The enemy of truth is the friend of man. Men everywhere will use lies to their advantage, often resulting in strife for others. Hitler lied to Chamberlain, promising that Hitler’s lust for territory was satisfied and to be of no concern. In the song “Deceiver” by Amarna Reign, the vocalist expresses his resentment towards a person who lied to him and brought chaos to his life. These aforementioned examples prove universality in the work Othello, which reveals heavily the destructiveness of lies.
In 1938, Chamberlain put to use the practice of appeasement in giving Hitler, who had been aggressively seizing ethnically German territory, Sudetenland areas of Czechoslovakia. Hitler promised that he had his fill of land and would not pursue any other territory. Hitler lied, and invaded all of Czechoslovakia (Read about it here). His lie had left citizens of Czechoslovakia unprepared. The invasion was surprising and catastrophic. Iago illustrates the same destructive behavior in his lies to Othello. Iago says in regarding Desdemona “tis foul in her (IV.i.185).” Iago claims that Desdemona is unfaithful and wretched, thereby planting a bug of rage in Othello. Othello’s rage leads him to murder Desdemona. These lies told ruin the lives of others through their vicious nature.
The writer of the song “Deceiver” is inundated with rage at the one who lies to him. “Lie by lie you took my hand, the promises you made to me now bury me as grains of sand (metrolyrics.com/deceiver-lyrics-amarna-reign.html).” The writer wants to “rip the teeth from the beast (Lyrics to the song).” Being the recipient of a lie can cause chaos for the liar, as opposed to only the liar sitting back and watching his handy work unfold into terrible conflict. Thus, lies have two methods of bringing about bedlam. Lodivico illustrates the other side of the chaotic nature of lying. After revelation of Iago’s sadistic actions, Lodovico wants a sort of revenge. Lodivico says “the torture. Oh, enforce it (V.ii.378). Lodovico’s disgust at Iago’s lies is exactly the same as the writer’s disgust for whoever has deceived him. Both men feel the throbbing anger at their deceivers.
Othello elaborates, through the action, on how lies are often damaging in their results. Whether told hundreds of years ago or a day ago, lies have the same results. The liar leaves the recipient of the lie in the dark. This can cause harm. The recipient does not know a piece of information that they would want to know. A man in the dark can often go the wrong direction. The mislead person is likely to make a mistake, based on false information. Mistakes can be damaging. If one accuses their partner of adultery, based on false information, the partner will become irritated and feel a breaking down of trust in the relationship. If one is told by a friend that their day planned for spending time together is thwarted by work, and then one sees the friend out spending time with others, one will feel betrayed. Anger will replace trust. These aspects of lying are present in Othello, proving the timelessness of the work. Lying is lying.
In summary, lying is bad
Works Cited
1939, January. "In March 1939." GCSE Modern World History. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.johndclare.net/EII6.htm>.
Amarna Reign. "AMARNA REIGN - DECEIVER LYRICS." Lyrics. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.metrolyrics.com/deceiver-lyrics-amarna-reign.html>.
Perrine, Lawrence. “Othello.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Fort Worth. Harcourt College. 2002. 1361-462. Print
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