Examples Of Iago Evil

To be evil, villainous or Satan-like, is to state that one does hurtful things to other citizens for the pure enjoyment of themselves. Hitler, Stalin and Napoleon are all leaders, who undoubtedly can be stated as evil. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, the character Iago is considered evil. It is argued though that he is not evil, just simply a human. Iago throughout the play becomes insecure over his decline in power leading him to become jealous and get revenge on those who contributed to this feeling of self-doubt. Though Iago at times is satisfied with the way he treats others, his motives are humanistic and the way he deals with his envy for others makes him one of the manliest men in William Shakespeare’s Othello.

Fred West’s perspective on Iago is that he is a psychopath. He argued that Iago is an ‘accurate portrait of a psychopath’. He stated that “the psychopath does not set out to lie in the self-conscious, guilt-beset way that a normal person would. Lying does not bother him.” I agree with West’s view of Iago being a psychopath. By definition psychopaths are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, both of which are demonstrated by Iago during the play. Psychopath’s are often charming, they are very manipulative, just like Iago is with Othello and how he manipulates him into believing Othello’s wife has been unfaithful and can easily gain people’s trust, Iago’s ‘honest’ facade allows people to believe he is trustworthy.

This next part of Iago’s character plays an equally important role in the play. An article says that a “... superb ability of Iago is that he has an acute eye for his victim's weaknesses and exploits them mercilessly.” (“Villainous Role of Iago in Othello”). Iago is able to use the characters weaknesses against them for his own selfish reasons. While the audience is aware of Iago’s plan, the other characters are oblivious to his evil

There are many critical interpretations of Iago’s character. Was he a ‘skillful villain’? Or perhaps he was a ‘mysterious creature of unlimited cynicism’? Or was he simply a ‘wronged man’? More sinned against than sinning?

Iago's manipulative nature has a profound effect on the decisions made by other characters in Shakespeare's ‘Othello’. Through his relations with those around him Shakespear characterizes him as a man full of malice, vengeance and dishonesty that is wholly inspired by jealousy. Furthermore it would appear that Iago has an exceptional ability to scheme, a talent which he uses to snake his way into the lives of others and exploit them through their weaknesses. Whether he does this for profit or for pleasure is a separate issue.

He is selfish, and he manipulates others as is seen in his plans. Iago’s character is evil and manipulative.

Iago is thoroughly narcissistic and unsympathetic towards the emotions he provokes from his actions. Hiss lack of a conscience and remorse “is one of the central features of psychopathy” (West). His motives exhibit more of an afterthought instead of a catalyst towards the actions he perpetuates. He is

Iago is one of the most misunderstood villains in Shakespeare literature. We side with Othello from the start because his name is on the cover of our paperback, we read Othello when learning about heroes, so we expect Iago to be a villain, a ruthless manipulator. We don’t know why, he doesn’t state it plainly or in simple English, so we assume that he’s evil, that he’s just a disgruntled sociopath out to exact his exaggerated revenge on good and noble Othello. Iago’s misunderstood reputation is a result of not truly examining his character, and answering the “why” factor behind his actions. After all, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. His goal in the play was not just to destroy Othello for the fun of it. His objective,

Iago spends all of his time plotting against Othello and Desdemona, Iago's capacity for cruelty seems limitless, and no motivation he gives for his actions seems enough to explain the incredible destruction he wreaks on the lives of the people he knows best. Iago is an artist of evil. Iago enjoys ruining people's lives.

Iago is one of Shakespeare's most complex villains. Initially you get the impression that the character of Iago is one of pure evil. Right from the start of Act 1, it becomes obvious that he is capable of most anything. You see right away that he is able to give the appearance of one thing, but in reality be something quite different. He has been acting like he is interested in helping Roderigo by bringing gifts and messages to Desdemona for him. Iago is in reality using Roderigo who is very gullible and in fact not too bright. Iago plays him like a fool, even taking money from him as payment for doing him favors.

Iago is known to be loyal and honest however, he even knows that, “[he] is not what [he] seems” (1.1.65). Iago has two different personalities, the personality he shows to the other characters in the play, and the personality that he shows to the audience. There is a huge difference between both these personalities. The side to himself that he shows to the characters is loyal and honest. However, his true personality is shown to the audience which is evil, hateful, and mean.

Iago is William Shakespeare’s most evil villain. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago plays a role that causes destruction of all the characters, which makes him one of the most infamous evil villains. His cruel, coldhearted manipulation is directed towards the innocent; this role good vs. evil causes the downfall of Rodrigo, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello. Iago’s ability is that he understands people’s flaws and uses them against them which make him evil because he uses his knowledge of human nature to manipulate others into thinking he is good when in reality he is one of the most evil villains in

He also pretends to be Cassio’s friend but gets him so drunk that he is stripped of his position of lieutenant and also persuades Roderigo to try and kill him. Iago uses Roderigo and claims to be helping him by winning Desdemona’s heart but actually never helps and eventually ends up killing him. He also wakes Brabantio and angers him by telling him of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage in a way that he becomes furious about it. And the manipulating goes on throughout the entire play. Iago can honestly be considered the master of

Iago’s manipulation and deception clearly therefore derives from his jealousy for Cassio and the sense that he has been betrayed by Othello. So, he seeks vengeance using anyone he can to attain this personal gain. From the beginning, it is clear that Iago is a deceitful man who says “Sblood!” as opposed to Roderigo’s “Tush!”, the audience already see his powers of deception as he explains how he is even worse off than Roderigo. His furious language: “A fellow almost damned in a fair wife” manages to convince the intellectual Roderigo who is presented along with Cassio in contrast to Iago. They are arguably used as foils to emphasise Iago’s deceitful and manipulative traits as shown from the beginning. The reason Iago is manipulative and

In the beginning of the play, Iago is seen by other characters as a wholesome character, often called “Honest Iago” due to his seemingly kind nature, though it is merely a mask his wickedness is hidden behind. Iago, when speaking to Rodrigo about his honorable position, he reveals his true intentions behind what he does in his position by saying,