Ben Tilden
Ms. Baxter
Pre-IB English
31 March 2015
The Most Gifted Villain in Literature
The tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare takes place in Venice and Cyprus approximately in 1603. Othello, the valiant Moor of Venice and the play’s protagonist, is a noble gifted leader looked up to by the people of Venice. His “free and open nature” (1.3.390) allows Iago, the play’s antagonist, to be able to identify Othello’s tragic flaw: credulity. Iago’s consuming desire for power fuels his meticulous plot to hurt and manipulate Othello. Through the use of jealousy and misleading appearance, Shakespeare creates the most gifted villain in literature. Iago gives a multitude of reasons for his poor treatment of Othello, however his jealousy originates from when Michael Cassio was promoted as Lieutenant over him. This sparked Iago’s hatred and disloyalty towards Othello. However, in the play Iago explains his reasoning, “But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor… do as if for surety.” (1.3.12) In the first scene Iago explains his motive of destroying Othello because of being overlooked for getting promoted, however now he tells us that his hatred was born from the rumors that Othello has been hooking up with Emilia, Iago’s wife. Clearly Iago’s intensions are to take revenge on anyone for the smallest provocations, as Iago appreciates the damage he causes. His desire and need for power is key in the engineering of the downfall of the eponymous character. In an attempt to
Iago presents himself to the world as a faithful and honest man. In fact other people speak of him as “honest Iago”. Beneath the surface of his identity that he portrays to the world is his manipulation through lies. He uses his lies to manipulate other people and desperately wants revenge on Othello. He hates Othello so passionately because he gave the position of lieutenant up to another person instead of him. I think it could also be because of jealousy. I think he’s jealous of Cassio and Othello because later on in the story after he finally becomes lieutenant he brings up another reason to seek revenge on Othello, which was rumors of Othello sleeping with his wife. Iago is good at using people’s weaknesses to manipulate people and persuade
Iago's need for revenge on Cassio and Othello could originate from the inadequacy he must of felt when Cassio was promoted, and finding out that his wife might be having affairs must have wounded his pride and bruised his ego greatly. All
Iago takes what most of us see as good and uses those traits against characters in the play. He is able to take something as pure as Othello and Desdemona’s love or Cassio’s loyalty as a weakness that he can pounce on. “He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him.” (I, iii, 381-382) Iago possesses no good qualities so as a jealous pay back he takes trust and turns it against the trusting and then tries to take it even further for himself.
William Shakespeare’s 16th century play Othello is a duplicitous and fraudulent tale set alternatingly between Venice in act 1, and the island of Cyprus thereafter. The play follows the scandalous marriage between protagonist Othello, a Christian moore and the general of the army of Venice, and Desdemona, a respected and intelligent woman who also happens to be the daughter of the Venetian Senator Brabantio. Shakespeare undoubtedly positions the marriage to be viewed as heroic and noble, despite Othello’s hamartia and subsequent downfall that inevitably occurs. Their marriage is then sabotaged by the jealous Iago, Othello’s ensign and villain of the play. While Iago’s ostensible justification for instigating Othello’s demise was his failure to acquire Othello’s position as lieutenant, Iago’s motives are rarely directly articulated and seem to derive from an obsessive, almost aesthetic pleasure in manipulation and destruction. Through the genre of the play, being a Shakespearean tragedy, and the structural devices employed by Shakespeare such as plot development, exposition, foreshadowing, dénouement, dramatic excitement, and catharsis, the key ideas of jealousy, appearance vs. reality and pride are developed and explored.
One of the first lines Iago even says is that he hates Othello. My first thought when considering this reason would be, is not being appointed second-in-command enough for him to do what he does? It’s completely possible because later in the play, he gets Cassio drunk and tricks him into attacking Roderigo and Montano, the governor of Cyprus before
Iago’s jealousy ends up ruining multiple people’s lives. “Jealousy, once awakened, becomes self-perpetuating, self-intensifying, and where no justifying evidence for it exist... “ (Godfrey, !972, pg. 418). As long as he is gaining from what people have to lose then he is happy. He does not care what he has to put people through in order to get what he wants. His jealousy forms from two reasons: thinking Othello was sleeping with Emilia and Othello giving the position to Cassio instead of giving to him. “Off-Capp’d to him: and, by the faith of man, I know my price, I am worth no worse a place: But he, as loving his own pride and purposes, Evades them, with a bombast circumstance Horribly stuff’d with epithets of war; And, in conclusion, Nonsuits my mediators; for, “Certes,” says he, “I have already chosen my officer.” And what was he? One Michael
Over the course of the play, Iago offers numerous reasons for him desiring revenge. The first motive is the loss of a promotion to Cassio. “’Tis the curse of service: preferment goes by letter and affection, And not by old gradation,” (I.i.33-35). Iago feels that Cassio was chosen over him because he is more likable instead of earning it like Iago felt he had. Bloom describes this anger in terms of religion. “His religion is war, and his god is Othello, and so his fury when Cassio is preferred to him is the fury of the priest or worshipper who has been found unworthy,” (Bloom). Iago feels that Othello must make amends for his rejection. The next reason he gives is the supposed infidelity of his wife. Iago says “And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets H’as done my office.” (I.iii.378-379).
Iago is a man of jealousy, and he is proposing revenge against Cassio and Othello. " He claims both Cassio and Othello have seduced his wife, Emilia, a warm-hearted, simple woman. He proposes, as revenge of wife for wife, to put Othello into such a jealousy as judgement can cure" (Jorgensen 59). "We know therefore from the start why Iago hates Othello . . . " (Modern 3). Iago's hatred for the Moor is deep, and there is apparently reason. The Ten Commandments teach us to love thy neighbor and to not steal. It seems that Othello has in a sense broken both those rules, or at least that is what Iago wants us to believe. By trying to seduce Emilia he is not loving thy neighbor, and he
Iago’s revenge plan started because he wanted a higher position in the army. The position that Iago wanted was the one that Cassio had. So he knew the only way to get this was through the “easy prey” (spark notes) Othello. Iago saw Othello as an easy target because of his insecurities of marrying Desdemona and his trusting nature. Othello was insecure because he was a man
He enjoys working people so they can do what he wants just to make him happy. Iago is a typical character who has a dislike for a woman he shows no love or affection for the other sex. He has no sympathy for a woman he always criticizes them although they have never done anything of any sort of bad to him in no way at all. Iago is so prudent that he tells Othello that he thinks he has generated feelings for him while at the same moment he is telling him the bitterest words in his ears. Iago main intention is to bring down Othello he is not a real friend to Othello the Moor he is just bent on bringing him to a fall he is just the as jealous minded man.
Iago’s reasons for wanting Othello to murder Desdemona are never satisfactorily explained. As Iago himself says, "What you know, you know" (5.2.306). He gives various reasons for wanting to destroy Othello, but none ring completely true. He is disgruntled because of Cassio’s promotion over him. He suspects Othello of bedding his wife. But why is he determined to have Othello murder Desdemona? His plot seems based on sport rather than reason. Iago truly hates the Moor, but his hate is not grounded in any firm reason. As the play progresses, Iago’s motive never fully crystallizes, but his determination to dupe Othello into murder, thereby destroying his sense of honor, grows stronger.
Iago is one of the most prominent and cryptic villains of all time presented first in William Shakespeare’s tragic play “Othello”. He’s a true artist of evil, single-handedly ruining and killing the lives of multiple notable characters--including protagonist Othello and his loving wife Desdemona. However, Iago presents a character of many unsolved puzzles. Why must he enact revenge? What other motives does he have against Othello?
Iago has many reasons to hate Othello, including the fact that he had been passed over for a promotion, in which Othello had snatched the position, and he also suspects Othello had slept with Emilia. These reasons were given to the audience, as Iago, himself, reveals his reasons to Roderigo, “ I hate the Moor; and it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets 'has done my office. I know not if't be true; yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” (1.3.378-82). Iago is never turned back on his plan to ruin Othello and the people surrounding him, since he is always contemplating on how Othello doesn’t deserve his accolades, and how Iago is plotting revenge against him. This keeps Iago to consistently, and deliberately continue with his strategies, which keeps the audience empathetic for the rest of the story. Iago is also jealous of Othello’s ability to woo and lure Desdemona, “It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor ... She must change for youth. When she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice.” (1.3.340). However, Even if Iago had received the promotion; even if he had no suspicions or jealous feelings, he would still invent new motives for hating the Moor, as he is the devil of the story. Iago is not capable of performing good deeds, sustaining good relationships, or even
Iago’s motivation for his revenge on Othello is very clear in the beginning of the play. Iago hates Othello because he believes he was overlooked for the lieutenant position. Othello gave this position to Cassio instead, which enraged Iago. I believe however Iago’s excuses and justifications
At all points of one’s life, one has desires; what separates and defines a person is determined by how that person goes about dealing with those desires. Some believe in working honestly towards his or her aspirations and others in seizing it at any cost. Iago, the antagonist of the play Othello is one of those people who would do anything in order to get what he wishes. Because Othello names Cassio lieutenant instead of him, he begins to device a plan in vengeance to bring Othello and Cassio down, which ends up tragic for all of the major characters. Iago’s obsessive need for revenge stems from jealousy and ambition, and because he is a master manipulator, the plan goes extremely smooth for the majority of the play.