Themes:

• Love: In Othello, love is very deep and pure. Othello and Desdemona truly love each other from the heart. But this love is destroyed by misunderstanding and jealousy. Othello loves Desdemona more than his own life, yet he believes Iago’s lies. Here, love is not joy but a path of pain and death. The play shows that even true love can be ruined by doubt.
• Jealousy: Jealousy is the most dangerous force in this play. Iago plants doubt in Othello’s mind that Desdemona loves Cassio. Othello becomes blind with jealousy. He cannot tell right from wrong. Jealousy turns his love into hatred. In the end, he kills his beloved wife. The play teaches that jealousy destroys both the heart and love of a person.
• Race: Othello is a black (Moorish) man. Everyone around him is white. From this difference comes insult and suspicion. Society sees him as an outsider. Iago uses this racial difference to make Othello feel guilty and insecure. Though Desdemona loves Othello, society does not accept it. The play shows that even love and virtue cannot erase the fear and prejudice born from racial difference.