Othello, The Moor Of Venice

To be evil, villainous or Satan-like, is to state that one does hurtful things to other citizens for the pure enjoyment of themselves. Hitler, Stalin and Napoleon are all leaders, who undoubtedly can be stated as evil. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, the character Iago is considered evil. It is argued though that he is not evil, just simply a human. Iago throughout the play becomes insecure over his decline in power leading him to become jealous and get revenge on those who contributed to this feeling of self-doubt. Though Iago at times is satisfied with the way he treats others, his motives are humanistic and the way he deals with his envy for others makes him one of the manliest men in William Shakespeare’s Othello.

The story of Othello is merely a historical version of the chaos and morality that appears in the Common Era. Iago is the infamous villain that is cynical, dark, and manipulative. He lacks empathy for other human beings, and reminds me of one of the most incredible fictional villains of all time- The Joker. The Joker who appears in the movie The Dark Knight, is eerily similar to Iago. Iago is a ruthless and scheming individual. He loves to create chaos, and as his plans unfold, he relishes the pain he is causing to other individuals. He is seemingly enjoying the agony that the other characters around him are going through and feeling. As he sees how deep his schemes are progressing, he continues to add fuel to the fire and see how much damage he can cause. Iago also enjoys “watching the world burn.” He enjoys his sense of

A tragedy is typically explained as a type of drama that displays pain and suffering, and where the main character, the protagonist, experiences a life changing event that alters his fortune from good too bad. William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the Moor of Venice is classified as an Aristotelian classical tragedy based on the guidelines Aristotle sets when examining a tragedy. Othello is a general in the Venetian army, and the husband of Desdemona, and well respected by society. The play describes how Othello’s fate has an undesirable change in fortune, the reversal. In brief, Othello is portrayed as a happy, powerful man in the beginning of the play, and by the end of the play he endures pain and suffering from his own misfortune

In Othello, Iago is a villainous person who is filled with hatred, jealousy and an undeniable lust for power. He influences and manipulates everyone close to him for the sole purpose of destroying their lives.

‘Without setting, characters are simply there, in a vacuum, with no reason to act and most importantly, no reason to care.’ The setting gives place for a narrative to begin and evolve from, without a strong setting some texts may be difficult to interpret without extra contextual and historical knowledge of the time period of which it was written. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice written 1603 was set in Italy, in the Venetian Republic . This setting was gaining popularity with Elizabethan writers, maybe as a form of escapism, to have a crypto - catholic approach, as this country was the largest and still is the largest Catholic country. Or a more general form of escapism from the society at that time. Writing for a predominantly working class audience, Shakespeare’s work is an escapism from the audiences hardship of life.

In Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, the reader is introduced to the character Iago. There are many different interpretations of his character, was he a ‘skillful villain’? Or was he a ‘mysterious creature of unlimited cynicism’? Or just a ‘wronged man’ who is more sinned against than sinning?

Othello is the character with whom most of Iago's methods have success. His weakness as a jealous lover is apparent early on, but only after Iago’s has planted the seeds of doubt within his mind. Such is Othello’s trust for Iago that he uses the misnomer of describing Iago as ‘honest Iago’ and irony considering the action held within the play.  The trust is obvious and implicit and thoroughly entrenched within the language. Othello surmises on the aforementioned doubts during the last act of the play when he says;

Iago is the antagonist of the play, and one of the most evil Shakespearean villains. Iago is extremely clever in the way he uses unsuspecting power- especially psychological power. He gets into people’s heads in many dishonest ways- by spreading false rumours, telling lies and psychologically tricking people and secretly controlling certain situations. His power to manipulate is a key point in the play, as it results in major consequences and the deaths of some main characters. Iago’s schemes are multi-levelled- he conspires with roderigo, and makes him believe that Desdemona will take him back. On another level, he leads Othello to believe his wife is having an affair with Cassio. He uses his wife Emilia (unknown to her), to bring back the handkerchief he uses to deceive Othello. Iago is an extremely resourceful and talented man, but he uses these resources and talents in detrimental ways. Iago is constantly referred to by numerous characters as ‘honest’. He himself also refers to honesty. Numerous characters believe that they know and trust Iago and that he would not lie, nor deceive them. Iago’s soliloquies also provide invaluable insight into his wicked mind and evil schemes and plans.

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

Iago spends all of his time plotting against Othello and Desdemona, Iago's capacity for cruelty seems limitless, and no motivation he gives for his actions seems enough to explain the incredible destruction he wreaks on the lives of the people he knows best. Iago is an artist of evil. Iago enjoys ruining people's lives.

Othello, the Moor of Venice The story of Othello, the Moor of Venice was written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare got the idea of Othello from a writer by the name of Giraldi Cinthio. The original story, was entitled,” Of Unfaithfulness of Husbands and Wives.” In the original story Disdemona was beaten to death with a stocking full of sand, which is quite a bit different from Shakespeare’s Othello, tragedy still befalls Desdemona. (Gioia)

Othello, The Moore of Venice is a production, adapted from one of Shakespeare’s plays. Shakespeare has written many plays, The Moore of Venice is one he wrote during a dark time in his career in between his most famous works Hamlet and King Lear the profound re-workings of old plays. According to Kristin Johnsen-Nashati (Aug. 8, 2005), “some scholars have speculated that Shakespeare wrote Othello to please King James I. The setting of this play takes place during the ancient Greek renaissance sometime during 1603-1604. William Shakespeare This play differs from other Shakespeare tragedies because it is about relationship and not the political overtones that usually accompany his work. There is no comic relief and the plot is simplistic. It alludes to a bit of racism, but focuses rather on relationship. Birkenmeier (2012). The play is one of a tragedy of jealousy, betrayal, and murder. Othello, the Moor of Venice, can pierce the soul when pride and ego are realized, and how easily a seed of discord, can be planted in the human mind and grow to the point of murder.

Shakespeare's Othello explores a multitude of deep and intriguing topics as it’s story progresses, each one thoughtfully and delicately delivered to the audience in a way only Shakespeare can. Most interesting to me while I read was the intriguing nature of Iago’s character, which embodies pure, unadulterated evil, to the highest degree. Iago’s scheming is almost entirely unwarranted, as the reason upon which he bases his evil deeds are weak or likely untrue. Specifically, in his first soliloquy (wherein Iago details his hatred of Othello and manipulation of Roderigo), Iago addresses the rumor that Othello has been sleeping with his wife, Emilia, saying “"I know not if't be true, but I for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety”

In Othello, Shakespeare first presents a titular character who is the very picture of masculinity, confidence, and nobility. Othello’s appearances in the play through Act 3 show a character firmly in control of his life and world. A warrior from a distant land, Othello secretly marries the daughter of one of Venice’s leading citizens, but calmly defuses the anger this elopement produces. Though Othello is an essential military leader for Venice, he addresses his bride’s father and other critics with gentle respect, calling them “potent, grave, and reverend” (1.3.76) instead of responding defensively. Othello gently calms a difficult and troubled situation with his words. By the end of the play the sands