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Othello

            
             Since the beginning of time manipulation has been part of the human psyche. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago is a perfect example of this character trait. He uses his power of deception to play with the emotions of other characters, who in turn all fall victim to Iago's deceiving hidden intentions.
             Roderigo is one of the many characters who are duped into believing Iago is actually trying to help him. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona a beautiful woman who had just eloped with Othello. Roderigo comes to Iago threatening to kill himself because Desdemona does not return his love. (Iago had heard rumors that Othello had slept with his wife. Decided he would act on them even if he was not certain anything happened.) Iago decides this is the perfect opportunity to begin his revenge on Othello. He convinces Roderigo to stop this talk by saying, "It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor--put money in thy purse--nor he his to her . . . " (I, 3, 338-340). Iago is convincing Roderigo that the love between Othello and Desdemona can not last much longer so he should just wait and everything will work out. "Honest" Iago, who only wished to further his plan of revenge on Othello, lied to Roderigo who had come to his "friend" for help. Roderigo had left after their conversation believing his good friend was helping him. Iago made Roderigo believe he should continue his advances for Desdemona not to help his friend but to cause Othello pain.
             Iago says what is needed to be said so that he appears trustworthy and loyal. Iago convinces Cassio to drink even though Cassio has admitted to being a bad drunk. With the help of Roderigo Iago does manage to get Cassio drunk and sets him up to get into a fight. The fight wakes Othello and when he gets to them Cassio had stabbed Montano. Iago's honest reputation is what persuaded Othello asks him to inform him as to what had happened.


Essays Related to Othello

1. An Othello Bibliography

Heilman centers his argument on how critics have long called Othello's personality "simple," when it really is complex. He uses the murder scene in great context of Othello's personality. ... "(7) These are all the major reasons for Othello's anxiety about his blackness which lead to his downfall. According to Bradley, Othello is the "most painfully exciting and the most terrible" play of Shakespeare's. ... "(2) which led to Othello murdering his wife. ...

  • Word Count: 735
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Othello

Was Othello a Good Man? In the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare, Othello had both some positive aspects and some negative aspects about him. ... Othello trusted Iago, an ensign to Othello. ... Othello's flaw was his trusting nature. ... One of Othello's negative aspects was that of jealousy. ...

  • Word Count: 650
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Othello

The character of Othello plays the role of both the protagonist and the hero in the play of Othello. ... We see Othello regain composure during his speech in Act 5. ... Othello easily fits this definition as he is the General of Venice. ... In Act I, Scene Two, Othello and Brabantio have a brawl, yet we see Othello remain calm and collected in reaction to Brabantio's speech. ... This line displays the astonishing power of Othello's words. ...

  • Word Count: 1235
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Character Analysis - Othello

Othello starts the play on top of the world. ... Othello is proved to be an extremely gullible person, as Iago never offers Othello legitimate proof of the affair. ... In the last few acts of Othello, the evil side of Othello's character is finally unleashed. ... Did the pressures of society get into Othello's head? Or was Othello really just good on the outside? ...

  • Word Count: 1345
  • Approx Pages: 5

5. Logical Fallacies in Othello

An example of illogical reasoning and thinking is present in William Shakespeare's play, Othello, where Iago, who is Othello's most trusted advisor, plans and acts out his revenge on Othello, who is the good and noble general, because he is jealous over a promotion he did not get. ... A situation where Othello commits this error in reasoning is when he demands Desdemona to give him his handkerchief: OTHELLO. ... OTHELLO. ... Othello then uses the fallacy of automatic rejection again by ignoring Desdemona when she implores him to explain why he thinks she is unfaithful: OTHELLO. ... ...

  • Word Count: 1372
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography

6. Othello Vs. Oedipus The King

This is set up in Othello by long monologues by Othello's antagonist outlining his evil plan to ruin Othello. ... Othello's tragic flaw comes out first when the evil antagonist Iago says he will frame as lovers Othello's wife and Cassius, whom Othello has just stripped of lieutenant. ... Ironically, around Othello, Iago seems to do the opposite- for example, Iago tells Othello, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!... Iago points out to Othello every time his wife and Cassius have a conversation, and provokes Othello's wife to plead the issue of Othello stripping Cassius of ...

  • Word Count: 3079
  • Approx Pages: 12

7. Othello's Tragic Flaw

He has hatred towards Othello for giving Cassio the lieutenant title instead of him, so he plots revenge to get back at Othello. ... Hamartia is a fatal flaw that leads Othello to his downfall. In this play, Othello's hamartia is jealousy. ... Another characteristic that Othello checks off is that he is blind to reality. ... Since Othello an Iago are watching from afar but are not able to hear what they are saying, he gives Othello the idea that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. ...

  • Word Count: 1285
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Othello

Othello trusts in Desdemona until the third scene of the third act when Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona could be messing around with another man, Cassio. ... After saying these words, Othello takes his own life. ... How one, Desdemona, can be so pure and innocent that when Othello is lied to by the devil, Iago, Othello could find infidelity and dishonesty in her. Othello truly exemplifies the fault and free will in man. ... Othello is man....

  • Word Count: 1058
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Iago's Ill Intent in Othello

In Shakespeare's Othello, Iago successfully manipulates others through treachery. ... Iago exploits Cassio's weakness against alcohol in order to remove him from the role of lieutenant, and Iago subtly insights suspicion within Othello through insinuating lies about the person Othello cares most about. ... Iago lies to Roderigo, claiming that Othello is being sent to Africa, and that the only way to prevent Othello from taking Desdemona to Africa along with him is to eliminate Cassio. ... Iago is cleverly suggesting that Desdemona will eventually become disloyal to Othello. ... Iag...

  • Word Count: 1023
  • Approx Pages: 4

10. Othello - Relating to a Modern Day Audience

The play Othello has succeeded in achieving that. ... Iago was the main reason for jealousy in Shakespeare's Othello. ... This shows how jealousy in Othello relates to a modern day audience. ... While Iago played an important role in convincing Othello to think that Desdemona and cassio were having an affair, essentially it is Othello's own demons that made him that way. ... Iago himself, on the other hand, is a very different character from Othello. ...

  • Word Count: 650
  • Approx Pages: 3

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