Othello and Honesty
Honesty is one of the most important factors in Othello. And although there is very little honesty actually present in the play the term is most commonly applied to Iago, who also happens to be the most dishonest character in Othello. Due partly to the other characters naiveté, Iago is capable of manipulating, brainwashing, and molding the other characters to satisfy his need for revenge against Othello.
Iago would most commonly be referred to as dishonest, however beyond that he is also downright amoral and uses other’s weaknesses to manipulate them into doing what he pleases. From the very beginning we see how Iago manipulates Roderigo by pretending he is looking out for his best interests in the matter of Othello’s elopement with Desdemona. He makes Barbantio angry with Othello and Desdemona by telling him about their elopement then lying about the consummation of their relationship. He then leaves Roderigo to take responsibility for his (Iago’s) actions. In the meantime he goes off to inform Othello that Roderigo is accountable for telling Barbantio about the relationship and saying horrible things about Othello. Iago later brings Roderigo back into his quest for revenge when he tries to get Cassio fired from the position that Iago originally wished to obtain. Although Cassio knows it is against his better judgement to drink, Iago manipulates him into getting drunk then stages a fight between Roderigo and Cassio. He even goes as far as to try to make Cassio look bad by telling Montano that he gets drunk regularly. Upon Iago’s explanation of the situation Othello promptly fires Cassio from his position and Iago becomes more respected in Othello’s eyes. Roderigo is a prime example of how Iago uses people to fulfil his desires. Iago convinces Roderigo that he could win Desdemona’s love away from Othello and the only man that stands in the way is Cassio. In this way when he plans to humiliate Cassio it seems as if he is doing it to help out Roderigo when, in actuality, he is seeking revenge on Cassio for taking his position.
One of the main reasons Iago is so successful at manipulating others is because they are too guileless to realize that he is taking advantage of them. Cassio still comes to Iago for advice after Iago rats him out and gets him fired.
Essentially, Laila and Mariam protect each other from Rasheed, but they also protect the other important people in their lives when they are threatened also. Equally important, they protect others, in spite of the lack of protection from the power of oppression.
...al-Mart’s methods to keeping these prices down have been immoral. In addition, they have taken advantage of town resources for example, subsidies, employee benefits and exploitation of cheap labor. Even though they have surpassed significantly in attracting customers all over the nation, they failed to do so ethically. This has created losses to competitors, and the battle for profit is an ongoing one. Therefore, I believe that Wal-Mart has become an economical disaster to competitors and the US as a whole. This is due to the exporting of huge amounts of funds to Asian countries, which in turn reduced the funds in the US due to continuous import costs.
It was a sunny day with a sweet aroma of blooming tulips. The sunlight glittered on their faces as the breeze rattled the chestnut tree above. There was an occasional giggle as they talked, but there was also a hint of discomfort and awkwardness between them as they peeked at each other’s face and recoiled when the other looked up. When the bell rang twice, I saw them say goodbye and walk away from each other. In the darkness of the crowd, a glimmer flashed into my eyes from Hannah’s cheeks.
...as revile her. “‘…Dear little Pearl, wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the forest! but now thou wilt?’ Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken… Pearl’s errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled.” When Pearl’s dad dies and she kisses him, her curse is broken because she was finally acknowledged as the daughter so she assimilated him into her life helping them both become better in the end. When all of the sins are revealed and the consequences handed out, people become good.
From the very beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is held in very high regard within the community in Venice. He is often called “honest Iago” by many people, including his superior, Othello. There is a large juxtaposition between Iago’s character in the beginning of the play, and the general perception at the end of the play, due to Iago’s many character flaws that cause him to create devious plans and a web of deception and lies, spun by his intense anger and hatred. The exposition of Othello holds many indications of the negative traits Iago possesses, and they escalate quickly as the play progresses. There are many points within the play that present Iago falling prey to his issues and therefore lets them control him. Iago’s anger and hatred kept him from dealing with these character flaws and lead to his descent into moral
Their sin brought Pearl into the world. This was something that Pearl would never be able to change. Growing up, she was always looked upon as the problem child or the child of evil. When the children her age would go out to play, they always looked at her as the outcast and unworthy to play with them. Her childhood was spent in a prison and she was shut away and alone in their little cottage on the outskirts of town. Pearl was a rambunctious kid, who was not very respectful to those around her, as a result of their
World War I was a massive war that overwhelmed Europe and spread across the world. There were many causes of this war, one being nationalism. Nationalism is the belief that people should be loyal to their nation and in the 1900’s, there was a rivalry between Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France. They were competing not only for materials but also for territorial disputes. France wanted revenge on Germany after losing the Franco-Prussian War and losing some of their provinces. Finally, after the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife were killed by a member of a radical Slovic nationalist group, World War I broke out.
Her sin was not to seek revenge, but instead was out of passion, and thus the child was born. One would think the child was punishment enough, but the way sin’s effect chose to pounce on her was from the outward judgment of the towns people. “ Clergymen paused in the street to address words of exhortation, that brought a crowd, with its mingled grin and frown, around the poor, sinful woman. If she entered a church, testing to share the Sabbath smile of the Universal Father, it was often her mishap to find herself the text of the discourse” (Chapter 5 p. 78). Since her sin was revealed to everyone, the constant judgement and actions of others continued to take their toll. The outcome of her sin therefore proved most effective in bringing her down by attacking from the outside. Not only did the townspeople outwardly scar her heart, but so did her own child. Out in the woods, Pearl was only able to identify her mother by the gloom the scarlet token had. “. . . As if there were a withering spell in the sad letter, her beauty, the warmth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like fading sunshine; and a gray shadow seemed to fall across her. . .” (Chapter 19 p.190). When Hester did not wear the letter and was back to her beautiful, happy self, Pearl would not approach her. Similar to the townspeople, Pearls connection between the sinful emblem and Hester takes a toll on the poor woman’s mind.
Iago uses his ability to convince those around him and his hatred, for seemingly the majority, of the other characters to manipulate and accomplish his own ploys. In the beginning of the play, Iago confesses his hatred for Othello. This hatred compels Iago to manipulate others within the play. Iago wishes to cause the most mayhem that he can, and he uses every character to do so. In the play, Iago acts almost as a puppeteer to the other characters, pulling their strings and getting them to do as he wishes. With Othello, Iago tells him that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with Cassio. This manipulation is done due to the pure hate Iago has for Othello and the plan to get Roderigo together with Desdemona. Iago is also seemingly puppeteering Roderigo in hopes to get Cassio killed for both Roderigo to gain Desdemona and for Othello because of the alleged affair with Desdemona. Iago spares no expense when it comes to his plans in the play. As it states in Act 3 Scene 3 “I will in Cassio's lodging lose this napkin, / And let him find it. / Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ” (Shakespeare, Othello lines 1994-1997). In this excerpt, Iago takes Desdemona’s handkerchief in hopes to frame Cassio and prove the affair. This shows that Iago leaves out no details when manipulating the other characters which shows his true ingenuity and cunning ability when
The most obvious character in Othello that appears to deceive everyone is Iago. He is a character that hides behind the mask of a honest solider who is blunt, unsophisticated, loyal and well-intentioned. This is the view of Iago portrayed in the opening of the film. It is not until the end of the third scene, when we hear his soliloquy, that the audience learns of his true real intentions.
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the antagonist and villain who causes all the trouble and disorder. Othello is the protagonist, and is the main person Iago’s destruction and revenge is aimed towards. Othello is naïve and gives everybody his trust even though he may not know them or they haven’t earned his trust yet. He often refers to Iago has “Honest” Iago, which is a direct showing of irony because Iago is not honest at all (Shakespeare, I, iii. 289). Iago is so angry that Othello didn’t give him the promotion that was given to Cassio that he plans to seek revenge against Othello. He seeks his revenge against Othello by manipulating and lying to all of the people around him including his closest friend Roderigo, Cassio, Othello’s wife Desdemona and even his own wife Emilia. In the end, Iago’s lies and manipulation led to the deaths of Roderigo, Emilia, Othello and Desdemona. This isn’t the first time many of these individual characteristics have shown up in one of Shakespeare’s plays.
In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago is one of the worst villains of all time because his jealousy causes him to ruin many people’s lives. Roderigo, a character in Othello, is used as a part of Iago’s plan. Iago convinces Othello that Cassio cheated with Desdemona. Iago’s plan ultimately causes Cassio to lose his job and Othello’s trust.
One person Iago deceives is Roderigo. Throughout the play, Iago tells him that he hates Othello and that Roderigo should make some money so he could give gifts to Desdemona, who he admires from afar. Thinking that this is sound advice, Roderigo does just that. However, Iago is actually keeping the gifts that Roderigo plans to give Desdemona for himself. Eventually, Roderigo begins to catch on to the act and confronts Iago, but he falls right into Iago’s trap again when he tells him that killing Cassio will help him win over Desdemona. Roderigo is then lead to his death by the hands of "Honest Iago."
...born born from sin, as Pearl is, then that child will live with sin. Pearl is cursed and her future is set while she lives with this curse. Although Hester’s sin is known Dimsdales is not and that is the sin that Pearl carries. Not the known sin of her mother but the hidden sin of her father. Only when Dimsdale dies does Pearl get set free from the curse. When there is no longer a sin to be hidden there is no longer a curse and the spell is broken. A child of sin will be forgiven if the sin is also forgiven.
Othello’s nature as a noble and honest man works against him, as he assumes that other men are like him. To near comedic effect, almost every single time Othello refers to Iago, he lauds him as honest and true. “Honest Iago…” (1.3.293). states Othello, unaware of Iago’s true nature, and without the character to even consider otherwise. Iago’s ruse is meticulously crafted, as it fools not only Othello, but Cassio as well. Cassio declares “I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest./“ (3.1.38). To have tricked plenty, Iago seems to be singularly responsible for Othello’s fall, but he ominously notes “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without/ merit and lost without deserving…” (2.3.251-252). Othello never questions Iago’s motives, putting up only the smallest of doubts which are quickly addressed by Iago. Othello places his trust in Iago, because he believes that Iago is noble and honest just like him. Iago states “The Moor–howbe’t that I endure him not–/ Is of a constant, loving, noble nature,/“ (2.1.275-276). The contrast between Iago and Othello is high, for Othello is a man who has earned his reputation as honest and noble, while Iago has created his with empty words and subterfuge. Othello’s trust in Iago is taken to a dramatic end, when he states “Why did I marry? This honest creatures doubtless/ Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds./“ (3.3.248-249). Othello disregards his own marriage, and holds Iago’s opinions above that of his own concerning the matter. It inspires Othello to murder Desdemona, who is entirely innocent of any wrong doings. Othello also endorses the attempted murder of Cassio, who he deems guilty of cuckolding him. “…O brave Iago, honest and just,/ Thou hast such noble sense of thy friend’s wrongs–/“ (5.1.32-33). Even after Othello murder Desdemona, and hears the attack on