Shakespeare has been prominent in his use of recurring themes throughout his works, particularly those of death, love, and betrayal. These themes are all present within Othello. The most prominent is that of jealousy. Specifically, the jealousy that affects most of the male characters in Othello. You can see the jealousy from the beginning to the end of the play and how it runs the male characters’ lives. In the beginning of the play when Roderigo is envious of Othello because he wants to be with Desdemona. At the end of the play when Othello is mad with envy because he thinks that Cassio and Desdemona have been having an affair. Not all the jealousy in the play is because of love, some of it was fashioned by other characters mainly Iago. Iago …show more content…
Iago hates Othello for promoting a different man than him. This man would be Cassio who is younger then Iago. Iago tells Roderigo that he plans to use Othello to his advantage. By telling Roderigo this “Call up her father, Rouse him…poison his delights…do, with like timorous accent and dire yell,” (I. i. 64-65, 72). Iago then convinces Roderigo to wake Brabantio in the middle of the night and let him know about his daughter Desdemona’s secret marriage to Othello. This scene is extremely significant because it gives the reader and the audience an immediate portrait of Iago as villain. His actions convey him as a manipulative character. When Roderigo tells Brabantio this it makes him enraged. Iago does not care what Roderigo feels in his heart for Desdemona at all. He wants to use Roderigo and not help him at all. His intentions are to have Brabantio go after Othello because this will cause anguish to …show more content…
He can get what he wants from almost anyone because of skill in timing and what he says. One great example of Iago exercises this would be when with Othello and Roderigo. Marcia Macaualay in her article “When Chaos is Come Again: Narrative and Narrative Analysis in Othello” says that “He [Iago] commences with an imperative, follows with a question that he himself answers, and ends with a bold assertion. He has complete command of discourse. His representation of both Othello and Desdemona is degraded: Othello is a liar, while Desdemona is a simpleton who has believed his lies”. This is an example of not only timing but also how he can twist and degrade the words that he overheard Othello saying to the Duke and Senators. He then tells the twisted and degraded version to Roderigo under the pretense that he does in fact love Desdemona. The words that he says to Roderigo are “Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor but for bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for prating? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed” (II. i. 230-234). He is representing Othello as a liar and that Desdemona actually believes in those lies he is telling her. This then gives Roderigo a belief that he can in fact tear apart the relationship that is between Othello and Desdemona. Roderigo’s manipulation by Iago is masked by the animosity that Iago actually feels for
As much as Iago was using Roderigo, Roderigo was using Iago to try and separate Othello from Desdemona. Roderigo’s extreme feelings make him easily manipulated and unable...
One of the main factors in Othello is Roderigo, Iagos half witted right hand man. Roderigo is the person who supplies Iago with money, and is also the person who at the end of the book tries to murder Cassio. The reason that he tries to murder Cassio is because Iago convinces him that Cassio is Desdemonas adulterous lover. The reason this angers Roderigo to the point of murder is because he is in love with Desdemona. His desperate and imagined passion for Othellos wife is what ultimately drives him to kill another human being. It may seem at first that Iago made him act how he acted, but his motivation was actually his love for Desdemona. Iago did not ceate Roderigos love for Desdemona, he merely channeled it.
	The first scene of Act I illustrates Iago's use of manipulation. Iago knows that Roderigo is upset about losing Desdemona to Othello. Iago himself is angry at Othello for being passed over for promotion to lieutenant for Michael Cassio. Realizing that by playing on Roderigo's jealousy he can gain an ally to work against Othello. Iago does this in a subtle manner. He explains to Roderigo that he was passed up for promotion by Othello. While doing this he makes Othello look inferior by reinforcing the fact that he is a Moor. By pointing out that Othello is a Moor Iago causes Roderigo to become even more jealous, because of the fact that he lost Desdemona to someone who he feels is of a lesser race. It even seems that Iago is toying with Roderigo when he reveals that he is a fraud when he says, "I am not what I am." (I.i.62) By using these tactics, Iago has almost gained total control of Roderigo.
In Othello, Iago is a manipulative person in Act 1. He manages to convince Roderigo into selling all his land instead of committing suicide. In Scene 3 of Act 1, Roderigo is very upset because Othello and Desdemona are still together. There was hope when Montano found out about their marriage; nonetheless, the two remained married. (IC; CA, IC) Roderigo loves Desdemona and seeing her with Othello makes him want to die. Iago pulls Roderigo’s puppet strings and gets him to save money instead. He convinces Roderigo that Desdemona is the type of a girl that would marry a man for money; thus, he should save all the money he can. (IC; CA, IC) Then she will lov...
Iago is a very duplicitous person. He is a villain and is Othello’s ancient. Iago seems to be everyone’s friend but all he really wants is to hurt and destroy the lives of people. Iago uses both Cassio and Roderigo to help him destroy Othello. From the very beginning Iago dislikes Othello because he gave Cassio the job as a lieutenant instead of him. In Act 1 scene 1 lines 10-27 just states how he dislikes Othello because of what he did. Since Roderigo also dislikes Othello because he had eloped with Desdemona his lover, Iago will use Roderigo to help him get back at Othello. Iago wants to notify Brabantio who is Desdemona’s father of what his daughter has done and he as asked Roderigo to help him. Iago says " Call up her father. Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen, and though he in a fertile climate dwell, plaque him with flies. Though that his joy be joy, yet throw such changes of vexation on ‘t as it may lose color. (Act 1 scene 1 lines 61-75) Iago is using Roderigo hatred towards Othello to help him notify Brabantio of what is going on between his daughter and Othello, thus causing him to be upset and doing something to Othello. Another thing Iago does to Roderigo is make it seem like he was the only one who told Brabantio about what is going on so Iago wouldn’t get in trouble but Roderigo will.
“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.
Roderigo is so blinded that he does not even realize that Iago steals from him. Iago is able to keep Iago distracted from his threats by keeping the plan to capture Desdemona's heart fresh in his mind. Iago's evil, lying nature makes it effortless for him to manipulate Roderigo so that he can easily and efficiently get what he wants from Othello.
He is determined to expose Othello for the beast he is by "bringing this monstrous birth to light" (1.3.395). In the first scene of the play, Iago claims that he dislikes Othello for promoting Cassio over himself and later claims that he suspects that Othello has slept with his wife, and uses these as excuses to seek revenge on Othello to prove that he is an animal unworthy of Desdemona. In reality, however, Iago's true motives are for his own evil pleasure and in this pursuit of "joy, pleasance, revel, and applause transform[s] [himself] into [a] beast" (2.3.291). Iago makes his feelings known for Othello in the first scene of Act I, when he and Roderigo tell Brabantio that the "old black ram [was] tupping [his] white ewe" and that with his daughter "covered with a Barbary horse", his grandchildren "will neigh to [him]" (1.1.85; 1.1.108). Iago quickly angers Desdemona's father with his vivid bestial images and it is here that we realize the depth of Iago's cr... ...
Iago states that the only reason he spends time with Roderigo is for his own wealth and pleasure. His plan is to continue giving Roderigo unfulfilled promises. Iago continues to manipulate Roderigo. He convinces him that Desdemona will soon grow tired of Othello and begin to search for a younger, handsome man to fulfill her desires. Continuing to build on Rod...
Roderigo is foolish and even at times unusually feeble-minded. This explained partially by Roderigo's jealousy: he is infatuated with Desdemona and has been for some time. He is willing to do anything to win her love. He is jealous that Desdemona loves Othello and not him.
With Roderigo, someone he commands control over, Iago employs pathos, allowing his plan to appeal to Roderigo’s sensitive emotions about Othello. Roderigo and Iago discuss about how each of them despise Othello when Iago says, “If ever I did dream of such a matter, / Abhor me” using pathos to confirm his hatred towards the General (1.2. 5-6). The play commences with Iago employing direct rhetoric and partnering up with Roderigo to enhance a sense of comradery. Harsh language such as “Abhor me”, exemplifies the hateful emotions Iago feels toward Othello as well as enhances the emotions Iago wants to appeal to in Roderigo (1.2. 6). Affecting Roderigo more influentially, Iago uses deeper, more personal pathos, by highlighting the seemingly good qualities in Roderigo. Iago contrasts Roderigo to Othello pointing out, “Let not they discreet heart think it…manners and beauties: all which the/ Moor is defective in” (2.1. 215, 219-220). Firstly, Iago weighs Roderigo’s positive qualities against Othello’s negatives ones, convincing Roderigo to feel more confident with Iago and following along with his scheme. Secondly, Iago alters this rhetoric to include Roderigo’s love interest, Desdemona. By exemplifying a more personal and sensitive side when talking about “manners and beauties”, Iago can create a bigger impact in
One person Iago deceives is Roderigo. Throughout the play, Iago tells him that he hates Othello and that Roderigo should make some money so he could give gifts to Desdemona, who he admires from afar. Thinking that this is sound advice, Roderigo does just that. However, Iago is actually keeping the gifts that Roderigo plans to give Desdemona for himself. Eventually, Roderigo begins to catch on to the act and confronts Iago, but he falls right into Iago’s trap again when he tells him that killing Cassio will help him win over Desdemona. Roderigo is then lead to his death by the hands of "Honest Iago."
The role of jealousy, love and betrayal play a major role in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. The entire play is based on the human interactions of the characters as related to Othello and Desdemona. The characters’ personalities, their social status, and their relationships to each other control the story line and their fate in the play. Othello is portrayed early in the play as an outsider with animalistic characteristics by Iago and Roderigo because of jealousy. “Your heart is burst; and have lost half of your soul/Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe”.(531) Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, accuses Othello of using witch craft on his daughter. “If she in chains of magic were not bound/ Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy/ So opposite to marriage that she shunned…” (535) This point is important because Othello must defend himself not only to Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, but to the entire Venetian Senate. “And till she come, as truly as to heaven,/ I do confess the vices of my blood./ So justly to your grave ears I’ll present/ How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, / And she in mine.” (539) Othello proves himself to be an intellectual hero early in the play. He has worked hard to gain respectability and power, but because he has a different background, is from another country, is dark-skinned and is older than Desdemona, he becomes jealous very quickly of Cassio. Cassio is from the same social class, is compatible with Desdemona and is a young handsome man. Iago has also convinced Cassio to seek favor with Desdemo...
Iago enjoys having the pleasure of watching as Roderigo loses his faith, money, and sanity. Iago manipulates Roderigo into believing he will be able to have Desdemona for himself, and enjoys watching as Iago losses all his assets to obtain jewels for Desdemona, who never receives them. While Iago’s original plan called for Roderigo seducing Desdemona, Iago knows this will not happen, and simply keeps Roderigo around to watch as his life falls apart. While in a different instance than Othello’s, Roderigo’s reality appears to fill with the idea that he will obtain Desdemona. Meanwhile, in Iago’s reality, he knows Roderigo will never have Desdemona, leaving Roderigo looking pitiful and easy to manipulate in the name of
In this quotation, Roderigo, a Venetian man who loves Desdemona, Othello’s wife, has just found out that she will be parting to Cyprus with Othello. In this scene, Roderigo tells Iago about his extreme despair at having heard the news, and his sudden will to end his