Iago as the Hero of Shakespeare's Othello

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Iago as the Hero of Othello A Shakespearean play always includes a typical villain character. He is boisterous, egotistical, sometimes witty, and all too eager to seek revenge. In William Shakespeare Othello, Iago is the well-liked, trusted, and brave ensign of the great Venetian general Othello, or so it appears. Iago actually possesses all of the typical villainous qualities, however Iago conducts himself with great composure, and by manipulating his counterparts, he makes people believe he is on their side. I find this characteristic to be a very intriguing one that is not easy to perform. It is perhaps Iago's villainous actions throughout this play that lead me to believe that he is the hero rather than the typical villain. In the first scene of the play, we learn that Iago is jealous of Cassio because he has just received the rank of lieutenant, which Iago was expecting to receive. It is also obvious to the reader that Iago is contemptous of Othello who granted Cassio such a high ranking. From this point on Iago is able to It is from this scene on that Iago uses his brilliance to capture the attention of the people, both onstage and off. In order to do this Iago begins by informing the Moor that his new father-in-law has found out about his new relationship to Othello, and in turn he is very angry. However, a scene earlier Iago is the one who skillfully informs Barbantio that his daughter has run off with the Moor, but he did not actually do the telling. Instead Iago used more convincing words in order to get Roderigo to think he would win the new brides heart, if only he attempted to break up the marriage first by telling the father. When Iago finally tells the Moor that Barbantio is coming for him, we ... ... middle of paper ... ...ns, he does not have to be a nice man, he just has to be able to act like one. A man who can change his entire demeanor with the wind, does not have to be viewed as a role model, but he is a hero in my mind. Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare's Othello. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55) Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice.” The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999. 2115 – 2192. Vaughan, Virginia Mason, and Kent Cartwright, eds. Othello: New Perspectives. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press, 1991.

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