Explain how Iago presents himself to the world. What is beneath the surface of his public identity? Why does he hate Othello so passionately? What makes Iago so effective at manipulating people? What do other characters, besides Othello think of him?
THE DOWNFALL OF OTHELLO AS CAUSED BY IAGO Iago is one of Shakespeare s most intriguing and credible villains. Iago can be perceived as either evil or brilliant in his plans to be deemed lieutenant. As the villain in Othello , Iago has two main actions: to plot and to deceive. Iago is mad that Cassio was chosen to be lieutenant instead of himself. From this anger comes the main conflict of the play.
Examine Shakespeare’s presentation of the themes of corruption and disorder in Hamlet. Show how far your appreciation and understanding of this aspect of Hamlet have been informed by your study of The Revenger’s Tragedy. Corruption is a key theme throughout Hamlet and is portrayed in many scenes through different aspects of the play. Greed and the thirst for power become the invitation for this corruption. Corruption in Hamlet is represented as a chain of events starting with greed; spreading by manipulation through unquestioning loyalty thus corruption manifests itself as tragic revenge.
Knowledge is therefore caricatured by the act of belief in the dialogue between the characters in this play. The audience is the judge and jury; Shakespeare is the arbiter who mediates between the audience and the characters. The mediation takes the form of dramatic irony and proleptic irony. These theatrical and literary devices are used to expose the pervasive display of fallacy itself, which becomes a central motif. Shakespeare’s act of deploying fallacy takes the form of two things.
‘A consummate actor who can exert his power over the most intelligent, as well as the most gullible’ In light of this comment, examine Shakespeare’s presentation of Iago When we examine the character of Iago- lauded as Shakespeare’s most foul villain, we must understand that he is indeed a crafty foe, influencing almost every character within the play, orchestrating the tragedy which culminated in Othello’s downfall. Within this essay, we shall examine exactly how he wields such power over characters, both intelligent and gullible, skillfully and why he succeeds. The notion of a consummate actor presupposes one that is utterly devoted to his art, almost living his act. In the case of Iago, it is almost certain that the only group to which he is truly and completely honest to, is the audience. To others, he is a talented actor, as they are completely fooled by his façade of honesty.
Iago Although Iago is clearly the antagonist throughout the play, Shakespeare cleverly also utilizes the character as a confidante. His soliloquies to the audience lay out his intent and planning of the plot to the audience; to seek revenge on Othello. In addition to helping the audience understand Iago’s twisted thoughts, I believe that Shakespeare’s intent in writing in these brilliant soliloquies was to make the audience feel that they were part of the play and involved in the plot. We learn early on the relationship between Iago and Roderigo. Roderigo discloses his trust for Iago in the opening lines of the play.
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.
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.
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.
Through his use of verbal language techniques and devices, Shakespeare develops loving as an unwanted, painful, disease throughout his play Twelfth Night that ultimately can turn men into monsters. He both conveys this warning to the audience and makes the play interesting and attention grabbing for them by skilfully using metaphors, comparison, emotional language, rhyme and allusion. Twelfth Night is a timeless piece of literature thanks to the intricate verbal techniques that Shakespeare weaves with a purpose into the play. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare portrays love as a “hunger” to show that we are pained by it when we cannot satisfy it, drawing similarities between the ache of loving someone to “hunger pains”. He also uses a metaphor to convey his opinion that the need for love is as great as the need for food.