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Iago's plan to destroy othello essay
Character analysis of Iago of William Shakespeare's Othello
Character analysis of Iago of William Shakespeare's Othello
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The Evil of Iago
Shakespeare has written many works with various villains, but out of all of them, without a doubt the most sinister one is Iago. Most of the antagonists in Shakespeare's plays have valid clear motives for the troubles the cause. Iago on the other had does not, for the most part he just has hatred for the world especially Othello. He is the main character of the play in the sense that he is the cause of all conflict in Othello. All of the problems he causes are through lies, treachery, and manipulation. Some of his hate is fuelled by jealousy and revenge. The ironic part is that he wants to be known as "honest Iago". Iago is the epitome of evil as he manipulates those who trust him without just reason or remorse.
Iago is an evil character as while he has no legitimate reason for his evil plans, he rationalizes the reasons for his actions and still sets out to ruin the lives of those around him.
He hates Michael Cassio, for receiving the lieutenancy instead on himself. Ranting to Roderigo, he says, “[Cassio is] mere prattle without practice/Is all his soldiership…And I, of whom his eyes had seen proof…must be beleed and calmed. (I.i.27-32). Iago believes that he has been unjustly overlooked for the position, as he is clearly more qualified than Cassio. He also believes Cassio has slept with his wife, he “fear[s] Cassio with [his] nightcap(II.i.329)." Though he hates Cassio, much of his hate is directed towards Othello. It may be as Othello has given Cassio the promotion, but Iago does not give that reason, instead he says, “I hate the Moor,/And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets/’Has done my office. (I.iii.429-431) Iago believes that both Othello and Cassio have been with his wife. He has no evidence o...
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...fuses to divulge information, he says, “Demand me nothing: what you know, you know/From this time forth I never will speak word. (V.ii.355-356) Iago shows no remorse for his actions, even refusing to come clean or ask for some sort of forgiveness when he is caught.
Iago is the epitome of evil as he manipulates those who trust him without just reason or remorse. He only driven by hatred, with has no legitimate reason for his evil plans. Iago is seen as an honest man, and he uses this as leverage to spread lies and manipulate without suspicion. And when all is said and done, he shows no remorse for what he has done. Iago is truly evil to the core, continually playing a game of deception, with everyone, the audience, even himself. He has depth and his actions are the main drive of the play. Iago, with his hatred and amorality, is an example of a perfect villain.
In Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago Is shown to be the villain. With the cunning use of his brilliance and manipulation, he is able to orchestrate an entire plot to take his revenge on Othello the center of all his ill tempered aggression. By lying to characters like Roderigo and many others, including his wife, in order to
Iago throughout the book uses manipulative language to convince characters throughout scenes. However he doesn’t fail, from the beginning he has a well thought out plan, he manipulates people and he has complete lack of empathy which gives him the perfect traits for being a villain. A perfect villain in my definition is someone who can plan out a villainous act and act it out without failure. Iago has achieved this and so I consider him a perfect villain. Although Iago has a few flaws acting out his plan he achieves his goal to an extent in an evil and villainous way such as the failure of murdering of Cassio and his being tortured.
Iago was the villain men envied and women wanted. Some theorists hypothesized that Iago in fact had no interest in the ladies but was more captivated by the men. Iago was likely the most vicious villain in Shakespeare. He played the two-faced liar, smiting and betraying his fellow characters. He plays three sides of a story, while at one point he is the best comrade a person could have, at another he is back stabbing and yet another throwing hints to the audience.
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
Iago is widely known as one of Shakespeare’s most famous villains and this is because of the way in which Shakespeare has presented him. Iago is presented to be a man of pure evil who eliminates any form of happiness of hope within the play. The quotation: “Virtue? A fig! 'Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” shows Iago diminishing the virtue of Othello and pointing out that everyone is willful and has virtue until their true intent comes to light. Iago’s attitudes towards women are also very poignant within the play and are one of the aspects of his archetype that are remembered the most. Furthermore, a majority of villains have a reason or an intention to want to cause havoc or to turn to the side of evil. For example, in Hamlet, he is motivated by revenge and achieving what was once lost. In Romeo and Juliet, honour is a prominent theme, alongside the need to keep an age old rivalry that has descended from other generations. However, Iago has no real intentions apart from despising Othello for not offering him the promotion and then later suspects that Othello could be having an affair with his wife, Emilia. Therefore, the fact that he has no hard intention for wanting to ruin the life of Othello and others, is a reason as to why he may be despised by
In the play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare Iago is one of the most unique and interesting characters. Not only is Iago a main character, but he is also one of the most controversial, causing more drama and quarrels than any other character in the play. Shakespeare does a good job with the character of Iago by creating an atmosphere where Iago can keep the reader's attention on each and every individual scene throughout the entire play, as one tries to figure out Iago's true intentions. When reading the play it is easy for an individual to view Iago as an evil person who gets pleasure from malicious acts he inflicts upon others around him.
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 nave 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 as “Honest” Iago, which is a direct showing of irony because Iago is not honest at all (Shakespeare, I, iii. 289).
Iago doesn’t show any remorse or regret for his actions. There is no way of knowing for sure what Iago was thinking or feeling at the end. That’s Othello’s weakness that Iago deems useful. Othello’s love turns into jealousy.
Iago is not really evil or the vice character he is the misunderstood and wonderful character who can only be seen through a certain lens before it all goes back to black and white and good and evil fights one another for the main stage again. Shakespeare pulled many themes into this story but in all truth I believe that Iago is true main character, not Othello or Cassio, but Iago with all of his problems and vices, he is the truest expression of being human. Works Cited Rosenberg, Marvin. “In Defense of Iago.” Shakespeare Quarterly.
Iago understands how to use people. He knows what to say and how to act to influence people’s actions. This is way he is such a terrifying villain. The character of Iago is the perfect mould to start with when crafting the perfect villain.
He is directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of many characters. Shakespeare didn't just create Iago's character to be evil. He wanted him to be the epitome of it. All of the problems he causes are through lies, treachery, manipulation, and a deep hatred. Some of his hate is fueled by jealousy and revenge.
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)
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.
In his final words Iago offers no justification and conveys no expression of guilt for the treachery he bestowed upon Othello and the others. His willingness to lie, steal and kill is evidence that he is willing to go to any lengths to achieve his goal. One may ask what motivated Iago to commit these acts; it may seem that his motivation was his anger toward Othello for passing him over for the position of lieutenancy. However, to the contrary, true villains need no motivation, to be malicious and evil is their motivation.
Iago character in William Shakespeare’s Othello is truly the definition of the nature of evil. He portrays such a strong character describing this nature of deceit throughout the play taking full capability of characters; Desdemona, Othello, Cassio, and Rodrigo. His ability to master the nature of good first before plotting his schemes, allows Iago to become successful in each of his evil plots. Iago would not be successful if it was not for his mastery in being good. Not only does he achieve his goals in scheming, but he also understands human nature, that allowed him to understand thoroughly of good people and was able to take advantage of the cause. Iago, alone, represented both the nature of good and the nature of evil in Shakespeare’s’ Othello.