In listening to the text of Othello during a recent rehearsal, I noticed an underlying thought that lead Othello astray.
Faith is alluded to early on in the play. Brabantio finds out at the beginning of the play that his daughter, Desdemona, has eloped with Othello the Moor. Near the end of a council at the Senate, Brabantio tells Othello to be aware that what Desdemona has done was deceptive. He says that if she could have deceived her own father, she may well deceive her husband.
From that point, Othello's faith begins to be undermined by Iago. Othello gradually loses his faith in his wife, and replaces the faith with a need for "ocular proof." Little of what Othello sees is actually an evil that is meant toward either himself or his wife. However, due to Iago's schemes, Othello sees everything through a mind full of doubt instead of through a mind of steadfast face.
By the end of the play, Othello's faith has decayed past repair. He becomes so obsessed with the need for proof that it in turn destroys him beyond repair. He loses all faith, and cannot bring himself to believe anything his wife begs him to believe. In the end, his faithless mind drives him to rid the world of the "evil" Desdemona.
A lack of faith destroys. How often we look for "ocular proof" of things that our eyes may never see. Many things that we do see, we mistake for things either better or worse than they are.
Faith is greater than we think.
The Young family is pulling up stakes and trekking cross town this next week. We're presently in the process of buying and moving to a new house on the other side of town. We currently live near Greenville Technical College. By this time next week, Lord willing, we'll be on the other side of Greenville near E. Lee road.
Please pray for us as we move this next week. We've got a lot left to pack and when Thursday and Friday get hear we'll have to work fast to get all the boxes to the new house.
The new house has some really nice things about it. One of my favorite features is a down stairs apartment complete with bathroom and fireplace. 8o) I'm sure we'll be having more "shindigs" at the house in the future, so I'll be sure and give a tour to anyone who'd like to see it. 8o) Once we're moved in, I'll see about posting some photos of the new pad, as well as the rest of the house.
In other news:
The Vespers I'm in next week premiers this coming Sunday and my mom's play opens at the end of the semester.
Cheers! 8o)