As much of a good guy as he seems to be, he also seems that he is foolish in the sense that he puts too much trust into people. In Scene Two, lines 63-65, he confesses that he was betrayed by the Thane of Cawdor and demands him executed. This shows that it is easy to take advantage of Duncan if he trusts you. For this reason, Duncan is a very nice person yet foolish at the same time. Despite Duncan’s major flaw of over-trusting certain individuals, he was definitely a good king.
While Shakespeare does use Iago’s soliloquy to encourage the audience to admire him, the soliloquy also highlights his incredible aptitude for malice. The continued metaphor of Iago’s jealousy being an ailment to him, “doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards” and expressed further on where he vows to give Othello “a jealousy so strong/that judgment cannot cure”, brings a sense of paranoia and mania to him. This paranoid side to Iago is further emphasized when he alleges Othello of having “leaped into my [his] seat”, his
Othello: A Tragic Hero Othello is the epitome of a tragic hero. He starts out as a rather respectable and rational General, but was eventually consumed by jealousy and anger. A tragic hero must start out high in power and have tragic flaws that lead him to ultimately a tragedy. Othello’s tragic flaw is that he is easily manipulated, leading him to trust the wrong people. The play begins by showing the readers that Othello is a noble General.
It is also interesting to note that Iago speaks so kindly of Desdemona, which is likely due to the fact that he loves her, but, he will is planning a scheme which will no doubt crush her. Iago claims that it is “out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all.” Iago reveals that his plan relies on Othello’s true love for Desdemona, which Iago is attempting to crush. Iago believes that Desdemona has the ability to convince Othello to do anything because “his soul is so enfettered to her love”. He also believes Desdemona knows this, which is the
Iago from Shakespeare’s play Othello is also a power hungry villain who enjoys having people under his control, he is driven by extreme jealousy and the motivation, revenge. In order to accomplish these goals he manipulates his subjects in deceiving ways by utilizing their weaknesses against them. This differs from the Duke in “My last Duchess” by Robert Browning as the duke does not manipulate people in any way. Both Iago and the duke are driven by extreme jealousy to the villainous actions that they take. All three villains may differ in many ways, yet it seems they share a common urge for power, control and a use of sadistic measures.
He worked hard to gain his reputation, so he could be regarded as equal to the white people that surround him. For example Othello is a general in the armies of Venice, his victories at war have gained him a status as a hero among the people that surround him he is highly respected because of the battles he has fought. He is unable to believe his good fortune that Desdemona would fall in love with him, and that helps Iago make him believe that
Iago, who is known as the Machiavellian villain perpetuates the tragedy by bringing forward a hamartia or a fatal flaw from Othello. As soon as the play begins, Shakespeare used dramatic irony to illustrate Othello’s view of Iago as an honest and trustworthy man through his repeated description of “honest Iago” and “a man of exceeding honesty” to the audience. Of course that is not the case, the audience views Iago to be “Janus-faced” and deceptive through his constant declaration of “I am not what I am” and how he “hates the moor”. This juxtaposition is created so that the audience can empathise with Othello. I know I can definitely empathise with him.
His deceiving appearance, as 'honest Iago' works to manipulate Othello by painting a picture of nobility, integrity and virtue, and exploiting his good will. His status as ensign to Othello cements his trustworthy relationship with the Moor. The reality of Iago's motives work against others in the play. He
While it may seem, that the tragedy of Othello was caused by the evil villain Iago, I believe that he was not the only one to blame. Although Iago played a big role in destroying his enemy, it was Othello’s character flaws that led himself to his own downfall. It is because of Othello’s gullibility, lack of trust in others, insecurity, and jealousy that he becomes a victim of his own tragedy. Othello is a very gullible person, and it is because of his gullibility that he is easily tricked into this situation by Iago. There many points in the play that show just how gullible Othello is***He trusted Iago; even after realizing Iago had a “monstrous” plan in mind Othello still trusted him, in 3.3.106-107 Othello says “by heaven, thou echoest me, As if there were some monster in thy thought.” Othello suspects Iago of having an agenda, in 3.3.118-119 when he asks Iago why he is weighing his words so carefully before he speaks, “And for I know thou’rt full of love and honesty and weig’st thy words before giv’st them breath.” In this quote we can see that Othello is on to Iago, he realizes how careful Iago is and even gets the feeling that maybe he is hiding something from him but what does he do?
Othello Literary Essay William Shakespeare’s play Othello, showcases one of the most evil villains in literature: the manipulative and dishonest Iago. I will show how Iago is trusted and loved by many because he displays an outward show of loyalty and honestly yet in reality he has an ulterior motive of evil and destruction. Through his devilish ways, he gains control over Brabantio, Roderigo and Othello. Iago is the epitome of a narcissist and he brilliantly manoeuvres his victims in order to take control over all those around him. They become victims as they mindlessly follow him.