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Analysis of The Tragedy Othello
Analysis of The Tragedy Othello
Analysis of The Tragedy Othello
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In the book Othello written by William Shakespeare, there is one character who has a very manipulative personality. Iago who does all the manipulative throughout the book gets people on his side to then turns them against them. He influences many characters throughout the book the one that sticks out the most is when he manipulates Othello in act three. After he has manipulated Othello it takes the book for a disractic turn just like he changes his act from calm and collected to very different. He influences Othello so much that it changes his personality from calm to a murderous killer.
In the beginning of scene three of act three, Iago says to Othello “Ha I like that not ” (3.3 3) Iago is trying to make Othello believe that something is wrong and that Othello does not know what it is, and that Iago is seeing something that Othello is not. Iago does something similar in line 39 “Nothing, my lord; or if - I know not what.” Othello then responds with “Was not that not Cassio parted from my wife?” (3.3 40) Iago then goes on to change the subject, and he does not want to Othello to know what is going on. During the lines of 41-43 Iago says something to plant ideas of Cassio being with Desdemona, Othello goes on to say that he does believe that Cassio is
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trying to steal Desdemona away. A little bit later on in the same scene Iago and Othello are back on the stage, Iago is planting more ideas and lies inside of Othello’s mind.
While planting ideas and lies he is also confusing him when doing all of the idea planting and lie telling. Othello asks “why dost thou ask?” he asked this because Iago said, “Did Michael Cassio, when (you) wooed my lady, know of your love?” (3.3 105-107). To sum up that conservation Iago was asking if Cassio heard or was there when he confessed his love to Desdemona and if he know that he loves her and that they are married. Iago questions that Cassio and Desdemona if they had been acquainted and Othello responds that they knew each other and Cassio was with them quite
often. During the lines of 120- 146, Othello asks what he thinks. Iago says “think my lord” (3.3 120) and then Othello blows up at him because he believes that Iago is hiding something from him and he wants Iago to come out and say and no matter how bad it is Othello wants to know what he is hiding. Othello goes back to a conversation that they had earlier in the scene and brings up that Iago did not like Cassio left Desdemona.
The greatest and best villains in literature are those who possess the ability to manipulate others in order to further their own causes. In Othello, Iago has the insight and tact to manipulate the other characters, such as Cassio, Roderigo, Desdemona, and in this case, Othello. The methods by which Iago works the other characters are varied, and one prime example of his cunning ability to manipulate can be seen in Act III.iii.333-450. In this passage Iago utilizes many rhetorical strategies to his advantage; in particular he uses tone and simile. These rhetorical strategies are instrumental in the deception of Othello.
In Othello, Iago is Shakespeare’s most malicious character and serves as a vehicle to these two themes. Iago despises Othello; he has a strong will to destroy Othello’s life, yet the motive behind his plan goes unexplained. Iago is a great manipulator of the tongue and lies to everyone in order to advance his plan; however, every character in the play considers Iago an honest character, and Othello even associates Iago with light and eyesight. Othello continuously asks Iago to explain or make something clearer. Until the very end, Iago appears to be honest and helpful to the other characters, but underneath this seemingly harmless façade, Iago is a demon with the strongest will; he will stop at nothing until he ruins Othello’s life. Iago uses a positive appearance to enact his
Othello, a play by William Shakespeare, tells the tragic tale of the black Venetian general, Othello, and how he is manipulated by his ambitious friend, Iago. Iago becomes angry at Othello when he promotes Michael Cassio rather than Iago to the lieutenancy. Iago then schemes a plot to take down Othello. Iago uses Desdemona, Othello’s new wife, to take down the great general. He leads Othello to considering that his wife is cheating on him with Michael Cassio. This causes Othello to become suspicious and eventually drives Othello into killing Desdemona. In the end, Othello learns that his wife was faithful, and Iago had lied to him. This upsets Othello and causes him to also kill himself. Iago’s many motives are never revealed to the audience or the characters as in the last scene he states, “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word.” (Othello. Act 5 Scene 2: 355-356). In the play Othello, Iago is the master manipulator that formulates devious plots against the characters of Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello by using their desires to his advantage to reveal their underlying weaknesses.
Othello by William Shakespeare was given the wrong name; this play is about Iago and the many tricks he uses to get his revenge. Othello is a powerful and important man, but Iago, Iago is one of a kind. He is a manipulative character that ruins the lives of people close to him, people who trust him. The lives of important key roles are ruined because of the hatred and jealousy Iago has for Othello. How does Iago manage to manipulate so many people in Othello? While successfully controlling the lives of everyone Iago manages to use ethos, logos, and pathos to get his revenge.
Despite the fact that Iago deliberately subjects Othello to his twisted thoughts, Othello seems to have a greedy ear for his discourse, and appears to rely on Iago for the underlying truths of this white, male-dominated society he wants to belong to. Perhaps that helps explain how easily Othello is fooled without any real evidence. Once Iago has sown the seed of doubt in Othello's mind about Cassio, whom they both presumably see as a proper man (I.
All Iago had to do was hint at Desdemona being unfaithful and Othello’s becomes very bothered it and eventually starts believing it. The author of an essay does an analysis on Iago and says “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.“ (Shakespeare’s Othello – Honest Iago). So Iago would hint at something going between Desdemona and Cassio so that Othello would become bothered and ask him what he means by that, it was like a game that Iago was playing, he would drop a little hint and then expect Othello to pick up on it and start questioning it and become more even suspicious. Brabantio tells Othello “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee” (I.ii.286-287), So In this scene Brabantio warns Othello that Desdemona has already fooled him and she might fool him too, so be careful, and it turns out, Othello believed in him after all and that’s part of the reason of why he thinks that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him. It leads him to start questioning Desdemona in a very suspicious way. At one point he even hits her in front of a nobleman and that was very shocking to the nobleman because he believed him to be a very calm and collected gentleman but obviously he was a changed man. The nobleman even expresses his shock by saying that “My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, though I should swear I saw’t. ‘Tis very much make her amends; she weeps” (IV .i.217-219). This negative thinking and insecurity was one of the main reasons to Othello’s change in a negative way. A lot of this was Iago’s doing but it was also Othello’s fault to fall for Iago’s
to him. For example, on one occasion Othello suspects Cassio, ''ha! I like not that''. This explains to us that Iago is making Othello. suspicious that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair, Othello.
The situation above leaves an opening for Iago to fulfill his vital plan to bring down Othello through Desdemona. Cassio was a mental wreck and told Iago that his reputation was ruined. Iago told him that he can get his rank back through Desdemona and get back on Othello's good side. "Confess yourself freely to her, importune her help to put you in your place again (p. 54)." Once Cassio talks to Desdemona, Iago will speak with Othello and get him to think of his wife's trust. In Act three Scene three Iago is speaking to Othello and warns him to look out for Cassio and Desdemona. Othello asks Iago if it was just Cassio that left from speaking with his wife.
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
In Act three, Scene three, Desdemona agrees to speak to Othello in Cassio’s behalf) As Desdemona and Cassio discuss Cassio’s loss of rank and trust in Othello’s eyes. Iago brings to Othello’s attention the discussion taking place between Cassio and Desdemona. Iago knowing full well why the discussion is happening. Iago hints the pair seems to be spending a lot of time together. Iago plants the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind Othello begins to ponder the idea of whether Iago suspicions are true.
Iago manipulates all the characters, in different ways. Othello was the main focus of Iago's manipulation. Iago manages to make Othello. feel that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He manipulates Bianca by making her find the handkerchief, a wedding present from Othello to.
Iago, the evil villain of Shakespeare's Othello, is more than just a villain. In many ways he is the most intelligent and appealing character in the play. Iago shows superiority over the rest of the characters in the play. He has the ability to manipulate the characters in the play, therefore controlling the play with every sequence of events. His intelligence shines through his ability to deceive, his ability to strategize, and his ability to twist the truth. Iago is appealing to the characters of the pay because he gives them what they want. Iago is appealing to the reader as well. His character is totally unconflicted about being evil, making him known to some authors as the villain of all villains. Iago is, in many ways, the most intelligent and appealing character in the play.
Manipulation is viewed in a negative light in society, but if used correctly, such as advertisement, can be quite effective. Despite the fact that Iago is considered to be Othello’s right-hand man, he uses conniving and manipulation to get revenge, shaping every odd occurrence and event to his own cowardly schemes. Iago gets inside of Othello’s mind and uses his jealousy and persecution as the Moor against him. He controls Rodrigo and ultimately destroys his reputation as well as influences Cassio when he is depressed. Iago figures out ways to manipulate multiple characters in Shakespeare’s play Othello using their faults - jealousy, control, and pride – to obtain his wants and desires.
Throughout the drama, Othello let Iago control him as if he was a puppet under his master’s hands. When Iago first brought up the idea that Desdemona and Cassio might be having an affair, Othello did not believe him, he had faith in his wife. After many lies that Iago planted in Othello’s ears, Othello started to believe him and he dropped most of the faith that he had in Desdemona. Iago told Othello that in his sleep, Cassio said “Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our love”. Cursed fate that gave thee the Moor” (III.iii.416-417).
Iago demonstrates manipulative tendencies throughout the play in order to benefit himself. William Shakespeare wrote the play, Othello to address the topic of manipulation and emphasizes the fact that deceiving people will lead to the manipulators downfall and cause serious ramifications. In Act 1, Iago introduces his hatred for the Moor and the basis of his plan “To get his [Cassio’s] place and to plume up my [Iago’s] will In double knavery... After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear That he is too familiar with his wife... The Moor is of a free and open nature...