Iago The Master Manipulator

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“Iago The Master Manipulator” In every great play there is one character who sticks out and that amazes you. In the play “The Tragedy of Othello” written by William Shakespeare, Iago is that character. Iago is supposed to be the right hand man of Othello who is the biggest war general at the time. While in charge of getting everything Othello wishes, Iago turns out to be the greatest manipulator there ever was. His way of making people think or do what he wants them to do is that of a puppet master. Once Iago begins to talk in that nice tone, he’s up to something and once one realizes what he has done, it’s too late. Iago, the master manipulator, is like a cobra; he exerts very little effort but can kill with one strike.

Iago, like most manipulators, needs easy targets to get his plot moving. With that being the case, this brings me to his first victim the poor noble Cassio. In act 2-3 he sees his perfect opportunity to strike at Cassio, he knows Cassio likes two things, women and liquor. Iago starts off by making a comment about Desdemona. (Our general cast us thus early for the love of his Desdemona; who let us not therefore blame: he hath not yet made wanton the night with her; and she is sport for Jove. 2.3.14-17) After Cassio shoots down his first attempt unwillingly he agrees to get Cassio drunk after the fact that Cassio is drunk he begins to move his venomous tongue and poison begins to ooze out. He begins to say how great a woman and how luck Othello is to have her, trying to get Cassio to say something he probably doesn’t want to. So Iago thinks what better way to crumble Cassio more, by getting his duties relieved so he tells Rodrigo to pick a fight with Cassio and so he begins to fight and as they try to break it up he stabs Montano. Thus bringing out Othello demanding to know what happened, nobody dare speak and the Oscar nominated Iago comes to
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