Iago Evil

Iago presents himself to the world as a faithful and honest man. In fact other people speak of him as “honest Iago”. Beneath the surface of his identity that he portrays to the world is his manipulation through lies. He uses his lies to manipulate other people and desperately wants revenge on Othello. He hates Othello so passionately because he gave the position of lieutenant up to another person instead of him. I think it could also be because of jealousy. I think he’s jealous of Cassio and Othello because later on in the story after he finally becomes lieutenant he brings up another reason to seek revenge on Othello, which was rumors of Othello sleeping with his wife. Iago is good at using people’s weaknesses to manipulate people and persuade

Fred West describes Iago as motiveless person who is entirely unconcerned with the moral consequences of choice. His ability to switch between both truth and lies without second thought proves that Iago is a psychopath and the society in ‘Othello’ is full of good which is why Iago’s evil stands out so vividly. West described Iago as “a character with no motives to do with either fact so logic” who “saw truth and lies as one thing” and had no problem using his own misconception to his advantage. West saw Iago as a character that displayed obvious psychopathic tendencies through his constant manipulation of others and his apparent remorseless attitude. West believes that “he sees nothing basically wrong with his own behaviour, no matter how erratic

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.

Cassio's trust in Iago stems not only from his impeccable reputation of sincerity, but again from Othello's influence.  Othello simply states; "Iago is most honest." [Act II, scene iii], when conversing with Cassio.  Once more, if Othello feels this way, then Cassio, who admires Othello and follows his leadership, will also believe that Iago is an honest man.  When Iago pretends to help Cassio, he comments; "I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest", [Act III, scene I].

In Othello, Iago is a villainous person who is filled with hatred, jealousy and an undeniable lust for power. He influences and manipulates everyone close to him for the sole purpose of destroying their lives.

Throughout the play, Othello, Iago often showed how evil and relentless he certainly is and how he does not care about the characters that interfere with his plan. First, Iago showed how great a villain he is, by how he manipulates almost every character to keep forwarding his plan to ruin Othello. Secondly, he is motivated to get revenge on Othello, which keeps his entire plan in motion. Lastly Iago enjoys ruining people’s lives, in other words he is a masterful planner. Throughout the play, he destroys many characters’ lives. To conclude Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most perfect and successful villains because he exhibits traits that every successful villain has and needs.

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 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,

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.

A psychopathic killer fueled by anger and revenge will stop at nothing to reach his goal. Iago, in his hunt for revenge against Othello, fits this role. Or does he? In Shakespeare 's play, Othello, Iago is the driving force of the plot and one of the most cunning villains in four hundred years. Without looking into it, Iago could be considered just another generic Shakespeare villain; however, his shallow emotions, high self esteem, and his dishonest nature prove him to be much more.

In the story Othello, Iago is a very fascinating character. In many ways, he could be viewed as the main character because of his amount of involvement in the story. His motives could be described as being very similar to those of Charles Manson. His cunning use of words along with his ability to relate to the other characters allow him to set up a trap for them that ultimately leads them to do evil things. Iago is the most evil of all considerable villans because of his lack of reasoning, which makes him an unresolvable villan.

     Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago.

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.

    Who can compare in depth of evil to the villainous Iago in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello? His villainy is incomparably destructive on all of those around him.