Othello Is a Man More Sinned Against Than Sinning

1958 Words8 Pages
Othello is a man whose own virtues are twisted to become the very cause of his own downfall through his own sins and the fault of othersmanipulated to form the cause of his own destruction. Othello’s fate is most definitely due to Iago’s manipulation, though not to all degreesactivated by Iago but it is ultimately Othello who becomes the murderer. It is also defined through the contextual society – the inherent values, beliefs and social structure that define it. Conversely, Othello himself contributes largely to his own fate through his naivety, and his cruel and sinful actions against Desdemona.

The manipulation and sins of Iago are the driving force behind the play, without which events could not escalate to such an extent. Iago’s primary objective throughout the play is to ruin Othello, which he achieves through his deceitful nature and manipulation. Iago plays is portrayed through the use of dramatic irony as ‘honest Iago’ but is truly the ‘villain’ and uses this deception of his true nature to ensure that he is trusted by all. Although Iago always has ulterior motives within the play, when he breaks through the fourth wall in asides or soliloquies he more often than speaks truthfully – fabricating his plans where the audience can see. ‘Devils will their blackest sins put on … suggest at first with heavenly shows as I do now’ is one such instance where Iago further fortifies his deceptive nature: he will appear the angel while acting the devil. This resonates with the constant likening of Iago to a devil or ‘demi-devil’ and calls into question his very humanity. That a human being should be capable of such evil with so little remorse with little reason surely makes Iago exceptionally evil and thus capable of great sin.
Iago’s manipulation is also key. As to whether manipulation itself is a sin is unclear though I think it can safely be said that in Iago’s
Open Document