(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Othello

            It is unclear whether Shakespeare intended Iago to appear as evil as he does but one thing is for sure; Iago remains one of Shakespeare's most debated villains. It is Iago's motives for scheming that continue to be the most intriguing aspect of his existence. Often critics tend to concentrate on discrediting his motives. Describing Iago's motives as being weak has almost become a given. There are two general ideas from the sources that I found. One of the ideas sees Iago as a conspicuous character whose sole purpose is to generate evil. Another analysis of Iago is that Shakespeare has created Iago to be a very dramatic villain rather than an evil one. These broad generalizations do not correlate in any kind of rationalization for Iago's demise. That is what my theory intends to elaborate on. .
             By not establishing a clear motive, Iago's plan becomes so broad that he involves too many people for the result to be favorable to him. His aggression against Othello starts when Othello names Michael Cassio his lieutenant rather than Iago. This motive would have been valid if he had not involved Desdemona and Emilia. He could have easily gotten revenge at Othello and Cassio by just going after them. Another possible motive is that Othello has committed adultery with Emilia. This motive brings Desdemona and Emilia into Iago's plotting. He now feels he needs to involve everyone in his evil scheme. When Iago convinces Roderigo to start a fight with Cassio at a party, it appears obvious that Iago's plot to become lieutenant will come full circle. But Iago consulting Cassio after the altercation makes no sense for his motive to become lieutenant. .
             .
             On a very surface level, Iago comes off as being just plain evil. Many critics would agree with this and would be content to think that Shakespeare created Iago to merely show evil. Richard Flatter feels that due to weak motives as a soldier and as an angry husband, Iago must be plotting just because he has a passion for scheming.


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

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question