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Analysis of the character of othello
Character analysis in the play othello
Marriage in Othello
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Influence at its Smartest: Jealousy and Manipulation Jealousy and manipulation often go hand in hand. In some cases, plans backfire, and some are awfully tricky. The infamous play Othello highlights the points of manipulation and trust mainly within the characters of Othello and Iago. The roles of watchfulness, trust, and motives play a significant part in their relationships. Due to Othello's insecurity with his marriage and Iago's high position of authority and ability to manipulate, Othello's opinion of his wife's faithfulness was quickly converted with no apparent reason or action. Othello and Iago had a rare relationship that encompassed feelings of jealousy and trust, which were evident in how the motives came into play. communication between Cassio and Desdemona, Othello’s trust in Iago grows. This trust ultimately leads to Othello’s downfall as Iago manipulates him into believing that Desdemona is unfaithful. The relationship between Iago and Othello is a complex one, with Iago’s deceitful nature and Othello’s naivety being the driving force behind the plot. His military position is equal to, or in his eyes, better than Cassio's. Iago possesses all the qualities of a powerful leader and brainwasher. According to Blooms, "Iago is a genius in his trickery; however, he is a skeptic of his own ability and cleverness." This suggests that Iago feels a sense of guilt in what he is doing but has the utmost power to manipulate over and over again until he gets what he wants. There is no doubt that Iago is uncertain about what he is doing; after all, he is essentially commanding death without formally saying it. Iago's power lies in the fact that he is a wonderful actor and can persuade somebody quicker than most. Othello fell for it completely, and with Iago reigning the bigger person, Othello was being belittled without even realizing it. The phrase "Honest Iago" was used many times throughout the book, not only by Othello but also by Iago himself. Othello uses it with great confidence, implying that the times he has used it in regards to Iago have been of that nature (Abernathy). "Honest Iago" is the big element of irony in the classic tragedy. It is completely false- Iago's whole setup is lies. However, in some ways, this has truth in that Iago is honest in what he wants and how he wants to obtain it. The whole reason Othello started to trust Iago was that he sided with him in the new assumptions, and they both turned on Cassio together.
Iago is a twenty- eight years old Caucasian married man and he is soldier in the Venetian army. Iago is viewed as modest, honest, and a good friend to people in public. People refer to him as “honest Iago” which lead them to trust him. Iago plans to destroy Othello by manipulating him to believe that his wife is being unfaithful to him with his promoted lieutenant Cassio, a position Iago wanted to have. Although the scandal that Iago came up with is a complete lie, Othello ends up believing him. Iago uses his ability to talk to people in order to accomplish his plan of destroying Othello because he wasn’t granted the position of the Venice army. (Sorto 1)
In the tragedy Othello there is a character named Iago, his main goal is to be at the top. Iago at this point is willing to anything to get to his goal of being lieutenant. So what he does to get where he wants to be is lie to everyone; Othello, Roderigo, Cassio. One should play close attention to how he deceives Cassio. It would be a fair assumption that one could compare Iago to Hitler; due to his way of getting what he wants. Iago is direct but not enough to make the character aware of what he is really up to. He is very good at deceiving people. Iago knows his way around people and uses that skill to get what he wants and where he wants to be.
As Othello's most trusted friend Iago has the upper hand when it comes to influencing Othello. When Othello passes Iago up for the position of lieutenant he claims to be angry; he is ready to seek revenge. Othello and Iago have been through countless battles and Othello feels as if he can trust “Honest” Iago. When there is a problem Iago is there to lend a helping hand. Iago uses his trusted advice to manipulate the mind of Othello and other main characters. He even calls himself honest, “As honest as I am” Iago uses these words to convince his credibility (Othello, Shakespeare, Act II Scene I Line
One of the most prominent traits in Iago is his ability to manipulate. His entire plan of bringing about the downfall of Othello involves him manipulating characters into believing what he wants them to believe. In fact, he is so good at manipulating people that no one even suspects him of doing anything wrong because they believe he is such an honorable man. “Iago deceives Othello by also manipulating other people to achieve his ends” (Boyce). This shows that Iago is able to deceive mostly everyone in the play. However, Iago himself says in Act I scene i line 62 of Othello “I am not what I am.” He means that he is not the loyal, honest friend that he appears to be to everyone else. His manipulations include using Roderigo for his money if he helps him against Othello while making it seem like he will help Roderigo win Othello’s wife, Desdemona (Shakespeare). He also manipulates Othello by making it seem as if Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair, which is what ultimately brings about the hero’s downfa...
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 is angry because Othello chose Cassio to hold a position which he thinks he deserves, so he seeks revenge by playing upon Othello’s main flaw—his lack of trust—and putting Cassio in a position that would turn Othello against him.
In the play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare Iago is one of the most unique and interesting characters. Not only is Iago a main character, but he is also one of the most controversial, causing more drama and quarrels than any other character in the play. Shakespeare does a good job with the character of Iago by creating an atmosphere where Iago can keep the reader's attention on each and every individual scene throughout the entire play, as one tries to figure out Iago's true intentions. When reading the play it is easy for an individual to view Iago as an evil person who gets pleasure from malicious acts he inflicts upon others around him.
Throughout the play there are countless instances that fully showcase Iago’s manipulative capabilities. For example, when convincing Othello that Desdemona has given Cassio her handkerchief, he says, “And to see how he prizes the foolish woman your wife! She gave it to him, and he hath giv’n it his whore.”(Shakespeare 4.1. 196-198). It is these exact words that lead Othello to his jealous murder of Desdemona which leads to large amounts of death and destruction towards the end of the play. The DSM elaborates on this criterion by describing the person in question as “frequently deceitful and manipulative in order to gain personal profit or pleasure” (DSM 660). This is consistent with Iago’s character as well, seeing as how his agenda against Cassio is only to promote himself in his ranks. He also seeks to destroy Othello in order to get back at him for promoting Cassio instead of himself. Another reason for Iago’s hatred towards Othello is that he has been accused of sleeping with Emilia, Iago’s wife. Both these motives are centered around revenge and selfish desires. Earlier in the play, Iago’s manipulation is brilliantly showcased through his interactions with Roderigo. In fact, when the ever slow and gullible Roderigo finally begins to catch onto the fact that Iago is using him, Iago says, “Thou hast taken
In the play Othello, there are many jealous and selfish characters. Each of the characters at one point or another let their jealousy take over. It seems like they all have these plots and plans on how to hurt another character in the play either physically or emotionally, as an act of selfishness, so that they can feel better about themselves. One main character who seems extremely jealous in this play is Iago. Infact, probably the most jealous. Many bad things happen because of Iago. The first bad thing that Iago did, was tell Barbantio (Desdamona's father) that Desdemona has married Othello, the Moore. Iago was mad at Othello, because Cassio had made Othello a higher position and not Iago. Iago thought that he was the one who qualified for the position as general, not Othello. Iago was jealous because of this, so he decided to tell Barbantio about Desdemona and Othello. This was bad, because Barbantio did not know yet, and something like that should have been said by his own daughter, not someone who was not part of the family. The way Iago went about telling him was also bad. He called to his house in the middle of the night. He yelled it to Barbantio from downstairs into his window in a rude manner. " quote from Othello here." He wanted Barbantio to be upset about what had happened, and most of all, he wanted Barbantio to be mad at Othello and do something bad to him.
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
Without a doubt, one of the main themes that runs throughout William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello, is that of honesty. In the play, the most interesting character is Iago, who is commonly called and known as "Honest Iago." However, this could not be farther from the truth. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits and moves him closer to his own goals. He is smart and an expert at judging the characters of others. Because of this, Iago pushes everyone to their tragic end.
Iago is a antagonist in Othello and he is a gritty person . He is always trying to get what he wants by manipulating people. Iago kept trying to get Othello believe that Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio and he fell for it . For instance , “ O beware , my lord , of jealousy; It is the greened-eyed monster which dock moth the meat it feeds on” ( 3.3.163.2-165) . In this scene he is keep on raising Othello’s suspicions about Desdemona , He is warning Othello to beware of Desdemona “affair” . Part of the reason that Iago is gritty is that he doesn't actually have a motive . He does thing out of spite , pure evilness , and pure satisfaction . Throughout the play Iago continues to manipulate others so they can do his “dirty” work for him.
Iago has been excellent at saying the what is needed to get to people, he misleads them to get a reaction he wants out of them. He is clever with his words to avoid confrontation that can easily happen. “Othello 's confusion is the human experience of language. In other words, language itself, not the outside world, determines meaning” (Christofides 2). Iago uses his words against Othello to get him to do Iago’s doings. Iago has an eloquence with
Jealousy falls from love. In Othello the two are interlinked. Several characters show a love jealousy towards others. Iago has a jealous urge towards Othello because of Desdemona. “Now, I do love her too, not out of absolute lust, though peradventure, I stand accountant for as great a sin, for that I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leap’d into my seat”(28). Iago is in love with Desdemona not because of thirst for her but more by chance because he is jealous of Othello for winning Desdemona’s heart over all the other men after her. Iago also believes that Othello was after his wife, Amelia, when her and Iago were first married. Iago is jealous that Othello has stolen Desdemona’s heart behind her father’s back and stolen her away from all the men after her so that now she is all his. Because of Iago’s jealousy he vows to strike revenge on Othello. He contends that nothing can stop him from or produce fulfillment in his cause except obtaining retribution on Othello. “ A...
Iago has a sophisticated way of deceiving the characters of the play, making him a very intelligent person. Early in the play Othello introduces Iago to the Duke of Venice as, “My ancient / A man he is of honesty and trust” (!. iii. 284-85). This is but one of the times in the play that Iago is referred to as honest and true. Throughout the play Iago is considered to be honest, but is actuality the villain. In order to maintain this false image one has to have a beguiling character. After Othello and his lieutenant, Michael Cassio, return from the war against the Ottomans, there is a celebration. At this celebration Iago puts his manipulation to work. He knows that Othello and Desdemona’s love for each other is very true, but he tells Rodrigo that Desdemona had love for Cassio: “With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. / Ay, smile upon her, do…” (II. I. 164-65). This quote shows that Iago deceives Roderigo into believing that Desdemona loves Cassio, when in Roderigo’s eyes it is virtually impossible. Iago basically controls Rodrigo because Iago deceives him into believing that he can have Desdemona, by both Cassio and Othello.
Angry over being passed up for a promotion Iago decided to take matters into his own hands. In order to become lieutenant Iago devised a plan that included breaking up Othello’s marriage and eliminating Cassio as competition. Iago enticed Roderigo to be his partner in crime with the promise of attaining Desdemona’s love. Desdemona had many suitors since she was an attractive young woman, yet she “shunned [t]he wealthy,” (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 66-67), which included Roderigo, who owned multiple plots of land. Roderigo, who was naïve for thinking Iago actually had his best interest in mind, was easily persuaded since he was obsessed with Desdemona. The truth of the matter was that