Soliloquies play a vital role in William Shakespeare’s works. One of the most important examples of soliloquy use by a character was provided by Iago throughout the play, Othello. A soliloquy is side speech given by a character that is directed to the audience; it most often used to reveal emotions or thoughts of a character in a play. Iago’s use of soliloquies are very unique and stand out from any other character. They constantly change the audience's opinion of him. Each of Iago’s eleven soliloquies reveals his true evil or gains him pity from the audience. This trend makes Iago’s character unpredictable and hard to analyze. Iago’s vast knowledge and understanding of humanistic behavior is the greatest contributor to his most …show more content…
He gloats about the easy in which he can manipulate Roderigo (the fool) into giving him money. Directly after this, you hear of Iago’s feelings towards Othello (the Moor). You learn of Iago’s suspicion about his wife having an affair with Othello. This gains pity from the audience, because you feel that Iago is a man deeply distraught over the idea of his wife cheating on him. Iago then begins to contemplate how he would seek vengeance on Othello and gain his title. Iago plans to use Othello’s trust and opinion of him to his advantage. He speaks about how he will use Cassio as his pawn to lure Othello into believing his wife, Desdemona is being unloyal to him. Iago discloses that Othello’s character is naive and will be easy to manipulate. As his closing statement he states that, with a little help from the devil, his monstrous plan will be a success. Iago’s second soliloquy reveals how he manipulates Cassio and Desdemona. While Desdemona waits for Othello to return from his journey across ravenous seas, Iago joins her. He purposely acts like a jerk to Desdemona and his wife, Emilia in front of Cassio. When Iago departs from the group, Cassio, in his good mannered gentleman way, reassures Desdemona that Othello will make it to shore fine. Having Desdemona confide in his words, Cassio takes interest in her just as Iago had planned. In act II
When I was reading Iago’s soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 3 of Othello, I figured it is important to make sense of it, and doing that requires appropriate steps, reasonable strategies and skills. I read through the whole soliloquy first while making contacts with the previous plots to benefit my understanding. Then, I translated what I understood into Modern
Othello trusts Iago and now Iago is trying to take his wife from him for someone else. Furthermore, “He takes her by the palm...sir in.” (pg. 71). Iago watches Cassio and Emilia because he thinks they had an affair he watches them carefully so he can figure out how to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Another example involves the plan to help Othello kill Desdemona. “Do it not with poison. Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” (pg. 185). Othello believes that Iago is most honest, thus he believed killing his wife Desdemona was the right thing to do. Iago brainwashed Othello into believing the wrong thing was the right thing. The characterization of Iago is created by the use of dramatic irony. The audience knew how devious Iago is, but the characters fell for his mischievous acts.
Now that Michael Cassio is in distraught, he has no one to turn to, but Desdemona, Othello’s wife. Iago’s ultimate destruction is put into full motion. Michael Cassio and Desdemona spend a lot of secretive time together trying to figure out how to convince Othello to reinstate Cassio’s lieutenant position. The only person that knows their time together is Iago, since he is considered a trustworthy friend. This makes Iago’s plan
Again this line is a conclusion of what he is doing but the syntax of
Iago is a powerful predator who exploits those around him by infecting their perceptions of truth with carefully chosen fallacy. His skill in finding the proverbial chinks in others' armor allows him to skillfully weave his machinations of destroying Othello into their minds and actions; by manipulating character's perceptions of Desdemona, Iago gains the leverage he needs to exploit each character. No one is impervious to Iago's seething purpose; even Othello falls prey to Iago's suggestions and insinuations about Desdemona. Iago's constant presence as the stager, as well as his ceaseless - but subtle - reinforcement of events through narration, allows him to be the pivotal force that directs
His clever machinations cause grief for every character who has continued contact with him. He deceives Roderigo about the affections of Desdemona: “Desdemona is directly in love with him [Cassio].” He deceptively lures Cassio into drunkenness where he is vulnerable to taunts and thus loses his officership. He further lures him into Desdemona’s presence so that Othello can find him there and be more suspicious: “Was not that Cassio parted from my wife?” Iago misinforms Montano regarding Cassio (“And ‘tis great pity that the noble Moor / Should hazard such a place as his own second / With one of an ingraft infirmity.”) Iago uses Emilia to pass the kerchief, which “so often you did bid me steal,” to him rather than to its owner. He manipulates the Moor into incorrect views about Desdemona, about Iago himself (“Iago is most honest”), about Cassio’s relationship with Desdemona, etc. Iago even diverts suspicion of the ambush against Cassio against his prostitute-friend Bianca. In cold blood he eventually murders his gift-giver, Roderigo, so that the wealthy playboy can’t
355,] By playing on his hopes, Iago is able to conjure money and jewels from Roderigo, making himself a profit, while using Roderigo to further his other plans. He also thinks stealthy on his feet and is able to improvise whenever something unexpected occurs. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona's hand before the arrival of the Moor Othello, Iago says, "With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio." [II, i, 163] This language demonstrates the evil inside Iagos goals of retrieving absolute power. He actually even says of himself, "I am an honest man...." [II, iii, 245] Iago slowly corrupts the characters thoughts, creating ideas in their minds without implicating himself. His "medicine works! Thus credulous fools are caught...." [II, i, 44] "And what's he then that says I play the villain, when this advice is free I give, and honest," [II, iii, 299] says Iago. In turn, people rarely stop to consider the fact that old Iago could be deceiving and manipulating them; yet they are convinced that he is "Honest Iago." From these quotes from Othello it is proven that the dialogue used between Iago and the others is manipulative causing an evil outcome.
Iago’s soliloquy at the end of act 1 scene 3 portrays one of the main themes in Shakespeare’s Othello of jealousy and revenge which are present all throughout the play. This soliloquy is extremely significant considering that Iago is presenting his audience with cunning plan in which he destroys the main characters of the play, Rodrigo, Cassio, Othello, and even including his wife and Desdemona. It is also very important as Iago explores his direct opinions on each of these characters, which uncovers his true colours and personality.
Once a seed of suspicion or doubt is planted in a person’s mind, the noxious effect of jealousy is soon to ensue. Jealousy and suspicion are Othello’s flaws hubris throughout the play and foreshadow to the audience his imminent downfall. He believes what Iago tells him so strongly that he compromises his close relationship with his best friend and his love for his wife. Iago manipulates Othello through the use of extortion, literary techniques, and his keen judge of character. His syntax and diction are so simple yet so powerful because he uses the correct rhetorical questions and addresses Othello with respectful terms such as “my lord.” He allows Othello do most of the talking
The audience gets to see how sick and twisted Iago is. The audience also learn that every action Iago made was thought out. This relates to Iago’s actions and overall understanding of himself by showing that he felt like in order for him to get what he wants he has to manipulate and deceive everyone around
6. With just the suggestion of Desdemona's unloyalty, Othello becomes alert and second guesses himself. Iago points out the smallest of actions to Othello and blows them out of proportion. For example the way Cassio simply removed himself from a conversation with Desdemona, how he looks at her while speaking and how much she talks about him. Othello feeds into Iago’s lie and questions Desdemona's loyalty. To help Cassio mend things with Othello's Desdemona tries to remind Othello of what a great man he is and he should patch things up with him before it's too late. Othello dismisses Desdemona. Iago asks if Cassio had known about Othello and Desdemona’s relationship, Othello confirms that Cassio was fully aware of their relationship and that he was their “messenger”. Othello can tell that Iago isn't telling him something. Iago sees how this
Iago takes notice of Othello’s weakness and jealousy and uses it to manipulate him into accusing Desdemona and Cassio of adultery, and ultimately, Othello unknowingly places his own fate in Iago’s hands.
William Shakespeare’s Othellonarrates the tale of the titular character, a Moor whose marriage to the fair, innocentDesdemona falls prey to envy and subterfuge. From the opening scene, however, it is obvious that the true star of the play is Iago, the duplicitous antagonist whose deception of other characters and manipulation of various scenes not only instantly establishes him as the play's lurking villain, but also reveals his desire to be the director or the leader a title held by Othello. This desire leadsIagoto refuse to enslave himself to another-especially someone he views as inferior and, as a result, he weaves an intricate web of lies with which he ensnares all whom he encounters.In the play, Iago’s surrender of honesty and compassion
Iago’s plan to get Cassio in trouble works successfully as his revenge plot on Cassio forces Othello to de-rank Cassio of his lieutenant duties do to unruly behavior. At this point Iago beings trying to convince Othello that his wife is unfaithful. Iago then tells Cassio that he should ask Desdemona to plead with Othello in order to be reinstated. Meanwhile he tells Othello that he fears that Cassio is Desdemona's lover. Trusting Iago, Othello is mad with rage and jealousy. Together with Iago, Othello promotes a plan to kill both Cassio and Desdemona because if he can’t have Desdemona; no one can. Iago then proceeds to plant Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio's room to make a scene that Cassio and Desdemona have been having a secret relationship to further enrage Othello. Othello sees this as proof that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. That very same handkerchief was given by Othello to Desdemona as a first gift to symbolize their eternal love and faithfulness. As a result, Othello then abuses his wife in front of everybody, leaving the crowd in shock at the change in the noble and powerful
In the passage 275- 300, 2, 1 of Othello, the audience is tuned in to the inner most thoughts of Iago, as well as the knowledge of a potential affair between Othello and Emilia. Being left off between a conversation amongst Iago and Rodrigo, commenting on the nature of the relationship between Cassio and Desdemona. Iago devices a plan to win the trust and admiration of Othello, whilst smearing Cassio’s name. However, in the last paragraph of the act, Iago confesses to the knowledge of an illicit affair between his dearest wife, Emilia and Othello . Thus, the act of revenge motivated by jealousy is what leads , Iago to plot against Othello. Throughout the entirety of this passage an especially prominent and overarching theme is the concept of