Iago's Dramatic Irony

In Shakespeare’s Othello, situational irony, verbal irony, and dramatic irony are used to make the drama more intense and help the play move forward. Irony played a big role in the how the course of the play went in Othello. From the very beginning, Iago plans that he wants to demote Cassio and then officially bring Othello to his downfall. He wants to do this because of his desire for revenge on Othello. Othello named Cassio as lieutenant but Iago thought that he was going to get the title.

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

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.

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

Each situation of manipulation proves Shakespeare’s characterization of Iago. He was an evil antagonist, and would do anything to get to the top. Due

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 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,

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

In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello we see a morally depraved character, perhaps a very mentally sick individual, named Iago. His personality and development during the play is the subject of this essay.

     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.

Iago’s relationship with Othello becomes a power struggle where Iago attempts to degrade Desdemona in order to position himself so he can ‘poison’ Othello. Here Shakespeare is showing how powerful and manipulative Iago can be with his use of words, and how powerful they can be. This power struggles is exemplified

In the play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare, the character that shows the most characteristics of a villain is Iago. The downfall of Othello is caused by Iago who is a manipulative liar. Iago is the main villain of the story and manipulates Othello and most of the other characters. Iago’s manipulative personality allows him to advance in his evil scheme leading to Othello’s downfall. Iago worked alongside Othello and Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant, for a long time and used his knowledge of their character to manipulate them. When Iago said, “And I of whom his eyes have seen the proof. At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and at other grounds” he claimed to have been witness to both Othello and Cassio’s weaknesses (I.i.25-26). He knew that he had the ability to manipulate them, and this foreshadowed his use of knowledge to ruin them. Iago is cruel and took pride in manipulating Othello and Cassio. Iago formed close relationships with many of his fellow

Iago is the wicked villain in the Shakespeare’s play “Othello”. Form the opening scene, Iago reveals the hatred and resentment he has for Othello (the Moor), because Othello overlooked him for the position of lieutenant, in favour of the inexperienced soldier Michael Cassio. Othello is the general in the Veteran army and Iago serves as his ensign. Due to this deep hatred Iago has for Othello, he spends all his time plotting to pay revenge to Othello and Cassio. Therefore, to destroy Othello, Iago seeks favour with the people that are close to Othello’s heart. Moreover he wins Othello’s favour and trust and uses his power of persuasion and manipulation with Roderigo, Emilia, Desdemonia, Brabanzio and Cassio to create his scheme to undone Othello.

Othello is a steadfast leader that the reader finds him or herself wanting to be more like. His experiences are unparalleled and that’s what makes him such a popular leader. He has seen many battles and fought many fights; his stories are legendary among those who revere him. In our day he would be the man every man wants to be like and the man every woman wants, but even those who are revered have enemies. If this were not the case then there would be no means for him to have become so revered. In overcoming so many obstacles Othello made a most convincing enemy. In this article we will explore Iago’s dark secrets and expose and examine what makes him such a great villain. William Shakespeare used various literary devices such as