Comparing Iago from Othello and Voldemort from Harry Potter

In most works of literature there is an “evil” character that has conflicting interests with the protagonist. This issue may arise in multiple forms including, but not limited to, abuse and manipulation. In this paper we will be discussing the similarities and differences between Shakespeare’s character Iago from Othello and J.K. Rowling’s character Voldemort from the Harry Potter series.

There are two kinds of evil, moral and natural. Moral evil is things like murder, rape, stealing, terrorism, etc. Natural evil is things like suffering and unpleasantness typically as a result of moral evil. Evil is that which has no power of its own. Evil is darkness, a negation of light. Its power is in us, in our fear of it, in that we consider it a "something" worth responding to.

Even though evil is very real it has no existence of its own. Evil is an absence of something, it is not a “thing” itself. Evil is a lot like cold which is the absence of heat. So evil can be nothing without something.

Tom Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort, was a half-blood prince known to be the most powerful dark wizard of all time. Riddle came from a wealthy muggle father Tom Riddle Senior and mother witch Merope Gaunt, who died shortly after Tom was born. Tom’s father left shortly after Merope found out she was expecting and left him the heir of Slytherin. Tom was raised in a muggle orphanage and when he became of age attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was placed in the Slytherin house, the most powerful house, and was the most talented student to ever attend Hogwarts. After Hogwarts Tom went on to work at Borgin and Burkes for a brief time before he disappeared for many years.

Having worked/mastered in the dark arts Tom, now known as...

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...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.

Though Iago is very unpleasant, he must be very smart to come up with a plan so devious that he could manipulate so many of the other characters into believing and following his plan. Iago’s character is unpunished in the end. His fate is left in Cassio’s hands. It was believed that he would be punished but it is left open for the reader to think whether he will try and get away with his devious plans.