Othello's Loss for Words Essay

He is clever in his diction to avoid confrontation that can easily erupt. An example of Iago’s manipulation is when he and Roderigo confront Brabanzio about his daughter. Brabanzio does not believe what the two say about Desdemona, calling it ridiculous, and he becomes angry because he has been woken up in the middle of the night. Roderigo immediately starts to explain, which only angers Brabanzio even more. Iago, on the other hand, responds by actually complimenting Brabanzio. Brabanzio yells, “Thou art a villain” to which Iago responds, “You are a senator”. The father is taken aback by this surprising comment and it causes him to step back and re-examine the situation, which eases his anger and causes him to believe the two storytellers, especially when he finds Desdemona missing from her bed chamber

Diction is the author's choice of words, taking into account correctness, clearness, and effectiveness. Shakespeare's works focus on human problems and resolving them. The use of Shakespeare’s diction throughout Othello is very unique because he is very clear in the emotions and the plans of characters. He lays out what a character's plan is before he acts it out. He also has a tendency to retell the recent events. These subtle hints allow the reader to foreshadow and develop a feel for each character. The intimations of what’s to come is prominently seen through Iago’s soliloquies. He often speaks openly of his plan for revenge that only the reader will know. This in turn creates dramatic irony. The effect of this type of diction is that

Othello’s race and regression of speech (from calmness to rudeness), Iago’s victims (Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, etc.) being unravelled with manipulation and slyness, Desdemona’s struggling voice and false blame, etc., all participate in the damage the “power of language” causes. Therefore, by exploring the three language devices – “words as power”, “words as character” and “words as conversation” – it is possible to conclude that the language devices are used significantly in the play, “Othello”, because the human behaviour of the characters (Othello, Iago, Desdemona, etc.) is either positively or negatively influenced, and their characteristics and destinies are

This next part of Iago’s character plays an equally important role in the play. An article says that a “... superb ability of Iago is that he has an acute eye for his victim's weaknesses and exploits them mercilessly.” (“Villainous Role of Iago in Othello”). Iago is able to use the characters weaknesses against them for his own selfish reasons. While the audience is aware of Iago’s plan, the other characters are oblivious to his evil

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

From this time on, Othello has become the slave of passion. As he cries farewell to the tranquil mind, to content, to war and his occupation, as he demands that Iago prove his love a whore, as he threatens Iago and begs for proof at the same time, he is finally led almost to the verge of madness [. . .] . (165)

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,

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the antagonist Iago is arguably the most heinous villain in all of literature. His ability to shape shift in and out of character is what makes him unique. His tactics are similar to that of a cold blooded chameleon. Iago’s art of persuasion, his mastery of rhetoric as well as his ability to sense his victims’ insecurities and weaknesses, is what makes him so diabolically ruthless. Throughout the play, one can truly see the power of words and their delivery, and the massive influence that they can have over people. Iago employs charlatan techniques to appeal to his victims’ emotional, logical and ethical weaknesses for his own selfish political gain. Iago’s rhetorical methods entrances many of the key characters and leads them to arrive at the assumptions he wants them to reach. Through these methods, Iago is able to transform Othello from a calm, collected, composed general to an insecure, emotional, and malleable puppet. Through his manipulation of all the key characters, Iago is nonetheless able to remain in favored perception, as he is ironically referred to as “honest Iago”. What makes Iago so intriguing, is his ability to carry out his selfish agenda without being detected. Iago utilizes reverse psychology, indirect insinuations, and explicit imagery to deceive others and force them under his spell. Iago’s intentions are always

The definition of a tragic hero is that an individual who has a mixture of admirable qualities and a tragic flaw which proves fatal. This suggests Othello is a tragic hero, though qualities such as nobility in thoughts or actions do not consistently portray Othello throughout the play. Despite his brave reputation as a soldier and characteristics of trusting and caring initially with Desdemona, his weaknesses in both his own character and his vulnerability to Iago¡¦ s lies, and the decision of killing Desdemona at last do not make Othello sufficiently noble in thought or action to attain the status of a tragic hero.

“Othello”, by William Shakespeare, is a story of jealousy’s potential to manipulate thoughts and eventually lead to ultimate demise. The key to extremely detrimental jealousy lies within one’s ability to recognize it or deny it. It seems that the important theme of “Othello” is that if jealousy is not recognized and immediately dealt with, it receives a head start to commence the process of rotting away all normal human reason. Othello’s speech in Act III scene iii beginning with line 178 is the first and most important indicator of the trouble ominously looming on Othello’s horizon. His immediate response to Iago’s accusations is that of total denial. By depriving himself of that initial venting process, Othello gives his jealousy the

It is incredibly ironic that Iago would state that he almost attacked Brabantio, as he was the one saying slanderous things against Othello in the first place. Showcasing Brabantio in this light was an incredibly deliberate move by Iago. It immediately paints him as the good guy in the situation, and the one who is willing to stand up for Othello's honor. It allowed him to gain Othello's personal trust quickly, and use that trust in order to plant the seed of doubt in his mind. This level of scheming is indicative of a lack of empathy, which is another sign of sociopathic tendencies.

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

Shall out-tongue his complaints.” Othello’s eloquent fluidity of speech and almost musical rhythm contrasted with Iago’s harsh, uneven language emphasises his thoughtful, tactful and tranquil manner. This would come as a shock on stage as the audience have been given the impression that he is a villain. He is sure of himself and has a refreshing eloquence about him, which can be compared with critic C. Bates;’ comment that ‘Othello’s best sword is his words’. The actuality of this statement would be made obvious on stage as Othello’s confident and tactful speech would be clear to the audience compared to the, so far, hysterical discourse of the other characters.

This analysis is suggesting that Iago’s words have multitude of meanings in the play due to Iago’s homoerotic attraction to Othello. Iago uses his wit to pursue Othello, but the nature of his delivery means he will never be close to Othello, other than in conversation. Iago is enraged when Othello

The third and final sub-topic that will be analysed is the fact that language is a medium of self-expression. According to Damascelli (2012) “The important or predominant personality of one character over the others can be brought out in several ways for example through the use of soliloquies. In the play Othello Iago uses soliloquies to reveal and express his malicious intentions. Iago is not the only character in Othello that uses language and language devices to express himself effectively. At the beginning of the play Othello speaks in verse and this is an indication of his state of mind being healthy but as the play progresses Othello uses prose to express himself. When Othello moves from verse to prose it shows us that there is a degeneration of