The Manipulation Of Iago In William Shakespeare's Othello

Othello is one of Shakespeare’s bittersweet tragedies. The character that is unforgettable is the one and only Iago, who not only manipulate Othello, but his audience as well into thinking he is not to blame for the cause of Othello’s death. Iago’s character shows so many emotions in Act 1, Scene 3. The additions to the scenes have a great impact, but the things that were left out also have meaning. In the video clips, we see Iago played in three different ways; although, he is portraited differently there are many similarities that shows his manipulation and thirst for revenge on Othello. In the first clip, the viewer sees Iago in a Shakespeare type of setting. This is where Bob Hoskins played the role of Iago in the 1981 BBC production of Othello. Hoskins’ performance was a type of performance that you would think to see when you go to the theater to see a play. Although, there is not an

(In my opinion I think this is the best version of this play. No one can top Kenneth Branagh.) In this film not only does Branagh play Iago character in a way that is brilliant, but also his manipulation of the camera grabs the viewers’ attention. As Iago is about to deliver his speech notice he turns his face towards the camera and talks to the audience. Iago seems to be searching for the audience approval of his plan. In this film it was very hard to portray Iago as the bad character because Kenneth Branagh played the role so good that the audience was plotting with Iago. The setting of this film was more realistic because it was a movie, so there were more settings and the movie made a different impact then this play being performed on stage. The director captured more angles with the camera, using close ups to his advantage to help Kenneth Branagh manipulate the audience as well as