Othello is a play based on the rise and fall of Othello. Lago from Othello is the main character in and understanding him is important in the whole Shakespeare Othello play because he holds the longest part of the play. Even though it is unpleasant, Lagos character is full of intellect in the ability to devise and deploy plans that convince other characters of deceptions in the entire play. For example, his character is full of jealousy. Jealous of Cassio who obtain a Lieutenant position before him (Act 2 scene 1, Line 287). His character is said to be evil and unrepentant. Othello is a tragedy of a hero brought down by jealousy and gullibility in his character. He is also jealous of Othello who he believed has slept with his wife and also jealous of Othello’s position (Act 2 scene 1, Line 290). Lago is evil and has very few redeeming qualities. He can convince people of his honesty and loyalty, but the audience has already been introduced to his desire for revenge even though he doesn’t have enough reason. In short, he is a masterful …show more content…
He even double-crosses Roderigo who has been a friend for a long time. Roderigo had colluded with Lago most of the time in being honest and kind throughout the play. Lago uses him to perform dirty work without him being involved. Even though Roderigo seems to know Lago, he had not thought there was the possibility that he would betray and double cross him which he does. Roderigo, later finds out that Lago cannot be trusted and that is the main reason why he writes a letter and keeps it on his person; the letter serves to expose Lago’s character even more. In all these situations, Lago feels that his actions are justified which make him unrepentant with the audience and that is the reason he does not invite the result of sympathy and understanding. He says “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I will never speak a word. (Act 5 Scene 2, Line
Once Albert Schweitzer has said, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.” This conveys that life is a precious gift, but during lifetimes, this gift has been wasted or abused, which turn into a tragedy. Othello is one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, originally written as a play and have been adapted to films, TV productions, and a remix. This story revolves two characters: Othello, the general in Venetian army and Iago, the main antagonist. Moreover, he 's the bearer of Othello, but wants to ruin his life.
Written in 1603 by William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice tells the story of Othello, an esteemed foreign general, who after marrying Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of a Venetian senator, is manipulated into extreme paranoia by Iago, a spiteful ensign. Having been led to think that Desdemona has committed adultery, Othello murders Desdemona, and upon realizing his deception by Iago, subsequently commits suicide. Though the plot itself is relatively simple, the subjects addressed throughout the writing constitute a story of utmost complexity and depth. At the heart of Othello is the titular character himself, a man torn between tenderness, hate, trust and jealousy. As a major player in his own tragic downfall, Othello fits multiple key aspects of the tragic hero archetype: he is essentially a virtuous person that nevertheless possesses a critical flaw, a flaw that ultimately culminates in his consumption by the worst aspects of his
He preys on their weaknesses and vulnerabilities, exploiting their flaws to further his own agenda. For example, he manipulates Cassio, Othello's loyal lieutenant, by taking advantage of his drinking habit and goading him into actions that would harm his reputation. He also manipulates Roderigo, a wealthy suitor of Desdemona, by exploiting his infatuation with Desdemona and extracting money from him to fund his malicious plans, “She did deceive her father, marrying you”(III.iii.67). Iago's manipulation of these characters reveals his cunning and deceitful nature, as well as his mastery in exploiting human weaknesses for his own gain. Moreover, Iago's actions and motivations align with the outlaw archetype's tendency to disrupt social order and create chaos.
The characteristics of Othello includes passion, obligation, courage, jealousy and intelligence. These are great characteristics to have, but proves to eventually lead to Othello’s demise. Othello was a foreigner from Africa who was sort of accepted into the Venetian society, only because of his excellent track record of winning wars, but he was an outsider and never fully accepted. Othello enjoyed the status and luxuries of being a General and leading the defense of Venice. He also understood that he
In the play Othello, we meet many characters that range in personalities. In this play, a character by the name of Iago is the villain. He is a 28 year old man who, in my opinion, needs psychiatric help. His role in this play is totally based on manipulation and destruction of Othello and basically all of the other characters in the play. He talks to himself about things he could, should, and does to people, as well as his vigilant hate for Othello.
The play’s protagonist and hero. Othello is the highly respected general of the armies of Venice, although he is not a native of Venice but rather a Moor, or North African. He is an eloquent and powerful figure, Othello shows to be a fearless soldier and general. and has been in the army for many years. He is used to the work of military life.
Throughout the play, he would often talk about Iago in the same manner as in Act 2, scene 2, “a man he is of honesty and trust”( II,ii. 323-324). Given that Othello trusted who he thought was his best friend, it was easier for Iago to bring Othello down. The root of Iago’s evil intentions is jealousy, which he describes to be like a “green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (III,iii. 196-197). He speaks of it in a way that captures how it affects man because that is what he was going through after Cassio got the lieutenancy.
Othello’s character undergoes a significant change due to a series of events at the hands of Iago, the play’s antagonist to enhance the fact that even a valiant heroes can become corrupt. In the beginning of the play, Othello adores
Roderigo, is a young and rich man. He becomes furious when he finds out that Othello marries Desdemona. Once again we see how emotions take over the characters and commit foolish decisions. Roderigo is so in love with Desdemona that he gives all of his money to Iago because Iago promised him that he would help him win Desdemona’s love. Iago once again betrays another one of his victim.
The tragedy of Othello written by William Shakespeare presents the main character Othello as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man. However, because of his insecurities and good nature he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his alleged friends. Shakespeare is known for his exceptional ability to compose plays full of deceit, revenge, and jealousy. Jealousy is an underlying theme throughout the tragedy and has been represented by many of the main characters, such as Iago, Roderigo, and Othello. The topic of jealousy will ultimately lead to the demise of many characters throughout the tragedy.
Othello’s confidence for a loyal man to maintain honesty and morals are contradicted through Iago’s actions: “in a man that’s just / They are close dilations, working from the heart, / That passion cannot rule” (3.3.123). Iago, due to the understatement to his name, is not perceivable as hateful. Othello’s willingness to sense Iago’s distress, and to believe his accusations, is because of the lack of awareness Othello has for his vengeance. Iago is of such little power and relevance within societal ranking that if he were to have intentions to sabotage anyone, which he does, are not considered, thus making him easily trustworthy to those of greater dominance. Society’s view of an individual determines how others consider and surmise their persona, though these conclusions may be false.
Iago embodies dishonesty using lies and deceit to entangle everyone in his trap. In Act 1, Roderigo questions Iago’s faithfulness to Othello. Iago answers by saying, “Whip me such honest knaves,” meaning he only pretends to be faithful and loyal to Othello, fooling him into trusting Iago (1.1.49). As the play progresses, people describe Iago as honest; however, Iago decieves everyone into believing his word. Othello frequently describes Iago as “A man he is of honesty and trust” (1.3.284) as well as “most honest” (2.3.6).
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.
He is jealous of Othello, show in, “I confess it is my shame to be so fond/but it is not in my virtue to amend it” (1.3:316-317). Roderigo is desperate for Desdemona and Iago takes advantage of this and makes him do thing such as kill Cassio. Roderigo does all of Iago’s dirty work and makes his plan successful. Also, Roderigo is unintelligent and realizes too late that his “money is almost spent” (2.3:364-368). Iago makes several false promises to Roderigo and he does not expose Iago because he is desperate for love.
It is clear from the first scene that Roderigo is bitter towards Othello because Othello and Desdemona got married, because he also loves her and his jealousy is his motive throughout the entire play. After he saw that Othello and Desdemona were truly married, in a conversation with Iago, he stated "I will incontinently drown