The Monstrous and Unnatural in Othello Jonathan Cook College

Throughout Shakespeare’s Othello, the notion of monsters, monstrosities and the unnatural is a prominent theme. Often brought to light within the context of the villain Iago, the words “monster” and “monstrous” are used a combined 12 times throughout the play.[1] In order to properly interpret the meaning and functioning of these words, it is useful to examine a contemporaneous usage of the word “monstrous” with Othello, and to examine its accompanying definition. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, contemporaries of Shakespeare such as Francis Bacon used “monstrous” as defined by “of a thing (material or immaterial): deviating from the natural or conventional order; unnatural, extraordinary.”[2] Accordingly, to understand what it is to be “unnatural,” it is once again useful to adhere to the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition, “of a person: lacking normal human feelings or sympathies, esp. in regard to familial relationships; acting in an inhuman or unfeeling manner; excessively cruel or wicked.”[3] The OED points to Shakespeare’s usage of “unnatural,” in Winter’s Tale by this same definition, and thus we can understand “unnatural” and “monstrous” to be often interchangeable in Othello.[4] With these definitions in...