William Shakespeare's Presentation of Iago, Othello, and Desdemona in Othello

William Shakespeare's Presentation of Iago, Othello, and Desdemona in Othello

From the very beginning of the play ‘Othello’ Shakespeare presents the

friendship between Iago and Othello as a lie. Shakespeare makes us see

that Iago is only pretending to serve Othello for his own ends and

following this on, Othello completely trusts Iago and is able to speak

in confidence with him. All the way through the play, Shakespeare

shapes the audiences response to make us want to like or dislike them,

admire or have sympathy for them. From the moment the play opens,

Shakespeare gives us a negative impression of Iago. Shakespeare

presents Iago to us as a dishonest and false-hearted character. In

contrast, Othello has been presented as an articulate and persuasive

character. In the play we are able to see his calm reaction to a very

heated disagreement and this to the audience creates a positive

impression. Desdemona is presented as a very feminine and elegant

character that is but not confident just ‘bold of spirit’. Shakespeare

creates strong dramatic irony in the play which creates suspense and

makes the play more exciting for the audience, through Iago’s

conversations with Roderigo and soliloquies.

Many of Shakespeare’s plays highlight the very high importance in

Shakespeare’s day of a woman being ‘chaste’. This was very vital for

women in Shakespeare’s day. This means that a woman must not have any

extra marital sex of any sort. Before she was married she was to be

kept as a virgin and whilst she is married, she must not have sex with

another man apart from her husband. If any of these rules was to be

broken, she would become a total outcast...

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on a ‘gentle and intelligent’ side with men normally but she appears a

strong woman. Her father Brabantio says that ‘she is a maid so tender,

fair and happy so opposite to marriage that she shunned the wealthy

curled darlings of our nation’ She is very feminine, young and

vulnerable and he also describes her ‘delicate youth’.

By the end of Act 1 we have a strong sense of Iago’s determination to

destroy Othello’s love for Desdemona. We have heard him say that he

will not only poison the relationship of Othello and Desdemona, but he

will attempt to try and be as powerful as Othello and does it in a

sinful way. ‘I have't. It is engender'd. Hell and night must bring

this monstrous birth to the world's light’. This quote tells us that a

tragedy is yet to come and Iago will do all he can to make that

tragedy occur.