It explains Iago’s insatiable desire for revenge against Othello, explores the theme of jealousy in the play, and gives light to Iago’s manipulative deceptions and dishonesties. The soliloquy highlights a lot of important facts about the central characters and themes in “Othello”. The extract explains Iago’s relentless desire for revenge against Othello. As Iago believes that the Moor has wronged him in many ways, he sees it somewhat appropriate to plot revenge against him and those close to him. Iago has many rather theoretical reasons for his revenge, one of which being his failure to receive the spot of lieutenant, and the other being that he “suspect[s] the lusty Moor” of sleeping with his wife, Emilia.
There is one main theme in Shakespeare’s play Othello, and that is revenge. In this play, Shakespeare shows that he believes all revenge is improper, and he displays this through his character Iago. Throughout the play, Iago completes copious events to seek personal revenge. It is very clear to see throughout the plot that Shakespeare implores the reader to acknowledge Iago as a character who completely embodies improper revenge. Iago not only attempts to seek out his own personal revenge, but he manipulates several other characters in order to help him reach his own goal.
Explore how Shakespeare’s use of stage-craft and imagery convey Macbeth’s morale decline from noble hero to bloody tyrant. Through the imagery of blood and deceit, and the use of supernatural, Shakespeare explores the morale decline of Macbeth. The stagecraft at the opening with the use of supernatural hints at the morale decline to come. Macbeth’s first appearance is staged to show his corruptibility. Banquo is juxtaposed to show how an honest man would react to fair-surrounding predictions.
Williams suggests that Richard perceives his hatred as his fuel for passionate revenge, but it is the anxious yearning for acceptance which he instead misinterprets. In the opening scene, Richard is “determined to play villain” [2], his decision to claim the throne, that he again places himself a victim to course of nature, which he blames for being “cheated of feature” [3], be his unnatural guide to his reign. Imperfectly shaped, he is noticeably attracted to objects that are as equally flawed as he is, which deters him from ever escaping his constraints and truly obtaining the so called ‘normal’ lifestyle that his surrounding others have refused him. The play opens immediately chastising Richard’s contorted body, emphasizing his impotence. William’s states, “Richard
On the contrary when he locks up Nelly and Cathy we see him as an evil villain attempting to fulfill his malevolent plan of revenge. What is trying to be said is that Bronte through the deep character of Heathcliff evokes ambiguity and contradiction through his intentions, the blurred lines that make him a hero or a villain and lastly the contradiction of either pity or anger the reader feels towards Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. To begin with, Bronte effectively evokes uncertainty through the fact that Heathcliff wants to be with Catherine but at the same time wants to exact his revenge on Hindley for separating him from Catherine and making his life childhood miserable. The ambiguity is shown by Bronte is the fact that the reader does not know whether Heathcliff’s intentions have sincere or malicious intent. For instance, when Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights and returns a reformed man with exceptional manners, the reader is
The character of Iago is presented to the viewer early on as the obvious villain of the play. His initial exploitation of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage makes the viewer aware of his calculating and manipulative nature, which is further emphasized by his continual deceit of Othello. Despite the ease with which he enacts his controlled and cunning plans, Iago sometimes seems to the viewer as an irrational, vengeful character acting out of jealousy. This trait can make him appear illogical and unreasonable but emphasis his pure evil nature. Iago’s initial soliloquies reveal his deceptive nature, he is presented as Janus, the 2 faced man, as he reveals his plan which becomes more and more complex and reliant on his continual manipulation of the people around him.
Jealousy can be seen as one of the main causes of Othello’s downfall as he is driven by it to ultimately murder Desdemona, his most valuable treasure, without whom, he is nothing. However, there are also other factors, such as his trusting nature, and his keen sense of honour that can be seen to lead to his downfall. His hamartia could be seen as his main flaw as it is through his grave error of judgement that allows Iago to exploits Othello’s insecurities and poison his mind. On the other hand, it could be said that honour is the main flaw that leads to Othello’s downfall. This idea is conveyed through the way Othello has achieved status in society and therefore, doesn’t seem to want to compromise his honour, as we assume, due to traditional Venetian rule that he had to work his way up through the ranks as Coleridge explains saying “Venetian society was noted for its ability to allow anyone to raise though the ranks”.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is defined by its exploration of both great and provocative ideas. As a character of moral conviction, the revenge tragic hero, Hamlet, is isolated by the corrupt core that characterises the court of Denmark, his role as avenger and the morality of revenge, and the shifting notions of appearance and reality. It is these key themes that establishes the moral quandary and ambiguity that lies at the heart of the play. Moral quandary and the notion of revenge are key elements within Hamlet as Shakespeare draws on the conflicting codes of honour evident within Renaissance England. The dramatic device of the ghost, as a figure of Roman Catholic tradition, epitomises the theological tensions present within Renaissance England, accentuating the social paradigms of Shakespeare’s context.
In Shakespeare’s vengeful Hamlet, Prince Hamlet’s irrational behavior can be viewed as strategic and cunning preparation for his ultimate revenge on Claudius. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to expose the profound significance behind Prince Hamlet’s behavior which can be portrayed by Emily Dickinson’s quote, “Much madness is divinest Sense- To a discerning Eye-.” Prince Hamlet’s seemingly idiotic and crazed behavior can be deemed witty and seen as the ultimate façade of a shrewd and greater plan for revenge by this “discerning Eye.” Hamlet’s strategy to feign madness to conceal his real intentions actually drives him very close to losing control of the strong force of darkness that he is toying with. Hamlet’s behaves seemingly unreasonable towards Ophelia when he denounces her and urges her to get to a Brothel instead of becoming a “Breeder of Sinners.” Hamlet then storms out after his tirade and Ophelia grieves over his “noble mind” that has now ascended into madness. Hamlet’s obsessive detail over the actors in the play The Murder of Gonzago shows hints of obsession and a fixation on revenge. Hamlet’s slaying of Polonius only leads Hamlet to believe that it was a heaven-sent tool of vengeance to punish Polonius’s sins and to stain his own soul with blood.
William Shakespeare conveys a recurring motif throughout the tragedy ‘Othello’ of the power that Jealousy and Revenge have on influencing the characters decisions, and the danger of Appearance versus Reality. This motif is evident as Iago, the psychotic antagonist, performs a soliloquy during Act 1 Scene 1, where he explores these key concerns and main ideas of deception, betrayal and arrogance, which are typical of the play as a whole. Shakespeare uses thematic concerns and language techniques to show how Iago’s ambiguous personality and manipulative nature emphasise the main messages portrayed. Firstly, the power of Jealousy is used in the play to convey the motivation behind Iago’s vengeful plot and to foreshadow a betrayal later on: “We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly followed”. Iago’s jealousy of Othello is shown by the envy of him being a master, In context, Othello was a Moor, the racial prejudice in the Elizabethan era was that a Moor was considered inferior to Venetian men; this would’ve made Iago insecure as he failed to be promoted by someone of a lower social class than him, thus leading to his cynical plan; “cannot be truly followed” this shows Iago’s pessimistic nature as he foreshadows his betrayal as one of deception, rather than directly abandoning Othello, telling the audience that Iago will follow him, but not faithfully, and with plan to deceive.