The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice is considered one of the most popular works of William Shakespeare. The tragedy of Othello was written in the second period of his creative career, which is characterized by pessimism. Consequently, Shakespeare writes about the great tragic problems of life. The essence of Shakespeare’s tragedy lies in the collision of two principles: humanistic feelings (pure and noble humanity) and vulgarity, meanness, greed, and selfishness. According to the writer himself, the fate of everyone is the result of their character and circumstances. The names of the main characters, Othello, Iago, and Desdemona, have long been household names. But it is also worth paying attention to the secondary heroes who became unwitting participants in the tragedy and directly influenced it. The young courtesan, Bianca, is presented in the play as the mistress of one of the main characters, Cassio. Since she was a girl of easy virtue, no one took her seriously. Having analysed the work, it can be seen that Bianca is not just a negative person but a sympathetic character that is important for a deeper understanding of human relationships and the plot itself.
The first trait of Bianca’s character that shows her good side is care and love for Cassio. An amazing feature of Bianca’s character was that she met only one person throughout the work. Moreover, she was jealous of Cassio, did things for him, and hoped he was serious about her: “I pray you bring me on the way a little, and say if I shall see you soon at night” (Othello 3.4. 2376-2377). As in the play, Bianca is represented by a prostitute; therefore, in society, such girls are famous for frivolity, inconstancy, the ability to betray, and pathological lies. Thus, Shakespeare wanted to show how stereotypes affect a person’s reputation and that a person can be completely different from what most people imagine him to be.
Despite the fact that Bianca has a minor role in the tragedy and she appears literally in several scenes, she played an important role and unknowingly became the key cause of Desdemona’s death. (Amri, Isna, 15). Iago lies to Othello and shows the handkerchief that Desdemona allegedly dropped when she cheated on him with Cassio: “but such a handkerchief— I am sure it was your wife’s—did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with.” (Othello 3.3. 2099-2100). When Cassio found the handkerchief, he admired the magnificent pattern and asked Bianca to embroider the same one for him. Bianca was furious because she thought it was a gift from another woman, but she still agreed because of her good-natured nature and love for Cassio. Thus, despite her jealousy, she subdued her character and did what her loved one asked.
Despite the fact that Bianca is represented in the play as a girl of easy virtue, Shakespeare gives her honesty and compassion. The author describes Bianca as a jealous girl who did not hold a grudge or evil against someone for a long time. She dreamed of marrying her beloved Cassio, who in turn did not take her seriously because she was famous for her reputation as a courtesan. Behind her back, she was discussed badly, although she was honest with everyone and acted with good intentions. She unwittingly became one of the reasons for Desdemona’s murder, but she was the only character who didn’t lie and just wanted to be treated better. The last words Bianca says: “I am no strumpet, but of life as honest as you that thus abuse me” (Othello 5.1. 3238-3239). Therefore, the author wanted to show that the social status of a person does not show his character.
Additionally, at the end of the poem, the author highlights Bianca’s empathic and compassionate character. At the end of the poem, she appears right after Iago has wounded Cassio. After that, Yago pretends that he has nothing to do with it. Thus, he accuses Bianca of being involved in the attack on Cassio. He convinces everyone that her emotional reaction is not related to her feelings for Cassio at all. Iago was sure that everyone would believe him since Bianca had a reputation as a prostitute. In the last scene where Bianca appears, the author shows her empathetic character: “What is the matter, ho? Who is ’t that cried?” (Othello 5.1. 3183). However, they snap at her and start insulting her, which once again proves that Bianca was an unwitting victim of this situation. Therefore, she acted sincerely; she decided to embroider the same pattern on the scarf because she wanted to make Cassio pleasant.
In conclusion, in his work The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice, Shakespeare presents the prostitute Bianca as the only honest person. Therefore, her downfall makes her a sympathetic character because it is engineered. Bianca was innocent of Desdemona’s death but unwittingly became involved in it. Although Bianca had a bad reputation in the city, she is represented by a good-natured person. Thus, one of the goals of the works is to make the reader think that the social role of a person does not always determine his character.
Works Cited
Amri, Siti Hardiyanti., Isna, Maylani. Paradoxality of Women Positions in Othello by Shakespeare. JELITA 1.2 (2020): 12-20.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice. Penguin Random House LLC, 1958.