of an overbearing wife, generously replies, "Be it as your fancies teach you:" -that which suits him best, will be most agreeable to her. "Whate'er you be, I am obedient ;"—she does not make a virtue of necessity, contenting herself with neglect when she cannot avoid it; but she requests the Moor to amuse himself, secure that she will never find fault with his arrangements, and that in a conviction of his enjoyment her own will be most complete: unmindful of self, she deems not of negligence being concerned. Here was that moderation which Doctor Gregory recommends, in advice to his female disciples; that moderation which regulates the demeanour of perfect woman! Juliet would not have spoken so quiescently, resignedly, and unimpassionedly. "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, But I do love thee, and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again.' Ah, Othello, you are too fond-hot love is soon cold-you are too much enthralled by your wife's external charms, and you do not sufficiently study her mental endowments: were you more intimate with, more profoundly versed in her spirit's unassailable purity, you would never have doubted, never feared, suspected, believed. Though if it were possible your own eyes had vouched her untruth, you would have discredited the testimony of your senses, and still had faith in her virtue. Beauty is too often baleful; and even that most amiable weakness of self-disesteem is injurious. Had you stood firm in the strength of your own worth, you would have still been happy, Othello. How could you have imagined a milk-faced boy preferred to the veteran covered with glory? Without reason did you credit Iago's unfounded assertion that possession had cloyed Desdemona; such things may be, and are, when man is in question; but never is it so with woman; only baseness in the husband of her choice can wean her soul from him. She is formed for repose; let the turmoil of girlhood be once over, and, for the remainder of her life, she reclines in tranquil enjoyment, if her lord and master be not too worthless to admit of content. The secret of effectively scandal-mongering is to praise the object of your aversion, to wear the semblance of his loving friend, while, like Mrs. Candour, sincerity towards your present companion forces you to divulge a few objectionable incidents. At the same time, you endeavour to put the best construction on them, to divest them of the gloomy impropriety in which you yourself have already clothed them: thus rendering disbelief in your communication virtually impossible. What genius is expended in backbiting, even when there is no lieutenancy to be made vacant through your devices to spur on your evil machinations! There is a deep, demoniac delight in the exertion of profound talent for villany, such as Iago's a keener satisfaction, perhaps, than the moderately virtuous reap from the employment of more moral ability. The complete villain must be an adept in human nature, its intricacies, its faults and foibles-versed in principles of morality, and in abstract truths. He must be master in the art of story-telling-of rousing curiosity-exciting varied emotions-hope, fear, anxiety, dread, horror. He must, also, shun seeming too good; and acknowledge errors, which acknowledgment gives promise of virtues. We are always inclined to think favourably of him who makes of us a confidant; we rarely suspect an ulterior design; and though we might conceive of intention to harm another, we guess not that ill-will to ourselves may thus assail us. Telling us a secret flatters our vanity-much more is the hinting of suspicion a high proof of regard: the first is but the narration of a fact which, soon or late, will probably be the possession of all the world; the second gives us the benefit of our friend's reflection and cleverness, and manifests that he esteems us nearly equal to himself in appreciation of things. If we desire to obtain a mastery over the mind of another, let us adopt the following mode, which will hardly fail of success; for no man is so passionless that at least a temporary power may not be acquired over him-there is no man about whom there is not some tender point with which we may not with impunity meddle. Let us, as it were involuntarily, permit a few exclamations to escape us in his presence, the result of meditation, from an overflowing heart, without explanation or apparent design, not reasoning with our auditor but with ourselves, not attempting a narrative, merely allowing the hearer, at his discretion, to fill up the tale which was barely outlined by fearful insinuations; for we are aware that imagination is more horrific than reality; when demanded the meaning of our allusions, let us tantalisingly decline the answer; assume such over-cautiousness of raising groundless suspicions, as to seem to try that the listener may suppose the wrong to lie in the accuser rather than the accused; warn him, consequently, to place no faith in our, possibly, most unjust surmises; express such an estimation of character and its value, as to render it, to say the least, highly improbable that we would rob another of good name without excellent cause; and when, by these prefacings, the inquisitiveness of our audience is stimulated to frenzy -for we who are so good-hearted, soundly-thinking, and shrewdlyobserving, could not utter such loud cries if there were little woollet us point-blank, unconditionally, and positively, refuse to state anything further; instead, let us turn the channel of discourse, and warn our victim against the indulgence of that passion, to stir up which we have strained every nerve, yet would otherwise than in a precaution fear to name, lest our object should indirectly betray itself; let us detail the workings of that passion with such minute faithfulness, such genius-like vividness of portraiture, that the very hairs of a person unconcerned must stand on end, how much more that unfortunate creature be tortured, who, by these masterly contrivances, actually writhes beneath our influence! On perceiving that our plan works effectually, we may congratulate our friend on the dominion of his reason over foolish fancies, with the existence of which it suits us not be acquainted; and, as we find him so sensible and little whimsical, we may deem it unnecessary to continue longer reserved on subjects, upon which unfounded fears alone led us to be silent, from a dread of effects on his now-proved superior soul. Then, especially bold from the triumph of success in our essay, and in warding off all suspicion of our virtual intent, we may, with the blunt honesty of a tried confidant who feels his worth, frankly advise to such and such proceedings. When our tool is thus far advanced, we may venture to abandon all speeches recommendatory of precaution, and produce secondary, hearsay evidence, which passes as next-door to proof with his disturbed brain; asserting some unanswerable reason why positive proof should neither be wished for nor sought, because of the impossibility or inexpediency of obtaining it, and inducing him thus to trust to minor circumstances only, which may be warped according to pleasure. Let us vow to be the instrument of any revenge which may gratify the passion we have created; and thus suggesting the wicked action, appear, notwithstanding, simply to obey orders, when, at our own instigation, it is commanded. Let us then insinuate that one crime is not sufficient, by requesting him, with mock earnestness, to refrain from the commission of a second. We may asseverate that were we in similar predicament, we should act in such and such a manner, which is a refined method of influencing obedience to our dictates, without incurring the odium of ostensibly admonishing to vicious deeds. Passion's dawn is unperceived-it is after the torrent has passed onwards that we pause to analyse its origin, progress, and effectsand Othello, while he suffers to distraction, disclaims that suffering, and is unconscious, in his simplicity, of the rise of disease. One symptom of consumption is, that the patient will not believe in his illness-one symptom of passion's rule is the denial of its sway—a drunken man will assure you of his sobriety. It is the Moor's very rashness of disavowal-of determination, that to suspect with him shall be to be resolved of generous confidence in the deceiver, and his fearless trust in Desdemona, which enforce our admiration; and no woman, even though her sister-woman, and the fairest emblem of her sex, was so cruelly dealt with by him, can but sympathise with and respect him. |