By: Saidivij Othello Black and Hell Motifs Othello is a book filled with countless metaphors and opposites referring to dark themes. Shakespeare certainly included various descriptions of black people in Othello. Many of these motifs are combined with clever metaphors and other literary devices. Motifs in Act 1 are mainly the representations of black and with Iago connecting to all. The motif of black is a big theme the characters are always mentioning. Othello is a black character in a white dominated society. “What full fortune does the thick lips owe”(1.1.62). At the beginning of the play, Roderigo and Iago only refer to Othello in a racist way, such as the Moor and thick lips. The characters are certainly trying to get the point …show more content…
He is the real devil that is hidden to the people. “I follow him to serve my turn upon him.”(1.1.40). Iago told Roderigo that the only reason he follows Othello is to manipulate him. It is said throughout the book that Iago is honest and he is absolutely trustworthy. Everyone trusts on Iago as he plays a fool of them because Iago can be very persuasive with the helpful advice he gives. However, he is playing everyone just so he can manipulate them and obtain what he wants. Iago is deceiving people with his two personalities. “I am not what I am.”(1.1.62). Iago is usually a simple message to say he is not what he appears to be. This describes that he is the opposite of whatever he appears to be, and how he has two faces in which he deceives people without anyone realizing. Iago constructed a master plan in which already decided the roles of each person and as to how to control them. Iago truly is the devil who is hidden and the evil that encompasses everyone to his …show more content…
Othello is the only black person which many of the characters use it against him. The marriage of Othello and Desdemona is unnatural. A black man does not normally marry a white woman. Hell is connected to the devil, which usually Iago describes Othello as. There are frequent opposites given about heaven and hell connecting together, making the idea of hell stronger. Iago is the real evil hidden to everyone where all the characters trust him. He is an honest man, but in reality he has different personalities he shows for each person. This increases the trust others have in Iago. He easily can make anyone think he is honest and can be trusted, making Iago
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
From the very beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is held in very high regard within the community in Venice. He is often called “honest Iago” by many people, including his superior, Othello. There is a large juxtaposition between Iago’s character in the beginning of the play, and the general perception at the end of the play, due to Iago’s many character flaws that cause him to create devious plans and a web of deception and lies, spun by his intense anger and hatred. The exposition of Othello holds many indications of the negative traits Iago possesses, and they escalate quickly as the play progresses. There are many points within the play that present Iago falling prey to his issues and therefore lets them control him. Iago’s anger and hatred kept him from dealing with these character flaws and lead to his descent into moral
Iago is a villain because he is manipulative. This is proven when Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him by just dropping little hints and letting Othello piece it together for himself. Iago would start the jealous trip by saying such simple things like that he “likes not that”, later Othello would return and say that he had “found not Cassio’s kisses on [Desdemona’s] lips” (III.iii.393). This shows that Othello put together pieces from little things that Iago said with a purpose to make Othello jealous and believe he was being cuckolded. Another instance of Iago’s manipulative tendencies is when the reader finds out that all along, Iago has been taking Roderigo’s money to purchase jewels to give “as gifts to Desdemona”, but that Iago ended up keeping and using for his own personal needs without Roderigo’s knowledge (V.i.17-18). Another example of Iago being manipulative in his villainous ways is when Emilia “has a thing for [him]” and ends up giving him Desdemona’s handkerchief from Othello (III.iii...
Iago does not only serve as the antagonist in this play, but he also is the vehicle by which the play progresses. They play in the beginning did not have much action in it because Iago was still deciding as to how he would kill Othello. Then, as his plan develops the play also progresses. He forces characters into taking actions they never would have normally considered and all the while he just sits back and maintains his innocent smile and trusting façade. And that "is how a villain is defined." A villain "can alter those actions around them without them knowing it." (Campbell 116). We saw Iago do that on several occasions. For example he was able to convince Roderigo to give him money and to try growing a beard. He also convinced Othello into thinking that Casio was an irresponsible drunk, and he convinced Desdemona into thinking he was going to do everything he could to patch things up with her and Othello. While all he was actually doing was just trying to keep Roderigo busy so he would stay out of the picture. And then with Othello he was turning friend against friend, and with Desdemona it was lover against lover. And all the while these people thought he had their best interest in mind.
By analyzing this play, we can come to understand the dangers of racial injustice. If I may take the liberty of paraphrasing: "O beware, my lord, of racial prejudice! It is the green-eyes monster, which doth damage the society it thrives in." In the character of Iago, Shakespeare demonstrates the dangers of holding racial prejudices. Othello is the victim of the pervasive social stereotypes which lead to his downfall. This play should serve as a warning of the horrid plague of racism which festers in our society.
References to black and white carry the most weight and contribute much to the actions of the characters; those colors often are used as a comment on race, on good and evil, on sexuality, or a combination of the three. The play does not proceed far into the first scene without a racial statement, where Iago informs Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona have run away together: “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/ Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.85-86). Iago refers to Othello as a “black ram” and to Desdemona as a “white ewe,” pointing out the differences in skin color (since Othello is a Moor). A ram, since it has horns, can also be symbolic of the devil; therefore, Iago makes Othello devil-like and racially different at the same time. Additionally, the color black is often seen as evil or bad, whereas white is seen as good and pure. Since the black ram is “tupping,” or mounting, the white ewe, Iago is making a reference to the sexual act of Othello, black, taking Desdemona's virginity, white and pure. Planting an image like this in Brabantio's mind causes him to react negatively towards the marriage, and because Othello is darker-skinned, it makes the situation worse....
Othello seems to have a really rough time finding the truth in people. The reasoning behind this is simply the way he acts around people. Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice, his skill as a soldier and leader is nevertheless valuable and necessary. He is after all a man in high power and is respected for that simple fact. Essentially, the first impact that is made upon the reader of Othello is not one of high quality. He was called many names of which had to do mostly with his racial background some of these names include “the Moor” (I.i.57), “an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113). The two characters that begin the cruel introduction of Othello are two trusted comrades, one being Iago. Right from the start, Iago already begins the demise of Othello. Now since Othello made this decision to trust and simply see the good in everyone rather than the truth in everyone his life got turned upside down and started to take ...
... to refer to him as, He says: "I am the I AM. . ." (Ex. 3:14). Iago says that he is the I am not. He is, in essence, the exact reverse of God. As we have seen, metaphorically and by example, Iago has proven to be the epitome of evil in that he uses the same tactics that Satan does to get what he wants.
Racism in William Shakespeare's Othello. The play, Othello, is certainly, in part, the tragedy of racism. Examples of racism are common throughout the dialogue. This racism is directed toward Othello, a brave soldier from Africa and currently the supreme commander of the Venetian army.
... moor but Shakespeare is instead discussing the, "amalgam of the noble and the jealous, the soldier and the fool and the Christian and the barbarian who is reduced to stammering brutality." A modern audience would not see Othello as the guilty and barbaric moor but as a victim of Iago and his deception. The audience instead would take would take with them a message that colour does not play a part in character. Instead those who discriminate people racially are the truly devious characters and Shakespeare shows this clearly through Iago and Barbantio. Iago himself is clear evidence that Shakespeare is not in any way condoning racism but instead he is attacking racism. The attack on Barbantio's hidden racist views also prove that this is the case. The main message of Othello would be very positive foe a modern audience; that racism in all forms is totally unacceptable.
	Throughout the first act of the play, Othello is shown as many different characters depending on who is speaking. Iago complains of Othello's pride and "bombast circumstance" and is angered by the appointment of Cassio, an educated military theoretician of Florence to lieutenant, instead of himself. As Iago speaks to Brabantio about Othello, he uses the term "white ewe" to represent Desdemona, and "black ram" when referring to Othello. By using these terms, it shows that he is trying to give a bad impression of Othello when he is speaking to the royal family in Venice, because Othello is a Moor, or a Negro. Iago shows his black hatred for the Moor and his jealousy of Cassio in his first soliloquy and also reveals his evil intentions.
Iago is a manipulated two faced man who is seeking revenge on Othello for not promoting him to Lieutenant, and instead giving the position to Cassio. The word devil demonstrates Iago’s attempt to get revenge on Othello, and his two faced nature. Iago is talking to Brabantio, and telling him that Othello has married his daughter Desdemona and if Brabantio doesn't stop them quickly he will become a grandfather. Then to Othello, Iago pretends to be his friend and tells Othello that Brabantio and Roderigo are after him for marrying Desdemona. What is ironic about Iago’s statements is Shakespeare uses it to mean a wicked or cruel man, and Iago who has created the plan to get revenge on Othello is in fact the cruel man but is making it out to seem that
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).
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)