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Ambiguity In Othello

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In William Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is a major, plot-advancing mechanism, as well as one of the most prominent themes. As planted by Iago in Act III, Othello’s own doubts and jealous tendencies cause his demise. Shakespeare utilizes ambiguity, adoring tones, and the power of suggestion to develop the young hero’s unfortunate hamartia. In doing so, it is proven that sometimes naivety and too much faith in an unvalidated source of information can cause deadly miscommunication.
Act III Scene III of Othello is dripping with ambiguity, specifically in the answers and suggestions of Iago as he discusses the faithfulness of Desdemona with Othello. Iago initially asks Othello, “Did Michael Cassio, when you wooed my lady, Know of your love?” (III.iii.95-96), and when Othello replies, “He did, from first to last. Why dost thou ask?” …show more content…

Early on in the play, Iago mentions that he hates Othello because Othello chose “one Michael Cassio” (I.i.21) for a promotion that Iago feels he rightfully deserved. So as a sick sort of revenge, throughout most of the play, we see Iago try to incite jealousy in Othello-through the use of brief responses, suggestive statements, adoration, and other tactics-even though it was he, Iago, who is really the jealous one. Iago uses Othello’s naivety and his honest nature, to plant doubts which could only take root in a mind so innocent, trusting and as eagerly attentive and believing as Othello’s. By the end of the play, it is evident just how dangerous jealousy and suggestion can become, as Othello murdered his own wife, motivated only by his own jealousy-tainted thoughts. The saying “the pen is mightier than the sword,” is most definitely true here; Iago uses nothing but words to exploit Othello’s hamartia-his fatal flaw-and send him into a zealous rage with minor

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Iago had told Othello that his wife Desdemona cheated on him with Cassio. When all of it was just a lie so Iago can get a chance to kill Cassio. “Othello: It’s sad, but Iago knows she had sex with Cassio a thousand times. Cassio confessed it, and she pledged her love for him by giving him the handkerchief  I’d given to her. I saw it in his hand.

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Jealousy, whether originating from an existent or imagined threat to one’s ego, can lead to an irrational search for justice in the form of revenge. Throughout the play Othello, set in medieval Venice and written by William Shakespeare, the influence of villainous soldier and manipulator Iago is seen in the slow collapse of the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. These two newlyweds are an interracial couple who had deceived the bride’s father in order to marry. The title character is a general in the venetian army and Iago feels wronged when Cassio, a soldier with much less experience on the battlefield than himself, is promoted. The jealous soldier takes his revenge by bringing about the general’s downfall, tricking him into believing

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Jealousy is first represented in Iago by his desire to become Othello’s lieutenant, however the position was offered to another character named Michael Cassio. Iago sincerely believes that he should hold the position of lieutenant and that the

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Because Cassio is distraught from the sequences that occurred earlier, he confides to Iago for advice. After recommending him to talk to Desdemona and Cassio leaving, he finally figures out his plan to destroy Othello. He first starts off with realizing his irony of helping Cassio while trying to be evil at the same time. It has been so easy for Iago to mold the other characters into his plan that it is hilarious to him. At this point, it is questioning to the audience of the continuation of his plot.

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In the first act of the play, after Roderigo finds out that Othello married Desdemona, he carries out a dialogue with Iago about Iago’s discontentment with Othello, Roderigo comments, “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe,/ If he can carry it thus!” With this, Roderigo shows his feelings of jealousy for Othello, basically stating that luck was on Othello’s side in getting Desdemona, but it will probably not last very long. In addition to this, Roderigo gives Brabantio large sums of money to Iago in order to try to get Desdemona from Othello. In addition to Roderigo’s jealousy, Iago’s jealousy of Cassio cascades to the point where he begins to manipulate Othello to want to kill Cassio, which ends up leading to the death of Desdemona. In the beginning, Iago details how he was passed up for a promotion by Othello.

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Secondly, Iago manipulates Cassio the most throughout the book. He uses Cassio’s social status and his trust with Othello to ruin his reputation. Iago is jealous of Cassio because he is higher status and has a strong relationship with Othello. For Iago’s plan to work he needs to get closer to Othello, but first he needs to break Othello and Cassio’s trust first. So one night Cassio is supposed to be keeping a party under control Othello tells him “good Michael, look you to the guard tonight.

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In Act 4, Iago lies to Othello saying,“What if I had said I had seen him do you wrong?” convincing Othello of Desdemona and Cassio’s affair (4.1.24). Iago knows Othello’s jealousy overwhelms him at the thought of Cassio and Desdemona, giving Iago control over Othello’s emotions and

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Shakespeare 's Othello centers around the power of jealousy and how it can end up causing the death of a couple and some of those around them. Othello seems to grow incredibly jealous of his wife, Desdemona, and his lieutenant, Cassio’s fake affair that Iago, the villain, has convinced Othello of. As an act of jealousy, Othello decides to kill Desdemona to prevent her from hurting more men and then after realizing everything was part of Iago’s plan he kills himself due to the guilt he feels after having killed his wife. Shakespeare’s use of figurative language and symbolism in act 5 scene 2 reveals how even though Othello truly loves Desdemona, his jealousy for what he believes she has done has completely clouded his judgment and taken over

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I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” Iago hears rumors of Othello possibly sleeping with his wife. As a result, Iago grows feelings of jealousy. Already being resentful of Othello for passing the promotion to Othello, this encounter increases Iago’s thoughts to ruin Othello. Iago’s jealousy of Othello possible sleeping with his wife is the spark of the motivation to ruin Othello.

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As it has been presented throughout the whole play, the hatred Iago has towards Othello has always been to get rid of him due to him being awarded Lieutenant. However, it seems that once Iago got promoted to Lieutenant shortly after Othello’s death, he stills seems to feel hatred. It maybe because Iago does not like himself and always was jealous of Cassio and Othello’s actions and how they were. Therefore, telling lies and creating schemes to make himself believable which he successfully does with Othello. They have known each other for a long time and the reason he trusts Iago because he is noble, smart with his words to allow others to have trust in

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Throughout the play, he would often talk about Iago in the same manner as in Act 2, scene 2, “a man he is of honesty and trust”( II,ii. 323-324). Given that Othello trusted who he thought was his best friend, it was easier for Iago to bring Othello down. The root of Iago’s evil intentions is jealousy, which he describes to be like a “green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (III,iii. 196-197). He speaks of it in a way that captures how it affects man because that is what he was going through after Cassio got the lieutenancy.

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Shakespeare’s play, Othello, deeply explores the effects of jealousy on a person. Shakespeare also portrays the different types of jealousy and alludes to the causes of them. Othello is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare around 1603, about a man, Iago, who plots to take revenge on a Moorish soldier, Othello, for he has “done my (Iago’s) office”. The deaths of several people, including Othello’s wife Desdemona, Iago’s wife Emilia, Othello and Iago’s companion Roderigo, were all directly linked to Iago’s actions. Othello illustrates that jealousy often leads to revenge, jealousy can prevent a successful relationship, and jealousy leading to one’s downfall.

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Iago also manipulates Othello with jealousy. When Othello is gone at war, Iago tells him that Cassio and Desdemona were getting too close. At first Othello does not believe him, but by Iago saying “nothing,my lord; or if- I know not what” Othello starts to question if it is true (III. III. 39). Iago constantly uses his “innocence” to make Othello jealous and start to assume that it is true. These actions eventually lead to a tragic event.

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Act 3, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Othello embodies a pivotal point in the play, as it is a transition act that grounds the foundation of Iago’s development as an antagonist and the play’s development as a tragedy. In fact, Othello is written by William Shakespeare in the early 17th century. In Act 3 Scene 3, Iago begins his insinuations of an affair between Cassio and Desdemona, which petition Othello to consider the likelihood of Desdemona’s infidelity and Cassio’s disloyalty. In this particular scene, Shakespeare makes meticulous use of linguistic and dramatic techniques to characterise Iago as an scheming, deceptive and hypocritical antagonist.

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