Iago and the Literary Tradition of a Villain in William Shakespeare's Othello

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,

The villain in Othello, Iago, is consumed with jealousy and anger. Iago’s character is cunning, sly, and is able to persuade others of his false loyalty and integrity. The audience are shown Iago’s wicked side and thirst for revenge on Othello. Iago is the epitome of evil in the play because he ruins multiple lives out of revenge.

Villains are characters who are devoted to committing evil acts and thus set the plot in motion. They add excitement to works of literature, as they challenge the concept of higher morality, to achieve a certain goal. For the most part, a villain has a motive for their heinous deeds, but a villain whose only motive is the sadistic pleasure they receive from watching their victims suffer, is the most interesting. In Othello, Shakespeare introduces the audience to one of the most malevolent and diabolical of all Shakespearean villains. What makes Iago such an intriguing character, is the intricateness of his personality as well as the inability of viewers to sympathize with him or understand the inner workings of his mind. Ironically, he puts on the face of a confidante, hence the name, “honest Iago”, while playing the role of the devil. He is able to fabricate certain situations that serve his monstrous plot and takes on the role of the puppet master, while abusing his incredible insight into human nature and the personalities of those around him in order to manipulate, exploit and control them. Interestingly, the source of his sinister demeanor seems to originate from a bottomless pit of hate, malice and resentment towards all that is good, innocent and noble, deep within him. Therefore, in William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is simply a monstrous, vice-like character due to the

Villains are characters who are devoted to committing evil acts and thus set the plot in motion. They add excitement to works of literature, as they challenge the concept of higher morality, to achieve a certain goal. For the most part, a villain has a motive for their heinous deeds, but a villain whose only motive is the sadistic pleasure they receive from watching their victims suffer, is the most interesting. In Othello, Shakespeare introduces the audience to one of the most malevolent and diabolical of all Shakespearean villains. What makes Iago such an intriguing character, is the intricateness of his personality as well as the inability of viewers

Iago, the evil villain of Shakespeare's Othello, is more than just a villain. In many ways he is the most intelligent and appealing character in the play. Iago shows superiority over the rest of the characters in the play. He has the ability to manipulate the characters in the play, therefore controlling the play with every sequence of events. His intelligence shines through his ability to deceive, his ability to strategize, and his ability to twist the truth. Iago is appealing to the characters of the pay because he gives them what they want. Iago is appealing to the reader as well. His character is totally unconflicted about being evil, making him known to some authors as the villain of all villains. Iago

William Shakespeare’s Othello, uses various events and techniques to express the nature of evil throughout the entire play. In Othello, Iago is portrayed as the main villain or the antagonist in the play. Despite the fact that the play is named Othello, it is the character of Iago that drives the action within the entire play. Shakespeare utilizes Iago to set the stage for evil in the play. In each interaction with a character in Othello, Iago finds a way to be manipulative and evil. “In the first scene of Othello, Iago complains about the shabby treatment he believes he has received from his general. Despite having petitioned “three great ones of the city” to speak on his behalf, Iago loses the lieutenancy to a man he considers his inferior in both qualifications and experience” (Jacobsen 497). In this excerpt, the root of Iago’s evil nature is revealed, which is the fact that he did not get the position he felt he deserved and he did not think he was treated fairly.

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago’s character is possibly the most heinous villain. Oxford’s Dictionary defines villain as an, “a wicked person; chief wicked character in a play or a story” (Oxford 740). Iago plays the ancient of Othello, who is the general of the Venetian forces. As an ancient, Iago is to be a loyal servant to Othello. However, Iago has grown bitter and contemptuous and uses his supposed loyalty as a wedge to cause Othello’s demise. He’s fascinating for his most terrible characteristic; his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. He is also a person who is capable of a cool hypocrisy, unreasonable hatred, and many evil acts, which he is able to plot them very easily. According to Stopford A. Brooke, “it is a monstrous mind that had arrived by chance in the body of a non-commissioned officer” (Brooke 444).

In any story, the antagonist always scheme their way into getting what they want by any means necessary. In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, Iago is a prime example of this. In fact, he is one of the greatest villains Shakespeare has ever created. Some even believe that he is the source of immorality like in other work Shakespeare has done. According to Sholokhov and Tolstoy, author Helen Muchnic states that the Vice of the morality plays who evolved into Shakepheare’s Iago. He also states that “If Iago, like Falstaff, may be considered a continuation of the Vice figure, he seems, also like Falstaff, to elude the role at every point.” But besides this, Iago is indirectly responsible for the deaths of Othello, Desdemona, and Roderigo. Every act in Othello contains an evil plot set up by Iago. It is ironic because throughout the play he is known as “Honest Iago”(II.iii.7). The readers are the only spectators that understand Iago’s true feelings. Each character believes that he is a trustworthy and noble man, but they are unaware of his thoughts and schemes. Iago is so wicked because he takes advantage of people; he lies while making himself look admirable and he is able to manipulate characters through his words and actions. A very formidable character that can easily do harm without blinking an eye.

J. H. Crouch attempts to understand this peculiar dichotomy in Iago when he asks, "Is (Iago) the personification of evil, or is he a well (or ill)-motivated jealous rival to Cassio or Othello or anyone else?" (465). Crouch answers, of course, "Neither" (465). What Crouch shows Iago to be is a man, in whom "something went sour" (465). In other words, Iago demonstrates all the characteristics of a human being: he is rational, he is humorous, he philosophizes, he has relationships (both fraternal and sexual). Crouch cites a performance of Othello in which the actor portrays Iago as someone who "is all good fun, that he is the

In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, the character Iago is known to be an evil villain, who naturally is able to manipulate a range of characters for his selfish gain. By spreading lies, he could get multiple people to turn against one another in order to satisfy himself from the betrayal caused by Othello. Brilliantly, Iago was able to use his jealousy, dishonesty, and vengeance to plot against Othello for giving Lieutenant to Cassio and not himself. Through vicious plotting, Iago caused a ripple of destruction, without the blame coming back to him.

Iago is one of the most renowned villains of pre-modern literature, as first introduced in Shakespeare’s Othello. His deceiving personality and complex nature is painted such that readers are amazed by his ingenious schemes. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is represented as trustworthy and honest, but readers soon realize that he is the opposite of what he seems. Even though Iago’s personality and thoughts are revealed less in MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), he carries on the same immoral legacy as in Othello. Throughout the plays, he turns his friends against one another who look to him for guidance and support. Iago thirsts to upgrade this status in society which causes him to take advantage of

In the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare was, and still is an iconic playwright. One of his plays is named Othello. In Shakespeare’s Othello the main antagonist was a character named Iago. Iago is considered the evilest and most mysterious of Shakespeare’s villains. This is because his motives remain unknown at the end of the play. Iago started to unleash his terrible vengeful side began when Othello chose Cassio over him for luetinet. Iago could not accept the fact that Cassio was higher ranked than him with less experience, so he devised a plan to ruin Othello by gaining even more of his trust and being coming his “friend”. “In a nutshell, the plot of the play is as follows: Iago hatches a plan, tangentially involving Roderigo to make Othello

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, everyone within the play is manipulated by Iago, a man set on revenge. Iago devises an ultimate plan to bring destruction to Othello’s marriage, while simultaneously creating chaos among Othello’s close friends, all while playing innocent and honest. Shakespeare uses many manipulative techniques and rhetorical devices in order to set Iago on his path of destruction among the other characters. Although Iago appears to be pure evil he is blinded in his quest for revenge, possibly causing him to overlook his personal values and any compassion he might otherwise have.

In William Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Othello”, Iago the antagonist of the play is one of Shakespeare’s most multifaceted villains. Through deception Iago makes his fellow characters believes he is a true and honest man. All the while he is manipulating and deceiving every single one of them. Iago is not the typical villain one would now see in cinema. He has much more depth and complexity, and can be believed to be unethical; this is what gives his character such ability to control others.

Villains are characters who are devoted to committing evil acts and thus set the plot in motion. They add excitement to works of literature, as they challenge the concept of higher morality, to achieve a certain goal. For the most part, a villain has a motive for their heinous deeds, but a villain whose only motive is the sadistic pleasure they receive from watching their victims suffer, is the most interesting. In Othello, Shakespeare introduces the audience to one of the most malevolent and diabolical of all Shakespearean villains. What makes Iago such an intriguing character, is the intricateness of his personality as well as the inability of viewers to sympathize with him or understand the inner workings of his mind. Ironically, he puts on the face of a confidante, hence the name, “honest Iago”, while playing the role of the devil. He is able to fabricate certain situations that serve his monstrous plot and takes on the role of the puppet master, while abusing his incredible insight into human nature and the personalities of those around him in order to manipulate, exploit and control them. Interestingly, the source of his sinister demeanor seems to originate from a bottomless pit of hate, malice and resentment towards all that is good, innocent and noble, deep within him. Therefore, in William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is simply a monstrous, vice-like character due to the