Category: Iago

Jealousy and pride tend to take root within an individual and unravel relationships between people. The play, Othello, tells a tale of Othello, who begins to lose trust in his beloved wife Desdemona, due to his uncertainty of deserving her love and lies that his trusted friend, Iago, had told him. In Othello, Shakespeare particularly takes a more pessimistic view of human relationships.

An example of these flawed human relationships is the marriage between Desdemona and Othello. In the beginning during Act I, both Desdemona and Othello are in love and have complete faith in that love. When Desdemona’s father Brabantio questions him about how sure he is about their love, he quite confidently says “My life upon her faith” (1.3.335). Othello swears that if she ever is unfaithful to him, he will take his own life. In doing this, Othello demonstrates how much trust he had in her and how deep his love runs for her. However, as the play progresses, Iago’s manipulations of the truth and Othello’s growing insecurities get the best of him and led him to ‘suspect’ his wife had fallen in love with another man, saying “O curse of marriage, that we can call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites” (3.3.309-11). Othello finally succumbs to Iago’s false truths about Desdemona and is quick to scoff at the prospect of being able to call someone theirs but have them be unfaithful regardless. Othello’s love for Desdemona becomes overwhelmed by all these factors and he accuses her of being unfaithful to him.

Another example of one of these relationships that Shakespeare had developed in a pessimistic way was the ‘friendship’ between Iago and Roderigo. In the play, Roderigo is led to believe that he and Iago are such close friends and Iago would help him win Desdemona’s affection. The reality of the situation was that Iago was merely using Roderigo as a pawn in his elaborate plan to bring down Othello and in turn, deceiving Roderigo easily since he is quite naïve. Towards the end of the play, Roderigo becomes more aware of the fact that Iago was using him, saying that he “ keep’st from [him] all conveniency than suppliest me with the least advantage of hope” (4.2.208-09). Roderigo eventually approaches Iago, furious that he has made no progress with Desdemona and Iago only goes to him when it is convenient for him. Roderigo comes to realize that Iago is manipulating him into doing his bidding instead of actually being a concerned friend and helping him.

Shakespeare builds the human relationships of this play on a relatively weak foundation, which makes them seem “flawed”. They all result in falling apart due to jealousy, one’s pride or insecurities, and manipulations. Shakespeare mainly portrays the ‘ugly’ sides of a relationship, emphasizing the idea that those that we’ve come to trust the most can hurt us the most.

Shakespeare has used deception throughout the vast majority of his work. In the well-known comedy Twelfth Night, Viola deceives everyone including her own family into thinking that she is a man named Cesario by changing how she dresses, acts and talks, all to benefit herself. In the tragedy Romeo and Juliet, Juliet secretly marries Romeo whom she truly loves and then fakes her death so that she never has to marry the other man who she was expected to marry, Paris. Lastly, the final example of great deception in a Shakespeare story is how Macbeth is deceived many times in his story, Macbeth. Macbeth is lied to by the witches who had told him that he would come into power and that no one could ever hurt him, this leads to Macbeth deceiving those around him. This chain reaction of deception and lies eventually leads to him and his wife being killed as well as another entire family. Similar to the deception in Shakespeare’s other tragedies, most of the characters in Othello die due to numerous lies that snowballed into most characters not knowing the real truth. Some did know as they were either smart enough to figure out or they were part of the cause. Nick Potter wrongly argues that “Othello is a tragedy of incomprehension…at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello comes to understand himself or anyone else.” It can be shown that Nick Potter is wrong by how Iago does, in fact, know everything, how Emilia knows some of what is going on and how Desdemona really knows nothing. The entire story relies on the consequences of knowing and not knowing.

Nick Potter’s argument can be first proven wrong by how Iago knows everything that is happening around him as he is the reason for it all. When Roderigo and Iago are talking about how Othello has chosen Cassio to be his lieutenant and Roderigo starts asking about him. Iago says, “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine(A fellow almost damned in a fair wife), that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows more than a spinster—unless the bookish theoric, wherein the toged consuls can propose as masterly as he.”(1.1.21-26), this quote is said at the very beginning of the book and is showing that Iago knows a lot of excess information about many people. When asked about Cassio, Iago easily knew all of this information that really does not seem like common knowledge to those in Venice especially to someone who has never worked with him before and does not personally know him. It seems as though from the rest of the book that Iago can easily get information like this from anyone and everyone when he needs it giving him much knowledge on those around him. Iago also shows his strange knowledge and the amount of it all the way right to the end of the book. In the middle of the book, Iago and Othello are talking about Desdemona and Cassio. Iago is teasing him by saying that Desdemona has been around Cassio a lot and asking him if he noticed anything weird. Othello gets very defensive and asks why Iago is asking such things, he says, “She did deceive her father, marrying you”(3.3.211). Iago again is teasing and continuously planting more seeds into Othello’s mind that something is going on with Desdemona that she is not telling him about. The thing that makes this quote important is that it is not really said that many people knew about how Desdemona and Othello hid their relationship from Desdemona’s father Brabantio so Iago had somehow found out this information just so he could use it against Othello in some way which is exactly what he is doing. It would be more understandable if someone like Cassio knew information like this as he works so much closer to Othello but even if Cassio knew this, Iago is not close enough with Cassio to get information from him. So again, the question of where does Iago get this private information arises. Iago has created such a concrete title for himself within the community in Venice as such an honest man that everyone believes him and does not second guess him. Therefore, when Iago brings up private information about someone to their face, they are very unlikely to think about how he could have gotten that information.

Nick Potter’s argument can be proven wrong yet again by how Emilia knows some of what is going on around her throughout the story. Emilia is not exactly described as smart yet when seeing how she figures out parts of what Iago is doing, she could very easily be seen as an intelligent character. At the beginning of act four, Othello and Emilia are having a conversation about Desdemona and Cassio, Othello is asking Emilia about if she has noticed if Desdemona has been flirting or unfaithful with Cassio. Emilia is defending Desdemona saying that she is always in the same room as them and has never heard them whispering or acting strangely yet Othello does not believe her so she says, “If any wretch have put this in your head, let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse”(4.2.16-17). In this quote, you can see that Emilia knows that someone else has given Othello the idea that Desdemona has been unfaithful but she does not know who. Emilia never figures out that her own husband is the reason for Othello’s behaviour and the idea of infidelity. At this point in the story, this is really when you can see Emilia’s faith to both her husband and to Desdemona as she knows bits and pieces of the stories that have been created yet she is trying to defend both of them for the rest of the story. Later on in this act, Emilia and Desdemona are in Desdemona’s bedroom and Emilia is helping her get ready for bed like usual. The two of them start talking about husbands and how Othello has been so strange and controlling when Desdemona says that she needs to leave because Othello asked her to go to be right now and she does not want to upset him. Emilia says, “Ay. Would you had never seen him!”(4.3.17). Emilia clearly does not like Othello at the moment because of how he has been treating Desdemona and created her into this obedient wife. She wishes that her friend had never met him as he has caused so much sadness and confusion for Desdemona. It comes across like Emilia does not want to tell Desdemona about the conversation that she and Othello had recently. She has become closer and closer to Desdemona and it seems like because of their new friendship, she’s hiding what she knows about Othello and someone giving him strange ideas to protect her or until she knows more. Emilia is seen as a very trustworthy character throughout the story and is quite outspoken when she feels comfortable so it seems like no matter what she says, there is a good chance it is right because of her intelligence and good heart.

Nick Potter’s argument does align with how little Desdemona knows consistently throughout the book. Desdemona and Emilia standing together when Desdemona asks Emilia if she would have any clue where she could have lost the handkerchief that Othello gave her and how Othello is not a jealous being. Emilia asks surprised that he is really not a jealous person and Desdemona responds with, “I think the sun where he was born drew all such humors from him.”(3.4.21-22). This quote really shows how naive Desdemona is and how oblivious she is to everyone and especially the man that she is married and is so loyal to. She makes these strong statements on how much she trusts her own husband and how her husband is not jealous whatsoever yet most would say that jealousy is the largest motif in the book and all of that comes from Othello. Throughout the story, Desdemona also provides lots of dramatic irony as the audience knows all of the chaos that Iago has caused which has affected her relationship with her husband entirely yet she still is completely unaware of what’s causing her husband’s behaviour. You can still see Desdemona’s naive outlook all the way to the very end of the book. In the middle of act four, Desdemona, Emilia and Iago are talking about how Othello had been acting so cruel and saying such terrible things to Desdemona about her being unfaithful and calling her things such as a whore. Desdemona is very distraught and hurt by what’s going on with Othello and as known, is so easily influenced so she is starting to believe the things Othello is saying. Desdemona starts to go on this big monologue on how she does not know how he has fallen out of love with her and how she does not know what to do, she then says, “Unkindness may do much, and his unkindness may defeat my life, but never taint my love.”(4.2.164-166). She’s saying that his unkindness is powerful and that it may kill her but his unkindness will never destroy her love for him. This shows her naive and almost childlike trust for him more than ever as he is continuously more and more cruel to her yet her love and loyalty for him only grow alongside it. At some points in the story, it really does seem as though Desdemona is so unaware of everything constantly that it almost seems as though she is apart of Iago’s plan or that she knows more than she is saying. It is just that there are so many obvious things going on around her that she just cannot understand or pick up on. Desdemona is obviously very naive and never really knows what is happening so she is a prime example of how Nick Potter’s argument is somewhat valid.

Nick Potter wrongly argues that “Othello is a tragedy of incomprehension…at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello comes to understand himself or anyone else.” but it can be shown that Nick Potter is wrong through the characters Iago, Emilia and Desdemona. Iago does, in fact, know what is going on throughout the story as he is either the reason it is happening or he has manipulated someone into doing it for him. Emilia knows some of what is going on as she figures some of it out on her own by the end of the book yet never finds out that her husband was the reason for it all. Lastly, Desdemona knows none of what is ever happening around her due to her naive and over-trusting nature. As most characters in the story never actually knew what was happening, it is interesting to think that so many people could have been so oblivious to the things so clearly in front of them. It could be that Othello is pointing at the tendency in today’s society to look past important things going on around us whether purposeful or not. Is Othello showing us that there is more to someone than just what meets the eye? That we never truly know anyone or their morals? You may not always know everything in life at all times but always know the consequences that come with both knowing and not knowing.

Revenge occurs because of hate which leads to people’s demise. Vengeance is one of the main themes in the play Othello by William Shakespeare. It is a recurring theme throughout the play, and the plot revolves around it. Retribution has been shown many times in Roderigo, in Othello, the play’s main character, and Iago, the main villain. They all have one thing in common and that is to take revenge on the people they hate, which leads to others’ or their own destruction.

First of all, Roderigo, Iago’s puppet, realizes that Iago is using him so he begins to hate him. He tells him that, “Everyday thou daff’st me with some device,”(Act IV Scene II). Roderigo here tells Iago that every day he (Iago) just finds something to make Roderigo go away and leave him but he is not really getting anywhere. He starts speculating that Iago is using him and that he will not actually reach his goal, which is having Desdemona for himself. Therefore, before he dies, he tries to get revenge on Iago, and threatens him. He explains to him that he wants his jewels that he supposedly gave to Desdemona back:

I tell you ’tis not very well.

I will make myself known to Desdemona.

If she will return me my jewels

I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation.

If not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you. (Act IV Scene II)

When Roderigo realizes that he is being used by Iago, and that Iago probably did not give Roderigo’s jewels to Desdemona, he threatens to talk to Desdemona about the jewels and if she did not receive them he assures Iago that he would have his revenge on him. However, Iago kills Roderigo before he gets his revenge, and in his last dying breaths he quickly writes letters to use as proof against Iago. This is confirmed when Lodovico reveals this to us at the end of the act:

To you, lord governor,

Remains the censure of this hellish villain:

The time, the place, the torture. Oh, enforce it!

Myself will straight aboard, and to the state

This heavy act with heavy heart relate. (Act V Scene II)

In his letters, he reveals most of Iago’s plans such as killing Cassio, and he complains about the lies that Iago has told him. After he writes his letters, Lodovico finds them and uses them as proof against Iago. In the end, Roderigo helps achieve Iago’s demise, by having proof against him. His wish is fulfilled and Iago gets tortured and locked up.

Second of all, Othello, the play’s main character, starts hating Desdemona because of his doubt about her sleeping with Cassio. After his doubts have been supposedly proven right by Iago, he tells him:

Ay, let her rot, and perish and be damned

tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned

to stone. I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the

world hath not a sweeter creature! She might lie by

an emperor’s side and command him tasks. (Act IV Scene I)

Othello says how his heart changed, how he loved Desdemona but now he is starting to hate her. His doubt and jealousy have consumed him, and he sees her as an adulterer, sweet on the outside but horrible on the inside. His doubts start fueling his hate towards her. Therefore, he plans on taking revenge on her for sleeping with Cassio.

Even so my bloody thoughts with violent pace

Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love

Till that a capable and wide revenge

Swallow them up. (Act III Scene III)

Othello declares that he wants to take revenge on them, that he will not love Desdemona anymore but he will seek revenge. He explains that he is going to be violent and he makes plans with Iago to kill both Cassio and Desdemona. In the end, he takes away her life by strangling her in bed: “Therefore be double damned: Swear thou art honest” (Act IV Scene II). Othello falsely condemns her for sleeping with Cassio, and insults her. He then strangles her in bed and she lies dead on her bed. He leads her to believe that she did something wrong and she did not fight or argue with him. He leads her to her death, and soon his own.

Finally, Iago, the play’s main villain, hates Othello for many reasons and seeks revenge throughout the play. When we first meet Iago he declares that he hates Othello by saying:

I hate the Moor,

And it is thought abroad, that ‘twixt my sheets

‘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. (Act I Scene III)

Iago clearly states that he hates Othello who is called the Moor. One of the main reasons for his hate is that Iago leads himself to believe that Othello has slept with his wife. He also hated him since the start of the play because Othello made Cassio his lieutenant and not Iago. Thus, Iago plans to take revenge on Othello by making him kill the woman that he loved most, Desdemona. Iago encourages Othello to “Strangle her in bed, even the bed she hath contaminated,”

(Act IV Scene I). Iago advises Othello to kill Desdemona in her bed. He manipulates Othello and his doubt so that he can complete his vengeance. This causes Othello to realize his grave mistake and take his own life:

I took by the throat the circumcised dog,

And smote him, thus… I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this,

Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. (Act V Scene II)

Iago’s plan ultimately leads to Othello’s demise. Iago makes him doubt other people and plays on his jealousy, making him believe everything he tells him. In the end, he makes Othello kill his wife. Thus, when all of Iago’s plans are revealed, Othello realizes he has made a grave mistake. In consequence, he ends up stabbing himself while kissing Desdemona. This was the tragic end of the story, a death caused by someone’s need for vengeance.

In conclusion, vengeance is a common event in Othello, that in effect, causes numerous tragedies. Roderigo, Othello, and Iago are proof of that, as everytime they seek vengeance, they harm someone around them. They start by hating their victim. As their hate consumes them, they choose to take vengeance. As a result, it leads to someone’s downfall. These recurring events shape the theme of revenge throughout the entire play, leaving only tragedy in its remains.

The play “Othello”, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy story about a moor (General) “Othello” and his downfall between his newly wedded wife, Desdemona. The story begins in Venice and how Roderigo was gaining his affection for Desdemona. Roderigo is been paying Iago money to help him win Desdemona’s love and affection. Roderigo later found out that Desdemona been married Othello. He realizes that his chances being with her has been demolished. Then, Iago realizes that he has not been chosen to be a Lieutenant which makes Iago’s hatred towards Othello grow to since he had given Cassio the rank, who turns out to have no-experience as a soldier. Iago then decides to plot against Othello by getting revenge against Othello by using malevolent methods to get what he wants. Will Iago gain his revenge against Othello by using malicious acts and honest tactics?

Throughout the acts, Iago’s hatred towards Othello immensely increases. Othello does not know of the evil schemes Iago has planned against him. Iago and Roderigo decide to go to Brabanzio, Desdemona’s father, to slander to cause him to confront his daughter. They claimed that she has been stolen and married by Othello. Cassio randomly comes into Othello’s lodge and explained that the Duke wants Othello to come down to Cyprus because the Turkish were invading it. Brabanzio then arrives a little bit afterward and accuses Othello that he used witchcraft in order for him to steal his daughter. “Iago is the presence of misogynist discourse in the Renaissance” (Valerie Wayne). This quotation means that Iago is one evil villain to plots to gain terror against Othello.

Brabanzio decides to go to Cyprus with Othello to accuse him in front of everybody. Brabanzio’s plan has flopped since the Duke and the Senate are biased towards Othello’s side. They had given Othello a chance to explain himself and what is going on. Othello then explains that he did not use witchcraft to gain love and affection in order to attain Desdemona, but with his stories that Desdemona had found very fond of. Desdemona then shows up and claims to her father that she has to switch her priority from her dad towards her husband. “He is not the devil. He’s you or me being jealous and not being able to control our feelings” (Andy Serkis). This quotation means that Iago has full control over other people since jealous is more powerful then regular emotions. Jealousy be bad at sometimes since a lot could happen when you’re being jealous since being angry/upset is one of the main emotions you’ll feel.

They then traveled to Cyprus. The governor of Cyprus, Montano, is waiting for their arrival to help them fight off the Turks. The first boat consists of, Iago, Roderigo, Desdemona and Emilia (Iago’s wife). While waiting for Othello to arrive (since he is coming in after), Cassio grabs Desdemona’s hand and greeted/conversated with her. Iago then will use that information against Cassio in order for him to lose the rank he has been given. “As little as web as this” (Iago). This quotation means that every little thing counts and could be used against you. Any slight information is useful in any way and it depends on how you use it. Othello then arrives and he announced that the Turkish has been defeated. Roderigo then complains to Iago that he has no chance of them breaking Othello’s marriage.

The main reason why Iago is doing this is to milk all the money he can get from Roderigo since he is rich. Iago assures Roderigo that he will break up their marriage, no matter the cost and time it will take. Iago claims that Desdemona will lose feelings toward Othello and will fall for Roderigo. Iago said that the first plan was to ruin Othello. Later on the night, Iago insists that Cassio will drink and him being drunk is part of the plan since people do stupid stuff while they are drunk. Iago then made Roderigo to start a fight against Cassio since he is drunk. Cassio then got upset and chased Roderigo across the stage and while Montano was holding down Cassio, Montano has been stabbed by Cassio. Iago then makes Roderigo to turn on the alarm. “Iago simply exploits a weakness that already existed in Othello’s character” (T.S Eliot). This quotation means that Iago has been using a malicious method that has already been implemented already inside Othello’s personality.

After the alarm has went off, Othello quickly ran out to see what the whole commotion was all about. He finds out that Cassio is drunk and realizes that Montano has been stabbed. Neither Cassio and Montano had remembered what had happened and Iago escalates the whole situation and blamed Cassio has been over drinking and stabbed Montano. Othello strips the rank from Cassio because he doesn’t find himself well qualified for the Lieutenant rank. Iago then tells Cassio that he can earn the rank back by being with Desdemona. That is a villainous act of evil since he is playing with other people’s life. At the end of the act, Iago tells us that he will try to get Cassio’s rank back but that is part of the plan because he wants to make Othello hate Cassio even more.

Cassio was trying to get Othello to like him again in order for him to get his Lieutenant rank assigned back to him. Cassio had ordered musicians to play music underneath Othello’s window in order to arrange a meeting with Desdemona. Othello declines and sends his clowns to tell the musicians to stop and go away after. After Cassio was walking way, he stumbled with Iago offered to distract Othello so then Cassio and Desdemona can talk in private. Desdemona is sympathetic with Cassio and says that she will do everything in her power in order for him to get his rank back from Othello.

At the end of the day, Iago will still be villainous throughout the whole play. He thickens the situation way too much and has too many malicious things in his mind which makes this whole book what it is. The story in my opinion is very good and interesting because it shows a lot of passion that each character poses. The way that they act uniquely is very unique and it brings the plot into place. The book overall is a great book and should be read for those who love action, thrills, and intense plots.