How Does Iago Use Power In Othello

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

Jonathan Dunham Cameron Monroe English IV 08 March 2024 Othello Embedded Assessment Iago Throughout the duration of Othello, Iago proves to be the undermining antagonist of the play. Countless times throughout the book we see him plot, scheme, and work as hard as he can to throw Othello off the throne that he’s built for himself. We watch as he talks behind Othello’s back and tries to ruin his and Desdemona’s love for one another. He’s not at the top and his drive for power and his hatred for Othello being in power makes him strive harder to put Othello down.

In Cassandra Martin's’ writing she quotes Codoban saying, “ human communication means influencing other minds through language.” Looking at Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago persuades, manipulates, and seduces each character through communication, disregarding any collateral damage, to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming lieutenant and paying back Othello for sleeping with his wife. “Persuasion is communicating with more than words in attempt to influence or change the framework of another, occasionally leading to a shift in behavior” (Codoban). This is an intentional and conscious act where the person being persuaded knows the intended message. Iago, less than other strategies, but still frequently used persuasion to help sway other characters into helping him.

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

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's poison pours on to Othello's mind and makes him to be manipulated by the enemy. Iago, when makes his plan says:

Within this very same scene (Act III/ scene iii/ lines 101-274) Iago, who was denied a promotion by Othello, convinces him that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Their marriage clearly has some trust issues, since Othello loses faith in his wife after a few misleading words from Iago. In fact, Othello even went so far as to physically hit her. He let himself get so

This leads to a manipulative Iago to get under Othello’s skin enough to the point that Othello is practically begging Iago to tell him.

In the prompt response see how Othello is easily manipulated, overpowered by rage, blinded by jealousy and how his foolishness caused Desdemona’s tragic death and soon after his own. Body Paragraph 1: Throughout the story Othello’s jealous ensign Iago is plotting to ruin Othello marriage and reputation. Iago plans to manipulate Othello through Desdemona by getting Othello to believe

Throughout this passage, Iago’s main techniques of deception include lies, syntax and diction, and hoodwinking Othello into thinking his way. By quickly averting his conflict with Othello at the start of the scene, he easily avoids confrontation

Such a response from Othello proves that Iago was able to

In each case, Iago manipulates Othello into seeing and believing what he wants him to, rather than the reality of what is actually happening. In this way, Iago becomes a kind of ‘director’.

Iago plants ideas in Othello’s head, uses the innocent actions of others as his proof; and Othello, who is not practiced in worldly matters, believes his the misnomer of the “honest Iago”, and eventually is consumed by the lie.

While filling Othello’s ears with lies and hatred, Iago says that “I know not that: but such a handkerchief I am sure it was your wife’s- did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with” (Shakespeare, 67). Iago is poisoning Othello’s ears by telling him about the ocular proof that Othello was asking for all along. Furthermore, Iago uses another excellent technique to manipulate Othello by making remember the past events. Iago says to Othello that, “she did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake, and fear your looks, she loved them most” (Shakespeare, 59). Iago is explaining to Othello that if Desdemona can deceive her father by marrying Othello, she can deceive him too. Iago also tells Othello that Desdemona fell for his looks because he is an outsider. Iago is excellent at manipulating the situation and filling others’ ears with lies, which makes his plan successful without anyone suspecting him.

As the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. In Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago thoroughly abuses the power of the trust that others have in him. The story takes place in Venice, Italy, and in Cyprus, during the late 16th century. Iago, an ensign, is attempting to manipulate Othello, the Venetian general, into feeling jealous of his wife, Desdemona. Iago wants Othello to feel the same as he did when Othello picked another soldier, Cassio, over him for the position of lieutenant. As Othello progresses, Iago increasingly abuses the trust that others have in him in order to execute his schemes, because he enjoys holding control over those more powerful than him; this point is evident when he when he manipulates Roderigo (a Venetian