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Shakespeare's plot and characterization
Shakespeare and his characterization
Shakespeare and his characterization
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Iago throughout the book uses manipulative language to convince characters throughout scenes. However he doesn’t fail, from the beginning he has a well thought out plan, he manipulates people and he has complete lack of empathy which gives him the perfect traits for being a villain. A perfect villain in my definition is someone who can plan out a villainous act and act it out without failure. Iago has achieved this and so I consider him a perfect villain. Although Iago has a few flaws acting out his plan he achieves his goal to an extent in an evil and villainous way such as the failure of murdering of Cassio and his being tortured.
You see him from the beginning planning out his master plan of which his first part was when he planned to get Cassio drunk. As expressed in this quote “If I can fasten but one cup
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As you can see he doesn’t have any empathy towards Cassio getting discharged which makes him a truly evil character. Although Othello liked Cassio very much, Iago had to ruin his reputation. He convinces Roderigo in this quote and that gives him the ability to get Roderigo to fight Cassio, “First, I must tell thee this: Desdemona is directly in love with him.” He realizes that Roderigo has a crush on Desdemona so he uses that in his favor. Proving once more that he has no empathy towards anyone while devising his master plans. This isn’t the only person however the biggest influence he's had on someone was when he manipulated Othello. He
...e used Roderigo to do his dirty work and without him he would have never been able to compromise Cassio in the first place. Roderigo seems to know Iago the best, possibly having figured out that he may have been betrayed by him, he writes letters he keeps with him which later serve to compromise Iago’s character and motives completely. Iago throughout the whole play feels like he is justified in his actions and does not let sympathy or understanding as a result.
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
...il that is much more productive with its methods. Getting others to act for him, and pretending to be everyone’s friend are amongst the ways he controls and builds up a web of manipulation. No doubt, his whole character is built on reputation for being honest. However, as we discover in the play, the word ‘honest’ doesn’t have a very clear meaning to it because it is always used to describe the wrong people (Iago). Either way, all these techniques work in alliance with one another. A rogue like Iago is hard to get the better of because his methods are very Machiavellian – he is seen as ‘honest Iago’ by all, but talks to all the characters individually, according to the necessary way to manipulate them. Iago managed to kill many people (including him). I would say that a merciless and persistent scoundrel is the only way to describe Iago.
As early as the first scene of the play Iago shows us strong motives for his actions. In this first scene we see Othello, a general of Venice, has made Cassio his new lieutant. Iago feels he truly deserves his promotion as he says "I know my price, I am worth more no worse a place."(l.i.12) Iago over here is confused why Othello has made such a stupid decision. Iago is a man with a tremendous ego who knows, sometimes overestimates, his worth. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman, understands Iago when Iago said that he is "affined to love the Moor."(l.i.41-42) What Iago really means is "I follow him to serve my term upon him."(l.i.45) Iago wants to use Othello for his personal goals. We also must put ourselves into Iago's shoes. He is a man whose self-esteem and professional carrier have just been torn apart. Iago makes his actions of revenge toward Othello almost immediately by informing Brabantio, a Venetian senator and father of Desdemona, that "an old black ram (Othello) is tupping (his) white ewe (Desdemona)."(l.i.97)
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. Works Cited Rosenberg, Marvin. “In Defense of Iago.” Shakespeare Quarterly.
Iago can be seen as a villain as he is totally evil. He is willing to
One of the most prominent traits in Iago is his ability to manipulate. His entire plan of bringing about the downfall of Othello involves him manipulating characters into believing what he wants them to believe. In fact, he is so good at manipulating people that no one even suspects him of doing anything wrong because they believe he is such an honorable man. “Iago deceives Othello by also manipulating other people to achieve his ends” (Boyce). This shows that Iago is able to deceive mostly everyone in the play. However, Iago himself says in Act I scene i line 62 of Othello “I am not what I am.” He means that he is not the loyal, honest friend that he appears to be to everyone else. His manipulations include using Roderigo for his money if he helps him against Othello while making it seem like he will help Roderigo win Othello’s wife, Desdemona (Shakespeare). He also manipulates Othello by making it seem as if Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair, which is what ultimately brings about the hero’s downfa...
He is perceived as “honest” Iago, but this is a product of his deception. He claims to be motivated by truth and never completely tells a lie; yet, he is committed to telling the truth for his own purposes. Moreover, he is two-faced. His narcissistic side is seen in asides, where he divulges schemes to ruin Othello and Cassio. Beginning to plan their downfall, Iago reveals, “But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do, as if for surety. He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him. Cassio’s a proper man. Let me see now: To get his place, and to plume up my will In double knavery.” (1.3.557-62). He purposely misleads people to trust that he is honest out of love for them, but his deeper intent is to bring about their destruction and his
So the only true character Iago truly despises is Cassio. Iago dislikes Othello, but ultimately would rather be his buddy than his enemy. Iago sees Othello as a good guy, but simply sees Othello’s pick of Cassio as just a lapse in judgement. So Iago takes it upon himself to change what he sees as wrong. The only problem is the way he goes about it.
Shakespeare develops the character Iago into an instigator and evil man. Iago attempts and succeeds to convince Othello that his wife has had an affair with his friend Cassio. We see Iago beginning his plans at the very start of the play. “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at, I am not what I am.”(Oth 1:1:64-65) He immediately tries to start trouble with Brabantio and Othello over the marriage to Desdemona. Iago want to get in Othello’s way because he was passed over for general and Cassio was chosen instead. We see from the start how he plots against Othello and he involves several characters in his plans. “And what’s he then that says I play the villain? When this advice is free. I give and honest, probal to thinking, and indeed the course to win the Moor again? For tis easy Th’ inclining Desdemona to subdue in any honest suit; she’s framed as fruitful…”(2:3:295-300).
Iago is a very strategic and clever person, and he despises Othello because Othello appointed Cassio as a lieutenant over Iago. He plans to ruin Othello’s life by ruining his relationship with Desdemona. He starts off by telling Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, of Othello and Desdemona’s secret marriage. Iago goes to
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the antagonist and villain who causes all the trouble and disorder. Othello is the protagonist, and is the main person Iago’s destruction and revenge is aimed towards. Othello is naïve and gives everybody his trust even though he may not know them or they haven’t earned his trust yet. He often refers to Iago has “Honest” Iago, which is a direct showing of irony because Iago is not honest at all (Shakespeare, I, iii. 289). Iago is so angry that Othello didn’t give him the promotion that was given to Cassio that he plans to seek revenge against Othello. He seeks his revenge against Othello by manipulating and lying to all of the people around him including his closest friend Roderigo, Cassio, Othello’s wife Desdemona and even his own wife Emilia. In the end, Iago’s lies and manipulation led to the deaths of Roderigo, Emilia, Othello and Desdemona. This isn’t the first time many of these individual characteristics have shown up in one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Iago’s magnificent intelligence and superiority make him a very intriguing character. Iago is not just any villain that comes into a town, with a black cape and knife that scares everyone, he destroys and “kills” by using creative tactics that could only be thought of by someone who is brilliant. He deceives, strategizes, and twists the truth with amazing ease. Iago maintains his on point intelligence by staying completely unconflicted about being evil. Iago is completely committed as he states, “[He will] turn her virtue into pitch, / And… make the net / That shall enmesh them all” (II. Ii. 366-368). Iago is considered a cross between God and the Devil, as shown in the, “Divinity of Hell!” (!!. ii. 356)
Finally, Othello was one of the worst cases of Iago’s manipulation. From start to end, he was manipulated, starting as a honest man who was sure of himself and brave. Iago, however, changed him. He became worried, and unsure, and ended up making many terrible mistakes. While he was changing, Othello was fooled by Iago, and begins to believe that Cassio is a drunkard who would fight, and is unfit for the job of lieutenant:
Iago knows Cassio is a light drinker and that Cassio and Othello are close friends. So Iago uses their friendship to coerce Cassio to drink. He makes him feel bad when he refuses to drink. To put his plan in action he uses their close relationship to guilt Cassio into drinking for Othello. His use of Cassio’s relationship with Othello is shown in act two of the play. When Iago asks Cassio to drink, Cassio replies, “Not to-night Iago. I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking” (II.iii.27-28). Iago finds this fact out and says,“O, they are our friends. But one cup!” (II.iii.30). Iago uses Cassio 's friendship against him. Cassio finally agrees to this by saying, “I’ll do’t, but it dislikes me” (II.iii.37). To the audience Iago plans his next step and says, “If I can fasten one cup upon him / With that which he hath drunk to-night already” (II.iii.38-39). He tells the audience his plan and says that he will stage a fight. Iago says, “He’ll be as full of quarrel and offense / As my young mistress’ dog” (II.iii.40-41). This sets the play in motion. His use of Cassio is working in a great way. He successfully gets his plan in motion by making him feel