Iago's Ethos In Othello Essay

Iago also tries to persuade Roderigo through the different types of language techniques and appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Iago uses the appeal to ethos twice in the passage, in line 331 and then again in lines 355-357. In line 331, Iago says “Come, be a man!”. This statement appeals to Roderigo’s sense of pride in his character. There is no man that does not delight in being called a “real” man. Iago uses the same type appeal to pride in lines 355-357 when he says that it would be better to die by hanging with her rather than to die by drowning without her. This also shows Roderigo that he should at least have the joy of winning the prize when he dies. Iago also appeals to Roderigo’s pathos in line 301 when he says that if Roderigo kills himself by drowning, then Iago will never love him after he dies. This is a phrase that Iago uses to appeal to Roderigo’s emotion. This touches Roderigo’s emotions because no one wants to do something that will cause those around them to not love and cherish them when they are gone. Lastly, Iago appeals to Roderigo’s logic, or logos. This is best

In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the character of Iago takes on the role of a person warped within his own thoughts and feelings. Although people today have the benefit of psychology, back in the 1600s people with severe psychological disorders were left un-medicated and free to roam as citizens of society. Although Iago would have benefited from medication of today, in his mind he was the best, even though his own imagination got the better of him and fed his own misguided mentality. One of the best examples of this warped mentality is a conversation which Iago has with Othello mid-way through the play (3.3.160-66). As one analyzes Iago’s words, the depth and complexity of his mental

Iago however, wants to gain power and control over Othello, and does so throughout the course of the play. One way Iago achieves this is through equivocation, or the use of ambiguous expressions used to mislead Othello. Christofides also says that “Iago displays his fiendishness from the start as a combination of equivocations and lies make his schemes of falsified connections possible.” (Christofides 2). Iago’s equivocations ultimately lead Othello to kill Desdemona, but the appearance of truth in Iago’s lies give Othello the appearance that Iago is on his side, when Iago is really against him.

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.

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The poet Coleridge appropriately described the character of Iago as being one of "motiveless malignity." Throughout the play Iago’s motives are secondary to, and seem only to serve as justification for, his actions. Iago is driven by his nature of character. To discuss Coleridge’s assessment we must look at Iago’s character—from Iago’s point of view and that of the other characters—his motives, methods, and pawns. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him; all the while he is pushing Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo, Emilia, and Cassio to their tragic end.

Iago’s lying is a type of immoral conduct which the ancient practices from beginning to end of the drama. But is lying his chief motivating evil? Roderigo’s opening lines to Iago in Act 1 Scene 1 take us to the very root of the problem:

William Shakespeare's Othello is a remarkable tale of trust, deceitfulness, lust and the most destructive of human emotions: vengeance and hatred. Iago better known as Othello's antagonist embodies vengeance and hatred to move an agenda to squash all who oppose Iago's plans. As defined by Merrium-Webster the definition of a protagonist is a principal character in a literary work or a leading actor, character, or participant in a literary work. Othello by Shakespeare is a play about Othello an example of a tragic hero with all figures centered around Othello as the protagonist yet, Othello has two main leading characters. Iago and Othello have stark contrasts as leading roles and different themes represented through the actions, words, and

What makes a good villain? What qualities make one villain stand out from another? Is it their demeanor, ruthlessness, or the methods that they employ to accomplish their tasks? In any case, a great villain must leave the reader with a respect for their methods and a question about their motives. In Shakespeare's Othello, there is one character in Iago that fulfills all of these qualifications. Iago is a wonderful villain because he gains other's trust, relentlessly takes advantage of his peers' flaws, and unapologetically causes the deaths of his counterparts in order to achieve his goals.

In the popular play Othello, written in 1603 and first performed in 1604, by William Shakespeare we look at the background of the play. Shakespeare was believed to have been born on April 26, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. Shakespeare was 52 years old when he passed away. Shakespeare married and had a son who passed away at an early age. Shakespeare wrote many popular plays including Othello. In the time period that the play was written race was a huge issue, as it has been throughout history and still is in today’s society. Shakespeare focuses on the issue of race by making a previous slave a valued and respected person. He is said to have been racist and guilty of religious bigotry, “His writings may have influenced or helped to perpetuate racism and religious bigotry which was evident in The Slave Trade, Colonialism, and persecution of Jews in Germany. Some of his works

drives the plot of the story. By twisting lies, telling stories and manipulating innocent people, Iago attempts to reach the top and accumulate self gain, but can we blame him? All we’re left with in the story is a character painted with a manipulative image, but we honestly don't know much about Iago, or his background. After assessing several sources regarding psychological disorders, racism, and lying, we can make a few conclusions.

Iago is a cunning villain and as such, he is able to manipulate others into their own demise. For example, at the end of the second scene in act four, Roderigo enters to confront Iago. Roderigo has “wasted [him]self out of [his] means” for Iago to allocate money to gifts for Desdemona (4.2.216-217). However, Iago has not given her any gifts at all. In order to avoid further confrontation, Iago entices him with flattery. He says he sees the “mettle in [Roderigo who] is not without wit and judgement” (4.2.236, 4.2.244). Additionally, Iago tempts Roderigo with Desdemona and a promise that he can “devise engines” to take Iago’s life should he fail to deliver on his word (4.2.250). Iago has played to Roderigo’s weaknesses: beautiful women, money,

From beginning to end of William Shakespeare’s Othello, antagonist Iago is able to methodically exploit those closest to him and ruin several lives out of sheer animosity, all while maintaining a façade of trustworthiness. Iago’s awareness of his evil and his ability to draw on each character’s flaws and insecurities enables him to easily persuade others into doing and believing what he says. The blind faith that Roderigo, Cassio and Othello each place in Iago provides the perfect guise for Iago’s evil intentions. While Iago’s belief that he deserves a promotion to lieutenant is the root cause of this evil, as the plot develops he begins to relish in his manipulation of those around him and his wrongdoings expand beyond his initial motive.

44). Iago acts like a friend to Casio, sweet talks him into drinking, as if nothing will happen and that Iago will

William Shakespeare’s tragedy of Othello is a play that portrays the antagonist being in full control of everything, but eventually, losing it all because of his misjudgment. Iago, the antagonist, is envious of the hierarchy and success of the other men around him. He resorts to plot the greatest revenge to become the man that everyone should aspire to be. Although he was successful at victimizing the great Othello, he failed to consider the counterpoints of his scheme. Iago’s wife Emilia is Desdemona’s deputy, but plays a more critical role as she is the one who ends up prevailing. Iago’s desire of manipulation obstructs his outlook on women, causing him to fail to see the reality of Emilia’s nature. Not to mention that he didn't value and acknowledge Emilia enough when given the chance since it left a vacant position for his plan to backfire.