All love and no war makes Othello a dull man

The first thing we hear about Othello in the play, other than the fact that he is banging a proper white lady, is that he is a phenomenal soldier.  However, from the earliest moments in the play, his military status and precedence affects his married life. For example, he asks for“fit disposition” for his wife after being ordered to Cyprus.  While Desdemona is used to better “accommodation,” she still follows Othello. No matter what Othello does or where he has to go, she will be right there beside him.  Likewise, he is happiest when he has her by his side in the midst of military conflict or business.  The military also provides Othello with a means to gain acceptance in Venetian society. He is constantly berated by racial slurs, however whenever someone brings up his prowess on the battle field, he immediately gains top recognition.  While the Venetians in the play are generally fearful of an ethnic person being introduced into white society through his marriage to Desdemona, they all respect and honor him as a soldier.  While at first it may seem like love and heroism work marvelously together, as Othello woos Desdemona through tales of his feats in battle, that is not necessarily the case. Once the Turks are defeated, Othello is left without anything to do: the last act of military administration we see him perform is the viewing of fortifications in the extremely short second scene of Act III. Once battle is removed from the picture, Othello begins to second guess everything else in his life, including Desdemona. Iago capitalizes on this uneasiness by essentially calling him unsoldierly. Then he persuades Othello Desdemona has been unfaithful, and in his insecurity, Othello believes him and ultimately ends his life because of it.  So while battle is in the picture, Othello is great, once it is over, we see the rest of his life crumble with it.