Iago, By William Shakespeare

Iago is very notorious for his villainous acts throughout the play “Othello”, by William Shakespeare. Iago’s motives drive him to manipulate and deceive other characters so his “monstrous” (I, iii, 395) plot would succeed. Iago manages to con Roderigo to take his money. Iago also tries to ruin Othello and Desdemona’s relationship by using Cassio as a bait. In this passage, Iago explains how he will manipulate Rodrigo, Cassio and, most importantly, Othello to achieve his goals.

Perfect people do not exist in this world of temptations, failures, and suffering. In fact, every person has weaknesses, and there is always a possibility that someone will use those feeble points against that man. Shakespeare's play Othello shows an example of how one can control others exploiting their weaknesses and the consequences of such actions. The character of Iago, the antagonist in the tragedy Othello, instigates chaos, deception, and gross manipulation. He is the center of all the evil events in the play. He manages to completely deceive everyone by displaying an honest facade. Thus he is able to instill trust in all those around him. Since no one sees him for the evil and deceiving man that he really is, he manages to

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

The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events, in other words, Power of the People, is irrefutably manifested in Shakespeare Othello. We notice how the characters all perceive Iago, and how Iago exploits their misconceived judgment of his personality. Repetition of the epithet ‘Honest Iago’ asserts that he stands a man with moral integrity in the eyes of the other characters naming him so. This presents dramatic irony, as those he is closest to trust him entirely. Iago openly admits to Roderigo in the first scene “I am not what I Am” which makes clear the deception within the relationships Iago has with the other characters and the paradox remains true throughout the play. Iago constantly masks his real self from others because the way the people see Iago is of great significance; if he were seen as the manipulative, scheming, duplicitous man he really

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.

Iago is the antagonist of the play, and one of the most evil Shakespearean villains. Iago is extremely clever in the way he uses unsuspecting power- especially psychological power. He gets into people’s heads in many dishonest ways- by spreading false rumours, telling lies and psychologically tricking people and secretly controlling certain situations. His power to manipulate is a key point in the play, as it results in major consequences and the deaths of some main characters. Iago’s schemes are multi-levelled- he conspires with roderigo, and makes him believe that Desdemona will take him back. On another level, he leads Othello to believe his wife is having an affair with Cassio. He uses his wife Emilia (unknown to her), to bring back the handkerchief he uses to deceive Othello. Iago is an extremely resourceful and talented man, but he uses these resources and talents in detrimental ways. Iago is constantly referred to by numerous characters as ‘honest’. He himself also refers to honesty. Numerous characters believe that they know and trust Iago and that he would not lie, nor deceive them. Iago’s soliloquies also provide invaluable insight into his wicked mind and evil schemes and plans.

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,

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the antagonist Iago is arguably the most heinous villain in all of literature. His ability to shape shift in and out of character is what makes him unique. His tactics are similar to that of a cold blooded chameleon. Iago’s art of persuasion, his mastery of rhetoric as well as his ability to sense his victims’ insecurities and weaknesses, is what makes him so diabolically ruthless. Throughout the play, one can truly see the power of words and their delivery, and the massive influence that they can have over people. Iago employs charlatan techniques to appeal to his victims’ emotional, logical and ethical weaknesses for his own selfish political gain. Iago’s rhetorical methods entrances many of the key characters and leads them to arrive at the assumptions he wants them to reach. Through these methods, Iago is able to transform Othello from a calm, collected, composed general to an insecure, emotional, and malleable puppet. Through his manipulation of all the key characters, Iago is nonetheless able to remain in favored perception, as he is ironically referred to as “honest Iago”. What makes Iago so intriguing, is his ability to carry out his selfish agenda without being detected. Iago utilizes reverse psychology, indirect insinuations, and explicit imagery to deceive others and force them under his spell. Iago’s intentions are always

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

Shakespeare has effectively constructed Iago as a deceptive villain, whose manipulative persona gained the trust of those around him, allowing him to exert his authority through the actions and aspirations of others. By doing this, Shakespeare had an

In Othello by William Shakespeare, there are many instances of manipulation, and when characters go behind people’s backs, it is guaranteed to end badly. After Othello names Michael Cassio as his new lieutenant, Iago becomes enraged and comes up with a manipulative plan in order to become the new lieutenant. This plan includes tricking Othello to make him think his wife is cheating on him with Cassio, making Cassio look bad while he's drunk, and putting misleading ideas in the heads of people involved. Previous to the manipulation, Iago is known around town as a nobel, honest man; so his plan works just as he wanted it to until the very end. By using Iago, Shakespeare makes the theme of manipulation very relevant; he uses everyone in his circle and it quickly has a ripple effect and turns everyone against each other.

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

In Shakespeare’s Othello Iago uses proficient manipulation to obtain his goals by targeting the weaknesses of others for his own personal gain. His suggested actions are seen as innocuous resolutions, but instead are cunning tactics to achieve his goals. Iago cloaks his true intentions with a facade, which causes mishaps and ultimately leads to tragedy. Iago is calculating and uses manipulation to cripple each characters’ weaknesses. Predominately, Iago is motivated by his resentment towards Othello choosing Cassio, “...a great arithmetician,” over him to be lieutenant (I. i. 19).

Hasn’t one ever heard the saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” In Othello by Shakespeare, the use of manipulation to get what Iago wants represents the main purpose. When not offered the lieutenant position by General Othello, Iago decides to plot his revenge. Shakespeare uses much irony, symbolism, and imagery in order to inform his readers of Iago’s tasks. The physiological manipulation in which Iago uses is a specific type aimed to change behavior and perception of others, without them knowing it is occurring. This abusive tactic is successful, therefore destroying Othello in the end. Iago acts as his friend, but in reality is his enemy. In order for him to achieve his revenge Iago must accomplish four specific steps of Othello’s

Manipulation, the handle or control of something in a skillful manner, is a nefarious trait that can bring harm upon a person. In this dramatic play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare in 1603, Iago is a man of various traits, most notorious for his keen manipulation skills that twist the minds of many characters. Iago feels the need to manipulate others in order to raise his status on the social hierarchy. He plots with consummate sophistication, carefully convincing Othello into believing that Desdemona is unfaithful. Iago has a passionate love for exploiting other people. Iago’s manipulative measures are a result of his insecurities, given that he is too caught up in his own desires to reach a status he seems to need in order to be comfortable.