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Evil Epitomized: Analyzing Shakespeare’s Iago as a Particular of Symbolic Art
Tough to break into, the mindset of a sociopath often mesmerizes and intrigues the faint of heart. Shrouded in myth and mystery, people who lack consciences appear difficult to understand. Often, they simply fall into the category of “evil.” Though the term lacks foresight and explanations for cause and effect, it can add layers of meaning to any subject which it labels. As William Shakespeare employs Iago as a particular for the universal of evil in his tragedy Othello, he cleverly parallels fictional tragedy with the calamities that strike the innocent all too often in real life.
To begin with, Iago admits to Roderigo, “I am not what I am” (1.1.65). His confession
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He wants revenge. Confronted by Roderigo about what appears as loyalty to Othello, Iago explains, “I follow him [Othello] to serve my turn upon him” (1.1.41). However, at this point, Iago wants not only to get even, but also to inflict insurmountable pain on all those around him, whether they have hurt him personally or not. This demonstration of wrath results as a product of Iago 's own misfortunes. Incapable of rising up in the ranks of the army, Iago hardens to pain, suffering, and injustice. With a swift hand, he deals his revenge smoothly and quickly to the other characters, tricking them to sin like …show more content…
Of course, the premises for this slander largely remain false, as the audience knows. By keeping the characters oblivious to one another’s inherent good nature while allowing the audience to see the truth, Shakespeare creates dramatic irony. Among the characters, only Iago deserves the title of devil. However, nobody bestows the name upon him until the final scene. In the meantime, the other characters refer to him as “honest” 20 times, as they truly believe he possesses this virtuous quality. They fail to understand the truth until the resolution, when Othello remarks to Iago, “If that thou [Iago] be’st a devil, I cannot kill thee” (5.2.286). By finally revealing the naiveté and blindness present in Othello and most of the other characters, Shakespeare doubles the irony present in the play.
In final analysis, Iago’s egotism conquers his heart. He morphs into a jealous sociopath, resulting in a sinful and merciless show of choler. Eventually, Iago’s manipulation of the other characters leads to the promise of his punishment in the end. Unfortunately, the audience never gets to see him punished. The chance that he may escape and continue carrying out his acts of evil still exists. This unsettling end to the play makes it more realistic, illustrating that in life, no surefire guarantee of justice exists. The innocent may perish and the guilty may rise. The stars may fail to recognize
Though Iago is very unpleasant, he must be very smart to come up with a plan so devious that he could manipulate so many of the other characters into believing and following his plan. Iago’s character is unpunished in the end. His fate is left in Cassio’s hands. It was believed that he would be punished but it is left open for the reader to think whether he will try and get away with his devious plans.
In Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago Is shown to be the villain. With the cunning use of his brilliance and manipulation, he is able to orchestrate an entire plot to take his revenge on Othello the center of all his ill tempered aggression. By lying to characters like Roderigo and many others, including his wife, in order to
...is no remorse in his answer. In fact, he asserts and defends his behavior. He even has the nerve to kill his wife. Iago clearly enjoys inflicting pain onto others. This is proven repeatedly, as he continues to hurt, manipulate, and use others. This is also proven when Iago says, “As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad” (IV.I.117). Iago is sadistic. He does not think twice about his actions, nor does he care about the repercussions and consequences that occur as a result. This also is a symptom of a psychopathic personality, which Iago certainly displays.
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
Iago has a close friend named, Roderigo, he loves Desdemona and wishes she loved him back. Iago starts his scheme by saying “I am not what I am”(I.i.71). This is one of many warnings that Iago gives the people that he schemes against. This warning is telling him that what you see is not what you are going to get. One can also elude from this warning that he will only let you see what he wants you to see. One can see that Iago is clearly going to lie to Roderigo by that single statement. The statement alone should shoot red flags up in anyone’s mind. Once Roderigo gets Brabantio out of bed; Iago says something strange to Roderigo, “Though I do hate him as I do hell, yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love”(I.i.171-173). Subsequently warning Roderigo about how he lies to people, Iago expects Roderigo to trust him. Unfortunately Roderigo falls into the trap and trusts Iago. Well along Cassio loses his lieutenancy Roderigo is discombobulated. He begins complaining about things Iago asked him to trust him with; corresponding his money, him getting into a ...
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.
...n the end of the play. Iago is not really evil or the vice character he is the misunderstood and wonderful character who can only be seen through a certain lens before it all goes back to black and white and good and evil fights one another for the main stage again. Shakespeare pulled many themes into this story but in all truth I believe that Iago is true main character, not Othello or Cassio, but Iago with all of his problems and vices, he is the truest expression of being human.
Being gullible, Roderigo has given Iago his purse. A character who accepts an offer like this is likely to be of doubtful reputation. The first words spoken by Iago are a strong oath. Already it is obvious that he has little respect for religion. Iago also sees little point in fighting purely in theory.
... to refer to him as, He says: "I am the I AM. . ." (Ex. 3:14). Iago says that he is the I am not. He is, in essence, the exact reverse of God. As we have seen, metaphorically and by example, Iago has proven to be the epitome of evil in that he uses the same tactics that Satan does to get what he wants.
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
middle of paper ... ...manipulation that convinced him otherwise, that he killed himself out. of the grief of the sacrificial. In the final speech, Iago is being sentenced to torture for. all his crimes, "The time, the place, the torture, O' I enforce it."
He says: "I love the gentle Desdemona", and this suffices to explain his feelings. It is obvious that Othello is a much 'deeper', more sensitive man than Iago. Another contrast is that Iago's motivation is himself and his self-interest. Iago desires success and gain for himself and no other. It appears that his major grudge against Othello is that he promoted "a fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife" (that is, Cassio) above himself.
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 for the lives lost in this play and the reasons that led to Iago’s downfall. Iago’s hatred of Othello and Cassio causes him to seek revenge, and he is able to succeed because his victims are too innocent to suspect him. Iago is a Machiavellian Shakespearean character who cunningly convinces his victims of his full moral support and proves his innocence in a way that his victims do not suspect him. When Cassio finishes his conversation with Desdemona about how he will not have his job back, Iago unfolds his mischievous plan against Desdemona when he says that, “so will I turn her virtue into pitch, And out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all” (Shakespeare, 49).
Wicked, dishonorable, corrupt, villainous, malicious, and vicious all have one thing in common: they define evil. A person or a group of people that display these qualities are often defined as evil beings or creatures. Two people that have many of these characteristics developed within them are Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello and Lucifer from the Bible. Both Iago and Lucifer are developed with many “evil” qualities woven intricately into their character development. The representation of each “evil” characteristic gives them something they have in common, allowing the description and portrayal of both Iago and Lucifer in literature show the audience they share common “evil” characteristics and that they lead to chaos and downfall.
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.