Similarities Between Iago's Soliloquy In Othello

Everyone at some point in their lives attempts to convince someone to behave certain ways and to do specific things that ultimately will only benefit the person doing the convincing. Throughout the entire book, Othello, Iago attempts to convince numerous people in order to in the end only benefit and help himself. In this scene, Roderigo is explaining to Iago how he no longer wants to love because he is without Desdemona’s love. Iago then focuses on convincing Roderigo not only out of suicide, but also into getting Desdemona back. If Iago was unable to encourage Roderigo to go back after Desdemona, his plans would have been ruined. In lines 296-395, Iago uses many

However, along with his word choice, Iago is clever at the timing of what he says. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it to incite jealousy within anyone he wishes. He uses this particularly well with Roderigo and Othello. An example of Iago’s timing of jealousy is when he speaks to Roderigo of the suspicions regarding Desdemona’s love for Othello. “Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor but for bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for prating? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed”. In this excerpt Iago represents

However, different ideas can be inferred by his more personal asides, “I hate the Moor,/And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets/'Has done my office. I know not if 't be true,/But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,/ Will do as if for surety” (Shakespeare.I.III.429-433). One of the reasons for Iago’s evil doings is that he perceives that Othello has slept with his wife. With no real indication of this, Iago is left to stew in his hatred and jealousy. Saying that Othello has “’twixt [his] sheets/’Has done [his] office,” reveals that Iago believes Othello’s relationship with Emilia, exceeded a physical one (Shakespeare.I.III.430-431). Another plausible reason for Iago’s malicious activities is racism. Described as “the Moor,” Othello is segregated from the rest of the nobility throughout the story due to his race. The first indication of Iago’s racist thoughts is when he beckons Roderigo to call upon Barbantio and tell him about Desdemona and Othello. Interjecting, Iago yells to Barbantio, “Zounds, sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your/gown!/Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul./Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!/Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,/Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you./Arise, I say!” (Shakespeare.I.I.94-101). Declaring that Barbantio has been “robbed…for shame,” indicates that

Once a seed of suspicion or doubt is planted in a person’s mind, the noxious effect of jealousy is soon to ensue. Jealousy and suspicion are Othello’s flaws hubris throughout the play and foreshadow to the audience his imminent downfall. He believes what Iago tells him so strongly that he compromises his close relationship with his best friend and his love for his wife. Iago manipulates Othello through the use of extortion, literary techniques, and his keen judge of character. His syntax and diction are so simple yet so powerful because he uses the correct rhetorical questions and addresses Othello with respectful terms such as “my lord.” He allows Othello do most of the talking

reason he "would expend time with such a snipe" is but to use him. He

William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice is a play of great manipulation and jealousy. Iago is the antagonist character of the play Othello. Iago becomes irate and filled with jealousy when Othello names Michael Cassio as his lieutenant, because Iago believed he should have been the one promoted not Michael Cassio. By manipulating everyone around him, Iago portrays himself as an honest noble man whom can be trusted. Iago being known for the honest man he earns everyone’s trust and therefore learns their weakness for his ultimate plan of destruction. Iago’s greatest skill is disguising his manipulative schemes of destroying and betraying the ones around him with what he leads people to believe as honesty. Iago uses their

A key figure, if not the most important in the play, is that of the malcontent Iago, who sows the seeds of jealousy in Othello’s mind, and presents him with ‘proof’ to back up his suspicions. Iago acts as a catalyst to Desdemona’s murder and it is his intricate

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.

In the first scene, Iago was seen in the middle of a conversation with Roderigo. This opening scene sets forth the key elements to understanding Iago’s basic character and the play’s conflict. The scene revealed Iago’s deep resentment toward Othello and his outlook on himself as a soldier. “And I of whom his eyes had

“But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office. I know not if 't be true, But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety” (1.3.429-433). Iago decides that, while he has absolutely no proof to base this on, he is suspicious that the “the Moor”, Othello, has been cheating with Iago’s wife, Emilia. Iago even admits in this quote that he simply hates Othello for his own

A.C. Bradley describes Othello as "by far the most romantic figure among Shakespeare's heroes"(Shakespearean Tragedy, 1). This is an unusual description of a man who murders his own wife. However, Othello's feelings of hate for Desdemona started as an overwhelming love for her when their relationship began. This transformation from love to hate also inflicted the characters Iago and Roderigo and like Othello their hatred resulted in the murder of innocent people. Roderigo's love for Desdemona was transformed into hate towards any man that he thought was loved by her. Iago's love for his job and his wife, Emilia changed into a destructive hatred of Cassio and Othello. As a result of

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.

Iago has many reasons to hate Othello, including the fact that he had been passed over for a promotion, in which Othello had snatched the position, and he also suspects Othello had slept with Emilia. These reasons were given to the audience, as Iago, himself, reveals his reasons to Roderigo, “ I hate the Moor; and it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets 'has done my office. I know not if't be true; yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” (1.3.378-82). Iago is never turned back on his plan to ruin Othello and the people surrounding him, since he is always contemplating on how Othello doesn’t deserve his accolades, and how Iago is plotting revenge against him. This keeps Iago to consistently, and deliberately continue with his strategies, which keeps the audience empathetic for the rest of the story. Iago is also jealous of Othello’s ability to woo and lure Desdemona, “It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor ... She must change for youth. When she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice.” (1.3.340). However, Even if Iago had received the promotion; even if he had no suspicions or jealous feelings, he would still invent new motives for hating the Moor, as he is the devil of the story. Iago is not capable of performing good deeds, sustaining good relationships, or even

Iago makes a complete fool out of Roderigo. In fact, as play starts Iago is taking advantage of Roderigo. Roderigo remarks, "That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse as if the strings were thine." [Act I, Scene I, Line 2]. Throughout the play, Iago leads Roderigo by the collar professing that he "hate(s) the Moor" [Act I, Scene III, Line 344] and telling Roderigo to "make money" [Act I, Scene III, Line 339] to give Desdemona gifts to win her over. During the Iago keeps the gifts that Roderigo purchases for Desdemona for himself. Roderigo eventually begins to question Honest Iago, saying "I think it is scurvy, and begin to find myself fopped in it." [Act IV, Scene II, Line 189]. When faced with this accusation, Iago simply offers that killing Cassio will

Love and hate are both very powerful emotions. The abundance one can feel inside when feeling them can be overwhelming at times. I think everyone can relate to the feeling when you love someone so much you would do anything and everything for them. We can also understand that feeling when you can’t even stand the thought of someone being in the same room of you. When we look at what emotion is more powerful, I think hate is stronger than love. The reason being is that love can quickly turn to hate, but hate doesn’t change to love very fast, if at all. I think Othello is a great example of this. His love for his wife, turned to hate so fast because he thought she was cheating on him. He murdered his wife in pure cold blood which shows how hate can be such a powerful emotion that it can actually cause someone to want to commit murder. The feeling of love and hate can change someone, and they both can be very powerful. However, I think that hate is an emotion unlike no other in which the feeling is very stable, in the since that it is very hard to change someone’s mind about you when they hate you.