Iago Is A Villain Essay

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Jealousy is the Real Villain in William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice Iago is a victim and a villain in Othello, the Moor of Venice. The depravity of Iago leads us to believe that he is a heartless man. Further investigation into his character reveals that he is a man with a broken heart and a moral weakness that he is unable to overcome. Love and jealousy are feelings relative to every person. Iago is such a quintessential villain because his faults are found in all of us. For this reason, we can relate to the hatred that Iago has in his heart because it also belongs in our hearts. This man is a villain because of weakness, not for feelings of anger or jealousy, but because he moves to seek revenge. Iago speaks of revenge upon contemplating his wife’s infidelity. “…I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat; the thought whereof…show more content…
Pride; pride is a useful human characteristic but too much of it can decay moral values. Although the setting does take some significance from the actual weight of these crimes, when we compare Iago’s crime to Othello’s crime, we see that Iago is stronger than Othello. Othello becomes so enraged that he slays his lover at the mere thought of perfidiousness. Iago uses subtleties and self-control to plant ideas in Othello’s head and wait for his weaknesses to work against him. This amount of patience and restraint is worth mention. More importantly, when we combine all of Iago’s mannerisms we can see why he is a fearsome villain. His speech is silver tonged and his reputation deceives his target. His status in the world is one of respect and admiration. His actions are considered, controlled, and purposeful. By most accounts these qualities are desirable. However, in the case of Iago, these good qualities are paired with poor qualities that change the intent of his actions. His susceptibility to jealousy combined with pride are what turns him into a

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