Roderigo's First Soliloquy In Othello

He is not the great mastermind that he shows to the world, he is simply a man who feels he has been wronged. Although he admits it in this passage, his “plain face” is not seen until “it is used,” or he takes action. On page 253, when Iago is cornered by his wife in front of the Othello, he resorts to screaming, “Filth” and “Thou liest,” and ultimately kills her. For even when he killed Roderigo, he could disguise the murder as a protecting Cassio, but to outright kill a woman creates a void in his character that destroys any illusion of grandeur that the audience has created around him.

Roderigo believes that Iago will help him win Desdemona's love, so she will abandon Othello. In the play, Iago states “I say put money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should continue her love to the moor-put money in thy purse-nor he his to her” (1.1.385). Iago persuades Roderigo to pay him for his service, which would only be the beginning of his manipulations. Roderigo has a deep love and respect for his companion Iago, whom he trusts, as witnessed by his willingness to give him money. The adoration Roderigo has

Critical Analysis of Iago's Soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 3 of Othello by William Shakespeare

The theme of jealousy is portrayed through various characters within the play. Iago increases Roderigo’s jealousy of Othello. By reflecting on the jealousy he bears within himself, Iago brings out the jealousy in others. Roderigo sees Othello as an opponent, which he has to compete against in order to win Desdemona’s heart. He expresses his emotions towards Othello when he states, “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe,/ If he can carry it thus!”(1.1.67-68). Roderigo says that Othello only got Desdemona out of luck and he will not be able to carry it off. It is because of this jealousy that Roderigo continues to seek Iago’s assistance. Iago tends

Roderigo also plays as a pawn in Iago's plan when he is lied to by Iago about getting married to Desdemona. For example when Iago says to Roderigo, "Plague him with flies"(I,i,71). Iago uses this metaphor to manipulate Roderigo into going to Desdemona's father and telling him that his daughter is married to the Moor, Othello. Iago wants Brabantio, Desdemona's father, to dislike the Moor because Othello did not make Iago his lieutenant. Roderigo is told by Iago that if he tells Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona are married than Brabantio might get them divorced or break them up. This way Roderigo will have a chance with Desdemona and express his love to her. Another metaphor that helps Iago with his plan is "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse"(I, iii, 375). Iago had been convincing Roderigo that money can buy him anything, even Desdemona's love. Roderigo believes him, blinded by his love for Desdemona, and sells his land to get money for gifts. Iago had been using Roderigo for his money and none of the gifts and jewels Roderigo gave Iago to give to Desdemona actually reached her. Roderigo who is crazy about Desdemona gets so carried away with himself that he is too late to realize that he had been tricked and used for his money. Roderigo is deceived by Iago whom he trusted so dearly

reason he "would expend time with such a snipe" is but to use him. He

lago then takes Cassio place as Lieutenant and goes on with his second reason for his hate, and that is to get revenge on Othello. He seems to believe that Othello has had an affair with his wife, so this is his reasoning for revenge on Othello. lago says, “Till I am evened with him, wife for wife” (lago Act 2 Scene I Line). lago uses Roderigo in his plan to destroy Othello. lago tricks Othello into believing that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him with Michael Cassio. “He has put the Moor into a jealousy so strong that judgment cannot cure (McCloskey)”. Othello starts to go crazy with jealousy that he starts to have convolutions and seizures because he is so infatuated with the thought of Desdemona cheating with Cassio. Othello wants to kill her so she doesn’t do this to another man. lago says, “Do it not with poison. Strangle her in bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” (lago Act 4 Scene

Lastly, Iago uses repetition in the plot against Othello. In lines 337- 355, Iago reiterates the statement, “put money in thy purse” to convince Iago not to give up on trying to pursue Desdemona. Iago wants Roderigo to keep his feelings for Desdemona so that he can be successful in his plot and plan accordingly. Iago also uses the statement “put money in thy purse” for Roderigo to pay him. Iago craftily uses his repetition to assure ignorant Roderigo’s part in the

In the opening scene, while Iago is expressing his hatred for the general Othello for his having chosen Michael Cassio for the lieutenancy, he contrives a plan to partially avenge himself (“I follow him to serve my turn upon him”), with Roderigo’s assistance, by alerting Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, to the fact of his daughter’s elopement with Othello: “Call up her father, / Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight [. . .] .” Implied in

Act 1 Scene 1 shows Roderigo, generous in his gifts to the ancient, questioning Iago’s love for the former, whose concern has been the wooing of Desdemona. Roderigo construes Iago’s love for him as based on the ancient’s hatred for the Moor. Thus the wealthy suitor says accusingly, “Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.” And Iago responds, “Despise me, if I do not.” Partly out of hatred for the general and partly out of proving his faithfulness to Roderigo’s cause, Iago asserts in detail the reasons for his hatred of Othello, who has given the lieutenancy to Michael Cassio, a Florentine. Secondly, Iago suggests that Roderigo and he awake and disturb Brabantio, the father of Desdemona:

Furthermore, throughout the play, Roderigo provides Iago with gifts of jewels and money, which Iago is supposed to be passing on to Desdemona. However, Iago instead keeps them, knowing that if he did give them to Desdemona, she would send them back to Roderigo. Iago cannot allow this to happen, as it would cause Roderigo to give up hope and cease to be useful in Cyprus. Iago also keeps the gifts because it is making him rich. However, Roderigo has an epiphany near the end of the play and decides that he will ask Desdemona for his jewels back. If she will not give them back, he will know that there truly is hope, but if she does, he will give up his suit and go home to Venice. He also suspects Iago of pilfering the expensive gifts, and warns him of his suspicions. This intimidates Iago, and he says, “He calls me a restitution large/ Of gold and jewels that I bobb’d from him/ As gifts to Desdemona” (Othello.5.1.15-17). Iago is admitting that he did indeed steal from Roderigo and that the gifts never made it to Desdemona, and thus proving to the audience that he is, indeed, a liar.

To some people, power is authority, and to some, it is capability. To all, it is a metaphorical concept that is individually assigned by one's own view of a situation. George R.R. Martin targeted this concept precisely in A Clash of Kings when he wrote, “Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.” This quote ties in nicely to Othello by William Shakespeare. Power seems to be a relevant theme in this story, although the question of who help the power is also very prominent. The insightful quote from Martin helps us determine this. To defend this quote with evidence from Othello, one must first understand how to obtain ‘power’, then understand why the characters thought Othello was the one in power, furthermore, one may

Roderigo also plays a part in the stereotyping of Othello. He is extremely upset that Desdemona has eloped with Othello, because he has been attempting to court her for several months with no avail. Roderigo, like many other characters, then bad-mouths Othello with racial slurs in order to paint a picture of Othello being a lesser person than himself. Roderigo, with great delight, says, "what a full fortune does the thick-lips owe," (1, 1, 72-73) in order to scapegoat him.

Roderigo is a co-conspirator with Iago but is not equal in developing a web of lies and jealousy designed to ensnare others. “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse (Shakespeare)”. Iago takes advantage of the desperate former suitor of Desdemona and controls his emotions like a puppeteer pulling strings. With the line, “But for my sport and profit”, it is clear that Iago sees enriching himself off Roderigo’s envy as an amusing task with such an easy mark (Shakespeare 1473). Roderigo is a simple-minded fool who believes that by giving money to a lowly ensign he can win the love of Desdemona, have her marriage to Othello dissolved, and restore her virtue.

A victim of the villainous Iago, Roderigo was jealous of Othello’s marriage with Desdemona and tried to break it up by hiring Iago. His jealousy is seen taking its toll on Roderigo after he reacts to the confession of Desdemona’s love for Othello in front of the Duke and Brabantio. After hearing this, Roderigo feels as though all hope is lost and expresses his despair to Iago saying,