Othello kills his wife Desdemona falsely believing that she has cheated on him. The reader knows that Desdemona has been faithful to her husband, but Othello thinks his wife has cheated on him because he is tricked by Iago. Iago is able to trick Othello because Othello does not think he is worthy of Desdemona’s love. Iago tricks Othello into believing Othello’s wife has cheated on Othello using a handkerchief. Iago has his wife Emelia steal the handkerchief and he leaves it for Michael Cassio to find. When Othello sees Cassio has the handkerchief he assumes Cassio is sleeping with Desdemona because Iago has told him that Cassio admitted to sleeping with Desdemona.
Othello believes Iago and the reader could interpret Othello as gullible, but
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Oh, curse of marriage
That we can call these delicate creatures ours
And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad
And live upon the vapor of a dungeon
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For others ' uses. Yet ’tis the plague to great ones,
Prerogatived are they less than the base. 'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death.
Even then this forkèd plague is fated to us
When we do quicken. Look where she comes. (3.3.263-282)
Othello says that Iago is honest and that Iago knows a lot about people. Othello questions if Desdemona has actually cheated on him, and says he will send her away if she has cheated on him. He questions if she really loves him because he is black, getting old, and because he is not like the Venetian chamberers. Othello seems to decide that she in fact has cheated on him when he says “She’s gone, I am abused, and my relief / Must be to loathe her
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Othello is willing to extend faith and trust to Iago, and Othello mistakenly believes that Iago loves him. Othello’s crime is not trusting his wife, and trusting a dishonest character. When Iago tells Othello “Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice?” (4.1.137). Iago is telling Othello that Cassio laughs when he admits to having slept with Desdemona. Othello thinks this is true because Othello trusts Iago, but it would have been possible for Othello to think Cassio was lying to Iago. Othello talking with Iago decides he will kill Desdemona with poison, but changes his mind and decides to kill her by strangling her in bed at Iago’s suggestion. After Othello finds out he has been tricked by Iago into killing his faithful and loving wife he says:
Soft you, a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know ’t.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely, but too well.
Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme. Of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe. Of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting
In William Shaspeare play Othello, Iago make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He does by taking advantage of any situation to make of Othello doubt. Iago make Othello thing a lot of crazy thing on his head, Othello got so jelous leading him to kill his own wife, Desdemona, satisfying iago obseccion for revenge.
Iago wanted Othello’s position and used others to shame Othello and gain stature. Iago dressed himself up a trustworthy man and worked his way into Othello’s trust with tricks and lies. He wore a very convincing mask; often temporarily defending the person he was trying to ruin to further his honest visage. He says to Othello, “Men should be what they seem…” (3.3.127) through these methods, Iago convinces Othello that Cassio, an officer, was having an affair with Othello’s beautiful wife Desdemona. As a vicious result, Othello is driven mad with anger and sadness and throttles Desdemona in their bed. The death and want left by Iago’s deception is vast hurting everyone involved most frequently on a mortal level. When the truth finally comes out, Othello, in his grief and remorse, ends up stabbing himself with a dagger. In the end, many die due to Iago’s deception, through villainy or despair, and none gain what they truly want because of it. This just goes to show that the mask of deception that a man wears can cause an unbelievable amount of harm, bodily and worse,
Iago then brings up that Desdemona and Cassio were spending some quite time together. Women in Venice had a reputation of being “loose” which also aided Iago in convincing Othello. Othello demands proof and uses the handkerchief as proof. Iago brings up the time in his sleep Michael Cassio confessed, ‘”Sweet Desdemona…let us hide our loves!” and he also says “Such a handkerchief I am sure it was your wife’s –did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with” (3.3.299-301). The handkerchief was the first gift that was given to Desdemona by Othello and was extremely valuable to him. Othello begins to think that it is possible that she infidel to him. Cassio’s reputation of being a lady’s man makes him the perfect target for Iago. This leads to Othello latent sensuality in a violent, jealous and masculine form. Iago uses the handkerchief as proof to show the infidelity of Desdemona. Iago brings up the time in his sleep Michael Cassio confessed “Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves” (3.3.475-476). Then Iago asks Othello about the handkerchief that he had given to Desdemona and informs him that “such a handkerchief—I am sure it was your wife’s—did I today See Cassio wipe his beard with” (3.3.496-498).Othello is furious with
Iago when talking to Othello, would exaggerate the many of the scenes in order to convince him of the affair between Desdemona. "In sleep I heard him say, Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our love; and then, sir, would he grip and wring my hand, cry, O sweet creature! then kiss me hard" (Act III, Scene III, Lines 419-422). He fuels up Othello 's emotional side which produces anger and jealousy through this disparaging details from Iago 's mouth. Iago is bright when eliminating the invisible hurdle before Othello 's willpower and is able to manipulate him easily through taping into his absurd reasoning. Othello 's reasoning is being played by Iago to make Othello believe that Cassio has something with Desdemona which in tales to further rouse emotions. Through Iago 's exaggeration he even gets Othello to believe him in a way that Othello is convinced and repeats back what he heard from Iago to Desdemona. Othello exaggerates Desdemona 's disloyalty out of all proportion as human possibility, comparing her sexual intercourse to the breeding of summer flies or foul toads. This gigantic scene seems to hand doubt on the platter, Othello seems to have stretched Desdemona’s transgression to make her the worst wife humanly possible. Perhaps any unfaithfulness is as painful to him, and his exaggerations only communicate the
Iago claims that all Venetian women are unfaithful to their husbands and are full of deceit and deception. When Iago says, “I know our country disposition well./ In Venice, they do let God see the pranks/They dare not show their husbands. Their best conscience/ Is not to leave ‘t undone, but keep ‘t unknown (3.3.232-236)”, he is using his authority as a native Venetian to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. Although he does not directly mention her name, Iago begins to plant doubt through words like “see”, “show”, and “unknown” so Othello will form Desdemona’s “single story” as a whore. The second step in Desdemona’s progression of her “single story” begin with Iago’s perceived knowledge of the habits of Venetian
Othello being a soldier had only ever had formal relationships based mostly around work until he met Desdemona who he formed his first relationship controlled only by emotion and love that they held for each other. The fact this was his first personal relationship with a woman made him naive in this new experience. Othello's lack of experience made him vulnerable to Iago's falsehoods "In Venice they do let God see the pranks they dare not show their husbands; their best conscience, Is not to leave't undone, but keep't unknown." Iago says to Othello planting a false idea of Venetian woman in Othello's mind. Othello having little knowledge of Venetian woman is easily persuaded to believe Desdemona is unfaithful to him. If Othello had of been a little wiser in lo...
He accomplishes all this without being discovered until the end. During the course of the play, Othello is further deceived by Iago to believe that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. Emilia, Iago's wife, unknowingly helps Iago fool Othello when she gives her husband the handkerchief that was given to Desdemona by Othello on their wedding night. Desdemona always keeps this by her side, as a result of Othello's command. When Iago tells Othello that he has seen Cassio with his gift to Desdemona, Othello becomes enraged and vows to kill her.
Iago deceives Othello and Cassio, thus both become unaware of all the things that are to come. Othello catches Cassio with Desdemona and becomes enraged, and all Iago does is convince Othello that Desdemona is cheating. Iago states, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts-suspects, yet strongly loves!" which makes for suspicion that Desdemona is unfaithful to Othello. Iago shows his deceiving ways throughout the whole
Upon proof that Cassio has the handkerchief, Iago gets Othello to effectively divorce Desdemona and align himself with Iago. His plan to kill her is not only persuasive but very clever: he knows that Othello will be put to death for the crime. Othello says,
Throughout the drama, Othello let Iago control him as if he was a puppet under his master’s hands. When Iago first brought up the idea that Desdemona and Cassio might be having an affair, Othello did not believe him, he had faith in his wife. After many lies that Iago planted in Othello’s ears, Othello started to believe him and he dropped most of the faith that he had in Desdemona. Iago told Othello that in his sleep, Cassio said “Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our love”. Cursed fate that gave thee the Moor” (III.iii.416-417).
“Othello: I think my wife be honest and think she is not. I think that thou art just and think thou art not. I’ll have some proof.” In 3.3.394-6, Othello claims that he is positive that his wife is in fact not cheating on him, and within the next line he claims that of course Desdemona is cheating on him. Othello is not secure of either option and hence the fact that Iago is emboldening him to perceive his wife as the antagonist, he would rather believe the negative latter.
Iago had tricked Othello into believing that Desdemona cheated on him with Cassio, thus causing him to become jealous. His jealousy overcame his usual respectable, noble personality and he became irrational and violent. His jealousy and rage lead him to kill his wife, something he would never have done if he had not been jealous.
Othello for not promoting him and because he thinks that the Moor seduced his wife, and he decides to destroy Othello by persuading him that Desdemona has made love to Cassio. Using Cassio and another young man, Roderigo, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Then he finally gets his wife, Emilia Desdemona’s maid, to steal a handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona. Iago makes sure that the handkerchief gets into Cassio’s possession and that Othello sees Cassio with it. At the end, convinced by Iago’s constant insinuations, Othello murders Desdemona in her bed.
Iago has been to blame for the downfall of Othello because he is the one that created the jealousy within Othello. Iago started this because he was jealous of Othello because he was not made lieutenant, and Cassio was. Iago has been selfish and takes it upon himself to get revenge against Othello.
Once Iago has poisoned Othello’s mind with lies about an affair between Cassio and Desdemona, Othello becomes suspicious and distrusting of Desdemona. He is convinced that his wife is a whore, but never speaks to her about his suspicions. Othello refuses to confront Desdemona because, just as their society mandates, to him women are untrustworthy and decietful. Othello (and society) truly believes that if he asks her about Cassio, she will deny sleeping with him. Because Desdemona is a woman, she is not given a chance to speak on her own behalf. It is this same societal issue that played a part in her death. Othello the man and thus obviously stronger and more logical, suffocates Desdemona without hearing her side of the story first. The society in which they live gave Othello permission to kill Desdemona without her even really knowing why.