Theme Of A Dream In Othello

says,” Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me,” (Act 2, sc 1,

Secondly, Iago’s use of imagery creates such a lucid picture that makes it hard to believe that it is anything but true. Iago tells of how he slept with Cassio and how Cassio, “gripe an ring my hand, Cry O sweet creature [Desdemona]! Then kiss me hard As if he plucked up kisses by the roots…” This very visual tale makes it hard for Othello to think of anything other than that Desdemona and Cassio are together. It clearly shows that Iago was witnessing an account that Othello believes is true even though Iago later states that it was only a dream; the visual picture is their. Othello believes this is substantial evidence to accuse Desdemona of being with Cassio.

In other words, Cassio is a man who knows as much about war as an old woman does, unless it is what he has read in books. Therefore, Iago finds him hardly qualified for the job he has gained. Iago is also jealous toward Othello because it is rumored that he has slept with his wife Emilia. (Find Quote In Book) Iago now has a motive to make Othello think that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair to get revenge on Othello and achieve his goal. His hatred and jealously toward Othello and Cassio seem to turn Iago, himself into “the green-eyed monster” (III.iii.1203) that leads him down a path of destruction.

During Act I, Scene I of the play, Iago berates Cassio as he spoke to his fellow conspirator, Roderigo, by saying he was unworthy of his lieutenancy as a man who lacks knowledge in the battlefield. By repeatedly emphasizing Cassio’s inadequacy, Iago uncovers that he likely does this out of envy for Cassio.. Iago also suspects that Othello slept with his wife, and it supposedly sets his mind into emotional turmoil. He explicitly states that the thought of it bothers him, “gnaws his inwards.” Although the truth of Iago’s words here remain unclear, if he is in fact disturbed by this idea, this could give him more incentive to ruin Othello as he eventually

Regardless of the tender relationship between Othello and Desdemona, Iago uses Roderigo to seep his lies into Brabantio’s mind and furthermore wreaking havoc among him and his impression of Othello. Dissimilar to this, Iago is supportive and social when it comes to being around Othello and the ones who he stabs behind their backs. Additional to the first instance of Iago’s scheming, he also releases his plans to alter Othello’s marriage and by doing so ruining Cassio’s chance of regaining lieutenancy. After the fight between Montano and drunk Cassio, Iago converses briefly with Cassio who eventually leaves Iago alone in the streets. Once he is gone Iago explains: “And out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all”(2.3.375-80). From this statement it is clear how Iago has no care towards helping Cassio who needs Desdemona to get his position back, and also for innocent Desdemona who will soon be wrongfully accused of Iago’s bluffs. This is obvious since Iago yearns to create a “net” using Desdemona’s simplicity, and more importantly taking control of everyone’s life with it. Unfortunately the ones who are around him fail to recognize his actions, and without knowing are slowly fooled into their own misery which is all part of Iago’s

The event of Othello’s elopement is the turning point for Iago’s obsession and plot to destroy his life by sabotaging his relationships with Desdemona and his closest friends. Othello’s tragic flaw of trusting the wrong people leads him to his demise. Iago’s first plan of action brings Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, into play. He speaks of how “The Moor”, Othello, is deflowering his daughter’s purity. “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe” (1.1.88-89) (Othello.) Iago’s obsession goes so far as to bring his own wife into his plot without her knowledge. Iago asks Emilia to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief as “evidence” of her infidelity. “My wayward husband hath a hundred times / Woo’d me to steal it; but she so loves the token....I’ll have the work ta’en out, And give’t Iago: what he will do with it Heaven knows, not I; I nothing but to please his fantasy.” (3.3.292-299) (Othello.) A man who prided himself on being trustworthy was so blinded with jealousy and hatred that he would sabotage his own wife to take down Othello’s life.

Iago’s manipulation of Othello is the most significant in the play Othello. Although, Iago’s elaborate plan would never have worked without careful manipulation of Othello’s honorable lieutenant, Cassio. In the third scene of act two, Iago uses his established credibility and pathos to manipulate Cassio’s emotions. The scene starts with Othello telling Cassio to assist Iago in standing guard through the night. When Iago arrives, he begins his manipulation by shifting the conversation to Othello’s wife Desdemona, which leads Cassio to say, “She is indeed perfection” (Shakespeare, 2.3.22). Iago uses this conversation to direct Cassio’s emotions. Immediately after Cassio confesses his feeling for Desdemona, Iago tells Cassio he has a “stoup of wine,” and wants to have a toast to Othello’s health (2.3.23). With persuasion from Iago, Cassio takes part in the toast and gets drunk. Shortly after Cassio leaves, Iago sends Roderigo, a former suitor to Desdemona, to start a fight with him. Not long after, Roderigo runs back pursued by Cassio. Iago, knowing

Othello’s love for Desdemona was so deep he could not bear the thought of another being with her; “If she be false, O! Then heaven mocks itself. I’ll not believe’t.” Iago uses the characters of Cassio and the obsessive Roderigo as his weapons in his cunning plan. Iago drives the idea into Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been unfaithful, inciting him into a state of jealousy. “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again.” Othello growing insecurities about his wife’s faithfulness only adds to his psychological suffering which in turn acts as a catalyst towards the suffering of other characters involved in the play.Iago tells these lies with the intention of driving Othello insane as well as establish his dominance and influence the situations of those characters close to Othello. Evidence of this comes in one of Iago’s soliloquies from act two, scene one; “That Cassio loves her, I do well Believe’t: That she loves him, ‘tis apt and of great credit.” This section shows that he is trying to convince himself that his own manipulative lies are true and is trying to reassure his motives by justifying his own actions. By convincing Othello

Iago’s indignation arises from knowing that someone with no experience received the position. The bitterness is left unchecked and quickly turns into hate. Instead of going to Othello, he whined and pined over it and eventually he says, “...I hate the Moor” (1.3.369). His hatred toward Othello drives him to become deceptive and manipulative. Iago advises Cassio: “confess yourself freely to her; importune her to help you put you in your place again” (2.3.282-284). Although this seems to be sound advice, Iago plans to deceive Othello by leading him to believe that Cassio and Desdemona are in love. In an aside, Iago says, “I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear, / ...So I will turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all” (2.3.316,320-322). Through deception Iago aspires to bring Othello and Cassio to their knees and achieve the position he so desired. With the first step of his plan complete, Iago now has to manipulate Othello into action. In an aside Iago sneers, “O, you are well tuned now! / But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music” (2.1.194-195). Essentially, Iago is going to manipulate Othello in such a way that Othello becomes a puppet acting based on Iago’s wishes. In Iago’s ideal world, he will make Othello love him more and hate Cassio:

Iago sets everyone up in the play and makes them think that he is helping each of them while he is really tricking them into what he wants them to do. He does this all because he wants a higher ranking job. Othello is a very jealous person and is sensitive when it comes to Desdemona that Iago is able to trick him into thinking that she is cheating on him with Cassio. Iago takes advantage of Cassio’s youth and gets him drunk which winds

Othello, not knowing that Cassio was in fact speaking with Desdemona in hopes of being reinstated as Lieutenant, mistakenly believes that the two are having an affair and that Desdemona has lost her chastity. Iago skillfully capitalizes on the situation by developing his attack further: "She did deceive her father, marrying you" (3.3.220). Othello begins to see Iago's reasoning: if she could deceive her father, she could just as easily deceive her new husband. Once Othello's bliss has been decimated, Iago concentrates on weakening Othello's perception of himself; Iago very carefully and very tactfully chooses words and metaphors that subconsciously pit Othello against the Venetians. Othello begins to perceive himself as an outsider in his own country, "a malignant and turbaned Turk" (5.2.365). A fruitful marriage with a Venetian woman becomes out of the question in Othello's mind. Iago's successful manipulation takes a self-confidant man and reduces him to one at ends with himself and with the woman he loved.

Iago quickly tried to come up with false evidence to apparently, to prove to Othello that this is indeed, reality, “I know not that; but suck a handkerchief – I am sure it was your wife’s – See Cassio wipe his beard with.”(3.3.496). Iago was supposedly ‘thickening his proofs’, and he insisted that Cassio has Desdemona’s handkerchief. Notice how Iago is exaggerating false allegations, only to make Othello think that Desdemona is unfaithful. It becomes fairly manageable for Iago to sell his tale to Othello, as he takes advantage of Othello’s trust, and reports what he ‘apparently witnessed’. After Iago successfully manipulates Othello, to consider his wife as a false-hearted woman, he doesn’t even think to reflect upon his sinful deeds, revealing his cold-hearted soul to the audience. By now, the viewers can only look down upon Iago with disgust, as he is also breaking a loving relationship between an honest man and his innocent wife. Why would Iago want to harm Desdemona when he clearly hates the Moor, and only the Moor? What was Iago’s purpose in slandering a beautiful, innocent woman? Well, Iago’s villainous schemes continue to leave the audience in disbelief. Then, Iago also vividly describes to Othello, about how Cassio is yearning for Desdemona, “There are a kind of men so loose of soul that in their sleeps will mutter their affairs. One of this kind is Cassio. In sleep I heard

important scene where the play’s main themes of jealousy and doubt surface. Through Iago's way of displaying subtle but effective implications in speech patterns and mannerisms, it draws Othello's inner conflict to start and eventually take a hold of him as the play continues. The subconscious worries of Othello become known, not only through Iago's words and unsupported claims, but by filling his mind with the image of doubt envisioned as Cassio. Taking form of his worries, Iago plays the mirror reflecting Othello's inner fear and Cassio as the physical form of all his apprehensions. This scene reflects the most hidden parts of Othello in a way where his future actions become a direct result of this scenes affect and conclusion. Those that believe Iago to be the one to set up Othello's future endeavors and downfall are mistaken in the realization that Iago mirrors Othello's own self in worries and fears. The role Iago has in this scene is not one to manipulate Othello into believing what's not there but to believe what's there by Othello's own mind.

Iago considers himself a man of true respect and dignity. In Act I, he declares, “I know my price” (I.1, 3). He is admitting to Rodrigo, how frustrated he is over the fact of Cassio’s promotion. He explains to Rodrigo has he had served front line of the war, and his experience proves him as a better candidate, than young Cassio. He sees it as an unbearable, and shameful that he has been regarded with such insignificance. “I am not what I am,” (I.1, 65) Iago stated. This is interpreted as I am not what I seem. The writer gives us a hint with this quote from Iago, is telling us he is not the person we see him as. This character as a very well honest, respected man, but he is the complete opposite. He is a liar, he makes promised he has no intention of keeping, and he tells stories in order to trap people. “Awake! what, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! thieves! thieves! Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! Thieves! thieves!” (Iago, I.1, 82) The first four words, we see Iago waking up Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. He is to awake him because of the “thieves” that are in his house. In reality, we see it as one of his tricks he is playing. Desdemona, is with the thieves running towards Othello, but Iago secretly is manipulating it as somebody has come to rob his house, that way he is still loyal to Othello. To the readers/audience Iago’s evil nature is revealed for a significant portion of

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.