Cassio and Iago II in 2.1
Bill Long
Love's Thoughts Continue
Though Cassio's treatment of Desdemona and Emilia resonates with the language of divinity and courtly love, when he speaks briefly about the anticipated arrival of Othello, his love language becomes much more suggestive and even prurient. There is no question that the women are the "riches" of their ship, but Othello, who arrives on a different boat, is rich in a different way.
Cassio's Eroticism about Othello
I may be overreading the language, but then again, one can rarely find sex in Shakespeare where it is completely absent! In any case, in anticipation of Othello's arrival, Cassio says:
"Great Jove, Othello guard,/ And swell his sail with thine own pow'rful breath,/ That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,/ Make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,/ Give renewed fire to our extincted spirits (2.1.77-81)."
On the one hand Cassio is just praying for Othello's safe arrival. But the language of swelling the sail is reminiscent of the highly sensual language of Enobarbus in Antony and Cleopatra, where he describes the overwhelming erotic allure of Cleopatra's barge.
"At the helm/ A seeming mermaid steers; the silken tackle/ Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands (A & C 2.2.208-210)."
In A & C it is the carressing touches of gentle feminine hands that make things "swell"; in Othello it is the divine breath that makes Othello's sail "swell." The boat's sail, of course, is the erect flap guiding the ship. The sail swells when the divine breath is blown upon it. How rich is that imagery!
Then there is the reference to Othello's "tall ship," which, in the light of the previous reference, invites a sexual thought. If people can find sexual implications in the economic language of supply and demand, they can certainly see them here, also.
Love's Quick Pants
What will the big man Othello do when his sail has swelled and his tall ship enters the protected harbor? He will "make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms." The image has two 17th century implications and one 21st. The first, and surface, reading is that he will sigh his satisfaction deeply and rapidly while embracing his wife. The second, much more interesting, is that love's quick pants are the intense expulsions of energy during sexual intercourse. It seems that Cassio is eager for Othello to experience what he never really does in the play: sexual intimacy with his wife. And, then, from the 21st century, where "pants" is a noun, the meaning could be that the action centers quickly on Othello's pants (clothing), which again is a pleasantly vivid sexual reference.
Our Extincted Spirits
By rejoining Desdemona on shore, Othello will also bring renewed "fire" to the "extincted" spirits of the people on Cyprus. The first impression we get is that this fire is communicated by Othello's presence, his dignity and manner, inspiring a renewed energy and zeal. But and "extincted" spirit is one that is dead, and "die" in Shakespeare is often used as an expression for orgasm. Thus, it is as if Othello's presence will rejuvenate the people sexually. He will give them the sexual fire that now lies extincted. It is almost as if Shakespeare is using imagery from ancient fertility practices, where ritual sexual intercourse between devotees of the god(dess) will lead to abundant harvests. By a belief in a sort of sympathetic magic, if the humans copulate, perhaps the divine will be encouraged to do the same, thus showering fullness upon the earth. In Shakespeare the image is reversed; if the "divine" figures of Othello and Desdemona unite, it will shower sparks of energy among the people, and they will "rise" from their extincted condition, ready also to live again.
Conclusion
There are two ways to read the sexual imagery in this brief passage. On the one had it has its heterosexual connotation: Othello and Desdemona will unite, thus giving strength and fire back to the dispirited people. On the other hand, when Cassio has such a "stained-glass" view of women, placing them on the pedestal of virtue and beauty, the references to Othello are suggestive of homosexual love. Shakespeare is no stranger to vivid discussions of homosexual activity and longings among military men (see Coriolanus 4.5.106-126). The same should be read here. Cassio's words suggest his infatuation with the maleness of his superior officer.
Copyright © 2004-2007 William R. Long |