Deviancy is easy to spot on most people, but not on Iago in William Shakespeare's play, Othello. Honest Iago plays as a Villain who at first wanted to help his friend Rodrigo out by putting in a good word to a women named Desdemona. Iago than quickly changed his motive of helping his friend out, to also wanting Desdemona creating conflict between Roderigo and Desdemona husband, Othello. Iago immediately plans on destroying Othello life. Iago’s main objective is to convince Othello that his wife is committing adultery with a lieutenant, Michael Cassio. With in Iago’s Soliloquy he reveals his true motives. Iago's soliloquy is the closest thing to honest we will receive from him. Iago's short span of sincerity begins at the beginning …show more content…
For example Iago says, “Now, I do love her too/ Not out of absolute lust/But partly led to diet my revenge/For that I do suspect the lusty Moor.” (Shakespeare 2.1.313-317). Iago is clear that he is determined to get even with Othello because he suspects Othello also slept with his wife. Iago believes Othello has slept with his life, yet there is no information on if that is true or not in this play. Iago is trying to justify to himself on why he is planning his revenge on Othello even though his justification is a lie. Iago was helping Rodrigo conquer his love for Desdemona but out of nowhere Iago also loves her. These acts show how Iago is inconsistent with his irrational behavior. Iago's is seeking revenge on Othello eagerly because he is married to the women he all of a suddenly loves. For instance he says, “Hath leaped into my seat/The thought whereof Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards/And nothing can or shall content my soul/ Till I am evened with him, wife for wife.” (Shakespeare 2.1.318-321). Iago will not be content until he gets revenge on Othello. If Iago is not able to successfully execute his deviant plan it will eat him up alive. At the least Iago wants to affect Othello's mind. Iago says, “Or, failing so, yet that I put the Moor/At least into a jealousy so strong/That judgment cannot cure” (Shakespeare 2.1.322-325). Iago will …show more content…
He always had a hidden agenda and his towards Rodrigo was receiving money from him and filling him up with false hope of one day being with Desdemona. Iago quicky shows that Roderigo is in the plan of his new plan and says,“Which thing to do/If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace/For his quick hunting, stand the putting on/I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip.” (Shakespeare 2.1.322-326). Iago is saying that if Rodrigo's poor and trash self can do as he says he will be able to use him as an instrument to make Michael Cassio do what Iago wants. Iago saying “Cassio on the hip” means easy to manipulate. Iago is analyzing every possible outcome of this situation and conclusion that he will fill Othello's head up with lies and be expecting Othello to be grateful for this information. Iago says, “Abuse him to the Moor in the right garb/(For I fear Cassio with my night-cape too)/Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me/For making him egregiously an ass” (Shakespeare 2.1.3.328-331). Iago is planning on turning this whole situation around to make himself look as if he is sparing Othello's feelings and trying to be a good
"And nothing can or shall content my soul till I am even'd with him, wife for wife" Iago's jealousy is so strong that he desperately wants for Othello to experience it,
For Iago to achieve his ultimate goal he has to take each area of his
Once a seed of suspicion or doubt is planted in a person’s mind, the noxious effect of jealousy is soon to ensue. Jealousy and suspicion are Othello’s flaws hubris throughout the play and foreshadow to the audience his imminent downfall. He believes what Iago tells him so strongly that he compromises his close relationship with his best friend and his love for his wife. Iago manipulates Othello through the use of extortion, literary techniques, and his keen judge of character. His syntax and diction are so simple yet so powerful because he uses the correct rhetorical questions and addresses Othello with respectful terms such as “my lord.” He allows Othello do most of the talking
In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, Iago demonstrates a mastery of manipulation over people who had previously trusted and confided in him. His sudden turn from Othello’s loyal ensign to rage-filled villain seems indicative of a man who can no longer accept his position in life. Iago’s plotting of Othello’s demise starts as idle talk of a disgruntled 28 year-old career military man passed over for promotion. Iago believes that such a promotion may never come after Othello rejects his candidacy and makes it clear that he did not believe him suitable. He sees Othello is only concerned with personal and political gain with his choice of Cassio as lieutenant. When Iago teams with love-scorned and desperate Roderigo, he begins
Iago's manipulative nature has a profound effect on the decisions made by other characters in Shakespeare's ‘Othello’. Through his relations with those around him Shakespear characterizes him as a man full of malice, vengeance and dishonesty that is wholly inspired by jealousy. Furthermore it would appear that Iago has an exceptional ability to scheme, a talent which he uses to snake his way into the lives of others and exploit them through their weaknesses. Whether he does this for profit or for pleasure is a separate issue.
In the play Othello, by Oliver Parker, Iago is the repulsive and jealous one. “(To himself) Oh, you’re happy now, but I’ll ruin your happiness, for all my supposed my honesty”- page 79. Fellow wants to ruin Othello’s relationship with Desdemona because that’s the love of his life. Iago’s also selfish and animosity everyone, he’s like a demon with a bad vibe around everyone.The evidence clearly points that Iago doesn’t want them together and is willing to do anything to separate
William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice is a play of great manipulation and jealousy. Iago is the antagonist character of the play Othello. Iago becomes irate and filled with jealousy when Othello names Michael Cassio as his lieutenant, because Iago believed he should have been the one promoted not Michael Cassio. By manipulating everyone around him, Iago portrays himself as an honest noble man whom can be trusted. Iago being known for the honest man he earns everyone’s trust and therefore learns their weakness for his ultimate plan of destruction. Iago’s greatest skill is disguising his manipulative schemes of destroying and betraying the ones around him with what he leads people to believe as honesty. Iago uses their
Othello is truly broken knowing that Iago has been lying to him this whole time. He just killed his wife and has been manipulated. Othello didn’t want to kill Iago even after all he did be he did torture him by stabbing him. For Othello there wasn’t any other way to live day by day knowing he murdered his wife and kills himself laying right next to his wife and Iago’s wife. While Iago slowly dieing he crawls to Othello and dies. This shows that Iago’s revenge may have been caused by more than just Othello’s
In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the heinous villain Iago plots against the main character, Othello, for the entirety of the play. Iago displays many character traits that are associated with malicious and evil people. Three of these are selfishness, vengefulness, and dishonesty. Each of these traits is hidden from the characters in the play, but they are revealed to the reader which shows readers the true villainous character of Iago. When Iago plots against Othello and other characters throughout the book, all of these traits are easily seen by the reader.
In act One, scene one we see Iago's conversation with Roderigo about Cassio being promoted ahead of him and how Iago believes that this is because of favourtism. This suggests one of many reasons why Iago plots against Othello. From this conversation we see that Iago is envious of Cassio being promoted ahead of him, and plotting against Othello as a means of seeeeking revenge. “I follow him to serve my turn upon him”. Iago believes that he
As the villain in Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago has two main actions. They are to plot and to deceive. Iago wishes to plot and to deceive because he is jealous of Othello and hates him. Iago's reasons for why he hates Othello is because he believes that Othello made love to his wife, and Iago is mad that Cassio was chosen to be Lieutenant instead of himself. From this hate comes the main conflict of the play.
Shakespeare’s Othello is considered to be cone of the finest dramatic works by William Shakespeare. The theme of deception is rife in the story and is captured well by characters such as Iago, who is masterful in deception throughout the play. Iago is always scheming something evil and anywhere he is encountered in the play, he is either putting his evil plans to work or scheming to do so. Iago also has very intricate plans and works on many things at once.
Iago has many reasons to hate Othello, including the fact that he had been passed over for a promotion, in which Othello had snatched the position, and he also suspects Othello had slept with Emilia. These reasons were given to the audience, as Iago, himself, reveals his reasons to Roderigo, “ I hate the Moor; and it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets 'has done my office. I know not if't be true; yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” (1.3.378-82). Iago is never turned back on his plan to ruin Othello and the people surrounding him, since he is always contemplating on how Othello doesn’t deserve his accolades, and how Iago is plotting revenge against him. This keeps Iago to consistently, and deliberately continue with his strategies, which keeps the audience empathetic for the rest of the story. Iago is also jealous of Othello’s ability to woo and lure Desdemona, “It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor ... She must change for youth. When she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice.” (1.3.340). However, Even if Iago had received the promotion; even if he had no suspicions or jealous feelings, he would still invent new motives for hating the Moor, as he is the devil of the story. Iago is not capable of performing good deeds, sustaining good relationships, or even
Iago tells a series of untruths with the intention of hurting Othello, he has many reasons to do so, one interpretation definitely might be that he is jealous that Othello chose Cassio to be his (Othello’s) second in command rather than him, but some readers will interpret the play that it is not Cassio that he is jealous of but rather of the alleged affair of his wife with Othello (Act 2.1.224) – he wants to pay Othello back for what he did. He suspects that Othello slept with his wife, but fails to provide either evidence or any form of investigation. He gives Othello a taste of ‘his’ own medicine called jealousy, also known as “The Green-Eyed Monster” (Act 2.1 Part 2:273-4 and Act 3:3:169). Iago fails as a human to sympathise with another, his response in explaining his motive was so inadequate that it was tragic by itself (Act 5.2 Part 2.302-3). Iago is a sadistic, cruel and mean-spirited character whose intentions could also be viewed as pointless because he had no true motive, with which, modern psychologists would call him a psychopath rather than being a tragic
Iago’s vengeful hatred is responsible for the suffering and in some cases, the tragic deaths of several innocent characters. Iago cleverly reaches at the final stage of his plan and reaches to a point where he becomes the cause of deaths of innocent people. Iago continues lying to Othello to break his calmness resulting in action against Desdemona and Cassio. Othello says to Iago that “ay, let her rot and perish, and be damned tonight, for shall not live! No, my heart is turned to stone: I like it, and it turns my