Corruption In Othello

In Othello, Shakespeare portrays Iago as the embodiment of evil, accentuating his malicious nature and capacity to distort reality. However, Iago's villainous qualities act as a front for his "peculiar end"- the inferiority complex that consumes him. In his perception, Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello pose a great threat to his accomplishments. They all are higher in rank, intelligence, and wealth, which causes Iago to feel inadequate in comparison throughout the play. He manipulates all three characters using oaths as power mechanisms; he forms elaborate schemes to overcompensate for his metaphysical loss of self and curb his unquenchable ambition.

Iago’s pragmatic yet solipsistic worldview causes him to associate Roderigo and Cassio with society’s

Shakespeare juxtaposes the lives of Othello and Iago to accentuate the difference between Iago’s ideal and realistic perceptions of self. Othello represents the idealistic individual, who has rank, money, power, and a beautiful wife. He directs his jealously onto Othello, changing Othello’s reality in a negative manner. When shown optical proof of the handkerchief, Othello loses self-control and has an incoherent thought process- he is transported to Iago’s world of dishonesty and disillusionment. Iago’s control is complete when he receives the position as lieutenant. Although, no matter how much recognition he receives, “the monster” of jealousy lurks within. Iago’s omnipresence blurs the lines of morality and ethics, causing an internal battle within Othello and leading to the innocent death of Desdemona. While Othello lacked probable cause to act in such a violent manner, her death is justifiable because of Iago’s malicious intent and manipulation that coerced Othello to commit the act. In Act 5, The purposeful destruction of the lives of Othello, Roderigo, and Cassio along with the casualties of Desdemona and Emilia neither appease nor satisfy Iago’s intense jealousy- instead, his silence on the subject substantiates his cruel and unusual