In both Medea and Othello the villains play a significant part in the story line. To understand the villains it is important to examine the motives and strategies of each villain. In this paper I will compare both villains and how each played their role in the outcome of the stories.
Euripides, also known as one of the most tragic of Greek poets, can be well known for his play Medea. Medea was a character with a barbaric background who was very heart broken when her husband Jason cheated and left her. Jason breaking his oath to Medea was the motive for her revenge. Medea throughout the play had already been portrayed as a very clever woman and she was able to use that to her advantage. Medea’s strategy for revenge was to hurt Jason without physically hurting him, leaving him to suffer for the rest of his life. In order to get her revenge Medea planned to kill
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In this play Othello, a noble Moor, chooses Cassio to be his lieutenant instead of his trust worthy friend Iago. There are many hints within the play of past issues Iago had with Othello that may be apart of the motive for Iago’s revenge. However, Othello’s decision of the lieutenant position causes great jealousy within Iago and seems to be the main motive for revenge. After Othello marries Desdemona Iago decides that his revenge will be to destroy Othello’s happy life and marriage. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Iago is also portrayed as a very clever villain using others to secretly help with his plan and his “trustworthiness” to destroy Othello. In the end Iago tricks Othello into believing that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio upsetting Othello greatly. Othello decides that the best decision is to kill Desdemona for not being loyal, but only to find out in the end the affair was only a lie. To finish this very tragic play Othello ends his own life out of grief and the regret of his
In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello's pride prevents him from finding the truth, eventually leading to his demise. Initially, Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love, despite her father's disapproval of their marriage. However, when Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago to Lieutenant, Iago has his revenge by convincing Othello that Desdemona cheats on him with Cassio, destroying the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Othello grows to meet his downfall when his trusted friend Iago causes him to think that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful.
determine as to which one will win, so that is why one cannot exist without the other. However, there are some whose emotions are unbalanced, which causes them to near towards one side more than the other one and many times the side a lot of people prefer to lean on is evil. Shakespeare’s play Othellois set in 16thcentury Venice and Cyprus. Othello, a noble black general from the Venetian army has secretly married Desdemona, daughter of Venice senator Brabantio. Othello chooses inexperienced Cassio to be his lieutenant, while he decides to give the ensign position to Iago, a malicious but very experienced man who, with his stealth and knavery, will ultimately ruin almost everyone’s life since for a long time, he was desiring the position of lieutenant just like Cassio. At the end of the play, Othello, Desdemona, Iago’s wife Emilia, and his sidekick Roderigo die due to his revenge against Cassio, for obtaining the position he wanted and Othello, for being the man who he hates the most. The play ends with Iago being told that he will be punished and tortured for his actions. However, despite the fact that Iago is punished at the end of the play for doing all of the malicious things he did, he still manages to wear down Othello’s relationship with Desdemona, get Cassio demoted from his lieutenancy, and cause Othello to show his cowardness by
In the Tragedy of Othello, by William Shakespeare, a great injustice is done to the main character, Othello the Moor. Othello is manipulated by the villain Iago to satiate Iago’s need for control and his desire for revenge. Othello the General has promoted another, Cassio, to hold the position that Iago feels he deserves. For the injustice that Iago feels has been committed against him, he brings about the destruction of Othello and his wife, Desdemona, using Cassio as his tool for doing so.
Revenge is the main theme in the play Othello by William Shakespeare and it is portrayed from the character Iago. Through Iago’s soliloquies he reveals his horrible doings. Iago wants to get revenge on Othello and his loved one Desdemona. The reason why he wants to get revenge at Othello is because he promotes Cassio to Lieutenant. Iago takes advantage of his reputation “Honesty Iago” to manipulate other characters in the play to get revenge from Othello. Iago is aware that he can easily manipulate the people around him to get revenge from Othello that he does not stop and think about the harm he is causing. Iago is a brilliant character that he successfully manipulates Cassio, Desdemona, Roderigo and his own wife Emilia to fulfill his
Othello’s trust for Iago enables Iago to completely discredit Othello as the good guy of the play when Iago manipulates him into thinking Desdemona was unfaithful to him with Cassio. Even though Othello must know in his heart that Desdemona would not betray him, he is so caught up by Iago's efforts and has fallen for his manipulative lies, that all rational thoughts abandons Othello and he ultimately ends up murdering his wife since to Othello betrayal was immoral. At the end of play, even Othello can hardly believe what he has done because he thinks of himself as, "One not easily jealous, but, being wrought, perplexed in the extreme..." meaning that he has acted out of character and only in the interests of honor. Iago’s betrayal to those such as Othello and Desdemona, ultimately successfully destroyed everyone, himself included.
Euripides created a two-headed character in this classical tragedy. Medea begins her marriage as the ideal loving wife who sacrificed much for her husband's safety. At the peak of the reading, she becomes a murderous villain that demands respect and even some sympathy. By the end, the husband and wife are left devoid of love and purpose as the tragedy closes.
Euripides wrote Medea, which is an ancient Greek tragedy. The play Medea is based upon the myth of Jason and Medea. In the play Medea committed a series of murders throughout the play because her husband, Jason left her and their sons for the Creon’s daughter which is the princess at this time. The crime that stood out the most would have to be where Medea killed her own innocent children. Medea should be punished for this act because her children did not deserve to be killed by their own mother all because their dad left them and her jealousy and hatred for him drove her to plot revenge.
Medea is the tragic story of a woman desperate for revenge upon her husband, after he betrayed her for another woman’s bed. It was written by Euripides, a Greek playwright, in 431 B.C. Throughout the play each character shows us their inconsistent and contradicting personalities, in particular, Jason and Medea. The play opens with the Nurse expressing her anxiety about Jason betraying and leaving Medea for another, wealthier, woman. Our initial reaction is to feel empathetic towards Medea, who has been abandoned so conveniently. But towards the end of the play, when Medea takes revenge on
Othello, not knowing that Cassio was in fact speaking with Desdemona in hopes of being reinstated as Lieutenant, mistakenly believes that the two are having an affair and that Desdemona has lost her chastity. Iago skillfully capitalizes on the situation by developing his attack further: "She did deceive her father, marrying you" (3.3.220). Othello begins to see Iago's reasoning: if she could deceive her father, she could just as easily deceive her new husband. Once Othello's bliss has been decimated, Iago concentrates on weakening Othello's perception of himself; Iago very carefully and very tactfully chooses words and metaphors that subconsciously pit Othello against the Venetians. Othello begins to perceive himself as an outsider in his own country, "a malignant and turbaned Turk" (5.2.365). A fruitful marriage with a Venetian woman becomes out of the question in Othello's mind. Iago's successful manipulation takes a self-confidant man and reduces him to one at ends with himself and with the woman he loved.
While Medea's actions may seem over the top with not only killing a princess and king, but her sons as well, Euripides made it so that men could realize that women will go very far just for the chance of revenge, using Medea as an example. Euripides makes a three dimensional character, giving her life and cause to her actions, causing readers to wonder if Medea is a ill or a barbarian . She is rather provoked, by getting divorced, told to get over it, exiled from her birth home and her current home. Medea is a play of revenge that goes on to destroy a person to make them hurt enough, like they made Medea hurt through her divorce and exile. Medea has sacrificed a lot just to be with Jason, only to reform herself to become dependent on him and
He gloats about the easy in which he can manipulate Roderigo (the fool) into giving him money. Directly after this, you hear of Iago’s feelings towards Othello (the Moor). You learn of Iago’s suspicion about his wife having an affair with Othello. This gains pity from the audience, because you feel that Iago is a man deeply distraught over the idea of his wife cheating on him. Iago then begins to contemplate how he would seek vengeance on Othello and gain his title. Iago plans to use Othello’s trust and opinion of him to his advantage. He speaks about how he will use Cassio as his pawn to lure Othello into believing his wife, Desdemona is being unloyal to him. Iago discloses that Othello’s character is naive and will be easy to manipulate. As his closing statement he states that, with a little help from the devil, his monstrous plan will be a success.
Death is a certainty for any living human being unless a person believes in preserving their brain cryogenically, but despite what you believe, death is going to come either tragically, horribly or peacefully. Now, imagine death coming at the hand of the one who held you close when you were born and shed uncontrollable tears, the one who promised never to let you go come what may, the one who swore to give their life for you if need be, or the one who feels every emotion that you go through even without being told. In Euripides Medea, the main character is a serial villain who commits a lot of atrocious acts to exert revenge on her ex-husband due to his humiliation and oppression of her.
The retelling of the play "othello" is betrayal can lead to trickery, hate, and jealousy. Iago betrayals his best friend othello over othello wife desdemona which a deeply in love. Iago finds othello mother handkerchief which 'twas his first gift to his wife and Iago gives proof to othello that she is cheating with Cassio who drunk by Iago and fooled and othello gets proof based on textual evidence Iago nodded Now his revenge against Cassio was sealed. But he had more poisoned words for Othello. “My friend Cassio is as good as dead,” he said. Then he added slyly, “But let Desdemona live.’ Iago gives him proof then started being shallow with his feeling towards
"Othello is set in a world and focuses on the passions and personalities of its major figures." (Thomas). Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The work revolves around four central characters: Othello, Othello's wife Desdemona, his lieutenant Cassio and advisor Iago. The play appeared in seven editors between 1622 and 1705. The themes of the story are racism, love, jealousy, and betrayal. Othello is a black soldier who is accused of stealing his wife Desdemona. Although Desdemona's father dislikes his daughter's choice, Desdemona loves Othello very much and the two are married. Othello’s right hand man is angered at the fact that Othello picked a man named Cassio to be more important than him and he also feels that he is messing with his wife. Iago plans to manipulate Othello but his plan eventually causes more hurt to most of the characters. Iago tries to use the meeting between Cassio and Desdemona as a way to make Othello believe she was cheating on him. Iago goes on with his manipulative plan by planting a handkerchief in Cassio's room, and goes and tell Othello about what he has seen Cassio do. Othello becomes jealous throughout the story and begins to believe that Cassio is talking to his wife. Iago persuades Othello to come up with a master plan to kill Cassio and Desdemona. As Othello tries to kill Desdemona, Emilia, Iago's wife, comes in to tell Othello the truth about Iago. Unfortunately it is too late. Othello had already suffocated her. When Othello
At all points of one’s life, one has desires; what separates and defines a person is determined by how that person goes about dealing with those desires. Some believe in working honestly towards his or her aspirations and others in seizing it at any cost. Iago, the antagonist of the play Othello is one of those people who would do anything in order to get what he wishes. Because Othello names Cassio lieutenant instead of him, he begins to device a plan in vengeance to bring Othello and Cassio down, which ends up tragic for all of the major characters. Iago’s obsessive need for revenge stems from jealousy and ambition, and because he is a master manipulator, the plan goes extremely smooth for the majority of the play.