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The role of Iago in the text Othello
Significance of handkerchief in othello
Iago's character analysis in othello
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Recommended: The role of Iago in the text Othello
Jealousy can lead to someone doing a wrong act with lots of envy or lead them to physically hurt someone because of envy. Although jealousy can lead to a powerful extent, in Othello jealousy can lead to extremely powerful extents including death. In Shakespearian times, men were always at the top of women. There are many moments in the play were jealousy affects loved ones. For instance, when Iago the villainous character made up lies to get Othello to become desperately jealous and try to “fix” something by doing it completely wrong. Iago in this play also tells Roderigo to pick a fight with Cassio causing Roderigo to act in a manner the audience would never think of. Finally, with Iago's lies and his unpleasant greed, it leads to Othello making a terrible mistake which was killing the women he loved, Desdemona. In …show more content…
Jealousy can affect many things, one being, relationships. In Othello, Iago was extremely jealous of Othello. Iago made up all sorts of lies one which affected Desdemona and Othello's relationship completely. The handkerchief in the story was the first gift Othello had ever given Desdemona, which represents Othello love to Desdemona. Iago controls the handkerchief with the goal that Othello comes to consider it to be an image of Desdemona herself—her confidence and virtuousness. “I will in Cassio’s lodging lose this napkin, /And let him find it. Trifles light as air/Are to the jealous confirmations strong/As proofs of holy writ: /The Moor already changes with my poison:” (Shakespeare 3.3.321-324). From this Quote, Iago means that he is going to leave the handkerchief at Cassio's house and it will look like the absolute proof. Since this
...y, and painful reality. He can no longer trust what he believes, and must follow what he believes "Nature" has told him to do. Because Othello has strong feelings these are the only thing he is certain of feeling, and therefore follows them. This is not a man who remembers what the past has taught him. Othello now looks at the handkerchief as threads woven for the sole purpose of maligning his trust, and his life. He has lost sight of Iago’s manipulating words, in favor of action through anger and retribution. Iago has created a web of lies around Othello to accomplish two things. Othello becomes uprooted from any comfort and security gained from the past by Iago’s lies. After this has been accomplished, this web of lies gives Othello the support he desperately needs. This new dedication, however, orchestrates Othello’s downfall, and Iago’s momentary triumph.
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock.The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss. Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er. Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves” (3.3.163-168). In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is the common theme that becomes Othello’s undoing. Through text in the play, the audience can notice Othello slowly begin to become crazed through his speech.
Iago sets everyone up in the play and makes them think that he is helping each of them while he is really tricking them into what he wants them to do. He does this all because he wants a higher ranking job. Othello is a very jealous person and is sensitive when it comes to Desdemona that Iago is able to trick him into thinking that she is cheating on him with Cassio. Iago takes advantage of Cassio’s youth and gets him drunk which winds up with him getting fired from his job. Iago then encourages Cassio to request to get his job back from Desdemona. He convinces Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are very close making him jealous. He gets help from his wife Emilia who finds Desdemona’s handkerchief and gives it to him. Iago takes the handkerchief and puts it in Cassio’s room to prove to Othello that Desdemona was there. Othello puts way too much trust in Iago and believes everything he is telling him. Othello becomes very angry and wants to kill Cassio. Rodrigo also in love with Desdemona finds out that Cassio loves her too. Iago uses this to convince Rodrigo to kill Cassio and both of them ultimately are killed. Othello then tells Desdemona that Cassio is dead and wants her to admit to cheating with him but she denies it all. Othello’s jealousy and trust in Iago is too strong and he doesn’t believe her and kills her before Emilia realizes and tells Othello what Iago has done. Iago in the end is jailed and refuses to give his reas...
Have you ever been jealous of someone due to some reason? One can understand how jealousy can affect him or her to do horrible things. Jealousy causes people to perform stupid actions that they would not have done if they were not jealous of something or someone. The protagonist and the antagonist are mostly driven by love and filled with the feeling of jealousy. Due to the feeling of jealousy felt by the antagonist, Iago about not getting the job he wanted, he makes a plan to somehow destroy Othello’s love for Desdemona. As the play progresses, the protagonist, Othello begins to appear more like Iago, as his jealousy destroys his wife and consumes his life. Therefore, jealousy is personified as a “green eyed monster” through the combination of Othello’s credulous nature and Iago’s malicious villainy. It is the reason for the change in Iago’s and Othello’s behavior, impacts the insecurity
Throughout Othello the Moor of Venice we experience a rather uplifting story that seems to somehow come crashing down on not only the characters in the story but the reader also. Author William Shakespeare does a tremendous job at connecting us with the characters in the play. Othello, the protagonist in the play, falls slowly into the pit of destruction where jealousy takes control. He along with many other characters in the play are manipulated by Iago and slowly taken down from a peaceful, love filled, and triumphant place in their lives to one that is dark and revengeful. Many are led to their deaths because of the terrible deeds done by Iago, some of which include Othello himself who commits suicide only after murdering his new wife over nothing but the mindset of jealousy and hate. Shakespeare explores a vast amount of literary content here some of which delve into Jealousy. Jealousy alongside intense deceitful manipulation can introduce a person to another sinister side of themselves they never knew to existed. Iago 's ultimate goal in the play is not yet clearly laid out; there is much to
It's not love that is blind, but jealousy. In this beautiful small town of Venice, there is moor and his beautiful wife Desdemona, and the evil Iago, Roderigo, and Cassio. Othello is married to the beautiful Desdemona. He is an honorable man he was loyal to Venice, he was the general of an army. All of a sudden he started to act different, he started to change because Iago had told him that his wife Desdemona was fooling around with Cassio. Othello believes Iago because he trusted Iago, the same way he trusted everyone. Rodrigo had found out about Iago's plan to try to ruin Othello's life, so the two started to work together because Rodrigo was jealous that Othello had Desdemona and he wants her, Iago was jealous of the fact that Othello was trusted too much with many things, he was jealous that everyone loved Othello. So Iago planned everything out He planted things and messed with people's minds to have everything go down. Jealous is everywhere because you might want something that someone else has, you might wanna be just like someone, you might just want something just for yourself that you believe anything
William Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy about revenge through jealousy and deception. Throughout the play, Iago is constantly pitting characters against each other in order to satiate his anger from being denied the promotion to lieutenant that Cassio was granted. As a catalyst for all the conflicts that arise during the play, Iago merely uncovers the underlying insecurities characters such as Othello, a notable war general in Venice, are struggling with. Animal imagery as well as the use of light and dark to differentiate between race is very prominent and is used to drive a wedge between the newlyweds, Othello and Desdemona. Although Othello is a highly accomplished and well respected war hero, the notion that Venetians, including Desdemona, are a superior race, prevents him from ever feeling truly secure in his marriage, ultimately leading to the demise of several people close to him, and finally himself.
Iago leaves the handkerchief at Cassio’s place of residence as a clue. The clue to prove Desdemona has been unfaithful.
The same evidence of her infidelity is what eventually gets everyone where they do not want to be. The handkerchief that seemed to put Iago at his height of his power, seems to be the factor that puts Iago at rock bottom on Act V Scene
Jealousy can sometimes be an inevitable feeling to have towards other people in relationships or even in friendships, and that feeling can negatively affect the bonds with these certain people. One of the main themes in Shakespeare’s Othello, was how friendships and marriages can be ruined all because of one person’s jealousy, which can ring true in real life.
He then tells Othello to ask for the handkerchief and if she doesn’t produce it, then she must be cheating on him. Iago also manipulates the undeserving devotion of Emilia. We learn at the end of the play that Iago “begg’d me to steal it” from Emilia. Like Desdemona’s good nature, Iago exploits his own wife for his malicious revenge.
Iago finished his argument with the declaration; “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve, for daws to peck at,” I am not what I am” (I.I.66-67). Iago metaphorically personifies that “wearing your heart on your sleeve” is a precarious move because if your true intentions are visible, it weakens you to allow you to be the target of attack. However, in literal meanings, humans are metaphorically symbolised as ‘birds’ to contrast the nature of human behaviour to animals. Iago’s metaphorical statement “I am not what I am” alludes to the biblical connotations in the bible, chapter Exodus 4:14 when Moses asks for God’s name in which God strongly responded back “I AM WHAT I AM” which opposes to Iago’s open declaration, to reference him to be the devil for acquiring villainous traits and motives. The dominant implementation of the handkerchief was the most significant motif of the play as it rapidly endured different meanings, from a love token to represent Desdemona’s and Othello’s marriage bond to Desdemona’s sudden fatality. The handkerchief was a vital element for Iago manipulative schemes because he knew the importance of the sentimental value, to which he used it to manipulate it to symbolise Desdemona’s chastity and fidelity. Iago’s purpose of the handkerchief was to be a mere suspicion and a circumstantial evidence strong enough to feed Othello’s
The critic Roland Barthes once said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” William Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, can be used to exemplify this quote. One of the themes that Shakespeare discusses in Othello is: the effect jealousy has on people. Several of the characters become jealous over the course of the tragedy. Brabantio became jealous because Desdemona fell in love and married Othello. Roderigo became jealous because Desdemona didn’t fall in love with him. Bianca became jealous because she thought that Cassio was cheating on her with another woman. Othello became jealous because he thought Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio. Iago became jealous because Othello gave Cassio the position of lieutenant. These characters’
People act quickly out of passion, and in Othello’s case, commit the ultimate crime. Assumptions can be detrimental to ourselves and those around us. Othello trusted Iago to be honest with him, when in fact he was plotting against him. Iago used Roderigo’s love for Desdemona to persuade him to act as a pawn, doing Iago's dirty work. Throughout the development of the play, Iago manages to either use, or blame most of the characters.
He persuades Othello into believing that Desdemona is cheating on him, tricks Roderigo into giving him all of his money, and convinces Othello to kill both Desdemona and Cassio. In addition to convincing Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful, he manages to become even more ‘honest’ to Othello. Othello demotes Cassio from being lieutenant and gives the position to Iago instead. Iago becomes a master of fraud and trickery as a