Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.
Iago: “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our
gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3).
Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.
Othello: “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like
death” (3.3 313-16).
Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.
Everyone has the power of free will. What you do with it though is a whole other thing. In the story, many had accused Iago of forcing them into doing his deeds by manipulation. This can be disagreed upon because no one can force you to do anything. For example, when Othello had killed Desdemona, he had blamed Iago for his own doing. Othello had done this deed upon his own free will. Another example would be when Iago was trying to coerce Cassio into drinking, which eventually led him to become out of control and lose his position. Even though Iago had tried to convince him, it was on Cassio’s own free will that he had decided to drink more than he could handle.
When looking at the definition of determinism, Iago would almost be the only one that had the most influence on everyone. One of the main examples of this was when Iago had started to use his influence on Rodrigo. He had told Rodrigo to sell his lands to gain more money to give to Iago. By doing this, Rodrigo would travel to Cyprus with the rest to try to win over Desdemona. Iago had told Rodrigo that he was using his money to buy lavish gifts for Desdemona as well. Also, Iago had used Rodrigo to try to get rid of Cassio later in the story. Another way that Iago had used his influence was on his wife Emilia. He had told her that he needed Desdemona’s handkerchief for an important reason. Emilia had wanted to please her husband, so she had taken it, not knowing the reason of why he wanted it. In the end, this had caused great turmoil.
