Known as 'Honest Iago' to many, Iago is one of the most evil and manipulative characters in Shakespeare's Othello. Shakespeare portrays Iago as a puzzling and constantly endangering individual. It is easy to see that Iago is consistently creating new plans to manipulate others and establish dangerous situations that everyone else is completely oblivious of. At the beginning of the play, Iago is no more than a jealous bearer, disappointed in Othello's decision in appointing Cassio to the lieutenant
in his creation of the character Iago in his tragedy Othello (Sanfacon). Iago is accredited with being one of the most heinous villains in all of Shakespeare’s works. Dissolute in being, Iago blamed others actions on his own malevolence and used his reputation as the “Honest Iago” to attain selfish gain (II, III, 355). When Iago sparked the match of doubt in Othello, he indirectly led to the downfall of many fellow characters in the play and the deaths of Othello and Desdemona. Despite Iago’s motives
Through Shakespeare’s usage of characterization, irony, and tone evident in the conversation between Iago and Othello of act three, the most notable theme- the relationship between reality and external appearance- becomes more conspicuous. The characterization within the antagonist Iago proves to be the driving force throughout the play as he is whom successfully drove the protagonist Othello away from the reality and into Iago’s own path. In act three scene three, Iago triumphs in planting the
In William Shakespeare’s tragedies Macbeth and Othello, the manipulation of Lady Macbeth and Iago, is the key to the downfall of the plays’ tragic heroes. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, after Macbeth shares with his wife the predictions of three witches her lust for power becomes great and manipulates her husband into killing King Duncan which also leads to destruction of Macbeth. Meanwhile, in Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago, the antagonist vows his revenge against Othello for not promoting him to second
we do not get what we want. In Shakespeare’s tragic drama, Othello, the evil mastermind, Iago, is not who he seems to be. While Iago keeps his true identity a secret, he uses his words as poison to manipulate the thoughts, emotions, and actions of the characters. Iago utilizes his credibility to gain others’ trust by convincing them that he’s honest and trustworthy. That is he made others believe he is honest and his words are true. Specifically, by describing Othello and Desdemona’s relationship as
Many have credited William Shakespeare's plays as being the greatest of all time, and The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is no exception. Each reading of Othello yields new revelations and demonstrates the intricacies of Shakespeare‘s work. The play’s protagonist, Othello, can be seen as being overly trusting of Iago. However, this is not the case, Iago deceives many characters, not just Othello. Moreover, Othello’s actions are based on seemingly physical evidence, giving him good reason
dramatic. All three are used in Shakespeare’s Othello. Iago is the play’s main antagonist but almost in a way where he could arguably be the main character. Iago plays off as a trustworthy and honest person to the other characters in the play. This is ironic because he manipulates others to work in his favor to try to get revenge against Othello. Othello ends up falling to irony as a result of Iago’s fabrications. Irony is used especially in tragedies, which Othello is. The use of situational irony
IShakespeare’s Othello is a quiet a twisted love story. The story slowly spirals from the high point in the noble Othello’s life to the point where he commits suicide. The tragedy is all put into play by Iago, the wretched villain fueled by hate and the need for power. Unfortunately, this is where most readers view of Iago stops. In Shakespeare's play Othello, the character Iago is not just a jealous manic, but a man of many skills and power showing that he would have been better suited to be general
Iago is William Shakespeare’s most elaborate evil villain. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago plays a masterful role in the destruction of all the major characters, truly making him one of the most infamous evil villains. His cruel, coldhearted manipulation is primarily directed towards the innocent; this exploitation of the good by evil ultimately causes the downfall of Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello. Iago’s ability to understand human nature makes him evil because he uses
Villain and their Parallel Roles in Othello and King Lear The use of functionally similar characters is frequent to Shakespeare’s tragedies as they are used to develop similar structure to the plot. In the case of the villains from Othello’s, Iago, and Edmund from King Lear, these characters functionally create the same discourse through their actions. Both characters begin from a social stature of a subordinate and gain motive to rebel against their master. Iago resents not being promoted to his