Manipulation andf the Dramatic Irony of Othello by Shakespeare

The play Othello was written in the 1600’s; there were many themes to pull out while reading it. One that stood out to me the most was manipulation. There are many tactics available to get what you want and make people your puppets. Playing with their emotions and mind, by being charming, and putting on an act pretending to be interested in what’s best for them. In Othello by Shakespeare, we see how easy it is to skillfully influence gullible people using similes and dramatic irony.

This play started out with the beautiful Desdemona and the Moor Othello. Marrying behind closed doors, their decision caused a lot of commotion. Jealous men of the love and power they shared planned to shed blood. Devious Iago made a plan to get Othello out of his spot as general and used many people to do so. He framed Desdemona and Cassio making it seem like she cheated on Othello so that he would kill them both. In the end Othello, Desdemona, and Emilia -Iago’s wife- ended up lifeless piled up on the deathbed while Iago got caught and was sent to jail to be tortured.

Iago was the main person using this tactic to get what he wanted, confusing and tricking everyone that came into contact with his plot against Othello. In the play there were many comparisons that we came across and stood out. “Her name, that was fresh as Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and as black as mine own face” (Act 3, Scene 3, line 394) that was Othello talking; he was saying how pure Desdemona’s reputation was ruined. How she was looked at as pure and honorable before but now she is seen as dirty in a sense. This was at a point in the play that the evil Iago had convinced Othello that Desdemona had cheated on him with Cassio, after she had already lost a very important handkerc...

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...ief, everything went downhill for everyone. He planted that “napkin” in Cassio’s bedroom as evidence for his scheme and Othello seen it. Then afterwards he fooled Othello by having him hide in Cassio’s room and talk to Cassio about the things he did with Desdemona when in reality they spoke of Bianca the town strumpet.

To be able to successfully contort and twist another person’s mind so fluently is amazing. Usually it works on people who are too trusting and more susceptible, but in this case it was someone blind sighted by love that got tricked. The many comparisons and audience insight was used very effectively. The way the reader can see what’s really going on with the characters even when they don’t even see it themselves is incredible. Seeing that manipulation was used way before our time is interesting because many people apply it to everyday life right now.