Lago perfectly fits into the villain archetype throughout Othello. We see examples of this on numerous occasions throughout the story. He is the “Puppet Master” of all of the conflicts throughout the plot. He orchestrates events that perfectly align with his motive for revenge. Just like the stereotype of villains all having one main motive and way of viewing life, so does Lago. Throughout the entire story, Lago proves this point on numerous occasions. So I will just list a few. Of course, all villains have a motive, and Lago is no exception. At the beginning of the book, Othello gives a promotion to Cassio instead of Lago. This singular decision prompts Lago to seek revenge against Othello. Due to the fact that Lago became overcome with anger …show more content…
He uses this “superpower” for evil to cause chaos amongst the other characters. The audience sees an example of this manipulation when Lago says “Strangle her in bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” or when Othello says, “I think thou dost, and for I know thou’rt full of love and honesty” insinuating that he trusts Lagos character. Lago creates an abundance of drama throughout the story. It all starts when he brings the fact that Desdemona is getting married to Othello to her father Brabatino's attention. Since Brabatino does not approve, this creates a major conflict. And Lago is smart enough to stay behind the scenes without any detection. Lago is very well calculated. Every move he made was thought through and executed to perfection. Another example is when Lago got Cassio drunk and then instigated a fight between Cassio and Rodrigo. This altercation leads to Cassio losing his new …show more content…
Through different manipulative tactics, Lago convinces Othello that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him. He does this by placing Desdemona's handkerchief on Cassio's person. When Othello sees this “evidence” he is convinced and publicly embarrasses Desdemona. To add to the point, Lago is the villain archetype if you have not been convinced already. Lago later makes moves to get Cassio killed. As if losing his job promotion wasn’t enough already. Luckily, Cassio is able to escape death at that time, but this all just goes to show the lengths that Lago will go to complete his agenda. Lago takes Cassio surviving the attack as an opportunity to continue this agenda by pinning the attack on Bianca. Towards the end of the story, everything starts to fall apart and unravel. And so does Lago. He kills Rodrigo and Othello kills Desdemona by suffocation. Even after she tries to plead her innocence by saying “Kill me tomorrow; let me live tonight”. It is not until the end that the truth is discovered. But the damage was done. Lago succeeded in completing this villainous
Othello is seen as a brave and loyal soldier, but is initially presented as dark and dangerous by Roderigo and Iago. To Brabantio, Othello appears to have black magical powers, but in fact, the private truth is that Othello won Desdemona with stories of "disastrous chances ... moving accidents [and] hair-breadth scapes". Othello is concerned with his reputation and upholds a strict code of honour both privately and publicly. He dismisses Cassio as soon as he discovers his officer's drunken actions. Similarly, as soon as he suspects Desdemona of adultery, Othello watches her like a hawk. Finally, the act of killing his wife is not an act of revenge for Othello, but of justice. He justifies his actions: "She must die, else she'll betray more men". Emilia initially believes that he killed Desdemona for no reason as Desdemona has appeared innocent to her throughout.
Iago’s persistence and villainous intentions made Othello become jealous of Cassio and break down his emotions towards Desdemona and want to kill her with fierce rage. Othello would not do such a crime if he knew it was a lie because Othello loves Desdemona and would die for her. Othello was madly in love with Desdemona and they were compassionate for each other, but he was misguided and confused with jealousy and hatred which steered him off course to his sinister fate. Othello cannot be justified as a bad person because of one incident, especially after all the great things he’s done and achieved for the city. Iago is the real antagonist and has become the bad man of the play as his roles are to protect the crown in which was Othello and stay loyal to fellow soldiers but throughout the play he was the complete opposite with characteristics such as being a liar, un loyal to every character in the play.
Iago wanted Othello’s position and used others to shame Othello and gain stature. Iago dressed himself up a trustworthy man and worked his way into Othello’s trust with tricks and lies. He wore a very convincing mask; often temporarily defending the person he was trying to ruin to further his honest visage. He says to Othello, “Men should be what they seem…” (3.3.127) through these methods, Iago convinces Othello that Cassio, an officer, was having an affair with Othello’s beautiful wife Desdemona. As a vicious result, Othello is driven mad with anger and sadness and throttles Desdemona in their bed. The death and want left by Iago’s deception is vast hurting everyone involved most frequently on a mortal level. When the truth finally comes out, Othello, in his grief and remorse, ends up stabbing himself with a dagger. In the end, many die due to Iago’s deception, through villainy or despair, and none gain what they truly want because of it. This just goes to show that the mask of deception that a man wears can cause an unbelievable amount of harm, bodily and worse,
In the play Othello, the very evil and conniving character Iago deceives the main characters. He prays mostly on the main character Othello. Othello is a black general who is married to a white woman named Desdemona. In the beginning of the play Othello promotes a man named Cassio to be his right hand man in his army. Iago, thinking that he was going to get the promotion, is furious by this and swears revenge on Othello. In his revenge he uses many people. One of these people is Rodrigo. He is in love with Othello’s wife Desdemona. Iago prays on Rodrigo and causes him to have a battle with Cassio. Iago prays very heavily on Othello towards the middle of the play. He begins to tell him that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Iago plans this perfectly. Iago tells Othello to keep close watch on his wife Desdemona. At the same time he told Cassio to be very good to Desdemona. Iago tells Cassio that the only way to be back on Othello’s good side was to get close to his love, and that is Desdemona. So while Othello’s suspicious are up, Cassio is being especially nice to Desdemona. Iago chose a very good time to attack Othello’s emotions. At a time when Cassio has wronged Othello, he tells Cassio to get close to Othello’s wife, the love of his life. For a lot of Othello’s rule, Iago has been like Othello’s advise giver. He has been like a best friend to Othello. Iago was not only Othello’s advise giver but to many persons of power. This puts him in a great position already to do his evil bidding. Othello plays right along with Iago’s plan. Othello believes everything that Iago says. In a way, he falls into Iago’s plan a little to well. For Iago, everything happens at exactly the right time. Othello listens to what Iago says because Iago has gained much trust from Othello. He has no reason not to believe what Iago was saying. He played a part in his own downfall because he falls for every lie that Iago throws at him. He needed to have a stronger mind for things like that. Othello needed to think harder about what was being said to him by Iago. At the time that Iago was telling him these lies, it all seemed to make sense.
Lago in my opinion is a standout amongst the most scandalous, devious, villain, I have came across. The way he undermines Othello and Desdemona's marriage is an indication of a genuine lowlife, Lago, a wicked individual unfit to locate the sort of adoration or love Othello and Desdemona had, due to this antihero's demeanor. Iago had an important position in Othello's army and he was extremely trusted by Othello. This made it simple for Iago to control Othello. The way that Othello was deceived was done in an exceptionally tricky way most wouldn't catch.
Othello is considered to be a great general, who is noble and composed. Because of his reputation, he is able to be in charge of Cyprus and marry a beautiful women, Desdemona. But, when Othello gets very mad after Desdemona proclaimed her allegiance to Cassio, he curses and hits her, which causes Lodovico to say, “ My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, Though I should swear I saw 't: 'tis very much:” This is the first time Othello has harmed himself by damaging his reputation in front of an outsider in Cyprus from Venice, Lodovico. At that time, Othello did not realize that his reputation of having a “solid virtue” would be damaged. In addition, after Othello kills Desdemona for great fear of being made a “cuckold”, Othello is stripped of all his power. Lodovico tells Othello that because of this murder, “You shall close prisoner rest, till that the nature of your fault be known to the Venetian state.” By being scared of being mocked at for being a cuckold, he loses one of the most important things to him: his reputation of being “valiant”. He could have made rational decisions such as to allow Desdemona to defend herself or he could ask Cassio to bear witness, but he chose to act upon his rage and fear. Moreover, after Iago instigates Othello, Othello says, “I would have him nine years a-killing.” Othello did not realize that Cassio was beneficial to the
She mentions how she physically cares for Othello, asking him to take care of himself and his body. She then uses this as a segway proving that if he trusts her council in these small matters then her advice on larger matters should hold even more weight and proof upon them. Othello agrees to her council and asks to be alone so that he may think, However Iago had different plans. Previously Desdemona had spoken to Cassio and had told him she would try to win back Othello’s favor for him, and Iago used this friendship to his advantage. After Othello had spoken to Desdemona and agreed to meet with Cassio, Iago began to whisper poisonous thoughts into his ears saying Desdemona is unfaithful. Desdemona is clueless to this change of events and continues to play in to Iago’s hands, innocently continuing to befriend Cassio and entreat Othello to accept him. Even so, she continues to love her husband even when he begins to act distant and strange. Desdemona tries again to comfort Othello when he is distraught, but this time he pushes her away, wishing not to be comforted by his wife as he is now suspicious of her. Later, Desdemona realizes her handkerchief is missing, not knowing Emilia took it as Iago had instructed her. Desdemona realizes that Othello will be cross with her, but she does not realize the torrent of frustration she has now been placed in the
Lago ensures Othello and asks to speak with him later. This is where Lago and Cassio discuss and joke around about Bianca. With Othello overhearing everything, he assumes that Lago and Cassio are talking about Desdemona. At this very moment, Bianca comes in and throws the Handkerchief in Cassio’s face. While General Othello is watching, he is left to assume that Cassio and Desdemona were having an affair behind his back. This infuriates Othello and leads him to murder his own wife.
As Iago subtly plants these suspicions of Desdemona, Othello jumps to conclusions. He immediately questions himself, “Why did I marry?” (III.iii.66) This instant doubtfulness towards Desdemona is a huge mistake made my Othello. If he were able to think rationally and consider Desdemona’s innocence before jumping to conclusions, then all of this could have been avoided. However his inability to trust his own wife increases his anger towards her tremendously and the desire to kill begins to build up inside him. Later on, when Lodovico arrives at Cyprus in Act 4, Desdemona and him discuss Cassio and Othello’s situation. Othello is irritated by Desdemona’s friendly comments about Cassio and lashes out, striking her and calling her a devil. Afterwards, Lodovico is shocked, questioning, “Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate call all in all sufficient?” (IV.i.93) Referring to him as a once “noble Moor” explains how worthy Othello’s reputation was before coming to Cyprus. However, Lodovico can no longer imagine this is the same Othello he once knew, proving that Othello has changed quite a bit since his arrival at Cyprus. Before Cyprus, Othello would have never struck his wife in public, but Iago’s manipulation has caused his anger to finally break out. Othello does not have the confidence within himself to believe in Desdemona. Therefore,
Iago intends to orchestrate the demise of Cassio and Othello. On the surface, winning a promotion was the catalyst for Iago’s rage but bringing down only Cassio does not satisfy his bloodthirsty rage. Although Iago is cunning and ruthless in his pursuit to ruin Othello, the plot spins out of his control and only gains traction when his wife, Emilia unknowingly helps him. At this point Iago is poised to fail but the possession of Desdemona’s handkerchief provides a key piece of “ocular proof (Shakespeare)” that Othello requires to be convinced of Desdemona’s infidelity. Iago loses control of the situation. His stated purpose is to suppl...
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.
Throughout Othello, Iago is the most prominent and perplexing villian in Shakespearean history. His redeeming qualies enables him to allure the characters such as Roderigo, Cassio and Othello through his morality. As an audience we are introduced to his contempt and his hunger for revenge despite his lack of proof. Iago symbolizes evil and brutality. So what makes him a crucial character in the play. His understanding of manipulation and his brilliance makes him an important role in the play since he's willing to to climb up the stairs to get his general, who he hates.
William Shakespeares Othello uses different and unique techniques in his language to express the nature of evil throughout the play. Verbal twists and the characters most importantly stress the act of evil. Iago, most of all is portrayed as the villain or protagonist in the play. Shakespeare uses this character to set the basis of evil. Each plot point is spiraled further into tragedy due to the nature of Iago and his manipulative language towards the other main characters.
Lago has to be hands down one of the most infamous villains I have come across to date. The way he undermines Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is a sign of a true villain, Iago, a devious person unable to find the kind of love Othello and Desdemona had due to this antihero's demeanor. Iago had a special position in Othello’s army, and he was very trusted by Othello. This made it very easy for Iago to manipulate Othello. The manner in which Othello was tricked was done in a very well planned almost fool proof manner.
Written by William Shakespeare, “Othello” is a twisted tale of deceit and betrayal that turned a beautiful love into a murderous plot due to outside jealousy. The play begins in with Iago and Rodrigo arguing in Venice. Iago is a soldier who is under Othello’s command and Rodrigo has been paying him to spy on Othello because he wishes to be with Desdemona, Othello’s lover. Rodrigo believes that Iago is loyal to Othello and has not been keeping up his end of the bargain due to his lack of information . Iago reassures Rodrigo that he has a strong hatred towards Othello because Othello had recently passed over Iago for a promotion to lieutenant in favor of Cassio, a less experienced soldier. In order to keep Rodrigo’s trust, and his money, Iago decided to inform Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, about her relationship with Othello. This angers her father because Othello is considered “The Moor”, which indicates that Othello is a black man. An upset Brabantio sends his men out at night to capture Othello because he believes that Desdemona would never be with Othello willingly. Hoping to disguise what he had done, Iago runs and tells Othello to warn him, saying that Rodrigo was the one who told her father about their relationship. Othello does not seem phased because he believes that he has not done wrong and that his good reputation will help clear up the matter. In all the commotion, we learn that Othello and Desdemona had just been married.