First a little background on Othello (Kristi -- ask and ye shall receive way too much ramblings; and to Shakespeare buffs out there -- please pardon and correct any errors and mis-analysis of the play). In a nutshell: Othello, the Moor, is deceived by the villainous Iago into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful. Tortured and anguished, he smothers her (with a pillow) to death, then faces his own self-loathing upon realizing what he has done.

So what brings all this about? Let's peer a bit into the above named characters, and a little more into the story.

Through his brave and valiant acts during wars, Othello rises to the rank of general, and chooses the young soldier Cassio as his lieutenant (basically his second). This promotion greatly offends Iago who is an elder officer of the army. Iago hates both men, and conceives a plot of revenge to ruin them both. Caught in the middle of this is the innocent and good Desdemona, who just married Othello. Iago's plot (set-up Desdemona as the unfaithful wife, and Cassio as her lover) ruthlessly destroys all three at once.

Okay, so what does this have to do with Manny, purely evil villains (Iago and Carmen) and their revenge aside? As implied in the first paragraph, what I am after is a better understanding of the relationships, especially Danny's with Michelle. This is where I see the striking connection with Othello.

First, let's examine Iago's hatred and the revenge factor, and how it parallels Carmen's vendetta against Michelle. Iago is jealous of and hates Cassio because Cassio took what Iago believes to be rightfully his (the promotion), and Cassio "hath a daily beauty in his life; That makes [Iago] ugly" (i.e. perceived status). Iago hates Othello for favoring Cassio, and the unjustified suspicion that Othello was too fond of Iago's wife. Finally, the virtuous Desdemona (who is also the daughter of a rich senator and is sought by many around her) is the exact opposite of the evil Iago. There are clues that Iago is also jealous of Othello's success with Desdemona. Iago would dearly love to ruin that union and the "good" that is Desdemona.

Now to Carmen's Iago-like eyes, Michelle is at once all of Cassio, Othello and Desdemona rolled into one package she would like to destroy. Why? In Carmen's point of view, Michelle took the life of Mick, a beloved son, and is now taking (has taken!) away Danny's heart and devotion. And Michelle is a Bauer, and therefore has all the intangibles that comes with that family name, the status which Carmen covets. Remember Carmen's words about wanting the Santos family to have the kind of clout that the other Springfield prominent families have? Yes, there is much of Iago in our Mafia Queen.

There is a big difference between the two villains, however. Iago is cunningly deceptive of his feelings towards and manipulation of those he seeks to ruin. He has got everyone thinking that he is an honest and decent man. Carmen, on the other hand, is openly delightful in her hatred of Michelle but appropriately closed-lip of her own machinations to set-up and kill Michelle. No one who knows her is blind to her true nature. This distinction is key to the difference in the fates of Danny and Othello. Othello was duped by Iago, but Danny knows Carmen too well.

In their plots of revenge, Iago and Carmen proceed in similar manner. First, through words alone, they plant the seeds of doubt and suspicions (into Othello and Danny, respectively), then they go about their ways to collect and present the evidence of betrayal. In the tale of Othello, the physical evidence was the handkerchief, given to Desdemona by Othello himself. Iago manipulated and schemed to have it stolen and planted as proof of Desdemona's liaison with Cassio. In the Manny storyline, Carmen first dangles Jesse in front of Michelle, then wickedly uses the test devised by Danny himself as the final straw. (Okay, I know I'm really reaching here.)

In each case, Iago/Carmen understands and ruthlessly uses Othello/Danny's love for his wife (Desdemona/Michelle) to provoke and fan to life the darker passions in each man, and thus bring down Othello/Danny from a world of love and order to one of anger and anarchy.

This leads to the relationship of Danny and Michelle and how it mirrors that of Othello and Desdemona. Carmen and Michelle are anti-thesis of each other, much like Iago and Desdemona. Danny is caught in between, much like Othello, while both good and dark forces from within and without conspire for and against him.

Desdemona represents all that is good. She is kind, unselfish in her love and concern for others, and is innocently trusting of those around her. Othello passionately loves Desdemona for those qualities, though he doubts his worth as her husband. He comes to realize that everything valuable in life depends on her love. He says of her:

Perdition catch my soul But I do love thee! and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again.

From what I've gathered, Michelle, though not perfect, fits the virtuous image of Desdemona. Furthermore, Danny's love for Michelle bears striking similarity to Othello's for Desdemona . Danny's wedding vows, "I knew you were a a treasure to be cherished and revered" and his words afterwards "You were perfect. You are perfect" neatly capture how he regards Michelle. Danny's life and choices (past and upcoming) -- acceptance or rejection of one world or the other -- are reminiscent of Othello's journey from the world of barbaric wars (life of a Mafia Prince) to Desdemona and her world of love and order (Michelle and the Bauers) and back to Iago (Carmen) and all that Iago represents. I don't believe Danny is headed for a big fall like Othello was, and the main reason for it is the difference between Carmen and Iago (see an earlier paragraph). However, it has been a treat to watch Paul Anthony Stewart's Danny go through that journey (and I'm hoping for more).

Danny comes from a dark world of mistrust, cynicism, crime, corruption, and death. He loves Michelle with his whole being and soul, and needs Michelle, not just for her luminous qualities (and yes, that undeniable physical connection between them), but also for her world of light, trust, family, love and concern for others, i.e. live the "good, old fashioned American dream." No one else has or can come close to inspiring Danny and arousing such a wide spectrum of deep passions and tenderness in him the way Michelle does. Certainly not Drew (and this is no way a slam on her, by the way). The dreadful deed and all other interactions Danny and Michelle have with other people (especially Drew and Jesse) are shown to contrast the Manny relationship to any other pairing. They are not-so-subtle reminders to the audience that Paul Anthony Stewart's Danny ticks for and only for Joie Lenz's Michelle, and vice versa.

Finally, remember when Danny told his mother that he wants to make an honest living with Michelle and their future family? With Michelle at his side, Danny dares to strive for good. Without her, he is back to being the Mafia Prince. Is it reaching to suggest that he may regard Michelle as his "angel," his "salvation?" So when he learned of her betrayal (both times), he was shattered, especially when it finally came at a time when he least expected it.

Furthermore, that personal betrayal means, for Danny, a death of hope. When Danny told Carmen about the test, he was sure that Michelle would "swim," not "sink." He had hope for the two of them. In yesterday's good-bye scene, you could see in Stewart's eyes and voice (all his expressions!) the death of all Danny's hopes for him and Michelle. That is why I actually felt more for Danny than I did for Michelle. When he was about to leave, but turned around, then silently cried in anguish "Why?" while lifting both his hands, my heart broke for him. And Michelle does not yet see his real pain.

Before their relationship can truly develop, Danny has to stop putting Michelle on a lofty pedestal, understand her fears, and realize that despite her "goodness," she is not perfect, and neither is the world she represents. And he needs that understanding to have the kind of relationship with Michelle that will enable his dreams to come to fruition. So much like Othello, Danny cannot live his dreams without his beloved wife; "chaos is come again" without her and her love.

And yes, Michelle loves Danny. Okay, she does not realize it yet. After all, it is very, very far from its full bloom, but come to full bloom it will. (I, for one, am not impatient with slow developments. in my opinion, a quick resolution to all the conflicts -- and there are many -- would not be fair and would just be selling us short. I find a slow progression more realistic, and at the same time more exciting and satisfying, though admittedly frustrating at times.) In spite of and because of who Danny is, Michelle is drawn to him, which isn't a far cry from Desdemona's attraction and love for Othello.

Though the circumstances of the weddings are different, both were rather unexpected and met with understandable objections (from Desdemona's father in one story, and Michelle's family in the other). Those objections stem from the who?-aspect of each man involved. Michelle, having basically lived a sheltered and safe life, comes to know a man who is very different from anything she has known in her life. Her words to Meta, 'there is something about him' are very telling. Danny awakens the deepest passions in her. And as Meta pointed out, Michelle was ready to put her life on the line for Danny long before her mind even remotely admitted her true feelings for him.

Though I don't think that the Guiding Light writers had Othello in mind when they wrote the Danny (and Santos family) storyline, I would like to believe that they really know what they are and have been doing from the very start (and if not from way back then, then certainly since Stewart and Joie Lenz have made their Danny and Michelle characters explode on the screen.) But who knows? With all the fuss and adulation, and now Hollywood's embrace of the great Bard, maybe the GL folks have been digging into their Shakespeare tomes.

I am not saying "Danny is to Othello, as Carmen is to Iago, as Michelle is to Desdemona". As I said before, it's never fair (nor a good idea) to say "Character A in story X is character B in story Y." But doing a little comparison-contrast can be fun (never would have said that during my high school Lit class days). I also think that it is illuminating, especially when it comes to the characters in our modern "Manny" tale, and the possible directions to which they are heading.

Jennifer H. wrote a while ago that any triangle that can possibly exist involves Danny, Michelle and Carmen. I completely agree. To me, exploring that triangle, and the choices that both Michelle and Danny make regarding their vastly different worlds, give a much more powerful and compelling tale, much like the tragedy of Othello. (In my opinion, storylines about Danny with Drew, or Michelle with Jesse or any other poster boy would just be too shallow and frankly, a waste of Stewart's and Lenz's talents; but heck, I don't really know how the world of soaps operate -- see my ending comments.)

There is a very wide and imposing cultural barrier between Danny and Michelle (as in the race/color and age difference between Othello and Desdemona). However, I do not believe that it's this gap which is directly keeping them apart for now; rather it is mistrust and/or fear of the other. This is why Michelle needed to come clean about her acts, and why she will find out about the deed. I don't think it is critical how she learns of it (though it would be better if the truth came from Danny), only that she knows about it. The lies and betrayals are catalysts for both of them (especially Michelle) to fully examine their true feelings and bring them out in the open. Once the smoke clears, they can finally admit their love for each other.

I think the real battle will come after this admission of love (well, at least that is how I prefer to see it play out), for then, they will really have to face and deal with that cultural barrier. As previously mentioned, Danny needs to realize that Michelle is not perfect, while Michelle needs to fully understand the whole Danny complex (tender and dangerous all at once), not just the "safe" parts she can handle. Also, despite his repeated threats of walking out on the family, I don't think Danny will ever be completely free of it. That world is part of him. Both he and Michelle need to accept that before they can beat as one, and achieve great things together.

So the above is my take on the direction of their story. Hence despite the very bumpy road before my eyes, I am still from the camp who firmly believes that the "bad signs and portents" are mere obstacles, not real threats to the relationship. As I see it, these obstacles serve to highlight the special quality of the relationship, not destroy it.

Finally, I am one of those new viewers to this show, heck new to daytime TV (minus a few showings way back in high school). I was working at home one day when I just happened to turn on the darned television and saw the "bridal suite" scene. My brows arched up and I went "Huh! Interesting couple." Though I wasn't hooked, I was rather intrigued, both by the two actors and their characters. Some days passed and I caught another scene (I think between Danny and Carmen), and it was more "Huh! What's going on? So I searched the GL pages for info. After a frustrated search through gobs of material, much of which I didn't give a hoot for, I slowly pieced together the storyline (the Manny websites that have gone up since then and the wonderful posts in the message board have been a tremendous help in painting a much better picture and understanding of the characters, especially Michelle's, to me).

Point is -- I would not have gone though all this effort (trying to now regularly watch, searching through websites, and now rambling instead of working on my research) if it weren't for Paul Anthony Stewart, Joie Lenz and their Manny tale. They make me appreciate the human soul and its complexities (ala Othello, especially in the character of Stewart's Danny); they make me feel! As others have stated, the writers have to be aware of this gold mine in their hands and treat it as such, else they truly are like that clueless Walking Vegetable (thanks to whoever coined that one.)

Note: That would be Tracee.

Melissa