Othello by William Shakespeare

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Othello by William Shakespeare

"Tush, never tell me! I take it much unkindly/ that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse/ as if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this./" (I. i. 1-3) From the beginning of Othello, Iago is portrayed as an antagonist, a villain who acts out of only his own interest. The acts that Iago engages in throughout Shakespeare's Othello are erroneous acts. Iago is not insane and he can comprehend the difference between right and wrong. Shakespeare is known for his ability to focus on human flaws and teach us lessons from their misfortune. Iago's destiny with evil is due to his own flaws, jealousy, selfishness, and deceit. Because of these insecurities, Iago will stop at nothing to get even with Othello. By the end of the play, Iago becomes blind to all other aspects of life and solely focuses on his enemy. By using and exploiting others' flaws, Iago pollutes all with his deceit and lies, turning them against each other to get what he wants. This evil villain makes sure he gets what he wants by taking advantage of the gullible characters no matter what the cost.

When Iago tells Othello that Brabantio will try to annul his marriage to Desdemona, Othello replies that what he has done (as general of the Venetian army) for Venice will outweigh anything that Brabantio can say, "Let him do his spite./ My services which I have the signiory/ which shall out-tongue his complaints. 'Tis yet to know/ which, when I know that boasting is an honor,/ I shall promulgate -- I fetch my life and being from men of royal siege." (I. ii. 18-27) In the beginning of the play, Othello is clearly confident in his prowess as a respectable military general and elite man of the time. He has no concerns with Desdemona's fa...

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...respect and loyalty to Othello and is only concerned about the consequences that will await him by God. He believes that he is doing well, that God will reward him for acting nobly and for his cause. This is an excellent example of his selfishness because Iago doesn't care about what happens to anyone else or whom he hurts to get what he feels he deserves.

A great puppeteer, Iago is a deceitful man driven by selfishness. He is the one who runs the show making the characters say what he wants to hear with his cunning ways. He deceives the Othello and Roderigo who he claims to "love." By noticing and using others' flaws, Iago successfully avenged his grudge against Othello, Roderigo, and Desdemona. He steps over everything and everyone in his way to get what he wants and his ways will in turn ultimately end the play in tragedy.

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