Iago in Shakespeares Othello Essay - 1128 Words

Iago in Othello In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello we see a morally depraved character, perhaps a very mentally sick individual, named Iago. His personality and development during the play is the subject of this essay. In Shakespeare’s Four Giants Blanche Coles comments on the mental illness that appears to afflict the despicable Iago: When such old time critics as H. N. Hudson, who wrote nearly a hundred years ago, saw that Iago was not acting from revenge, one is more than surprised to find modern critics, who have had the advantage of the progress that has been made in the study of abnormal psychology, accepting Iago for anything but what he is, and what Shakespeare intended him to be – a psychopathic†¦show more content†¦(1.2) While he and Desdemona and Emilia are lounging about at the port in Cyprus awaiting the arrival of the Moor’s ship, Desdemona tries to analyze how his mind and feelings work, for he seems to be habitually critical of his wife. She concludes that he is a â€Å"slanderer† and that he is full of â€Å"old fond paradoxes to make fools laugh in th’ alehouse.† His clever machinations cause grief for every character who has continued contact with him. He deceives Roderigo about the affections of Desdemona: â€Å"Desdemona is directly in love with him [Cassio].† He deceptively lures Cassio into drunkenness where he is vulnerable to taunts and thus loses his officership. He further lures him into Desdemona’s presence so that Othello can find him there and be more suspicious: â€Å"Was not that Cassio parted from my wife?†. Iago misinforms Montano regarding Cassio (â€Å"And ‘tis great pity that the noble Moor / Should hazard such a place as his own second / With one of an ingraft infirmity.†) Iago uses Emilia to pass the kerchief, which â€Å"so often you did bid me steal,† to him rather than to its owner. He manipulates the Moor into incorrect views about Desdemona, about Iago himself (â€Å"Iago is most honest.†), about Cassio’s relationship with Desdemona, etc. Iago even diverts suspi cion of the ambush against Cassio against his prostitute-friend Bianca. In cold blood he eventually murders his gift-giver, Roderigo, so that the wealthy playboy can’t discover that Iago has beenShow MoreRelatedIago in Shakespeares Othello Essay1381 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Othello is a remarkable tale of trust, deceitfulness, lust and the most destructive of human emotions: vengeance and hatred. Iago better known as Othellos antagonist embodies vengeance and hatred to move an agenda to squash all who oppose Iagos plans. As defined by Merrium-Webster the definition of a protagonist is a principal character in a literary work or a leading actor, character, or participant in a literary work. Othello by Shakespeare is a play about Othello an exampleRead More Shakespeares Othello - Iago Essay1670 Words   |  7 PagesOthello’s Iago  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   We find in William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello an example of personified evil. He is the general’s ancient, Iago, and he wreaks havoc and destruction on all those under his influence.    Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar in â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello† comment on how the character of Iago is the wholly expected type of villain for an Elizabethan audience:      Iago at once captures the attention of the spectator. He is the personificationRead More Iago, the Outsider of Shakespeare’s Othello1744 Words   |  7 Pagesrecurring dark theme there always must be an outsider from humanity who somehow stands out from the seemingly equal community. In the case of Shakespeare’s Othello the outsider from humanity would be Iago for he truly stands out from the rest of society. Although Othello may be physically put out of the community, it seems that on an emotional and egotistical level Iago puts himself out of society further then Othello’s blackness does. He is not merely manipulative, as other villains are; he turns aspectsRead More Honest Iago of Shakespeares Othello Essay798 Words   |  4 PagesHonest Iago of Othello   Ã‚  Ã‚   To most of the world William Shakespeare is recognized as the greatest dramatist in history.   His plays have been performed for centuries through various interpretations.   Shakespeares vast knowledge, and writing style made his works interesting for both the intellectual, and the illiterate.   One of these styles is the use of motifs, which is seen extensively in Othello.   An important example that runs throughout Othello, is Iagos honesty.   This motif gaveRead More Iago in William Shakespeares Othello Essay1229 Words   |  5 PagesIago in William Shakespeares Othello William Shakespeare, born: 1564 died: 1616, is considered one of the greatest writers who has ever lived. He had a unique way of putting things into words. All of his plays, sonnets, and poems have gotten great recognition. But when Shakespeare wrote Othello he created one of the most controversial villains of all times; Iago. He is best described as disturbing, ruthless, and amoral. No other character can even come close to his evil (Iago: The 1). IagoRead More The Character of Iago in Shakespeares Othello Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesCharacter of Iago       The old clichà © One bad apple ruins the bunch is what enters ones mind when discussing the villainous, deceitful, protagonist Iago in Shakespeares tragedy Othello. It is amazing how one person alone can completely destroy, or deteriorate a group of good natured, trusting, loyal peoples lives in a matter of days- three to be exact. What is the motive behind Iagos heinous, selfish acts, one may ask? A rather obvious theme in the Shakespeares tragedy, Othello, isRead More Shakespeares Othello - Troubled Iago Essay2005 Words   |  9 PagesTroubled Iago        Ã‚   Unquestionably the most perfidious character within the cast of Shakespeare’s Othello is the cunning Iago. He spends his life, it would seem, taking revenge on the general and destroying nearly everyone around himself. Helen Gardner in â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune† elaborates on Iago’s exact function and place in the play: . . . Iago ruins Othello by insinuating into his mind the question, ‘How do you know?’ The tragic experience with which this playRead MoreMalignant Iago of Shakespeares Othello Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pages      Pure evil is like a cancerous plague that harms all those who come upon it.   In the tragic play â€Å"Othello† by William Shakespeare, Iago is a character that represents pure evil – a malignant cancer to all those around him.   His evil is exposed through his choice of words, his ability to manipulate people, and his opportunistic ways.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, Iago’s evil is shown through his choice of words that demonstrate his vulgarity and his sinister intentions.   Iago’s language is extremely baseRead More Villainous Iago of Shakespeares Othello Essay1841 Words   |  8 PagesVillainous Iago of Othello  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Who can compare in depth of evil to the villainous Iago in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello? His villainy is incomparably destructive on all of those around him.    Iago’s very language reveals the level at which his evil mind works. Francis Ferguson in â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other† describes the types of base, loathsome imagery used by the antagonist Iago when he â€Å"slips his mask aside† while awakening Brabantio:    Iago is lettingRead MoreIago of William Shakespeares Othello Essay885 Words   |  4 PagesIago of William Shakespeares Othello Iago has a great understanding of people and how they will react to different situations and this skill allows him to control the action so neatly that it as if is he himself is the playwright. He has no regard for the thoughts of others and skilfully manipulates those around him to trick them to play a part in a strategy he has so meticulously planned, for example, the brawl scene. But by no means does he carry out his plans regardless