Othello: Iago Makes Othello Believe His Wife Is Having an Affair

One of the most outrageous literary vilians of all time is William Shakespeare’s Iago. Iago has been described with many words; villian, antagonist, cruel, selfish, malignant, chaotic, etc. What motivation could one have that would posses them to act in ways to be labeled as such? Are there even any motives present, or is it just the nature of the character that gives Iago his naturaly naughty personality.

Iago is very notorious for his villainous acts throughout the play “Othello”, by William Shakespeare. Iago’s motives drive him to manipulate and deceive other characters so his “monstrous” (I, iii, 395) plot would succeed. Iago manages to con Roderigo to take his money. Iago also tries to ruin Othello and Desdemona’s relationship by using Cassio as a bait. In this passage, Iago explains how he will manipulate Rodrigo, Cassio and, most importantly, Othello to achieve his goals.

Jealousy is someting that can cloud the minds of even the most smartest people.It can friends enemies and blur people's judgment and convince themselves of something that is false .throughout the book anger is a big motivator for the characters.

Othello’s trust for Iago enables Iago to completely discredit Othello as the good guy of the play when Iago manipulates him into thinking Desdemona was unfaithful to him with Cassio. Even though Othello must know in his heart that Desdemona would not betray him, he is so caught up by Iago's efforts and has fallen for his manipulative lies, that all rational thoughts abandons Othello and he ultimately ends up murdering his wife since to Othello betrayal was immoral. At the end of play, even Othello can hardly believe what he has done because he thinks of himself as, "One not easily jealous, but, being wrought, perplexed in the extreme..." meaning that he has acted out of character and only in the interests of honor. Iago’s betrayal to those such as Othello and Desdemona, ultimately successfully destroyed everyone, himself included.

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

so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her/

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.

Love throughout history has been considered an enigma with an emphasis on emotions such as compassion and appreciation; nevertheless as with most beneficial substances it is subject to fundamental flaws. Modern society is abundant in gossip, scandal, and misconception, all factors that ruin a legitimate relationship. William Shakespeare’s, Othello is a typical and most perfect tragedy that depicts a prevailing relationship midst blood, violence and revenge. The protagonist, Othello undergoes a transformation from a happy man to a disturbed beast as suspicion of his wife’s faithfulness to lieutenant Cassio intensifies. False rumors intentionally sprouted by good, trusty friend Iago bring about catastrophe as Othello jumps to conclusion and

Trust is fundamental to life, but knowing who to trust can be quite difficult. Having faith in the wrong person could lead to unfortunate outcomes. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, many characters are blinded by Iago’s false personality, causing them to put their trust in someone who eventually makes them feel cheated and betrayed. After reviewing the term sociopath, defined as, “a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviour” (English Oxford), one could say that Iago has antisocial personality disorder. The traits Iago displays throughout the play, such as his use of manipulation, his abusive behavior toward others, his lack of remorse, and his deceitfulness make him a true sociopath.

Motivation is the force that drives someone to do something. Being realistically motivated means a person will want something they are sure of they can attain. Now, motivation can stem from positive or negative motives, it truly just depends on what the person’s goal is. Iago is a character and the main antagonist from the play Othello, written by Shakespeare. He wants things to happen to make himself better in some way and for revenge, and throughout the play, he is always planning something. Iago is motivated by this throughout the course of the play; furthermore, he is successful with his motivations. In this case, Iago is a realistically motivated character.

Iago is undoubtably the villian in William Shakespeare's 'Othello', however the reason behind his evil deeds are less clear. There are many possibilities as to why Iago betrayed his superior Othello. Was he simply envious of Othello's status or did Iago plot to destroy Othello for his own enjoyment?

William Shakespeare’s Iago is often thought of the devil in the story. As the villain, Iago manipulated multiple characters countless number of times, used his intelligence to slip away from problematic situations and to create illusions for many characters, as well as having dreadful intentions for reasons that don’t justify his purpose. For many viewers, this causes a stir of emotions, including hate, disgust, sorrow, and surprisingly, admiration for Iago. How can a man with Iago’s intentions and his cold-hearted soul could be admired in this story? Why should the audience applaud the villain, instead of looking-down upon with shock? In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago‘s immoral character compels the audience to acknowledge his ambition through

One of the major components in Othello, that Shakespeare incorporated throughout the play, is relationships. These relationships are driven by different motivations and give each individual something unique. Each character contributes disparate factors to their relationships and change from scenario to scenario. The presentation of different relationships in Othello represents many of the underlying motifs of the play.

Iago also has his own suspicion that Othello had an affair with Emilia, Iago’s wife, and seeks revenge. Iago’s soliloquy at the end of “till I am even’d with him, wife for wife” (Act 2, Scene 1) has the notion that Iago might sleep with Desdemona so that Othello must feel the same destructive jealousy.

While filling Othello’s ears with lies and hatred, Iago says that “I know not that: but such a handkerchief I am sure it was your wife’s- did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with” (Shakespeare, 67). Iago is poisoning Othello’s ears by telling him about the ocular proof that Othello was asking for all along. Furthermore, Iago uses another excellent technique to manipulate Othello by making remember the past events. Iago says to Othello that, “she did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake, and fear your looks, she loved them most” (Shakespeare, 59). Iago is explaining to Othello that if Desdemona can deceive her father by marrying Othello, she can deceive him too. Iago also tells Othello that Desdemona fell for his looks because he is an outsider. Iago is excellent at manipulating the situation and filling others’ ears with lies, which makes his plan successful without anyone suspecting him.