In Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago deceives others, mainly Othello and Roderigo, due to his desire for revenge, an improved reputation, and power. Throughout the play, Iago uses his desire for revenge to deceive others, like Othello. Iago’s desire for revenge shows when he states, “For “Certes,” says he, / “I have already chose my officer.”/ And what was he?/ Forsooth, a great arithmetician, / One Michael Cassio, a Florentine” (1.1.17-21). Othello’s choice reveals Iago’s jealousy of Cassio earning the position which fuels Iago’s desire for revenge on not only Othello, but also on Cassio. Another time Iago deceives someone to build up his plan is when he tells Roderigo, “When she is sated with his/ body she will find the errors of
Discuss Shakespeare 's Use of Imagery in Othello to Reveal Character 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. Firstly, Shakespeare uses animal imagery to show that Iago views others as less than him.
The topic of jealousy will ultimately lead to the demise of many characters throughout the tragedy. Jealousy is first represented in Iago by his desire to become Othello’s lieutenant, however the position was offered to another character named Michael Cassio. Iago sincerely believes that he should hold the position of lieutenant and that the
One of the primary reasons Iago is jealous is due to his insecurity and needs to be superior to others. When Cassio is promoted, Iago’s insecurities fuel his jealous rage, which led him to being referred to as a “damned… demi-devil” (V.ii.353). In “Jealousy: Loves Destroyer”, Marano also observes that “a person who is very insecure is not just sexually jealous but jealous of… anything that takes attention of them”. Iago feels like the attention is constantly on Othello and Cassio. Iago plans to destroy them by any means because he did not attain the promotion, and the attention is not on
Envy and deceit are catalysts for revenge. William Shakespeare idolized Geoffrey Chaucer and allowed him to influence his plays and poems. All of his works were written in a poetic language. In the tragedy, Othello, Shakespeare uses characterization and external conflict to create Iago’s deceptive, vengeful, and envious motives. Using the characters’ relationships against them, the play reveals the power of deception and misinformation to destroy trust and loyalty.
In my opinion, it is Iago’s hatred towards Othello that strongly motivate him, and this hatred comes from a variety of causes. Before we analyze the causes of hatred, there is one thing of certainty: Iago does hate Othello. He uses the word “hate” to describe his feeling to Othello without hesitation at the beginning of play 1, scene 1: “Though I do hate him as I do hell pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love— Which is indeed but sign. (Shakespeare 1.1.171)”. At the same time, he starts to think about revenge: “I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason.
To Iago, the hate is explained subtly and then the lies and destruction follow. The beliefs of adultery involving Othello and Cassio are fantasies that feed his hate. To work his hatred into rage, he invents hurts to justify his heinous actions. In order to feel superiority, Iago also expresses his hatred towards women- treating them as sexual objects to satisfy men’s desires and nothing more. He makes rude and snide comments about both his wife and other women such as, “You rise to play and go to bed to work.” His opinion on their roles in society is apparent as he speaks crudely about both Emelia and Desdemona.
One of his motives was revealed in a soliloquy when he told the audience “For that I do suspect the lusty Moor / hath leaped into my seat” (II, i, 317-318). At this time, Iago reveals another one of his reasons for despising Othello is that he thinks he has slept with his wife, Emilia. Iago constantly unveils unconvincing motives for his actions and continuously changes his drive for hatred. In Act I, Iago claimed that he hated Othello because he gave the Lieutenant position to Cassio and then later says it is because he has a suspicion of Othello and Emilia sleeping together. Iago’s true motivation is never actually expressed which leaves his motives unidentified and actions impulsive.
To Othello, Iago is more reputable now causing Iago is, at this point, reputable, meaning Othello will to believe anything that Iago says even if it is a lie. Iago’s psychopathic manipulations of Cassio then ultimately cause his downfall once Othello discovers that Iago has been dishonest, his punishment of torture and imprisonment at the end of the play is his downfall. Iago’s Throughout the play, since Iago is trustworthy to Othello, Iago plants seeds of jealousy in Othello’s mind. In Act Five, scene two, Othello shows the audience how he believes that Iago is “most honest” (Shakespeare 1302). After he kills Desdemona, Othello explains his reasoning to Iago’s wife, Emilia, justifying that “Cassio did top her, ask thy husband else” (Shakespeare 1360), meaning that he killed his wife because according to Iago, Cassio and
In Act 1, Scene 1, Iago presents a couple of different reasons for hating Othello. First, he is upset because Othello overlooks him for lieutenant and instead designates Michael Cassio to the position. In addition, Iago speculates that his wife, Emilia, is cheating on him with “the Moor.”. In Act 1, Scene 3, Iago expresses his anger by saying, “I hate the Moor:/And it is thought abroad, that ‘twixt my sheets /He has done my office: I know if’t be true;/ But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,/ Will do as if for surety” (1.3.389-393). By saying “he has done my office” Iago presumes that Othello has been sleeping in his bed and fulfilling his duties; he distrusts Othello, Emilia, and all