Classic Character Foils In William Shakespeare's Othello

In the play Othello, William Shakespeare creates an elaborate tragedy with various in depth characters, enhancing the story with powerful characterization. Iago, the main antagonist of Othello, exemplifies Shakespeare’s use of characterization to create in depth and complex characters. Using his manipulative nature, intellectual mind, egotistical attitude, and dishonesty, Iago controls the other characters in order to achieve his goal, leading Othello to succumb to an overwhelming jealousy causing his downfall.

On average there are seven people in the world who look alike, but no two people act the same. Many people are polar opposites of others. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet there are several of these opposites, more commonly known in literature as “foil characters”. Foil characters are characters whose strengths and weaknesses can easily be compared and contrasted. Two sets of these foil characters are the uneducated Nurse with the wise Friar Lawrence and the peaceable Benvolio with the fiery Tybalt.

Customarily, an author will construct a narrative in which the protagonist, a character contrived to be implausible, as well as honorable is destined to decline along the path of tragedy leading to suffering and misfortune. Distinctive writing strategies corresponding to the theme, motifs, symbols and characters contently allow the scripter to plot the flaws dominating the descent of the advocate. Amongst Fitzgerald and Shakespeare’s central characters, Jay Gatsby and Othello, both filled with passionate love for their significant other are corrupted by their lack of judgement causing them to lose the one they lust over. Similarly, both characters originated from a meager past which they were forced to struggle to achieve a position where they

In William Shakespeare’s Othello the two main characters are Iago and Othello. The entire story centers around Iago 's plan to achieve revenge on Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant. Throughout the story Iago tries to convince Othello that his wife Desdemona has cheated on him with his lieutenant Cassio. Iago’s plan is successfully and easily executed. Othello is tricked into believing that desdemona has been unfaithful and in the end he kills her. The men in Othello mistrust the women and always quick to associate them with being deceptive and unfaithful.

In the book Othello, Iago is a very manipulating man, throughout the book he manages to manipulate three main people, Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello. He uses all their weaknesses to bring them down. Iago wants revenge on Othello, because Othello overlooks Iago and his abilities, so Iago manipulates these three characters to get back at Othello in the long run. He comes up with a very good plan to get each other to turn against one another. So in the end he ends up getting what he wanted, revenge. Many characters fall into Iago 's web of deception throughout the book.

Manipulation is shown in many ways such as politics, the media, misleading information and false advertising. To convey one’s thoughts to your own advantage is seen as crude and unnecessary. However, many people have their reasons in manipulating someone whether they are good or bad. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the concept of taking advantage of someone through manipulation leads to unnecessary, horrible events.

During the Elizabethan Era, drama began to flourish in Western Europe. Plays have become more violent and dramatic as well as new ways of driving a performance. William Shakespeare’s Othello involves a man named Iago who wants to get revenge on Othello who is known as ‘the Moor of Venice’. Iago is able to get Othello to fully trust him and manipulates Othello to believe in false claims which eventually brings both of them to their downfall. A soliloquy acts as an aid to the audience in order to understand a character’s internal thoughts. Shakespeare utilizes this technique frequently throughout the performance especially for the antagonist for the play, Iago. The soliloquies enhance Iago’s villainous characteristics by giving him moments to

Deception always has many perspectives; the truth, the fabrication, and how it is interpreted. An individual’s ability to deceive defines their effectiveness as a perpetrator. Within Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies and William Shakespeare’s Othello, the antagonists of each convey themselves as divine, therefore attempting to distract from their misconduct and represent themselves sincerely. What differentiates the two is whether or not others associate them alike to as they portray themselves. Throughout Othello and In the Time of the Butterflies, Iago and Trujillo have similar behaviors and methods of malice, though Iago’s villainy is more compelling for he entices each audience in which he misleads.

Human nature is perceived as a delightful entity. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, several characters demonstrate the dark side of human nature and display how simple it is to get carried away with emotions. This includes Iago, who only cares for himself, Brabantio who has many doubts, and Roderigo who lacks intellect.

Othello, the play's protagonist and hero; is a Cristian moore who has a genuine and strong love for god. General Othello id physically and mentally powerful, despite all the heat he gets for being a colored man around that time. Most times he manages

A lack of empathy makes for a true villain. In Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello, the nature of Iago’s character is revealed through the use of animal, plant, and devil imagery. Iago is revealed to view others as less than him, manipulating them with a lack of conscience, and having a desire for the destruction of others. The imagery enforces his role as the villain of the play, one who manipulates others for his own self interest.

Iago is a unique and complicated character. He is intelligent in that he is able to manipulate people and events in his favour, which he thrives on throughout the play, classifying him as the antagonist of the play. Driven by jealousy and hatred, Iago plots against Othello to destroy his character and reputation. Knowing that if he foolishly attacked such a respected man directly, he would be sentenced to death. As a result, he devises to use other people to obtain what he desires by influencing the characters in the play to suit his plan.

In many stories, there are villains who seem to control how the characters act by manipulation. These kinds of villains use multiple techniques to get what they want and to execute their plans. The techniques are used to affect the characters in a negative way in favor of the villain. In Othello, the antagonist Iago, plays that role. Iago affects the characters’ lives in a negative way by his honest reputation, his ability to “read” people, and how he “proves” to be Loyal.

When something goes to far normally we would end it however, that 's not what happened in the shakespeare play Othello. In the source “Destructive revenge in Othello” by Harry Keyishian it talks about the revenge that fueled the play as well as Iago’s true ambitions. Keyishian also talks about how Iago tricks almost everyone in order to get his sweet revenge. Once Iago Stabs his assumed friend Roderigo it’s clear revenge had been taken too far.

Dr. Lecter, The Joker, Norman Bates—these are some of the greatest villains on the movie screen. Nonetheless, few of them can compare to the top villains created by Shakespeare. Among them, Iago in the tragedy Othello and Richard III in Richard III are the finest and most polished. Although Othello is named after the “Moor of Venice”, Bloom comments that “it is Iago’s play” because he predominates the stage and remains in one’s mind long after one has finished reading or watching the play (433). His ascendance prompts thoughts of Richard III who is definitely the captivating protagonist in the history play. Both Iago and Richard III are Shakespeare’s most thrilling and sinister figures. Despite the fact that the two are similar in their powerful language and