The Character of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello

1138 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis of Iago in othello

The Character of Iago

The old cliché "One bad apple ruins the bunch" is what enters one's mind when discussing the villainous, deceitful, protagonist Iago in Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello." It is amazing how one person alone can completely destroy, or deteriorate a group of good natured, trusting, loyal peoples' lives in a matter of days- three to be exact. What is the motive behind Iago's heinous, selfish acts, one may ask? A rather obvious theme in the Shakespeare's tragedy, "Othello", is that of the many facets of jealousy, which instigate the evil-doings of protagonist, Iago. Jealousy can be best defined, in the thinking of Renaissance, as a derivative or compounded passion. It is a species of envy, which is in turn a species of hatred. Hatred finds its opposite in love and is opposed to love. Envy is opposed to mercy. Yet while jealousy is opposed to love, it often rises from love. Like envy, it has something of the grief or fear that comes from seeing another in possession of what which we would possess solely for ourselves. Though jealousy is compounded, it still partakes in the nature of hatred, and hatred brings in its wake anger and revenge (Nardo 122). This could not be more accurate in the horrid actions Iago resorts to in his insatiable desire to get what he feels is rightfully his, regardless of who he hurts along the way. Iago serves as a prime example that keeping your enemies closest does not always work to your advantage. Let us now examine the heights of deceit to which Iago rises in his selfish, tactless rage to acquire what he wants. The best demonstration of Iago's jealous ways are shown through his twisted motives and his strategically planned out course of action in which he...

... middle of paper ...

...lies, and deceit, and furthermore teaches us to beware of "Iago's." They are definitely out there. Try and weed out the bad apples before their irreversible, permanent damage ruins the bunch.

Works Cited List

Charney, Maurice. All of Shakespeare. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993

Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 1985

Leone, Bruno. Shakespeare: Reflections on the Tragedies. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.

Nardo, Don. Readings on Othello. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000.

Bevington, David, ed. Shakespeare's Othello. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1988.

Allshakespeare.com. 14 April 2003 http://www.allshakespeare.com/othello

Questia.com. 10 April 2003. <http.www.questia.com/facts/Othello>

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Courtly Love: Who Needs It? By E. Jane Burns

    336 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the article “Courtly Love: Who Needs It?” by E. Jane Burns, the author establishes what would be considered the quintessential female persona as it appears in medieval literature, particularly in the romance genre. She begins by calling attention to the similarities between the expected mannerisms of women in the structure of courtly love and the modern book The Rules. The text is a self-help guide for women who are looking to attract a husband by employing medieval methods of attraction (Burns 23). It employs outdated strategies to encourage women to become unemotional and disinterested, but also subservient, with anticipation of attaining the unwavering affection of a potential suitor. Thereby perpetuating the well-established “ideology

    Read More

  • Iago As A Multifaceted Character In Shakespeare's Othello

    136 Words  | 1 Pages

    “I am not what I am,” proclaims one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most enigmatic villains, Iago, in the tragedy Othello. Iago’s journey for revenge enables him to become capable of immoral acts, and whilst his malevolence excites us, we are no more intrigued by his attributes than we are of the play’s tragic hero, Othellos’. Rather, both characters’ confrontation with jealousy and their subsequent moral demise as a result of failing to control such an emotion provides the true excitement for audiences. Iago’s spiteful manipulation of Othello makes him a multifaceted character — whose corrupt attributes make the audience examine their own morality. However, the same can be said of Othello; his failure to withstand Iago’s ‘pouring of pestilence’

    Read More

  • Comparison of To His Coy Mistress and An Answer to a Love Letter

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    is telling her to do all the time. This is shown by the way he has

    Read More

  • Iago's Motivation in Shakespeare's Othello

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    Critics such as M. R. Ridley believe that the ability to hurt is the most

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Othello - The Motivations of Iago in Othello

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Motivations of Iago in Othello Have you ever met a devil who does evil for his own sake? Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello could seem like he has good motives, but I feel that he uses them as his excuses. The first thing that I did was uncover Iago's motives. Iago is the most controversial character in Othello. He is able to keep his true thoughts and motives from everyone.

    Read More

  • The Misunderstood Iago of Othello

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespearian tales always leave us with a plethora to ponder about the Elizabethan age and Shakespeare himself. “Othello” is no break in this mold, leaving us to ponder the roll of Iago within the harsh tale of love and murder. Iago is the one to tell Othello of his wife’s betrayal with Cassio, hence making up a story that will work to his favor yet betray those around him. Iago betrays his wife, Emilia, but not only her as he drags Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio into the mix of lies and the hatred he is spreading to improve his rank with Othello. But were Iago’s acts unjust and done for the sake of it? Is he a heartless man who’s only happiness is to bring sorrow upon others? No, Iago has a just reason for what he does, even though he causes the deaths of Cassio, Emilia, and Desdemona in his search for revenge; Iago is not a heartless fiend, just a man wronged.

    Read More

  • Stress

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    How to Deal With StressMany students go to school full time, and hold a part time job to earn money for school. Most students have about four classes, and each of the teacher’s of these classes gives an average of about an hour of homework each night; that averages out to four hours per night of homework, plus a part time job. School causes a lot of students stress because there are so many things to do, and so little time to do it. Stress is a normal part of everyone’s life; and is not a disease. It is not necessarily good or bad; however, reactions to stress can be harmful. Lack of time puts the stress on many students, and causes students to often procrastinate because they are constantly trying to meet deadlines and they don’t have the time to work on their assignments. Many students feel their grades are important; they need plenty of time to work on their work so they can do good. I can relate to them because if I get a low grade I get disgusted because I put a lot of time and effort in doing that assignment. But I think that a lot of the stress from school is caused, not only by the teachers, but also from the students to do well. Students put too much stress on themselves. A student just has to learn to manage their time well and just do as good as possible. Stress management involves the effort of that student to make emotional and physical changes.

    Read More

  • Stress

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing surroundings. It has physical and emotional effects on us and can make good or bad feelings. As a good influence, stress can help motivate us to do something, or help us through the day. As a bad influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression (overall, make you feel really crappy), which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomachs, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion (or demotion), or a new relationship, we experience stress as we change our lives to cater to this. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hurt us depending on how we react to it.

    Read More

  • Iago’s Jealousy

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, good is often confronted by evil, in which almost every case is in the form of jealousy. Iago, the plays antagonist, is a very manipulative villain. Iago uses his own agony and distress brought upon him by his envy of others, to provoke the same agony within the characters in the play. Jealousy’s ability are shown to influence people to new ends and make all humanistic judgment disappear leaving that man a monster torn apart by envy. Jealousy’s true destructive wrath and the pure evil it brings out in people can be revealed through Iago’s actions throughout the tragedy Othello.

    Read More

  • Iago: One Of The Most Complex Character In William Shakespeare's Othello

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iago is one of the most complex characters in William Shakespeare’s Othello. To most of the characters, he is “Honest Iago” (Shakespeare, 5.2.73). however, the audience knows that Iago is the furthest thing from honest. Iago is a devil bent on destroying the lives of everyone around him. At the beginning of the play, the audience learns that Iago is determined to ruin Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. He has appointed a new lieutenant, Michael Cassio. This angers Iago because he feels that he has much more military experience and should be the lieutenant. Iago has also heard rumours that both Othello and Cassio have slept with his wife Emilia. He concocts a malicious plan to ruin the lives of all who have wronged him, and consequently establishing

    Read More

  • The Villian Iago in Shakespeare´s Othello

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Othello, Iago is the most prominent and perplexing villian in Shakespearean history. His redeeming qualies enables him to allure the characters such as Roderigo, Cassio and Othello through his morality. As an audience we are introduced to his contempt and his hunger for revenge despite his lack of proof. Iago symbolizes evil and brutality. So what makes him a crucial character in the play. His understanding of manipulation and his brilliance makes him an important role in the play since he's willing to to climb up the stairs to get his general, who he hates.

    Read More

  • Iago the Machiavellian in Othello

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history, there have been many human beings whom have been seen as either a hero or a villain. In their childhood, these people must had obstacles that were in their way, causing each individual to either work harder or give up. People, however; must understand that each individual has a potential in achieving their goals, but if one is mistreated or deceived due to jealousy, resentment, hatred, or ambition, it can lead to many catastrophic events. People who have pride and arrogance do not want to have equals, rather they want to see their victims suffer. These people have no difficulty in achieving their goals due to the fact that their victims have too innocent a nature to suspect the nefarious motives of their enemies. In this tragedy, Othello, Shakespeare has created a villain who behaves in this manner. Iago’s hatred, method of revenge, and vengeful hatred are the reasons of the lives lost in this play and the reasons that lead to Iago’s downfall.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Iago and Lucifer

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Evil Iago of Othello

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Stress

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stress is the reaction of one’s body to changes, including environmental or psychological changes, as one adjusts himself or herself to the continual changing environment. Nowadays, living with stress is unavoidable, especially in this world where societal changes and pressures are becoming more apparent. From a biological point of view, a little bit of stress can be useful as a motivational force which helps one’s body recognize changes, but in the long run, chronic stress can be a hostile force that can deteriorate one’s physical and mental health; thus, stress is a harmful force that should be reduced and managed correctly in people’s lives.

    Read More

More about The Character of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello

Open Document