The poem, “Naming of Parts” written by Henry Reed is shaped by two very different voices. To me, I took the two speakers as being a teacher and a student. Once I continued reading I established the two speakers as being a Drill Instructor and a Trainee. The first four stanzas consist of the teacher or Drill Sargent speaking in a manner as if he is talking to a group. The choice of vocabulary and sentence structure presented suggests that the Drill Sargent is talking to a group less intelligent than he is. The trainee comes across as not 100% engaged in the lesson, but not ignoring it completely either, as he partially repeats the words of the Drill Instructor at the end of each stanza. For example, the trainee comments on the Drill Instructors …show more content…
Othello puts a great amount of trust in Iago and never doubts what he has to say. This becomes a trap for Othello because the more trust he puts in the hands of Iago, the easier it is for Iago to influence and manipulate Othello. Iago takes advantage of the fact that Othello is not from Venice, making it seems as if he knows everything about the culture and women. This can be seen when Iago states “I know our Country disposition well.” Along with giving Othello false information about the women in Venice cheating on their husbands by stating “In Venice they do let God see the pranks.” Iago’s sneaky ways makes Othello rely and trust him for cultural guidance and also putting the thought in his mind that his wife may cheat on him. Othello then questions his judgment on Desdemona, and he also becomes extremely …show more content…
He is quick to believe that Emilia is lying, not taking in any information he is being told. Emilia and Desdemona spend a great amount of time together and if Desdemona were to cheat she would be the first to know, therefore Othello is being impulsive by not believing what Emilia has to say. In my opinion, Othello was so in love with Desdemona he was already very vulnerable, not expecting to be easily manipulated by Iago. By the end, Othello seems to try to defend his actions when he states, “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men” but then states “this sorrow’s heavenly- it strikes where it doth love’.” It is very apparent that Othello still has love for Desdemona, and it doesn’t make sense how he could turn against her so quickly. He believes that killing her will be the only way to end his suffering. Overall, Othello is responsible for his own downfall because of his vulnerability, and willingness to put his full trust into
The conniving Iago has unquestionably caused Othello to be suspicious of Desdemona's fidelity. Othello, like every one of the other characters, is duped by this 'honest' ancient whom he kno...
Othello is such a gullible character with so much trust in the wrong people. He trusts Iago before he trusts his own wife, Desdemona; he let Iago get into his mind. Iago arises any doubt Othello has for anyone he ever trusted making them all seem untrustworthy. More then anything Iago uses pathos to appeal to emotion. “ But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at. I am not what I am” (Othello, Shakespeare, Act I Scene I Line 65-66). Iago talks about being open and honest; although this is not true it makes the other characters feel secure. Othello is a strong character, but Iago is his downfall. Blinded by jealousy and questions Othello will no longer trust Desdemona nor Cassio, because of this he will meet his
In Othello, Iago uses his fine reputation as an “honest man” and Othello’s insecurities to manipulate him and carry out his master plan of destroying Cassio, Othello, and Desdemona. Iago’s insight towards the other characters’ weaknesses enables him to let them know exactly what they want to hear, which helps him gain their trust. He plays upon the insecurities of others to maneuver them into carrying out the actions he needs done in order to fulfill his own desires. In looking at Othello, we will consider the Othello’s blind acceptance of “the truth” as it is presented to him and find that when we blindly take another’s “truth” and accept it as our own, we merely become tools utilized by the person who gave us that supposed truth and give up the power of being ourselves—we fail to assert a self.
Iago says that Desdemona is a "supersubtle Venetian"[5] as if the calculatedness of her thoughts and deeds were not too a feature of himself, which they certainly are. The implication is that civilised people are conniving and scheming people, and are in that sense understood to one another while this adds to the irony of the constant reference to Iago as "honest Iago". It also contrasts the Venetian way of social dealing with the open nature of Othello. Othello is clever, as his style and military prowess show but is to content of Venice he is na•ve. He is too trusting and misunderstands the subtleties of Venetian society it is the combination of his openness and decisiveness, pride and trustfulness that allows super subtle Iago to destroy him, powerful as Othello is.
He let Iago overtake his mind and thoughts and made it very easy for Iago to manipulate him. Othello says, “Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless see and knows more, much more that he unfolds…This fellow’s of exceeding honesty, and knows all qualities with a learned spirit of human dealings” (3.3.283-284). He questions Desdemona and his marriage with her because of something Iago misinformed him about even when Iago told him he wasn’t completely sure. Othello did a big mistake by letting Iago flood his mind with false thoughts instead of communicating with Desdemona and Cassio about it. When Othello asks Emilia about the “affair” between Cassio and Desdemona, Emilia tells him the truth; Desdemona was never alone with Cassio. Othello completely shuts her down and says “She says enough, yet she’s a simple bawd that cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore, a closet, lock and key, of villainous secrets. And yet she’ll kneel and pray, I have seen her do ’t”(4.2.21-24). Othello doesn’t believe Emilia and he convinces himself that she is a liar and that anyone would say the same thing Emilia said if they were in her place because according to Othello, Desdemona is full of evil secrets and acts innocent. He made all these assumptions based on Iago’s words and his false accusations which ultimately led to his
Implicitly targeting Othello’s doubts about marrying Desdemona and insecurities about her actions with infidelity, Iago eventually impacts Othello enough that the General himself confides in Iago about his own wife. Earlier in the play, ‘honest Iago’ needs to first gain Othello’s confidence and he does so by expressing his loyalty to Cassio, “I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth/ Than it should do offence to Michael Cassio”, while Othello is present in a conflict (2.3. 203-204). Then, later in the play Iago baits Othello by suggesting that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Immediately, Othello wants more information; however, Iago nervously responds with, “…vicious in my guess-/ As I confess…” and tries to calm Othello by saying, “My noble lord-” (3.3 46-47, 93). When voicing his devotion to Cassio, Iago immediately begins to play on his false reputation as ‘honest Iago’. He enables Othello, and his fellow characters, to think highly of him and to respect that even when his partner, Cassio, has not been following orders, Iago would even endure physical pain and have his “tongue cut from [his] mouth” and proves his locality (2.3. 203). This leads to when Iago responds to Othello’s queries, about
Iago knows very well that trust and deceit must go hand in hand in order for him to achieve his vengeance on Othello and Cassio. Hence, as he plans the downfalls of them, he is continually trying to obtain their undoubting trust. He slowly poisons people’s thoughts, creating ideas in their heads without implicating himself. Iago even says himself that the advice he gives is free and honest and thus, people rarely stop to consider the possibility that Iago is fooling them.
In Act 3 Scene 3 of this play Iago is able to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithful character through the way in which he carefully phrases his answers to Othello. Iago’s reputation is that of an honest man and many people, as well as Othello, believe him to be trustworthy. Since the perception of Iago is positive by a vast majority he has influence over forming the perception of others’ reputations since his word is taken with little or no argument. With Desdemona being yet another character whom many praise and trust it may seem hard to understand at first why Othello believes Iago over his own wife (Cavell, p. 129), since in the beginning of the play he praises her virtuous character. Since Othello was never aware of Desdemona’s supposed infidelity until Iago tells him of his suspicions Othello starts putting his trust in him. He was blind to it and lets Iago lead the way to enlightening him on the issue. He thinks of Iago as honest as he is known to be by many and believes that he “Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds” (3.3.259) and that he “knows all qualities, with a learnèd spirit, / Of human de...
of being an honest man. Iago knew that an important man like Othello couldn’t ignore. the possibility that his wife was cheating on him. Nobody suspects that Iago is a deceitful man and would plot and plan to destroy Othello, Cassio and Desdemona in such a way. cunning way to go.
Once Othello takes the bait and shows that he is affected by this information, Iago takes this and runs with it. He comes back to Othello telling him the “To scan this thing no further; leave it to time: / Though it be fit that Cassio have his place, / For sure, he fills it up with great ability, / Yet, if you please to hold him and his means: / Note, if your lady strain his entertainments / With any strong or vehement importunity; / Much will be seen in that” (3.3.245-248). Iago is continuing to feed Othello lies and convincing him that they are true. Othello is clearly vulnerable as, in the beginning of the play, he was not listening to everything that people were telling him; if he were he would have just agreed with everyone that he is not a great war hero like everyone makes him out to be because of his race. Iago seeing a weakness in Othello and jumping on the opportunity is evidence that Iago heavily influenced Othello to believe that Desdemona was having an affair and ultimately killing Desdemona. Iago influences Othello by telling him believable pieces of evidence such as how Cassio and Desdemona act when interacting around each
Othello, Iago’s superior in the military, is one man who seems to hold Iago in the highest regard, though he does not give him the promotion that is available, he continues to praise Iago and his many decent qualities throughout the play. Othello and Iago are rather close, having been in the military together for what can be assumed to be the majority of their adult lives, consequently, Othello likely knows Iago better than anyone else, even Iago’s own wife. If Iago had always been the cur that he comes to be in the play, Othello would have known, but nonetheless, Othello continues to think of him as nothing but “honest
One of the most brilliantly crafted villains in history, Iago is an incredibly intelligent and creative man who shows throughout the play how apt he is at twisting the truth and turning the facts upside down, using strategies and tactic any politician would envy. Right through the play he demonstrates his ability to harm and destroy people’s lives, all through his brilliant and persuasive word use, which ultimately, is his weapon. He plants ideas in the characters’ heads, causing their minds to fester and warp their thoughts. Iago, who believes he deserves Cassio’s place as Othello’s lieutenant, spends his time plotting, manipulating and scheming. He hates Cassio, and Othello, for choosing Cassio as his Lieutenant. Iago uses a mixture of hints and hesitations to convince Othello that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. The protagonist, Othello, is Iago’s foremost victim; he believes that Iago is a man of “of exceeding honesty, knows all qualities, with a learned spirit" [Act III, Scene III].
In the beginning of the play, the first thing we hear about Othello is Iago is mocking his race, “And I, God bless the mark, his Moorship’s ancient!” (1.1.35). However, Othello’s leadership and military skill make him a valuable asset to the Venetian government. He is a greatly respected and trusted Captain who is called to duty when conflict arises. In first scene of the play, he sent to wage war in Cyprus. After Iago informs Brabantio of Desdemona and Othello’s marriage, Othello has to confront Brabantio and Othello proudly says “Let him do his spite, my services which I have done this signiory, shall out-tongue is complaints” (1.2.21-22). Othello demonstrates that he is confident in his abilities as a military and man and he was sure the he deserved Desdemona. He believes that his achievements as a general of the Venetian army will outweigh anything that Brabantio has to say. These qualities initially attract Desdemona, Othello notes “she loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them” (1.3.94). Iago’s ability to lack power in society translates to him trying to have power through manipulation. Othello is difficult to manipulate as he is honorable and deeply in love and Othello. As Othello is holding Desdemona’s hand he tells her “It gives me wonder great as my
People should be cautious in whom they place their trust. Sometimes, those who may seem the closest to are the ones who can cause the most damage. In Othello, Iago is a very strong character and a highly skilled deceiver. He knows exactly which words to use and when to use them. “O beware, my lord, of jealousy: / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on.” [III.iii.167-169]. After losing his position as lieutenant, Iago tells Cassio to spend time with Desdemona so she can help convince Othello to give his lieutenancy back. “Our general’s wife is now the general…Confess yourself freely to her, importune her help to put you in your place again.”...