Everyone At Some Point Or Another Has Been Passed Over.

Iago, being remarkably wise, understood this, explaining to Roderigo: “If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions” (Shakespeare 1.3.322-25). People require balance in their life in order to maintain stability, and therefore maintain their sanity. In the same way balance provides structure in one’s life, imbalance can also bring about one’s undoing. Iago was not traditionally at the apex of power in the Elizabethan triangle of power, but every character was still a pawn in his scheme. His manipulation over each character truly put him as the most powerful character, at least until his true intentions were later revealed. Iago deliberately offset the balance in Othello’s life, and manipulated his jealousy in such a way that allowed him to succeed in all that he had planned. His plan would not have otherwise come to fruition had Othello not allowed his emotion to overpower his logic. Iago was able to simultaneously accomplish every goal in exploiting Othello’s jealousy. Iago painted Cassio, the lieutenant, to be Desdemona’s lover behind Othello’s back. In doing this, he won Othello’s trust, ruined Desdemona and Othello’s relationship, as per Roderigo’s payment to him, and eventually became named lieutenant after Cassio’s demotion. Being the cunning manipulator ultimately brought Iago was success in

In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, Iago demonstrates a mastery of manipulation over people who had previously trusted and confided in him. His sudden turn from Othello’s loyal ensign to rage-filled villain seems indicative of a man who can no longer accept his position in life. Iago’s plotting of Othello’s demise starts as idle talk of a disgruntled 28 year-old career military man passed over for promotion. Iago believes that such a promotion may never come after Othello rejects his candidacy and makes it clear that he did not believe him suitable. He sees Othello is only concerned with personal and political gain with his choice of Cassio as lieutenant. When Iago teams with love-scorned and desperate Roderigo, he begins

Othello’s love for Desdemona was so deep he could not bear the thought of another being with her; “If she be false, O! Then heaven mocks itself. I’ll not believe’t.” Iago uses the characters of Cassio and the obsessive Roderigo as his weapons in his cunning plan. Iago drives the idea into Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been unfaithful, inciting him into a state of jealousy. “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again.” Othello growing insecurities about his wife’s faithfulness only adds to his psychological suffering which in turn acts as a catalyst towards the suffering of other characters involved in the play.Iago tells these lies with the intention of driving Othello insane as well as establish his dominance and influence the situations of those characters close to Othello. Evidence of this comes in one of Iago’s soliloquies from act two, scene one; “That Cassio loves her, I do well Believe’t: That she loves him, ‘tis apt and of great credit.” This section shows that he is trying to convince himself that his own manipulative lies are true and is trying to reassure his motives by justifying his own actions. By convincing Othello

Iago is a powerful predator who exploits those around him by infecting their perceptions of truth with carefully chosen fallacy. His skill in finding the proverbial chinks in others' armor allows him to skillfully weave his machinations of destroying Othello into their minds and actions; by manipulating character's perceptions of Desdemona, Iago gains the leverage he needs to exploit each character. No one is impervious to Iago's seething purpose; even Othello falls prey to Iago's suggestions and insinuations about Desdemona. Iago's constant presence as the stager, as well as his ceaseless - but subtle - reinforcement of events through narration, allows him to be the pivotal force that directs

One of the few things everyone has been taught from an early age is the Golden Rule: treat others how you wish to be treated. Well, everyone except for Iago. In Othello, Iago executes a cruel plan to ruin the lives of everyone around him. Throughout Shakespeare’s thrilling tale, Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, and the many other characters unknowingly pave the paths to their own demise, becoming victims to Iago’s unmerciful cruelty. The interactions between the characters, stemmed from Iago’s brutality, highlights cruelty’s potential to not only destroy, but bestow perpetrators with power and victims with suffering.

Othello plays right into the hand of Iago, which causes him to lose his friendship and trust in Cassio. “OTHELLO: What dost thou say? IAGO: Nothing, my lord; or if --- I know not what. OTHELLO: Was not that Cassio parted from my wife? IAGO: Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it That he would steal away so guiltylike, seeing your coming. OTHELLO: I do believe ‘twas he.” (119). Iago purposely makes Othello see the communication between Cassio and Desdemona, which causes Othello to question himself yet again. This is the true beginning of Othello’s madness and downfall. Ultimately, Othello becomes so untrustworthy of his wife that he decides to murder her; much to the delight of Iago. “OTHELLO: get me some poison, Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate with her lest body and beauty unprovide my mind again. This night, Iago. IAGO: Do it not with poison. Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated. OTHELLO: Good, good. The justice of it pleases. Very good.”(185). Othello’s mind had been so influenced by Iago that he gave up the one person who would love him forever, even though she told him that she did not cheat on him. When he finally realized what he had done, he stabs himself, which is the ultimate signal of a manipulated

People often pretend to be things they are not, just to get what they want out of people. They go to great lengths just to benefit themselves and do not care how it affects anyone else. Iago is one of those people; he went to the extreme just ruin Cassio and Othello in any way he could. Iago seemed to have compassion and great loyalty to his friends in the beginning of the play but as his plan started to be revealed he showed that he was inclined towards the manipulation of other characters due to his jealousy.

Iago’s intentions lie within his goal to replace Cassio as lieutenant as he complicates many relationships to the extreme, without showing his good qualities and proving himself to Othello as a strong and hard worker. Iago is more complex than what meets the eye, but he’s devious and manipulative towards the people around him; he contains a static personality and will not change because he is who he was meant to be causing mayhem.

355,] By playing on his hopes, Iago is able to conjure money and jewels from Roderigo, making himself a profit, while using Roderigo to further his other plans. He also thinks stealthy on his feet and is able to improvise whenever something unexpected occurs. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona's hand before the arrival of the Moor Othello, Iago says, "With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio." [II, i, 163] This language demonstrates the evil inside Iago’s goals of retrieving absolute power. He actually even says of himself, "I am an honest man...." [II, iii, 245] Iago slowly corrupts the character’s thoughts, creating ideas in their minds without implicating himself. His "medicine works! Thus credulous fools are caught...." [II, i, 44] "And what's he then that says I play the villain, when this advice is free I give, and honest," [II, iii, 299] says Iago. In turn, people rarely stop to consider the fact that old Iago could be deceiving and manipulating them; yet they are convinced that he is "Honest Iago." From these quotes from “Othello” it is proven that the dialogue used between Iago and the others is manipulative causing an evil outcome.

He successfully manipulates Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello into doing what he wants and he never once is a suspect due to his great façade of friendliness. Iago exploits certain personality traits of each character in order to achieve his master plan. For example, Iago uses Desdemona’s kind heart against her by making Othello believe that her consistent vouching for Cassio to earn his rank back is due to her alleged affair with Cassio. “For ‘tis most easy/Th’ inclining Desdemona to subdue/ In any honest suit/ She’s framed as fruitful” (II.iii.319-21). By abusing Desdemona’s kind nature in order to get what he wants, Iago proves that he has no concern, or empathy, for what happens to anyone else in the play, including the innocent Desdemona. Iago also utilizes Othello’s trusting nature, Cassio’s attractiveness, and Roderigo’s love for Desdemona to further his scheme, disregarding any consequences that would occur because of his

Iago determines to use jealousy to make Othello suspect Desdemona loves Cassio. He starts manipulating Othello’s mind to suspect Desdemona is having an affair. In this way he can get revenge from Cassio and Othello whom both he hated and at the same time gets the position he wants in the army. Iago starts to depict desdemona’s and Cassio’s simple conversation as if they were flirting; while in reality Cassio was asking for Desdemona’s help.

From beginning to end of William Shakespeare’s Othello, antagonist Iago is able to methodically exploit those closest to him and ruin several lives out of sheer animosity, all while maintaining a façade of trustworthiness. Iago’s awareness of his evil and his ability to draw on each character’s flaws and insecurities enables him to easily persuade others into doing and believing what he says. The blind faith that Roderigo, Cassio and Othello each place in Iago provides the perfect guise for Iago’s evil intentions. While Iago’s belief that he deserves a promotion to lieutenant is the root cause of this evil, as the plot develops he begins to relish in his manipulation of those around him and his wrongdoings expand beyond his initial motive.

We’ve all faced a villain in our lives. Whether it’s a schoolyard bully, or someone who is jealous beyond words, they have wreaked havoc in our lives. However, nobody, except Othello that is, has ever faced a villain as monovalent and conniving as Iago. He is a villain most excellent, but Iago is more than a jealous weasel; he displays traits that point towards sociopathic tendencies. These traits are usually counterintuitive to establishing trust and friendships, but they actually make Iago a very strong villain who drives the play forward. Throughout “Othello,” by William Shakespeare, Iago works actively to undermine Othello’s career and dismantle his new marriage. Iago’s role in the play is so prominent that he may actually be the protagonist. Whatever his role may be, it is implicitly evident that Iago’s heinous acts

The path of life requires the direction of morality. Without this guidance, it is easy to be led astray down dark tunnels of egocentrism. Shakespeare reveals these many flaws of humanity through his plays. Within the interactions between the dramatic characters, he is able to construct the faults that are relatable in everyone even to this day. In one of his plays, Othello, Shakespeare uses the manipulation from Iago in order to gain the revenge he desired. He is betrayed the position he desires and stops at nothing to get what he wants. As he begins to shape other characters into the pawns he needs to play with, he quickly learns to feed off the power he obtains. Yet within the destruction of others, Iago manages to also destroy himself.

In William Shakespeare’s, Othello, the play introduces a falsely perceived character by the name of Iago. After Othello’s unjust decision of not promoting Iago as lieutenant, Iago generated an immense amount of hatred for Othello, leading to Iago’s atrocious revenge on Othello. Although Iago took his revenge to extreme measures, he was simply getting vengeance on Othello for swindling him out of his promotion, therefore Iago’s revenge occurred as a direct result of Othello’s decision.