Iago's jealousy towards Othello quickly transforms into a jealousy toward Cassio too on the grounds that Othello selected Cassio as lieutenant rather than Iago. Iago trusts that he ought to be lieutenant since he has battled close by in fights and on the grounds that he has genuine war involvement, while Cassio took in the majority of his strategies from books. Thus, he is envious in light of the fact that he didn't land the position, however he is irate on the grounds that he believes that Othello made Cassio his lieutenant in light of the fact that Cassio helped Othello marry Desdemona. Iago doesn't know anything about extent, implying that on the off chance that he has been wronged he will convey equity to himself by giving the guilty party
In Othello, William Shakespeare portrays how Othello is a highly respected figure in Venetian society, but that the racially prejudiced reality he faces threatens to unmask his deepest insecurities. Iago despises Othello due to how he has vastly excelled him in military rank. He desires to reduce Othello’s glittering reputation and love life to dust. He is keenly aware of how Othello has always felt different than everyone else in Venice due to his African background. Othello believes that his relationship with Desdemona will finally allow him to escape his insecurities. However, Iago uses Othello’s greatest strength against him as he allows his love for Desdemona to become his greatest weakness. Iago’s racial prejudice leads him to manipulate
Iago does not follow his own advice because he uses his anger towards Othello for putting Iago third in command as well as Cassio for taking the second position in command. Iago uses his anger to get Roderigo to get Cassio really mad to the point where he’s getting fired. Iago also uses his anger and not his logic to catch Desdemona’s attention to get revenge on Othello. Iago says to Roderigo, “Make Cassio angry somehow, either by speaking too loud, or insulting his military skills, or however else you want.” (page 10). Iago uses anger to get Roderigo to go bother Cassio because Iago wants Cassio to get really mad and make a choice. According to Iago, this will lead to Othello waking up from his honeymoon and firing Cassio for such a disruption.
Iago previously conspired with Roderigo to provoke an altercation from Cassio. A fight ensues, and Othello is awoken to find his lieutenant being drunk and disorderly. Therefore, Othello dismisses Cassio from his position in his army. Later, Iago persuades Cassio into asking Desdemona for help to be reinstated as Othello’s lieutenant. This is part of Iago's diabolical plot to make Othello think that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair because Iago eludes to Othello that the reason she is helping Cassio is that she loves him. Iago makes it apparent that he dislikes Cassio for being promoted instead of him, but he makes another claim in his second soliloquy:
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
Iago has a fixed mindset. He is a character filled with negativity and holds negative views on Othello that never change, along with his misogynistic views on women. Iago does not make any attempts to try and change his thoughts on Othello, he rather focuses on destroying him. Carol Dweck's expresses that “everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” Iago does not change once seeing Othello’s kind brave nature. (page 52) To further explain Iago responds to Othello's confidence in his honesty, valor, and his future wife by stating “By Janus I think no.”( 1.2,31) He doubts Othello’s confidence and is ready to give up. Iago is supposed to be Othello's trusted adviser, yet he displayed signs of doubt, and hatred towards the man he served. While Iago hates Othello, he also hates Othello’s lieutenant Michael Cassio who was promoted to lieutenant rather than himself. Moreover, Iago was not promoted to be Othello’s lieutenant probably because he gave up too soon, and he hated Cassio for his success. People with a growth mindset celebrate others successes, Iago looks at Cassio’s success as a chance to prove how unfit he is for the
Iago is not the same when he is with Othello but Iago’s character totally changes when he is not with Othello. When Iago finds out that Othello appointed Cassio as his lieutenant, Iago is extremely envious and he plots a plan against Othello by deceiving the trust that they both carry. “I’ll put this pestilence into his ear.” (II.iii.334). This refers to Iago plotting to say his lies to Othello which demonstrates Iago being overwhelmed by jealousy. Iago puts all the falsehood into the general’s ear which becomes easier for him to do as Othello puts his full trust on the rival. Iago is a harsh and a coldblooded man that wants revenge through his master by plotting an atrocious plan and putting all falsehood into his ear just to obtain the higher position.
In Othello, Cassio is the first person that Iago becomes jealous of. Cassio gets promoted to lieutenant, which outrages Iago. It is because of this that Iago resents Cassio. Although he hates him, Iago hates himself even more for not being able to secure his spot as lieutenant:
The two quote from Othello that stood out the most were, “Iago is most honest”(2.3.7) and “Though I do hate him as I do hell pains, yet for necessity of present life I must show out a flag and sign of love”(1.1.170-75). Othello is known as one of many of Shakespeare’s plays that involve drama, romance and tragedies. The protagonist, Othello has a complex relationship with the antagonist, Iago. Othello, a respectful person who is honest and seems to easily believe others. Whereas, Iago, a selfish person who has no respect for others.
Over the course of history, many ethnic groups, religions, and people who somehow fall outside the norm garner society’s disrespect. This disrespect ranges from people socially ostracizing these groups to even murdering them due to their differences. Because these differences can put one in a weak position, any form of treating someone discourteously due to an anomaly demonstrates cruelty, especially if they cannot control their diversity. However, people tend to accept a single perspective when learning history. In Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago uses the perspective that Othello has of him as “Honest Iago” in order to deceive him about Othello’s wife sleeping with Cassio. Likewise, when the missionaries arrive in Things Fall Apart by
Iago, being remarkably wise, understood this, explaining to Roderigo: “If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions” (Shakespeare 1.3.322-25). People require balance in their life in order to maintain stability, and therefore maintain their sanity. In the same way balance provides structure in one’s life, imbalance can also bring about one’s undoing. Iago was not traditionally at the apex of power in the Elizabethan triangle of power, but every character was still a pawn in his scheme. His manipulation over each character truly put him as the most powerful character, at least until his true intentions were later revealed. Iago deliberately offset the balance in Othello’s life, and manipulated his jealousy in such a way that allowed him to succeed in all that he had planned. His plan would not have otherwise come to fruition had Othello not allowed his emotion to overpower his logic. Iago was able to simultaneously accomplish every goal in exploiting Othello’s jealousy. Iago painted Cassio, the lieutenant, to be Desdemona’s lover behind Othello’s back. In doing this, he won Othello’s trust, ruined Desdemona and Othello’s relationship, as per Roderigo’s payment to him, and eventually became named lieutenant after Cassio’s demotion. Being the cunning manipulator ultimately brought Iago was success in
Originally, he seeks revenge on Cassio for having stolen a position that, in Iago’s mind, was rightfully his. However, as the plot continues, Shakespeare explains that Iago’s initial hatred of the commander was sparked by rumors of Othello sleeping with his wife Emilia. Despite the fact that Iago and Emilia’s relationship extremely differs from that of Othello and Desdemona, Iago is still protective of what belongs to him, even if that entails objectifying his wife. Iago’s tone in this conversation starts off as defensive (with hints of sarcasm as he strongly proclaims the value he places on “honest” men) and withholding, as he often hints to a possibility of Cassio having wronged Othello, yet never explicitly says anything about
Iago has many reasons to be Jealous of Michael Cassio, he is described as the perfect soldier throughout the book, and not only is Iago furious that Cassio was promoted to lieutenant first, but Iago suspects him, as well as Othello, of having an affair with his wife,
In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, there are two main characters that control the direction of the play. Othello, the protagonist, is a Moor and a general in the Venetian army; and Iago, the antagonist, is Othello’s right hand man but very manipulative and jealous of Othello’s position and status. Iago is similar to Othello, but there are key differences that make Iago the villain and Othello the tragic hero. Their desire for power and control over others, jealousy, and lack of self-control, make the two similar, but the way they act on these traits determines their roles as the villain or the tragic hero.
In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, good is often confronted by evil, in which almost every case is in the form of jealousy. Iago, the plays antagonist, is a very manipulative villain. Iago uses his own agony and distress brought upon him by his envy of others, to provoke the same agony within the characters in the play. Jealousy’s ability are shown to influence people to new ends and make all humanistic judgment disappear leaving that man a monster torn apart by envy. Jealousy’s true destructive wrath and the pure evil it brings out in people can be revealed through Iago’s actions throughout the tragedy Othello.
“Jealousy is a killer. Relationships end because of jealous conflicts and people kill other people because they are jealous” (Leahy). The feeling of jealousy is a strong emotion that can intervene with an individual’s mind negatively, not only mentally but physically as well. Othello is a genuine gentleman who loves Desdemona and would do anything for her, but his jealousy through the story begins to transform him into someone he isn’t. Initially, Othello begins to listen to a standard bearer named Iago who fills his head with lies to the point that Othello automatically believes him and jumps to conclusions. Through Iago’s actions and lies Cassio is affected drastically by Othello’s sudden changes due to Iago’s lies about him. Iago resents Cassio because Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant over him. Throughout the play Cassio is not able to progress because he is completely blinded by the trust he has for Iago, thus, has no idea he is being targeted by Iago. The evil Iago plans to kill two birds with one stone, he intends to destroy Othello’s marriage and ruin Cassio’s reputation in the process. The choices Cassio makes could have probably avoided the loss of his position if he would not have fallen into Iago’s trap.