... "If this handkerchief could talk". Desdemona's handkerchief takes on its own role throughout the play and is the only witness to Iago's plot. It passes through the hands of six characters throughout the play and as it goes from hand to hand, it becomes a more intricate part of the story. The value it holds is different to every character, however, the ... he trusts allows Othello to believe Iago, despite his waife's claims of faithfulness. The combination of physical evidence with the power of suggestion is enough to push Othello over the edge and kill his wife. Being stained with the b...

• Word Count: 785
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• Grade Level: High School

... any kind is extremely weak while egoism is virtually absolute, and this he made Iago (West 34). Throughout the play Iago commands other characters of Othello like chessmen. His unclear motive and shrewd manipulative strategies give him an edge over his preys. Iago uses his victims' weaknesses and emotions to influence his ideas over them: Roderigo's obsessive lust for Desdemona, Othello's doubt ... ...

• Word Count: 972
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... feel multiple emotions throughout the play. One of the main emotions felt by the reader is sympathy, predominantly towards certain characters in the dramatic piece. The characters Roderigo and Cassio are those that the reader tend to feel sympathy for because of their weakness. Roderigo primarily for his ... obsession with Desdemona, and Cassio for his desire to be re-assigned as lieutenant. However, both characters become inconsolable to the point where they can no longer be independent and tend to themselves but rather turn towards other sources to ... case, the answer according to I...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Emilia in Shakespeare's "Othello," one must take into account her conjugal relationship with Iago; an unconventional type of love that Emilia falls deeply into and eventually leads her to the edge of villainy. Emilia, is the wife of Iago and attendant of Desdemona and is the stereotype of a wife who is insecure about her marriage and often worries about the unknown ... ...

• Word Count: 1207
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... or bitter in rivalry." The tragedy Othello focuses on the doom of Othello and the other major characters as a result of jealousy. The theme of jealousy is prominent throughout the play as it motivates the characters" actions. In Shakespeare's Othello, jealousy is portrayed through the major characters of Iago and Othello. It utterly corrupts their lives because it causes Iago to show his ... . Although Iago has a reputation of being "full of love and honesty" (III, iii, 138), he is responsible for destroying many lives and is considered "perhaps one of the most villainous characters in a...

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... on how they're used but they achieve this through using them in both different and similar strategies. In both Othello and Tartuffe the main characters are both tricked by the antagonist because they are blinded by their trust for them. In Othello the tricked character is Othello himself being tricked ... household when he tries to convince him of Tartuffe's desire for Elmire. This is where these plays are similar concerning trust. In Othello, other characters were blinded by their trust in Iago as well until the end of the play when his plans were finally realized and this could be ......

• Word Count: 1168
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... two types of irony, verbal and dramatic. Verbal irony is irony that is being spoken and everyone hears it. Dramatic irony is irony that the audience knows about, but the characters do not. In the play Othello, one character creates this irony that is Iago. He has fooled everyone. Iago in the play has done a lot of events to get the ... characters thinking he is a good and honest man, which he isn't. Iago's two face created irony that has motivated the plot. Iago puts a lot of work into building Othello's trust in ... . Roderigo doesn't know he's getting used only the audience knows; th...

• Word Count: 339
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Shakespeare used many different character traits to compose full-bodied characters that we can still relate to today. These characters are similar to those that we would perhaps see in a current action movie in that they have the same traits as our villains and protagonists. Having been introduced to almost ... the full cast of the play in the first scene, we can clearly understand the intentions of most of the characters. Even though we cannot exactly see the aspirations of some characters in the story until later on, it is quite plainly laid out for the audience to see what kind of person e...

• Word Count: 826
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... be used as simply descriptions of people, words insight chaos for all and are not enough to defend the innocent from persecution. Words are used by the characters to describe each other, whether it be in a good or bad light. Iago uses animal imagery to enhance the negative connotation of his descriptions. The ... bestial images that he creates haunt the minds of the characters and make them interpret the situation in a much more "grotesque" light. In Act 1, Iago uses bestial imagery to alarm the rage of Barbantio when he says ... scheming. Iago's way of scheming is to use words. He uses...

• Word Count: 849
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• Grade Level: High School

1. Iago's speeches indicate his true malicious intentions and the true nature of the reasons for his relationships with the other characters. He is manipulative and is a wicked person with the facade of a friend. He is motivated by his own lust for power and selfishness. ... He manipulated the others around him in order to amass influence and manipulating them to fuel his own selfish desires. 3. Iago's speeches make the other characters appear to be fools only falling for his manipulation. Iago is such a masterful manipulator due to his ability to convince others that they are right and ... ...

• Word Count: 800
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• Grade Level: High School

... getting him nowhere. Iago is not a complete villain, the crimes and murders that occurred could not have happened without the villain which was inside the other characters. Iago simply brought out jealousy, which the other characters already had, and therefore should not be blamed for the actions of the others. Throughout Shakespear's Othello almost every character refers to Iago as an honest ... unfold in each character. Iago did not really do anything that directly harmed anyone until he killed Roderigo and Emilia. Everything else was done by the evilness in the other characters. Iago...

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... because of this, the more Desdemona pleads with Othello, thereby creating an inescapable knot that never ceases to tighten around all three characters. But for any of this to work, Iago first had to carefully build up trust from all characters. Being a master of deception, this was not difficult. All the constant declarations of love spoken so openly and as though thoughtlessly ... disgraceful manner. The irony of course is that all the open declarations of love are made during conversations where Iago is deceiving other characters. One is therefore left to ponder on the naivety and inn...

• Word Count: 1232
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• Grade Level: High School

The major key problem that drives and links the scenes in the whole play is jealousy. The two major characters, showing the opposite of each other, the hero Othello and the villain Iago are both controlled by jealousy, changing from the "Lord" position into a "monster" driving ... as a "monster". The power of jealousy can be seen from the very start of the play up to the very end, the downfall of all the major characters. The victims of jealousy appear from the very start of the play. One of the most clear character is Roderigo, who loves Desdemona very much and is able ... would start differe...

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• Grade Level: High School

... very clever indeed. The opening lines immediately convey the atmosphere (of mystery and intrigue) surrounding the conversation between Roderigo and Iago, the very different characters of the two speakers, the situation at the beginning of the story and the relationship between the two of them. The subject of our attention is to be the character ... of these two individuals and how their unique characters are exposed in the opening act and scene of Othello. The impatience (and immaturity) of Roderigo immediately becomes apparent with the use of the phrase Never tell me' in the ... is sh...

• Word Count: 1131
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• Grade Level: High School

... this presentation, I found that the theme of "trust" is ironic in Othello because Iago betrayed and destroyed all of the characters which trusted him. Obviously, the foundation of Iago's success comes from the trust with each characters. For example, Roderigo believes Iago is his friend, giving him money and asking him to help him to get Desdemona's love; after Cassio ... wife; Desdemona requests that Iago help Cassio get back his position; Emilia absolutely believed and obeyed Iago as shown when she gives Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago. Overall, each of these characters trust Iago co...

• Word Count: 632
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... life changed forever because of it. Miniscule decisions, the type people may not even consciously make can affect lives in mysterious ways. In Othello by William Shakespeare, the two main characters Othello and Desdemona have a starstruck love; but that does not mean they have no issues. Iago also entangles himself within their love affair out of spite for Othello, and from ... when Desdemona drops her handkerchief that Othello had gifted to her; and Emilia picks it up to give to Iago. The handkerchief, a pathetic rag to anyone else, but to the characters in Othello, it becomes so vital...

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... . References of magic are used to define Desdemona's love for Othello. Black versus white, good versus evil, these themes are provided to the reader by a deceitful Iago. Convincing Rodrigo, other characters and perhaps the reader that their love could only be the result of some spell cast by Othello to usurp her love. Iago spins on his web of deceit. Desdemona ... looks as if they might loose his services just when they need them the most. Starting from the beginning Shakespeare wrote Iago's part to be the antagonist. Convincing the other characters that the love of the Desdemona for Oth...

• Word Count: 883
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• Grade Level: High School

... is important because it places the readers (or viewers of the play) in a direct relationship with the events unfolding. Since atmosphere is in a parallel with the emotions felt by the characters, it is only natural that the centre emotion felt by most of the people in the story, jealousy, is a main contributor to this atmosphere. Readers and viewers of Othello feel ... them away. In the case of Othello, jealousy brought about conflict, it created the situation and also presented the action that this story required. Jealousy brought conflict upon even minor characters such as Roderigo. H...

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... captivating the audience. Throughout Othello, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to make the play a richer experience. Dramatic irony makes parts of a story more interesting for the audience to know something the characters don't. The strongest piece of dramatic irony that plays out throughout the story is the fact that the reader/viewer knows that Desdemona is innocent. Along with this, the audience ... . He believes that Iago is honest and that his wife is guilty of adultery. More instances of dramatic irony show up as characters think aloud to the audience through asides. Then, the audie...

• Word Count: 738
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• Grade Level: High School

... occurs in many literary works such as a play called Othello by Shakespeare. Appearance vs. reality is actually one of the major themes in Othello. Iago is one of the major characters who basically makes sure that reality is disguised by appearances, which he manipulates. Iago has an honest face, which helps hide his deceitful soul. He makes it seem that Desdemona ... giving it to Desdemona as gifts form Roderigo. In conclusion, Othello by Shakespeare is one of the literary works that can relate to the theme "appearance vs. reality". In Othello, characters such as Othello, Iago, and Desd...

• Word Count: 419
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• Grade Level: High School

... to his lack of trust in his innocent wife. This reveals that Iago's jealousy is not the only factor contributing to the tragedy of Othello, but also the weakness of characters. Therefore, Shakespeare uses jealousy to effectively form his tragedy in the play. It can be said that Iago's jealousy alone is to blame for the tragedy as it is the ... driving force of all the chaos as a result of his manipulation and deception of characters in the play. On the other hand, it can be more strongly argued that Iago's jealousy alone wasn't enough, as other characters are responsible for their actio...

• Word Count: 341
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and importance to the play 'Othello'. This act uncovers many clues and vital details of the plot and the characters that help us to build our understanding of the play in later scenes, and also form our opinions and feelings of certain characters. The first vital piece of the plot we discover in this act is Iago's feelings for Othello. We quickly ... would have a much better play" I cannot say that I personally agree with this opinion, but I can see where this critic has got his ideas from. Without Act 1, the play and the characters are left much more free to our own interpretation. We ...

• Word Count: 1051
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• Grade Level: High School

... jealousy portrayed by Shakespeare is based on pure evil, hatred and the joy for destruction as well as swayed, insecure jealousy. This is achieved through the use of a range of characters; Iago, Othello, Desdemona, who possess polar qualities, and also through a range of situation and scenes of commitment, savagery and uncertainty. Shakespeare uses the egocentric, manipulative and malignant character of Iago ... constancy in love through the character of Desdemona, who at all times places her husband and love before herself. In conclusion, William Shakespeare is able to use distinctive ...

• Word Count: 723
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... dangers I had pass'd," This quote demonstrates that the racial difference between Othello and Desdemona is what drew them together. Contrarily, Othello's ethnicity subjects him to the vindictiveness of other characters, particularly Iago, who uses this to fuel the already existing inferno of hatred he feels towards Othello. Both Iago and Roderigo's xenophobic attitudes are flagrantly seen in the text. They ... to the Shakespearian tragedy "Othello" and is depicted through temperamental differences of the protagonist and antagonist, the challenging of societal norms as well as the gend...

• Word Count: 1213
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ). At the end of the play Othello kills himself because he realizes that he loved Desdemona too much to live without her. Even though it seems that none of the characters in Othello deserved what they got in the end, with the exceptions of Cassio and Iago, the truth may be that they brought it all upon themselves. Roderigo, for instance ... 's clutches. As we know, Iago is a master manipulator. He is able to deceive people who are stronger and smarter than himself. Should we feel sympathy for Roderigo, or any other characters betrayed by Iago? On one hand, Roderigo played a role in Iago's...

• Word Count: 1007
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School