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Iago's role in Othello
The relationship of othello and iago
Comment on the character of Iago. Othello by William Shakespeare
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Perhaps the most sinister of all characters ever created by the Bard of Avon is in his tragedy Othello. It is Iago – the cause of everyone’s problems in the play. Let us focus a strong light on his character in this essay.
David Bevington in William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies enlightens us on the ancient:
Iago’s machinations yield him both “sport” and “profit” (1.3.387); that is, he enjoys his evildoing, although he is also driven by a motive. This Vice-like behavior inhuman garb creates a restless sense of a dark metaphysical reality lying behind his visible exterior. Even his stated motives do not always make sense. When in an outburst of hatred he soliloquizes that “I hate the Moor; / And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets / He’s done my office,” Iago goes on to concede the unlikelihood of this charge. [. . .] The charge is so absurd, in fact, that we have to look into Iago himself for the origin of this jealous paranoia. (223)
And looking within Iago for the cause can yield the answer that the ancient is psychologically sick. In Shakespeare’s Four Giants Blanche Coles comments on the mental illness that appears to afflict the despicable Iago:
When such old time critics as H. N. Hudson, who wrote nearly a hundred years ago, saw that Iago was not acting from revenge, one is more than surprised to find modern critics, who have had the advantage of the progress that has been made in the study of abnormal psychology, accepting Iago for anything but what he is, and what Shakespeare intended him to be – a psychopathic personality. (79)
Evidence of his psychopathic personality is seen early in the play. He manipulates the wealthy Roderigo into awakening the senator Brabantio (“Rouse him: m...
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...erits for himself the full punishment of the law – administered, surprisingly, by his arch-enemy Michael Cassio, the new “lord governor”: “To you, lord governor, / Remains the censure of this hellish villain, / The time, the place, the torture. O enforce it!”
The audience laments that Othello did not heed his original evaluation of the ancient at the beginning of the “temptation scene”: “There is some monster in his thought too hideous to be shown.”
WORKS CITED
Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.
Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.
Driven by an overbearing lust for evil that only a pure psychopath can have, Iago is not only one of literature’s worst villain’s, but he also is a heinous psychopath, whom possesses absolutely no capacity for human kindness or virtue. While Iago claims to be motivated by obtaining revenge of Othello and by jealousy of Michael Cassio, his actions suggest that of a diagnosis of psychopathic personality disorder, as his motivations contradict each other, and are not sufficient to constitute the level of destruction he employs. According to the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of mental disorders, an individual can be diagnosed as a psychopath if they show a minimum of five out of eight of the following symptoms: 1) deceitful, conning, and manipulative behaviors, 2) absence of psychotic and neurotic symptoms, 3) lack of remorse, 4) lack of empathy, 5) inflated and arrogant self-appraisal, 6) pathological lying, 7) need for constant stimulation, and 8) glibness and superficial charm. Throughout the play, Othello, Iago displays all of these symptoms, and therefore is a psychopath. He especially manipulates and cons others, has a grandiose self-perception, and lacks empathy and remorse. He also needs constant stimulation.
“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’
Act iii, scene iii, lines 108-131 of William Shakespeare’s “Othello” unquestionably shows Iago’s trickery and deceptiveness which is masked through his reputation for honesty, reliability and direct speaking. This section not only shows Iago’s slow but powerful act of deception, but also shows the jealousy and insecurities slowly depriving Othello’s inner peace and balance.
Iago, the antagonist of Shakespeare’s work, Othello, is often considered purely evil or sociopathic. At first glance, Iago appears to be a static, two-dimensional villain, but he is much more. Shakespeare, renown for his awareness of the human condition, leaves many important aspects of Iago’s life up to interpretation. In published works and critical interpretations, Iago is commonly attached to a myriad of mental illnesses and personality disorders. Because it seems that Iago’s life revolves around Othello and Desdemona, it is understandable how people may suggest that Iago is in love with Othello, or that he is a psychopath with no true motives. Shakespeare never discloses much about Iago’s past, raising the questions:
In Othello, Iago is Shakespeare’s most malicious character and serves as a vehicle to these two themes. Iago despises Othello; he has a strong will to destroy Othello’s life, yet the motive behind his plan goes unexplained. Iago is a great manipulator of the tongue and lies to everyone in order to advance his plan; however, every character in the play considers Iago an honest character, and Othello even associates Iago with light and eyesight. Othello continuously asks Iago to explain or make something clearer. Until the very end, Iago appears to be honest and helpful to the other characters, but underneath this seemingly harmless façade, Iago is a demon with the strongest will; he will stop at nothing until he ruins Othello’s life. Iago uses a positive appearance to enact his
A psychopath easily demonstrates several discernible quirks. Iago, one of Shakespeare 's most notable characters from Othello, regularly displays unholy habits. Iago is a man who is determined to achieve his goals by manipulating and scheming plans to get what he wants. His shallow heart shows no mercy for those who oppose. A psychopath Iago undoubtedly fits the role of a psychopath because of his manipulative, emotionless and devious behavior throughout the entire play.
The lust for power which rushes through Iago, and the fact of him believing he is superior to others, is the main drive for Iago’s ambition to dismay others; however, these reason are not realistic
In the play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare Iago is one of the most unique and interesting characters. Not only is Iago a main character, but he is also one of the most controversial, causing more drama and quarrels than any other character in the play. Shakespeare does a good job with the character of Iago by creating an atmosphere where Iago can keep the reader's attention on each and every individual scene throughout the entire play, as one tries to figure out Iago's true intentions. When reading the play it is easy for an individual to view Iago as an evil person who gets pleasure from malicious acts he inflicts upon others around him.
One of the main characteristics of the gospel of Mark is it’s length. Mark is much shorter than Matthew and Luke, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The author of Mark does not slow down the gospel story and makes sure that only important and relevant details are included. When Mark is compared with Matthew and Luke, it becomes obvious to see what Mark has eliminated. The author’s omission of Jesus’ birth, lineage, resurrection, and ascension denote careful planning and purpose in the gospel of Mark.
This paper will prove that Iago has one clear motive and reason for his madness. Iago is not looking for justification that causes him to act the way he does. There is much more to Iago. He is not a man of only excuses, he has goals with his motives, which causes him to act the way he does. As early as the first scene of the play, Iago shows us strong motives for his actions.
“Iago the Psychopath.” South Atlantic Bulletin. 43.2 (1978): 27-35. JSTOR.com - "The New York Times" Web. The Web.
The fascinating intelligence of Shakespeare begins with Othello, unlike other tragedies that begin with ancillary figures that point out the character that will turn out to be at the center of the tragedy, with his genius creation of truly evil Iago instead of Othello. Shakespeare gave Iago the honor of being a main character, an antagonist too, in one of his blood-soaked tragedies and made him survive the experience. Iago, the genius villain whose intrigues and deception brought the downfall of the main hero Othello, is considered in today’s society a true Sociopath. Sociopathy-as noted by Preston McAfee-is a personality disorder defined by certain characteristics such as manipulations, lack of empathy, sense of entitlement, and a grandiose sense of his own importance. Those traits were manifestly shown by Iago in Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello.
A consent form is usually signed to give permission to do the procedure. In emergency medical situations, consent is not required by law. Under normal situations, the doctor may want a complete medical history and examination. Presence of pain, skin temperature, and color in the diseased limb will be compared with those in a healthy limb. The patient may be measured for an artificial limb prior to the procedure. In a trauma situation, crushed bone may be removed and smoothed out to help the use of an artificial limb. Fasting is usually 8 hrs before the procedure. The anesthesiologist will continue to monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level. After removing the dead tissue, the doctor may decide to close the flaps with healthy
Shakespeare’s Othello consists of the themes betrayal, love and dishonesty. At the centre of this play is the tragic downfall of Othello at the hands of his so called friend Iago. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for and against Othello being responsible for his downfall through looking at critical interpretations of his character and actions.
Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a character that builds up anger throughout the play. As the play continues, Iago seeks to destroy all those in his path. However, it is not clear what motivates Iago to go as far as he does. When he has destroyed Cassio’s reputation he could have secured his partnership with Othello and lived on happily. Instead of being happy to take Cassio’s position, Iago wants to mess up Othello’s life by tricking him into thinking Desdemona has cheated on him. This random desire to destroy others’ lives is a huge part of Iago’s character.