Iago's Character Flaws In Othello
William Shakespeare is commonly known for his tragic and deceiving plays. From Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, to Hamlet characteristics like treachery, jealousy, and manipulation are inscribed throughout his work. Wolves have the “conversation of death” before they attack their prey; while Iago stealthily used Othello’s character flaws and jealousy, convincing him that his wife committed adultery acts, in his play Othello.
In the play Iago uses other people’s low self esteem against them. For example, Othello is a colored man who is married to a white women, Desdemona. Due to his skin tone, Othello believes he is undermined by the people around him and it leads to a lack of self confidence; this can be noted as one of his many character flaws brought out by Iago. Othello’s confidence level, being lower than normal, makes it easier for Iago to plant false stories in his mind about his wife. Iago won’t stop at just planting false thoughts into Othello’s head, he also targets Desdemona’s father. “IAGO Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!/Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,/Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you./Arise, I say!” (1.1.97-101) In this excerpt from Othello Iago is creating a bad image for Othello by calling him a “old black ram”. By doing
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Continually keeping things from the audience, Shakespeare does an excellent job of keeping his readers hooked; keeping focus on the fact that Othello actually believes this guy. Iago and Othello have a special relationship in the play and his head games with the audience continue with him changing his stories about his hatred for Othello when, “IAGO But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor, / And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office. I know not if 't be true, / But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety.
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