The Ironic Interdependence of Othello and Iago
At the start of Othello, Iago makes very clear to Roderigo the
apparent cause for his hatred of the general. His lack of promotion to
lieutenant leads him to declare:
…be judge yourself,
Whether I in any just term am affin'd
To love the Moor. (I, i, 38-40.) FN1
As Roger Moore has pointed out in an essay accompanying this one, such
a motive is not a grand-scale one, nor one which might cast Iago as
the Universal Villain. His secondary motive, however, provides a
different insight into his character, and provides the first instance
of the theme which will dominate this play : sexual jealousy:
I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets
He's done my office; (I, iii, 384-386)
More than this, however, it is the very fact that he acknowledges the
nature of the suspicion (rumour) and then dismisses it from his mind
that shows the inherently insecure nature of this villain. He has
fallen into the same trap over Cassio ('For I fear Cassio with my
nightcap too' [II, i, 302]), and his jealousy is attested to even by
his wife:
Some such squire he was,
That turn'd your wit, the seamy side without,
And made you suspect me with the Moor. (IV, ii, 147-149)
The deep-rooted cause for this combination of insecurity and jealousy
lies deep within his psyche. We must remember the shared history of
Othello and Iago, which in fact far transcends that shared by Othello
and Desdemona. Othello makes much of the fact that,
…since these arms of mine had seven years' pith
Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used
Their dearest action in t...
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...exist without
Othello, as it is Othello's destruction which gives purpose and
direction to Iago's life. As Othello recognises that the mere
appearance of the dead Desdemona will 'hurl my soul from heaven' (V,
ii, 275), so he is even at the end of the play linked to the
'demi-devil' (302) and 'hellish villain' (369) who has 'ensnar'd [his]
soul and body' (303). In planting the seeds of doubt and destruction
in Othello, Iago planted the very seeds of his own fall:
'for what soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' FN3
Notes
1. This, and all other textual references to Othello are from 'The
Arden Shakespeare' edition, (Ed. M. R. Ridley, 1985 [Methuen, New
York])
2. Bloom, Harold, (1999) : Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human,
(Fourth Estate, London)
3. Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, vi, 7
Iago’s Use of Rhetorical Strategies to Manipulate Othello in Shakespeare’s Othello. Rhetorical strategies are continually used to get a point across, or to manipulate another. Iago uses many devices to put false accusations into Othello’s head. In lines 330-447 in Act 3 scene 3, Iago uses rhetorical questioning, imagery, and sarcasm.
Like with many evil personalities in history and literature the question is always asked did he really plan to make this happen or was it just luck and convenient circumstances, was it intentional or just circumstantial. To determine how good Iago really is at plotting and whether it is really his own influence or just lucky circumstances that cause events I will examine his asides, soliloquies and interaction with key characters because they give an extra insight into his character.
The Relationship Between Othello and Iago In this scene Iago persuades Cassio, who is on watch, to drink, knowing that he is not a drinker and that he will be easy to antagonise. Roderigo provokes Cassio into a fight and Othello, hearing the disturbance, arrives to find the nobleman Montano seriously injured. Cassio gives no explanation, Montano pleads self-defence, and say that Iago knows best, so Iago is ordered to speak, ' Iago, who began't? " This passage starts with Othello, who appears to have interrupted someone, as there is a line break.
Shakespearian tales always leave us with a plethora to ponder about the Elizabethan age and Shakespeare himself. “Othello” is no break in this mold, leaving us to ponder the roll of Iago within the harsh tale of love and murder. Iago is the one to tell Othello of his wife’s betrayal with Cassio, hence making up a story that will work to his favor yet betray those around him. Iago betrays his wife, Emilia, but not only her as he drags Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio into the mix of lies and the hatred he is spreading to improve his rank with Othello. But were Iago’s acts unjust and done for the sake of it? Is he a heartless man who’s only happiness is to bring sorrow upon others? No, Iago has a just reason for what he does, even though he causes the deaths of Cassio, Emilia, and Desdemona in his search for revenge; Iago is not a heartless fiend, just a man wronged.
have not seen in previous parts of the play. We find out that he is
the play, it seemed that Othello was the only one who didn't know the truth.
Iago is one of the most complex characters in William Shakespeare’s Othello. To most of the characters, he is “Honest Iago” (Shakespeare, 5.2.73). however, the audience knows that Iago is the furthest thing from honest. Iago is a devil bent on destroying the lives of everyone around him. At the beginning of the play, the audience learns that Iago is determined to ruin Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. He has appointed a new lieutenant, Michael Cassio. This angers Iago because he feels that he has much more military experience and should be the lieutenant. Iago has also heard rumours that both Othello and Cassio have slept with his wife Emilia. He concocts a malicious plan to ruin the lives of all who have wronged him, and consequently establishing
Everyone at some point in their lives attempts to convince someone to behave certain ways and to do specific things that ultimately will only benefit the person doing the convincing. Throughout the entire book, Othello, Iago attempts to convince numerous people in order to in the end only benefit and help himself. In this scene, Roderigo is explaining to Iago how he no longer wants to love because he is without Desdemona’s love. Iago then focuses on convincing Roderigo not only out of suicide, but also into getting Desdemona back. If Iago was unable to encourage Roderigo to go back after Desdemona, his plans would have been ruined. In lines 296-395, Iago uses many different uses of language in order to convince Roderigo to do what he wants him to do.
Othello and Iago Comparison Othello and Iago are different in their characters as well as in their colours. It could be said also, however, that they are similar because of their fallibility. Iago is overcome with his desire for revenge to such an extent that he puts it into action. Othello's love and possessiveness of Desdemona take over him until he eventually would rather kill her than allow anyone else to have her. In this way, despite their contrasts, Iago and Othello both represent the extremity of the same thing - human emotion.
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.
Evil masterminds are always successful in their diabolical schemes, but each one does it in their own special way. Some may be highly ranked and powerful, but some may be simple people in a simple community. In the play Othello, the simple ancient, Iago is very successful at his schemes. Iago is able to get the trust of everyone around him, and to appear honest. He is also driven to continue with his schemes and to never quite.
How does one create the perfect villain for a story? What qualities are needed in such a character? A good place to start when constructing a villain is to look at William Shakespeare’s villain in Othello, a man called Iago. Iago is wonderfully devious. Throughout the play, he not only poisons Othello’s vision of Desdemona, he does this with no one, excepting Roderigo, the wiser. There are several reasons that make Iago such a terrifying villain. Shakespeare gave certain qualities to his creation that made Iago more than just a evil character. These qualities transform Iago into the truly insidious character seen in the play. From the beginning of Othello to the time that Iago is revealed as the culprit, everyone trusts Iago and looks to him for advice. This gives Iago the means and opportunity to pull off his villainy.
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.
he had taken in the past. He is mentioned very little in the play yet