Who Is Responsible For Othello's Downfall

The play Othello The Moor of Venice, written by William Shakespeare is one of many great writings by Shakespeare. The story involves many characters, but the main idea of the story is a character named Lago trying to ruin Othello’s life essentially with the help of other characters. Othello has a lot of power in the story, and he decided that Lago was not going to be given the Lieutenant job. Lago was obviously very upset with this and it really sets the tone in the play, because for the rest of the play Lago convinces people and does a lot of things indirectly and directly that help him get back at Othello. The topic of this paper is deciding whether or not Othello’s downfall is caused by Lago or by his own personal flaws. I know that Othello’s

Then, he is going to somehow arrange the event where Othella can walk in on the situation. Lago wants to go through with this plan because he is getting back at Othello and hoping to get the lieutenant job. In scene three of act three, there is definitely a downfall of Othello. Othello starts to get very annoyed with Desdemona because he is already suspicious of Cassio. Othello knew that he saw Cassio leaving the room when he arrived, so that made him suspicious and now his wife is begging for Cassio to be reinstated as the lieutenant. This would have never happened if it weren’t for Lago making sure that Othello walked into something that would make him suspicious. Then when it’s just Lago and Othello by themselves, Othello starts to ask a lot of questions and Lago gives him almost sarcastic comments or things that would make him dislike Cassio even more. For example, “Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady, Know of your love”(3.3. 1733-1734), or “Men should be what they seem; or those that be not, would they might seem none”(3.3. 1773-1775). In the first quote, Lago is definitely trying to bring confusion to Othello to make him mad. He asks whether or not Cassio knew about his and Desdemona’s love, which seems like a hint that Lago is trying to give Othello that there has been an affair. Then, he says men are what they seem to be, and he says

Lago is giving even more hints of Desdemona and Cassio having an affair. Lago says, “Or to be naked with her friend in bed An hour or more, not meaning any harm”(4.1. 2414-2415). Lago is arguing that it’s okay to be in bed with another man or woman if nothing happens, only arguing this to make Othello even more furious. The conversation keeps going and it seems that Othello got more frustrated as the conversation went on. Lago finally told Othello that Cassio had said that he had lain with Desdemona. Othello had become furious, speaking in a very angry tone and then he “Falls in a trance”(4.1. 2461) Lago had obviously just gotten Othello very worked up and basically is starting to make him go crazy. Everything that Lago does is linked back to hurting Othello and getting the lieutenant position. Lago does a very good job of playing for both teams, he plays on Othello’s team so that Othello does not suspect anything of him, and he plays on his own team so that he can get revenge on Othello because that is Lago’s main goal. After Cassio left, the first thing Othello had said to Lago was “How shall I murder him, Lago”(4.1. 2601). Obviously that is pretty crazy to say, and this doesn’t seem like anything the Othello from the beginning of the story would do. Then he goes even further, “[Striking her] Devil” (4.1. 2681)! Othello struck Desdemona right in front of Lodovico.