... . So he tries to get the life he desires be revenging against Othello and Cassio who have stopped him. "Iago confronts us, jealous, embittered, vengeful, viciously repudiating the honesty and loyalty that have led him nowhere" (Godfrey, 421). Iago feels honesty is getting him nowhere, so he turns to honesty's opposite, evil. Iago admits this himself: O wretched fool, That lov'st ... that Iago has a conscience proves he is not pure evil as most would suspect. In Iago's first soliloquy he states in regards to Othello and Emilia, "I know not if't be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that k...

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• Grade Level: High School

... going. Yet she says, " I am not merry but I do beguile- there is an idea of reality vs. appearance; she is hiding her true feelings beneath a mask. These lines could be interpreted sinisterly as Desdemona being an actress and deceiving those around her. But I think she is worried about ... how if fair and foolish?- Desdemona is too innocent and trusting to realise Iago is mocking her for marrying Othello and for believing in true love in a corrupt world. Iago's racist ideas are not isolated he just exploits ideas that were already part of 16th century society. ... a physical one and her...

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• Grade Level: High School

... husband has composed. This plot two destroy Othello's marriage causes Emilia at the very end of the play to question her husbands motives and show her true loyally to Desdemona. She unwillingly plays a key role in Iago's plan without any knowledge of what her husband scheme is. Emilia's two roles make her ... her first remembrance from the Moor. My wayward husband hath a hundred times Wooed me to steal it" (II.II.306-309). This shows her loyalty to Iago and how she does what is asked of her without questioning. By stealing The handkerchief and handing it over to Iago she has played an ....

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• Grade Level: High School

... suspects that his wife has slept with Othello, though he has no proof and is unwilling to confront either on the subject. Emilia who appears loyal to Desdemona, before her loyalty suddenly switches to her husband (when she gives him the handkerchief) has now established herself as an unknowing accomplice to her husband. She later betrays Desdemona again, when she lies ... elusive character as the play continues. Her Jekyll and Hyde actions seem to only confuse the audience and help seal the long-term fate of Othello, Desdemona and herself. Her loyalty towards her husband is bizarre cons...

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... seems like hell. Iago constantly mocks and disrespects her. He shows disregard to her feelings and lacks affection. Despite all this, Emilia yearns to please him. An example of her loyalty, would be stealing the handkerchief that belonged to Othello. "I nothing but to please his fantasy," she says while taking it (3.3). Though some people view her as desperate, it ... is arguable that Emilia is the true tragic female figure in this story. She is a complex woman, who dies by her own inner conflicts of loyalty and the yearning of independence and happiness as well as by the hands of her p...

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... as she would want to. She tends to play the peace-maker in her marriage and is always trying to understand Othello. Throughout the play she struggles to prove her loyalty and respect to her husband, no matter what it takes she tries to be a good wife. At the beginning of the play when Brabantio, confronts Othello and Desdemona about their ... for Othello to return to the bedroom. Desdemona can not understand how a women could do that to any man, that was not in her book of marriage. Her innocence, her loyalty cost her to be very close minded, and not accept that a man will believe that ...

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... the marriage. This confidence was misplaced, and we happen to know it; but it was no sign of stupidity in Othello. (Bradley n. pag.) Here, Bradley expresses Othello's obsession with trust, loyalty and honor. Even when Iago goes behind his back to bring upon his demise, Othello is trusting and assumes Iago as a loyal man. This is part of the omnipotent tragic ... quickly becomes an unending spiral of confusion. If this seems extreme, it is because of not only Iago and Cassio, but also because of his lust for Desdemona and her loyalty that are in question. On top of all this to further co...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... lieutenant and speculation of Othello sleeping with Emilia, Iago's wife: "I hate the Moor,/ And it is thought abroad that "twixt my sheets/ H'as done my office. I know not if't be true,/ But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,/ Will do, as if for surety" (Shakespeare, I.iii.381-382). Iago wants revenge for his own suspicion that Othello has gone to bed ... wife's infidelities with Cassio. Iago also believes that by using Cassio in his plot against Othello, Othello will remove Cassio as lieutenant and give the honor to him for his loyalty. Iago plants seeds of covetousness in Othello by ...

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... disastrous way. When he is accused of stealing away the fair Desdemona he replies with: "That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter, It is most true; true, I have married her,"" (I. iii. 78-79) He does not see that he has wronged Brabantio but simply is a man in love. He is confident ... ; he is angered that Cassio became Lieutenant because Othello choose a man with no experience in battle and believes that Othello slept with Emilia. The true tragedy of Othello is that Desdemona always believed in the good of her husband. Her last words to Emilia were that she has committed suicide a...

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• Grade Level: High School

... head and it are only to the audience's revelation. It is unknown by other characters making him be the master of disguise in his truthfulness and loyalty. Iago has a list of grievances that makes him feel not just to be wronged but also insulted. He has not been suited though he ... quot;Will you I demand and prey that demi-devil; why have you ensnared my body and soul (V. ii. 297-299)? He is also not a true friend of Othello's as we see in his betrayal. Iago is jealous towards Othello's because of his respect from the Senator and Dukes and also respected and ... the audience gets to und...

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... used by the character Iago. The nature of Iago's role in the play means that we can only be sure that his words are a true expression of his feelings when he is talking in soliloquy. Despite being widely known as honest Iago', this man is a sophisticated villain who thrives ... deception. His skills of improvisation are so developed that every word he speaks to another person is a calculated drive for self-advancement. As such, his true character is only fully revealed when he is alone on stage. We hear his first soliloquy at the end of act 1 scene 3. Having persuaded ... innocence and...

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... wife" (II.i.286). None of these claims seems to adequately explain Iago's deep hatred of Othello, and either Iago's lack of motivation or inability or unwillingness to express his true motivation makes his actions all the more terrifying. He is willing to take revenge on anyone - Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, even Emilia - at the slightest provocation and enjoys the pain ... kills his own wife (V.ii.231–242). Iago's murder of Emilia could also stem from the general hatred of women that he displays. Some readers have suggested that Iago's true, underlying motive for persecuting...

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... the hate Iago has for Othello is the following: "I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that "twixt my sheets He has done my office. I know not if't be true, But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety. He holds me well: The better shall my purpose work on him. Cassio's a proper man. Let me ... least into a jealousy so strong That judgment cannot cure which thing to do" (2.3.282-89). Although that all the issues about Othello sleeping with Emilia are only rumors and not true by any chance, Iago believes them so that he would have a motive to work for. This solilo...

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• Has Bibliography
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... they have gained their ends can follow their own inclinations openly. Refer to Do themselves homage. We suddenly discover that Iago's true nature is not what he portrays outwardly I am not what I am', this is a very important clue to Iago's true nature, what exactly is not revealed to us (not just yet). Roderigo immediately throws a deliberate offensive comment regarding Othello with thick ... or as a witness against him (Iago reveals that he is Othello's ensign). Furthermore, as Othello is shortly going to be needed by the state, it would be expedient to pretend loyalty to him. Please ...

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... manner o get what she wants, she knows that Venetian society stipulates that a daughter must be obedient to her father, but she can bend the rules to show that she owes loyalty more to her new husband Othello. She knows the ways of Venice perhaps more than anyone else in the play who is Venetian. This casts her in utter contrast to ... an outsider, but this bitterness stems from so many sources - the essay needed to pinpoint how he disrupts the social fibre - perhaps quote racial sexual language in Act 1. 8. It's certainly true Desdemona is the well brought up daughter of a rich Venetia...

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... that determines the fate of every single character in Othello. The audience and the readers are the only people who recognize Iago's full characteristics because Iago's soliloquys, which reveal his true image, are only shown to the audience. Due to his "good" reputation, which established him as an honest person, Iago is in a position where manipulating people is easy, since his ... what I am." in the beginning of the play, he already shows how he has managed to found favor among people based on lying and deceit, and not by actually being a true, honest person (Shakespeare 1.1.71). Iago...

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... has to reassure himself of her love "For she had eyes, and chose me " (3.3.189). Throughout the play, seeds of doubt are planted in Othello's mind about Desdemona's faith and loyalty. In the beginning of the play, Brabantio tells Othello, "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father. And may thee " (1.3.292-93) and ... , "She says enough; yet she's a simple bawd That cannot say as much " (4.2.20-21). This quote shows that while Emilia, who is constantly by Desdemona's side, swears that she is true to Othello, he will not back down from his claims because of h...

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... , Iago confesses that he follows Othello not to serve him, but to further himself. "I follow him to serve my turn upon him," he says. We recognize that he exhibits no loyalty to his superior and he is only obeying Othello because he wants to be promoted. This lack of companionship that Iago displays toward Othello will enable him to carry out ... the assumption that Iago wants to hurt Othello either because of being overlooked for a promotion, or because he is inherently evil and rejoices at the suffering of others (which is true to an extent zoIago's actions are sometimes classified as ...

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... others in this play and causes distrust and in the end, her death. This woman was committed to the people around her and to the end, plead her case of loyalty, something far more powerful and strong than any of the men in the play. Desdemona is the only one who is as she appears. Ironically, she is the one that ... represents the premature ending of the very principles that everyone's life is based on. With Othello killing these values (i.e. chastity, love, honor and commitment), Othello symbolically ends all that is true and just in the world. Desdemona is ultimately a breath of fresh ...

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... everybody. Desdemona's use of language in Othello is honest. She seems to always be the peacemaker in her marriage. She struggles to understand Othello because she wants to show her loyalty to her husband and prove she is a good wife. In the beginning of the play when she is brought to the court to defend her relationship with Othello in front ... phrases to make them believe he is honest, "As honest as I am", "As I am an honest man", and "in the sincerity of love and honest kindness". None of these are true, it is just another way he manipulates others. In the beginning of the play Iag...

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... stupidity that makes him believe Iago with little question, and not first consult Desdemona or Cassio about their actions; " I"ll not expostulate with her this night Iago- (Othello) It is true that everyone has their flaws, but Othello was unable to control his or believe the truth which makes him a man possessed and a tragic hero. The inner flaw of erupted jealousy ... a characteristic of a tragedy. That is the battle between good and evil, in this case represented by a battle between trust and jealousy, with Desdemona and Othello, and Othello and Iago, and loyalty and deceit, between ...

• Word Count: 1470
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• Grade Level: High School