William Shakespeare 's Othello - The Motiveless Malignity

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.

A psychopathic killer fueled by anger and revenge will stop at nothing to reach his goal. Iago, in his hunt for revenge against Othello, fits this role. Or does he? In Shakespeare 's play, Othello, Iago is the driving force of the plot and one of the most cunning villains in four hundred years. Without looking into it, Iago could be considered just another generic Shakespeare villain; however, his shallow emotions, high self esteem, and his dishonest nature prove him to be much more.

Shakespeare’s Othello presents a complex scenario: on one hand, there is evil and successful manipulation, and on the other, there is gullibility and naïveté. The pivotal character Iago sets into motion an evil scheme, carefully and slowly, which leads to ultimate tragedy and ruin. Othello, a loving, gentle, kind-hearted man, falls into a state of near insanity, convinced of falsehoods fed to him by his trusted aide. Iago is a devious trickster and he secretly despises Othello. Constantly plotting his next move, Iago manipulates others to do his bidding and acts in ways that further his plot against Othello, while Othello falls for all of Iago’s schemes. Iago is scheming, manipulative, and devious, whereas Othello is impressionable, overly-trusting, and ultimately, overcome with jealousy.

A depraved soul would generate chaos, inflict pain, and stir up trouble for its own satisfaction. Iago undoubtedly fits this description seeing that he is a sadist who attains power by annihilating others in cruel and unusual ways. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice, he is a sinister force which steers virtuous people towards their gruesome deaths. Furthermore, he is the core focus of this academic essay.

     Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago.

Villains are characters who are devoted to committing evil acts and thus set the plot in motion. They add excitement to works of literature, as they challenge the concept of higher morality, to achieve a certain goal. For the most part, a villain has a motive for their heinous deeds, but a villain whose only motive is the sadistic pleasure they receive from watching their victims suffer, is the most interesting. In Othello, Shakespeare introduces the audience to one of the most malevolent and diabolical of all Shakespearean villains. What makes Iago such an intriguing character, is the intricateness of his personality as well as the inability of viewers

William Shakespeare’s Othello uses different and unique techniques in his language to express the nature of evil throughout the play. Verbal twists and the characters most importantly stress the act of evil. Iago, most of all is portrayed as the “villain” or “protagonist in the play. Shakespeare uses this character to set the basis of evil. Each plot point is spiraled further into tragedy due to the nature of Iago and his manipulative language towards the other main characters.

Iago is one of William Shakespeare’s most evil villains. From the very beginning Iago is out to destroy Othello. No one really knows why Iago hates Othello so much, but there are many theories to why he does, such as iago states he’s angry that othello looked past him for a promotion or the possibility that othello is having an affair with his wife. Iago’s ability to manipulate and deceive people is truly evil, yet also genious. Iago is absolutely evil and shows it throughout the entire play.

To be consummately evil requires a capability to completely lack all strains of human morality. A nearly perfect example of this is the antagonist Iago in Othello by William Shakespeare, who cunningly works his evil throughout the whole play, especially in Act III. Iago is an intriguing and complex character who instigates the tragedy of the play, but also is the embodiment of the negative traits of the main protagonist, Othello. Iago is a master manipulator who excels in revealing and exploiting people's weaknesses, such as Othello's insecurities and credulousness as well as Cassio's general flirtatiousness and intolerance to alcohol, only to further his own agenda. Iago has been so successful in manipulating Othello’s loyal entourage

    Who can compare in depth of evil to the villainous Iago in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello? His villainy is incomparably destructive on all of those around him.

Iago is one of the most renowned villains of pre-modern literature, as first introduced in Shakespeare’s Othello. His deceiving personality and complex nature is painted such that readers are amazed by his ingenious schemes. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is represented as trustworthy and honest, but readers soon realize that he is the opposite of what he seems. Even though Iago’s personality and thoughts are revealed less in MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), he carries on the same immoral legacy as in Othello. Throughout the plays, he turns his friends against one another who look to him for guidance and support. Iago thirsts to upgrade this status in society which causes him to take advantage of

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 veiled throughout the play.

Across the history of literature, readers have encountered countless antagonists of whom, despite their malevolence and immorality, continue to evoke intrigue in audiences. Iago, from the play “Othello”, is one of Shakespeare’s most sinister villains, possessing masterful scheming and manipulative skills such that he is able to commit terrible betrayals without arousing suspicion. Throughout the play, we see Iago constantly making plans to destroy lives, especially Othello’s. And yet, as despicable as his intentions and actions may be, Iago possesses a complexity that intrigues us as an audience, as he is so detached from conventional morality that he becomes a mystery worth exploring. It is in our nature

“Othello” is a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare in 1603. The play explains the story of a solider, Iago, that destroys a powerful general named Othello’s marriage, reputation, and overall life. The actions of the protagonist in the play, Iago, will be analyzed for their importance and domino effect throughout the play. Iago is a soldier of the army in Venice. He is a flat character in the play that is selfish, but on the exterior appears to value other individual’s concerns more than his. Throughout the play, readers notice that Iago is sexist, greedy, and racist. Iago is sometimes considered an archetype of the devil (quote about it) However, Iago is very intelligent in creating schemes that result in him receiving what he desires. All of the actions he commits throughout the play are to better him. Iago’s significance to the play is his desire for revenge. He portrays this pursuit of revenge toward Othello, Cassio, and the idea of revenge he planted in Othello towards Desdemona.

Who doesn’t love a good villain? In the Shakespeare story “Othello”, the character Iago appears to be the friend that everyone can trust but in reality the most manipulative then all of the other characters. Driven by revenge Iago manages to stir up all of the chaos he has so carefully planned, to take what is his. Iago was the controller of the game he was putting everyone through in the story. Iago was determined to get the rank he thought he truly deserved and wasn’t going to stop until he got it, no matter who got hurt. Throughout the story Iago managed to manipulate and feed off of the character’s weakness; Othello’s insecurities, Cassio’s trust, and Roderigo’s naivety.