Essay 1
Othello, is prolific with excellent lines that encourage the audience to mull over after the play. Each character has a line that helps to describe their personalities; however there is my favorite line that stands out the most for describing a character’s disposition and psyche. When Iago says “I am not what I am,” in the first scene of Act I, I was struck by how powerfully wicked Iago is. This particular line is intrinsically important for the play since Iago is masterfully deceptive. “I am not what I am,” is both crucial for analyzing Iago along with the line’s pertinence to Othello’s tragic flaw of believing Iago is an honest man.
Considering how Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most malicious characters, Iago’s quote “I am not what I am,” caused me to draw comparisons of him along with Satan. Perhaps Shakespeare intended this comparison to be made; there are a number of similarities between Iago and Satan. First, Satan is occasionally referred to as the Prince of Lies. Iago could be called the Ancient of Lies, because both Satan and Iago thrive on their pestilential lies, crippling those around them, and spreading hate. One of Satan’s copious names, the Devil or Diablo means to separate or cause pandemonium. What better way to describe Iago than the separator. Iago relentlessly feeds Othello poisonous lies that cause Othello to tragically separate his trust for
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Desdemona and Cassio to the point where Othello wishes that both were dead. These are just a couple of comparisons between Iago and Satan, but there are examples in the play that can provide evidence for Iago’s malevolent lust for malice and pain. Finally, my favorite line, “I am not what I am,” is an impeccable quote to show Iago’s resemblance to the most evil of all God’s creatures, Satan. Shakespeare did an admirable job in depicting his character as an evil architect similar to Satan. Iago’s actions like the murders of his wife Emilia and his “purse” Roderigo, his attempted murder of Cassio, causing Othello so much anguish that Othello commits suicide, along with the indirect murder of the truly innocent Desdemona paints a picture of a gruesome psychopath. Iago’s assertion, “I am not what I am,” that clearly makes the audience have no doubt that Iago may just be the Devil himself. Essay 2 Often times when I view media, especially works that fall into the literary fiction spectrum, such as novels like the Tale of Two Cities or the tragedy Othello, I ponder the work's significance to my life.
I endeavor to piece together areas of my life that relate to the struggles or victories characters go through and reflect how relevant the play is to me. There are certain works that have relevance to almost everyone; this is the case for the play Othello. Play-goers across the centuries may discover relevance in the successes or hardships that Shakespeare's characters go
through. To illustrate how the tragedy Othello has relevance to audience members we can note how many people on Earth have felt love. Almost every person has been in love, had love, developed a love, chased love, explored love, and lost love. Love is a force that connects people and is something that is shared. In the play Othello the audience can witness the passion of two lovers, Othello and Desdemona, and even get a glimpse at how their love developed. Most people can relate to the fragile but exciting state of young love, thus the play has relevance to them. Intrigued by memories of loves gone by, or remembering when they met their spouse, many audience members can draw connections between themselves and Othello and Desdemona. The play Othello also explores when love grows icy. It is common for people to experience the anguish of a love that has been extinguished. When love gets cut short, pain typically follows. Play-goers can see how a once blossoming relationship like Othello and Desdemona's can swiftly fragment if barriers develop. Another relationship explored is one between Iago and Emilia, a couple who has been married together longer. In Iago’s and Emilia’s relationship, Iago takes advantage of his spouse Emilia, making her a pawn in his master plan to ruin Othello. Iago ultimately takes Emilia’s life in order to flee from his pursuers in his desperate escape attempt. Audience members may start to analyze their relationships to investigate their own behaviors and that of their partner to see if they may be in a promising or detrimental relationship. To conclude, audience members have the opportunity to explore love when it is high and see love when it fails. Most audience members know what love is and seek it out. This common ground is what gives the play Othello its substance for play-goers even today. Since most humans have experienced good and bad occasions of love from healthy to toxic relationships, the relevance of the play Othello has pertinence to them. Essay 3 “I am not what I am,” is a insightful statement from Iago. Iago holds no reservations when he brazenly tells the audience that he is not what he appears to be. This is central to Iago’s success in manipulating all of the other characters in the play Othello. Iago deceitfully plays the loyal, law abiding servant to his nemesis Othello only to be persistently planning Othello’s demise. Some specific instances in the play Othello where Iago displays his false self to get ahead of his fellow characters are as follows. In the beginning of the play, Othello, Act I, Iago tricks his accomplice Roderigo by telling Roderigo to “Put money in thy purse.” Iago convinces Roderigo that if he simply sells all of his possessions, including his land, and gives Iago the money to gift Desdemona with, Roderigo will surely win her over. Iago lies to Roderigo and keeps the money for himself. Iago’s evil does not stop with destroying his friend Roderigo’s livelihood though. Iago pretends to be a loyal friend to Othello eventually becoming Othello’s blood brother by swearing his love and loyalty to Othello. All of Iago’s actions are phony only to poison Othello’s spirit to transform Othello into someone else that does not resemble the heroic Othello the other characters know. Notably, Othello is the other character of the play to not be what he appears to be. Initially, Othello is a military hero in Venice. Othello is known for his bravado, heroics, and a gentleman nature. Even the Duke of Venice tells Brabantio, Desdemona’s heartbroken father, that his “...Son-in-law is far more fair than black.” Othello loves his new wife, Desdemona, with all of his heart and soul. Othello’s love for Desdemona seems inseparable and their marriage is magnificent at first. However, after Iago plants venomous thoughts about Desdemona’s infidelity to Othello, Othello transforms into an outraged and abusive man. Lodovico, Desdemona’s cousin, exclaims that Othello’s actions would not be believed in Venice. Othello transforms into a man that could say, “I am not what I am.” Once noble and true, Othello is marked by anger and desolation. Essay 9 Actors and actresses adore the art of becoming someone else. Prominent actors and actresses are recognized for their supreme ability to transform into the character that they are playing. Often actors and actresses seek multifaceted and dynamic characters to challenge themselves with the ever changing emotions and psyche of the characters they are attempting to portray. Analogous to expert golfers, who challenge themselves to tackle difficult courses to test their talent; actors and actresses test their ability to become a character as complex as a real live human. Shakespeare, the master playwright developed a vividly dynamic character Othello in the tragedy Othello. For the actors who get the golden opportunity to play Othello must relish in the challenge to slowly change over the course of the play while exploring the diverse range of emotions of their character Othello. Othello’s character begins the play as a cool headed foreign general confident with his abilities. Othello appears relaxed when confronted by Brabantio probably because of his military experience with situations much more perilous. Othello also shows a cordial swagger, presenting himself as a capable gentleman in front of the most powerful men of Venice, primarily the Duke. Not afraid to show his passionate side in front of an audience, Othello expresses his infatuated love for the gorgeous Desdemona by shamelessly kissing her, complimenting her, and crying out his burning love for his new wife. An actor would have a pleasant time acting like a noble hero in the first two acts of Othello. However, Othello’s character takes a cruel personality twist once the devilish Iago seeks his poisonous lies into Othello’s ear. Othello shows a crack in his heroic armor when he begins to doubt Desdemona’s love him. Slowly, but aggressively, furious anger, envy, depression, and righteous pride shadow the once noble Othello’s heart. A part of Othello’s transformation into a tormented soul is his development of seizures caused by his intense anxiety and anger. Finally, after murdering Desdemona, and receiving the fact that he was a tremendous fool, Othello falls into despair thus taking his own life. Lastly, actors covet a character like Othello to play since Othello explores a wide range of emotions and mental states. Dynamic characters like Othello present a luscious role for actors willing to push themselves to transform into their character’s role. Shakespeare had the capability to develop a unique character like Othello, to challenge the actors selected for the part of Othello. This gives an exceptional chance for actors to switch up their moods on stage to allow the audience to enjoy watching acting at its best.
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
Snyder, Susan. “Othello: A Modern Perspective.” Shakespeare: Othello. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.
The play "Othello" by William Shakespeare is based on an Italian story in Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi (Groliers). In "Othello" we encounter Iago, one of Shakespeare's most evil characters. Iago is an ensign in Othello's army and is jealous of Cassio's promotion to Lieutenant. Through deception and appearance, we see unfolded a plethora of lies and clever schemes. The astonishing thing about Iago is that he seems to make up his malicious schemes as he goes along without any forethought. Noted writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes Iago's plan as "motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity" (Scott 413). Iago seizes every opportunity to further advance his plan to his advantage. Greed plays a major role as a motive for his various schemes. Throughout the story, Iago portrays himself as a Satan figure. In many ways, Iago can compare with Satan.
A Shakespearean play always includes a typical villain character. He is boisterous, egotistical, sometimes witty, and all too eager to seek revenge. In William Shakespeare Othello, Iago is the well-liked, trusted, and brave ensign of the great Venetian general Othello, or so it appears. Iago actually possesses all of the typical villainous qualities, however Iago conducts himself with great composure, and by manipulating his counterparts, he makes people believe he is on their side. I find this characteristic to be a very intriguing one that is not easy to perform. It is perhaps Iago's villainous actions throughout this play that lead me to believe that he is the hero rather than the typical villain.
Throughout the story, Iago portrays himself as a Satan figure. In many ways, Iago can compare with Satan. Iago, like Satan, has proved himself to be a master of deception. He lies to everyone taking great care to disguise his own thoughts. For example, in Act 1 scene 2, when he is speaking to Othello about his feelings toward Cassio, he uses very strong language, while at the same time, he lies throughout the whole speech faking loyalty to a fellow soldier and all the while implying that he is reluctantly holding back the full truth: "I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth. Than it should do offense to Michael Cassio" (I.ii.21-22). This deception impresses and convinces Othello that his officer is a good and loyal soldier. Iago also succeeds in deceiving Cassio. After Cassio's drunken fight, Iago counsels him to speak to Desdemona about trying to convince Othello to reinstate him as lieutenant, all the while knowing that this will only prove helpful to his plan of having Othello see him with Desdemona. Cassio answers him: "You advise me well . . . Goodnight, honest Iago" (II.iii.332/340). Thus, even Cassio is capable of being deceived by Iago. With all of this deception, it is a wonder that Iago is not Satan himself. He even gives an account to his plan of deception, in a soliloquy, in Act II. In comparing himself with Satan, he says:
...ves the characters. Iago is the protagonist of Othello through strong leading actions, strengths complimented through flaws, and a humor that manipulates the audience’s feelings.
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the antagonist and villain who causes all the trouble and disorder. Othello is the protagonist, and is the main person Iago’s destruction and revenge is aimed towards. Othello is naïve and gives everybody his trust even though he may not know them or they haven’t earned his trust yet. He often refers to Iago has “Honest” Iago, which is a direct showing of irony because Iago is not honest at all (Shakespeare, I, iii. 289). Iago is so angry that Othello didn’t give him the promotion that was given to Cassio that he plans to seek revenge against Othello. He seeks his revenge against Othello by manipulating and lying to all of the people around him including his closest friend Roderigo, Cassio, Othello’s wife Desdemona and even his own wife Emilia. In the end, Iago’s lies and manipulation led to the deaths of Roderigo, Emilia, Othello and Desdemona. This isn’t the first time many of these individual characteristics have shown up in one of Shakespeare’s plays.
The Relationship Between Othello and Iago In this scene Iago persuades Cassio, who is on watch, to drink, knowing that he is not a drinker and that he will be easy to antagonise. Roderigo provokes Cassio into a fight and Othello, hearing the disturbance, arrives to find the nobleman Montano seriously injured. Cassio gives no explanation, Montano pleads self-defence, and say that Iago knows best, so Iago is ordered to speak, ' Iago, who began't? " This passage starts with Othello, who appears to have interrupted someone, as there is a line break.
Have you ever met a devil who does evil for his own sake? Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello could seem like he has good motives, but I feel that he uses them as his excuses. The first thing that I did was uncovered Iago's motives. Iago is the most controversial character in Othello. He is able to keep his true thoughts and motives from everyone. Are his motives only excuses for his actions? Iago pretends to have so many motives that they seem more like excuses. Iago then uses these excuses to justify his actions, which are pure evil. I also feel that Iago has motives and actions that cause his actions. Does Iago have many different excuses, or does he only have one? This paper will prove that Iago has one clear motive and reason for his madness. Iago is not looking for justification that causes him to act the way he does. There is much more though to Iago. He is not a man of only excuses, he has goals with his motives, which causes him to act the way he does.
Fred West addresses the fact of Iago misrepresentation, “It is not sufficient to simply drape Iago in allegorical trappings and proclaim him Mister Evil or a Machiavel or a Vice. Such a limited view of Iago is an injustice to the complexity of his character, since Shakespeare’s studies in personality are acclaimed by psychologists for their accuracy and profundity” (27). West seems to be reminding us that just seeing Iago as the representation of evil within the play of “Othello” is the wrong way to paint him. Iago is a man wronged by Othello in the fact that he was not chosen to be Othello’s lieutenant, which is what put the dastardly idea into Iago’s head to trick them all and bring them to their knees. As Iago tells Roderigo within the first act and scene of “Othello”,
11 Dec. 2011. The "Othello". Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht.
Essential to the success of Othello is the fact that the issues and themes explored in this tragedy, written by Shakespeare in about 1604, are still relevant to the modern audience. The interest of an audience is held by themes that are fundamental to the human condition, as these reflect our world and examine human nature. Othello explores the issues of racism, gender, domestic violence, the supernatural and the pathology of the entirely evil person, which are all remarkably relevant to our time. Thus the interest of the audience is held, as issues that affect the viewers and readers of the play spark individual opinions, reflection and thought.
Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago.
The satanic character of Iago is depicted well though different types or imagery. His sadist intend is depicted through suffocating imagery “I’ll pour pestilence into his(Othello’s) ear” (II iii 356) says Iago in a soliloquy in as he is outlining his malicious intent and nature. This continues throughout the play with lines such as “The Moor already changes with my poison” (III iii 322) and “Not poppy nor mandragora, | Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world shall medicine thee to that sweet sleep | Which thou did owdest yesterday” (III iii 327-30). His malicious character is likened to a snake through this imagery of poisons like a snake has and then Lodovico calls him a “Viper” (V ii 281) which indicates how Iago’s character is that of a snake, and in those times a snake was considered a creature of pure evil. The Machiavellian persona of Iago can also be seen through his use of reputation imagery to Cassio and Othello. To Cassio he says “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition” (II iii 267-8) and as a paradox, to Othello, he says reputation is everything to a man and he is nothing with out it. Iago is also likened very much, though imagery, to the Devil.
Iago’s magnificent intelligence and superiority make him a very intriguing character. Iago is not just any villain that comes into a town, with a black cape and knife that scares everyone, he destroys and “kills” by using creative tactics that could only be thought of by someone who is brilliant. He deceives, strategizes, and twists the truth with amazing ease. Iago maintains his on point intelligence by staying completely unconflicted about being evil. Iago is completely committed as he states, “[He will] turn her virtue into pitch, / And… make the net / That shall enmesh them all” (II. Ii. 366-368). Iago is considered a cross between God and the Devil, as shown in the, “Divinity of Hell!” (!!. ii. 356)