"How shall I murder him, Iago?" This one line, spoken by Othello, in Shakespeare's play of the same name speaks volumes of the evil and deceitful nature of the character being spoken to, Iago. The ability to turn a noble, self controlled, respected man such as Othello into a raving, murderous lunatic can only be had by an evil man such as Iago. Iago is conniving, vengeful, vain, ruinous, dishonest, egotistical and paranoid. This makes him one of the most evil men in all of literature. The
Iago is well-known as William Shakespeare’s most sacred character in the play Othello. His role He is a prominent soldier who has fought beside Othello for several years, earning him the role as his trusted advisor. He is classified as the antagonist of the play due to his acts of jealousy and sociopathic tendencies. Iago can be classified as the most heinous villain in Shakespeare. Iago’s most terrible characteristic is his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. Other traits also include:
this evil vice, devil-like characters in their writings. William Shakespeare is known for his many evil characters in his writing like Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Claudius, Hamlet and Iago, Othello. In the book Othello, by William Shakespeare, he has one of his cruelest antagonists, Iago. Iago is a high, “honest” and very known man. He is solely determined to destroy Othello, out of random hatred and rumors. Shakespeare uses all this reason and plans to destroy Othello to prove that Iago is an evil being
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. From the first scene of the play to the last, Iago is able to be trusted
What is it that makes a person evil? Is it their actions, their words, or their thoughts? Is it more acceptable if “the end justifies the means”? Telling a lie that doesn’t have a negative effect on anyone, and that saves someone grief, is considered good. So why is killing someone to save others considered bad? The morality of an action is based solely on the outcome. Thus, doing anything whatsoever that is required to get the desired result, regardless of the methods used, would be considered “ok”
The Many Evils of Iago in Othello by Shakespeare Iago is a man of jealousy, and he is proposing revenge against Cassio and Othello. " He claims both Cassio and Othello have seduced his wife, Emilia, a warm-hearted, simple woman. He proposes, as revenge of wife for wife, to put Othello into such a jealousy as judgement can cure" (Jorgensen 59). "We know therefore from the start why Iago hates Othello . . . " (Modern 3). Iago's hatred for the Moor is deep, and there is apparently reason. The
Iago is a complex character that takes evil to a whole new level in the 1600’s and plays a key role in this tale. Iago’s main goal is to get Othello and Cassio out of the army, but in the end fails to ruin Cassio’s life, only Othello’s. He uses many characters to his advantage, realizing how trustworthy and oblivious these people are. Iago cannot be relied on and has many masks, behind which he hides. He has many disguises and secrets that he hides from everyone and his acting skills come in handy
Iago as Evil in William Shakespeare's Othello "Othello" is famously regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. It explores the downfall of a great general Othello through a series of unlucky circumstances. Othello's character shows a man of high status whose job, marriage and life is ruined because of his insecurities by a man named Iago. Iago (Othello's ensign) is able to manipulate Othello, Othello's wife Desdemona and his own friend Roderigo (a Venetian gentleman). He uses Desdemona's
Iago as an Evil Manipulator in William Shakespeare's Othello The statement 'Iago is an evil manipulator in my opinion is true. I see Iago as psychologically astute, deceiving and a misanthrope. His sadistic character hurts everyone in a web of deceit. Iago is Shakespeare's most plausible and intriguing villains. The main themes in this play are appearance and reality, love, hate and jealousy. I intend to focus on Iago and see how his character changes and how his plan unfolds in scenes
The Absolute Evil of Iago in Othello What marks consummate villainy is the willingness to be absolutely evil-to have no qualms about being diabolical and no strains of human morality. Because feeling for another leads one to experience guilt, even an iota of empathy is a character flaw that will lead to the downfall of a villain. To succeed, the villain needs to emulate the character Iago in Othello, who consistently works his evil throughout the whole play and does not slip until the end
The word “evil” can be interpreted in many ways. However, most people use the term evil to describe deliberate wrong doing that causes harm to others. Within the foundation of any compelling story there is always the struggle of good vs evil. The person who possesses the evil characteristics in the story is often labeled the villain. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the character Iago possesses evil characteristics leading to destruction. In the Disney movie Aladdin, the villain Jafar
ability to be good, evil, or any shade therein; consequently, if they choose the path of evil they leave innocent victims in their wake. Iago is such a person. In Othello, Iago constantly took advantage of every situation and every angle that he could to produce a vicious outcome. While the other characters remained oblivious, Iago’s conversations among them separately, as well as his asides, shed light on a major theme of the play: people are not what they appear to be. When Iago talks to Roderigo
Iago as the Representation of Evil in Othello In Shakespeare's, Othello, the reader is presented the classic battle between the deceitful forces of evil and the innocence of good. It is these forces of evil that ultimately lead to the breakdown of Othello, a noble Venetian moor, well known by the people of Venice as an honorable soldier and a worthy leader. Othello's breakdown results in the murder of his wife Desdemona. Desdemona is representative of the good in nature. Good can be defined
‘committing’ in word or deed. The activities of writing are always associated there with men; it is women’s speech that Iago worries about. (169) The beautiful heroine Desdemona falls prey to the supremely cunning ancient. Francis Ferguson in “Two Worldviews Echo Each Other” describes how Desdemona is entrapped by the evil Iago: During Act IV Desdemona also acts the very part which Iago had devised for her. She insists yet again (Act IV, scene 1) that Othello pardon Cassio, which is “fire and brimstone”
Abnormal Psychology and Iago in Othello When the Bard of Avon created the evil Iago in the tragedy Othello, he entered into the area of irrational behavior and abnormal psychology. This essay will examine this branch of science as it relates to the play. David Bevington in William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies describes the irrationality and self-destructiveness of the ancient’s behavior: Emilia understands that jealousy is not a rational affliction but a self-induced disease of
Iago’s opinion of women. Shakespeare’s play Othello is based on tragedy of Othello’s jealousy, which ironically leads Othello to kill Desdemona, his beloved (wife). Evil Iago is above all Shakespeare’s villains. Iago is a person with evil emotions, and as a result he deceives everybody, he also is exceptionally influential character who has taken in everyone, above all his own wife Emilia. His public face of bravery and honesty conceals a satanic delight in manipulation and destruction, and he
hunting and trapping, we learn not only his plans of action but something of his attitude to occasions, to his victims, and to himself; and beyond that there is fixed for us an image of evil – one of those by which the drama interprets the human situation. (331) And how about epilepsy? In Act 4 the evil Iago works up Othello into a frenzy regarding the missing kerchief. The resultant illogical, senseless raving by the general is a prelude to an epileptic seizure or entranced state: Lie
Abnormal and Unusual in Othello In how many Shakespearean tragedies is there a noble hero will falls into an epileptic seizure – as we find in Othello? Let us consider some of the more abnormal occurrences in the drama. In Act 4 the evil Iago works up Othello into a frenzy regarding the missing kerchief. The resultant illogical, senseless raving by the general is a prelude to an epileptic seizure or entranced state: Lie with her? lie on her? – We say lie on her when they belie
handle the stresses of war just fine but with the jealousy added into his life by the most evil Iago's plot against him and Cassio was something that Othello had trouble managing. Othello was new to the married life and did not want to leave his wife behind so he left her in the hands of the "honest" Iago. "My life upon her faith! - Honest Iago, /My Desdemona must I leave to thee"(I, iii, 294-295). Iago caused the jealousy in Othello's heart and made it burn with such passion and with some
his language to express the nature of evil throughout the play. Verbal twists and the characters most importantly stress the act of evil. Iago, most of all is portrayed as the villain or protagonist in the play. Shakespeare uses this character to set the basis of evil. Each plot point is spiraled further into tragedy due to the nature of Iago and his manipulative language towards the other main characters. Corruption overcomes the Venetian society as Iago uses his crafty skills of deceit. The