Bad, Or Just Downright Evil?

Evil is a characteristic that you see in everyday life, movies, plays, video games, and books such as Othello and The Lion King. In Othello, Shakespeare perceived Iago as amoral with a power to persuade people around him in believing his lies. A similar role was portrayed by Scar in Disney’s The Lion King, who became king by manipulating and deceiving others. Scar along with Iago was the primary antagonist in Disney’s The Lion King and Shakespeare’s Othello. The two evil doers share similar characteristics and qualities, but not many that will be a benefit. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is a manipulative, deceitful, and committed treason just as Scar did in Disney’s The Lion King.

Manipulation can be defined as a deliberate thought process, not a behavior, but thought. A cognitive, artful planning, setting into motion a plan, an idea that we make into a reality. Iago and Scar shared a manipulative quality, giving them the ultimate power to mold their accomplice and manipulate everyone around them. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago was clever, beginning his plot of revenge by convincing Roderigo to “Follow thou the wars, defeat thy favor with an usurped beard. I say, put money in thy purse” (II.i.329-330). Iago never had one real motive for his actions, but he tells Roderigo “Despise me. If I do not.” Referring to the hatred he holds against Othello for passing him up for lieutenant (I.i.8-9). In Disney’s The Lion King, Scar uses three hyenas name Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed to kill the king, telling them “be prepare/For the death of the king” (The Lion King). Iago manipulates Roderigo into having false hope of winning the heart of Desdemona with his gold and money. Scar uses the hyenas as a means of overthrowing the kingdom and becomi...

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... in personality and characteristics, they both are considered villains of their time and that is thanks to Shakespeare and his brilliant writing and mind. Iago can be quoted “This is certainly true of Iago, who is an accurate portrait of a psychopath” (West). Shakespeare doesn’t stop here and will be a part of many more to come.

Works Cited

Allers, Roger, Dir. The Lion King . Dir. Roger Allers." buena vista home video : 1994, Film.

Shakespeare, William. “Othello.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eleventh edition. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2010. 1248-1348.

West, Fred. "Iago the Psychopath." South Atlantic Bulletin 43.2 (Mar. 1978): 27-35. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Dana Ramel Barnes. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 4 Apr. 2011.