Iago as Evil in William Shakespeare's Othello
"Othello" is famously regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest
tragedies. It explores the downfall of a great general Othello through
a series of unlucky circumstances. Othello's character shows a man of
high status whose job, marriage and life is ruined because of his
insecurities by a man named Iago. Iago (Othello's ensign) is able to
manipulate Othello, Othello's wife Desdemona and his own friend
Roderigo (a Venetian gentleman). He uses Desdemona's love of Othello
and Roderigo's money with his secret love for Desdemona, to manipulate
them towards his own good. He is a psychotic driven to kill, from
strangers on a battlefield to his wife in Othello's bedroom. In the
end he ends up with loosing everything he ever had, taking everyone
else and their lives with him.
Othello is the general of an army. He is a characterised as a "moor";
he is seen as being alternately or simultaneously noble or monstrous,
civil or savage. We know that he is black. He is the odd one out and
is insecure because of his race. Othello was most probably a Muslim
originally but there is evidence in the play that he rejected this
religion in order to become more accepted in society. He comes from
Venice. He is the general of a Venetian army, has power but only to a
certain degree. He is good at his job and that's why he is where he
is. These are the few facts we know about Othello. In Act 1 Scene 1,
Iago and Roderigo are arguing about Othello. They both seem to have
separate complaints about the same person. Iago is arguing over the
fact that he did not receive the job in the army that he wanted. He
thought th...
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... about it with Othello. Now as soon as Othello finds the handkerchief
on Cassio he wants answers from Desdemona straight away. This is the
type of insecurity Othello feels after realising he could loose her.
Iago asks many questions towards Othello. "Think my lord, O by the
heavens echoes men". He delays his tactics but does not allow any
breaks, one thing happens and he moves straight on to the next.
I have come to the conclusion that Iago, formerly an admirer of
Othello, but devastated by being rejected and therefore turning his
love to hate. He is a loser and failure, who suffers from an
inferiority complex and feels compelled to try and prove himself. Some
may call him a megalomaniac, in love with power for its own sake.
Personally these main three sentences sum up on what I thought drove
Iago to become so evil.
“I am not what I am,” proclaims one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most enigmatic villains, Iago, in the tragedy Othello. Iago’s journey for revenge enables him to become capable of immoral acts, and whilst his malevolence excites us, we are no more intrigued by his attributes than we are of the play’s tragic hero, Othellos’. Rather, both characters’ confrontation with jealousy and their subsequent moral demise as a result of failing to control such an emotion provides the true excitement for audiences. Iago’s spiteful manipulation of Othello makes him a multifaceted character — whose corrupt attributes make the audience examine their own morality. However, the same can be said of Othello; his failure to withstand Iago’s ‘pouring of pestilence’
outsider as a moor but in Venice he was needed so had some security as
While both Othello and Iago are guilty of murder in Shakespeare’s play Othello, Iago is undeniably the villain of the play. Othello tells the story of a Moor general of the same name who marries Desdemona, the daughter of Brabantio, an Italian senator. Using deceit and manipulation, Iago, whose pride has been injured by Othello after he is overlooked for promotion, gets revenge when he convinces Othello that Desdemona has been having an affair with his lieutenant, Cassio. Othello’s jealousy builds until he murders Desdemona in a fit of rage in the final scene. Immediately after, it is revealed that Iago orchestrated the entire plot and he is executed. Iago has been characterized as a Machiavellian villain by numerous authors. Is this a just characterization? In Ken Jacobsen’s article “Iago’s Art of War: The “Machiavellian Moment” in Othello” Jacobsen reasons that Iago is the perfect example of a Machiavellian villain. He thoroughly examines excerpts from Machiavelli’s works and compares it with examples gleaned directly from the play. Jacobsen argues Iago fits the image of a Machiavellian villain as he is strategic, well-spoken, duplicitous and able to understand and manipulate the psychology of others. I would agree with his assessment based on the evidence he presents along with further examples I have found in the play.
Critics such as M. R. Ridley believe that the ability to hurt is the most
that it wasn't the case. He found out that war wasn't all fun and games. What it actually was
Iago’s animosity towards Othello emanates from the very core of his being. Can the tragedy in Othello be explained in this way?
Although it is false, he has no way of knowing the evidence had been manipulated into bolstering his jealous thoughts. Othello’s honor is also what brings him to the beginning of his
the play, it seemed that Othello was the only one who didn't know the truth.
In the dying minutes of William Shakespeare’s play Othello, the main character Othello requests of Lodovico, a Venetian messenger, “When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, Speak of me as I am.” But what is he, exactly? One of the most celebrated roles in history of the theater, Othello is a complicated and mysterious character. At various times in the course of the play we despise him, we pity him and we praise him. As a young slave he doggedly worked his way through the ranks and eventually arrives with the grand title of general of the Venetian army having used only his own skill. The full title of the play, Othello, the Moor of Venice, suggests that Othello is an outsider, which is a very important theme of Shakespeare’s. The culture of Venice is learned, and therefore not instinctual to him.
Othello, a play by William Shakespeare, takes place in Venice during the invasion of the island of Cyprus by the Turks. The protagonist of the story, Othello, is a newlywed, Moorish general with a very gullible nature. The antagonist of the story is Iago, an officer under Othello who wishes to be promoted to lieutenant, but the position was given to the young and attractive Cassio. Other major characters in the play are Desdemona, Othello's wife who is accused of having an affair with Cassio. In addition, there are Roderigo, a Venetian who is deeply in love with Desdemona; and Emilia (Iago's wife) who could have prevented the death of Desdemona.
Othello is the tragedy, and, incidentally, the name of a Moor who serves as a general in the Italian military. He spends the first act of Shakespeare’s play in Venice, but is ordered shortly to Cyprus to fight the Turkish invasion. His journey isn’t officially noticeable at all in the play. One moment he’s defending himself in the Senate of Venice, the next he’s in Cyprus, taking credit for being victorious in a battle the storms fought for him against the Turks. The story unravels from there. His soon-to-be-lieutenant, Iago, whispers in his ear about his wife, Desdemona, and the unforgivable crime of adultery, throwing Othello’s orderly world to the winds of fate.
Throughout Othello, Iago is the most prominent and perplexing villian in Shakespearean history. His redeeming qualies enables him to allure the characters such as Roderigo, Cassio and Othello through his morality. As an audience we are introduced to his contempt and his hunger for revenge despite his lack of proof. Iago symbolizes evil and brutality. So what makes him a crucial character in the play. His understanding of manipulation and his brilliance makes him an important role in the play since he's willing to to climb up the stairs to get his general, who he hates.
Throughout history, there have been many human beings whom have been seen as either a hero or a villain. In their childhood, these people must had obstacles that were in their way, causing each individual to either work harder or give up. People, however; must understand that each individual has a potential in achieving their goals, but if one is mistreated or deceived due to jealousy, resentment, hatred, or ambition, it can lead to many catastrophic events. People who have pride and arrogance do not want to have equals, rather they want to see their victims suffer. These people have no difficulty in achieving their goals due to the fact that their victims have too innocent a nature to suspect the nefarious motives of their enemies. In this tragedy, Othello, Shakespeare has created a villain who behaves in this manner. Iago’s hatred, method of revenge, and vengeful hatred are the reasons of the lives lost in this play and the reasons that lead to Iago’s downfall.
killing her himself at the end of Act 5. Othello was written in 1608 a
his life. I hope to change this flaw in the history books by telling you as