Iago as the Puppetmaster in Othello by William Shakespeare

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Iago as the Puppetmaster in Othello by William Shakespeare

A puppet master is in complete control over his puppet. But only after years of studying and observation does this special interaction of complete control occur. The master soon speaks for the puppet, acts for the puppet, and feels for the puppet. A similar manipulative situation arises between Iago and Othello in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago's clever application of parallelism, rhyme, and metaphor play a key role in his devilish scheme. He wishes to manipulate Othello's emotions; thus creating a condition satiated in malice and jealousy within the Moor.

Iago's fiery rhetoric embellishes the reality of his groundless hatred. The sly Iago represents the very irony that encircles Othello. Appearing as an ally, Iago's vengeful nature transforms him into the ultimate foe of Othello. Iago's anger is initiated by not being chosen as Othello's military lieutenant. This fuels his deceitful calling of Brabantio, Desdemona's father. "You have lost half your soul. Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!" (I.i.96-98). Iago awakens Brabantio with this metaphor of the ram and the ewe, referring to Othello and Desdemona, in order to enrage him. Othello represents the "black ram," exhibiting a connotatively negative sense as opposed to the pure "white ewe," Brabantio's daughter. This metaphor instills anger in Brabantio, not because Othello is involved, but because his daughter is losing her purity. The repetition of "now" and "arise" in Iago's cry add urgency to the matter and further alarm Brabantio. As Iago commences his scheme against Othello, he seeks the assistance of Roderigo, who is deeply in love with Desdemona. The ti...

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... resulting in him taking his own life over the body of his wife, his friend, his love.

Othello's Iago and Othello enter the battlefields of passion as they emotionally claw their ways through their sinister days. Iago embodies the cunning and deceptive warrior strategically mapping out his enemy, Othello, the powerful one-man army built for strength. The cunning warrior slyly waits for the opportunity to attack. He looks for that brief moment the gargantuan beast lets down his guard. With a final blow the beast is dead; for he was unaware that danger was always lurking behind him. Iago enters the emotions of Othello through his venomous words. Iago, as the deceitful warrior, delivers the final blow upon Othello through his dialect, which severs him both psychologically and physically, from his true emotions with the iniquitous knife of malice and jealousy.

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