Iago Is The Villain

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.

The most interesting character in the play Othello is the villain, Iago, commonly referred to as "Honest Iago".  Iago is smart, and well tuned to human behavior, and uses this knowledge to

An obvious refutation of Iago as the protagonist stems from the most obvious of places: with the other examples of Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth are all named for the protagonists that give insightful monologues that reveal their inner turmoil. If Shakespeare had intended Iago as the principal character, why is the play entitled Othello?A possible explanation is Iago's nature of robbery. Anytime he refers to Roderigo in his soliloquies, Iago dismisses the Venitian as an idiot from whom he can extort money, proclaiming, "For I mine own gained knowledge should profane if I would time expend with such a snipe but for my sport and profit." Desdemona's handkerchief is stolen by Emilia, but because "My wayward husband hath a hundred times wooed me to steal it." Even Cassio's rank of lieutenant is taken and presented to Iago in Act III due to his treachery. Eventually, Iago commits the supreme theft of life by killing defenseless Roderigo, and then his own wife. Shakespeare may have entitled the play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice to

In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, the Iago is the most important character. It is his dreams, hopes and desires that turn him evil, bringing out the worst possible characteristics in order to achieve all the things he wants. Iago’s manipulative traits, deceitful actions and love for Othello eventually cause the death Emilia, Desdemona and Othello himself.

 Iago is the master villain in Othello, and is indeed a prototypal villain; that is, he is the mould for many other villains in their own deeds. He appears to be cunning, decisive, and able to take

Shakespeare’s Othello explores the destructive nature of Iago’s villainy through his ability to confuse appearance with reality through his deception and trickery. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is a scheming antagonist whose goal is to destroy Othello. Iago uses foreshadowing when he says, “I am not what I am.” Iago tells the audience that his loyalty with Othello is all a scheme to destroy him, and his

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 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

As the villain in Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago has two main actions. They are to plot and to deceive. Iago wishes to plot and to deceive because he is jealous of Othello and hates him. Iago's reasons for why he hates Othello is because he believes that Othello made love to his wife, and Iago is mad that Cassio was chosen to be Lieutenant instead of himself. From this hate comes the main conflict of the play.

     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.

William Shakespeare’s Othello uses different and unique techniques in his language to express the nature of evil throughout the play. Verbal twists and the characters most importantly stress the act of evil. Iago, most of all is portrayed as the “villain” or “protagonist in the play. Shakespeare uses this character to set the basis of evil. Each plot point is spiraled further into tragedy due to the nature of Iago and his manipulative language towards the other main characters.

In William Shakespeare's Othello, the character Iago is presented as the villain of the play. Shakespeare presents him as a selfish character, with jealousy and hatred, intelligent at the same time. He has a very specific language, we realize that because he can be played in many different ways but the language is different, especially when he speaks about Othello. When we first see Iago interacting is through a soliloquy.

In my opinion, Iago is the type of character that commits the dirty work moreover could easily live with it or talk his way out of it, whenever suits him. Through his heinous actions and absence reasonable motive, Shakespeare's villain marked as a pioneer of so many writers to create their main antagonist as a similar image to him. The character is pure evil, envy, and manipulative seen in some examples in the play. First, starting with a confession: “I am not what I am"(1.1.61-71) Shakespeare quoting a verse from Exodus "I am what I am" (Exodus 3.14), the last quote shows Iago as the devil using the word of god and change it to define himself.

Iago is an artist of villainy because he is the definition of evil and you are shown this from the very beginning of the play. In beginning of the play Iago and Rodrigo are going to Brabantio who is Desdemona’s father to tell