Evil is an ever present aspect within the existence of humanity. Satan, a real and powerful being, constantly influences the world through his evil and manipulative ways in order to bring destruction and chaos to earth. Perhaps one of the most evil characters ever written about, Iago, from Shakespeare’s Othello, also portrays many traits that are similar to those seen in Satan. Throughout the Bible and throughout Shakespeare’s Othello, both Satan and Iago share many characteristics and differences of poisonous evil within their manipulative words, origins of jealousy, and their malicious acts, but differ in where this power comes from.
Although many may not believe that Satan is a being present in the lives of all, the Bible portrays him as “the father of lies,” and a “thief” whose purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (King James Version, John 8:44). His purpose is that of pure evil. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago demonstrates similar characteristics. Utterly consumed by his malevolent desire for revenge, he describes how “nothing can, or shall, content my soul,” until he achieves it (Othello 2.1.223). He will do everything in his power to obtain what he wants, no matter the cost. Iago, like Satan, devotes his entire life to the destruction of others
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Likewise, they both use similar tactics in their attempts to corrupt others’ lives. Manipulation plays a large role in the plans of Satan and Iago (Fallon, 142). On many occasions, past and present, Satan manipulates people with his words.
Iago is just a man who is affected by his environment. Iago gave the impression that he was used to always getting what he wanted in life, never working hard but lying his way to the top. In the book there are many passages where he expresses his lying tactics along with his hatred for Othello. Many sources point out the reasoning for Iago behavior. Iago displays racist behavior and shows symptoms of being a pathological liar.
While he knows that his actions are immoral, he embraces it fully by calling for evil forces to help in his plans to destroy Othello’s life. This imagery shows Iago’s true nature to the audience, one that wishes for the corruption of people’s lives and actively acting it out. Moreover, Iago refers to himself as a devil in a soliloquy after Cassio drunkenly --------, saying "When devils will the blackest sins put on, / They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, / As I do now" (2.3.351-353). He reveals his intentions to harm Othello to the audience, showing that he does not have empathy for Othello or those his actions would affect, showing his ------------------------------------------------------------------------.
Iago, the notorious villain in William Shakespeare's play Othello, is a complex character whose actions and motivations have been a subject of fascination for literary scholars for centuries. From an archetypal criticism perspective, Iago can be analyzed as the embodiment of the outlaw archetype, a recurring pattern in literature that represents the darker, hidden aspects of the human psyche. In Othello, Iago's character exhibits traits and behaviors associated with the outlaw archetype, including manipulation, deception, jealousy, and a lack of morality, which ultimately lead to his destructive actions and the downfall of those around him. One of the defining characteristics of the outlaw archetype is its ability to manipulate and deceive.
Throughout the act, Othello is referred to as an evil or unwanted creature. Only to worsen this current situation, his ancient, Iago, is the one who is causing this issue. In Othello, Iago uses his imagery to Brabantio to rouse him from his sleep, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!” (Shakespeare 1.1.11).
In the play Othello, Iago represents Marxist criticism through his pursuit of power that fuels his need for deceit in the story. He manipulates and deceives the other characters throughout the entire play. For instance when he set Cassio up with drinking the alcohol he got exactly what he wanted out of that, Cassio lost his rank as Lieutenant. Desdemona, Othello, and Roderigo were all deceived by Iago. Desdemona was deceived into thinking that she was helping a strong and noble man even though Iago was using that time to set her up.
Both Othello and Frankenstein are good men looking to be accepted by society, but are transformed into monstrous beings due to their desire for acceptance, isolation, and relationships with others. Othello starts off as a strong leader who loves his wife. Iago begins to plant lies in his head, and shortly after, his mind is corrupted by jealousy and revenge, which turns him into a monster. Othello wants revenge on Desdemona for being unfaithful as Iago has been telling him. At night Othello goes into her chamber to murder her saying “Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men/ put out the light and then put out the light “.
In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, he uses duality and paradoxes to reveal parts of human nature that people wish to ignore. Othello is about a man named Othello who marries above his station and wrestles with his insecurities as the antagonist, Iago, uses them and his own reputation for candor as mean to enact his revenge for Othello’s alleged affair with his wife, Emelia. Iago embodies the paradox of a truthful man who uses his honesty to manipulate people, which contradicts a core human idea that honest people are the most righteous or virtuous. Iago earns his reputation for trustworthiness by being honest in the face of consequences and when it suits his own gain.
In the book Othello, Iago is a very manipulating man, throughout the book he manages to manipulate three main people, Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello. He uses all their weaknesses to bring them down. Iago wants revenge on Othello, because Othello overlooks Iago and his abilities, so Iago manipulates these three characters to get back at Othello in the long run. He comes up with a very good plan to get each other to turn against one another. So in the end he ends up getting what he wanted, revenge.
“Othello” written by William Shakespeare revolves around this protagonist who is depicted as strong and powerful. To everyone he is known as Othello or the Moor. Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays numerous counts of jealousy and manipulation around many of the characters. It is mainly illustrated through Iago, the antagonist of the play, who manipulates other to their downfall. Iago who is known for always being true and honest towards others has easily earned the trust of everyone around him, thus giving himself an advantage on his schemes.
Psychopaths have attributes of detachment, insincere speech, selfishness, and violence. In the tragedy, Othello, the playwright William Shakespeare constructs an antagonist with such traits. This evil character, Iago, is known for being one of the most sinister villains Shakespeare has even written. Through Iago’s psychopathic manipulations and detached persona, Shakespeare shows that psychopaths are not redeemable in the play.
Othello’s confidence for a loyal man to maintain honesty and morals are contradicted through Iago’s actions: “in a man that’s just / They are close dilations, working from the heart, / That passion cannot rule” (3.3.123). Iago, due to the understatement to his name, is not perceivable as hateful. Othello’s willingness to sense Iago’s distress, and to believe his accusations, is because of the lack of awareness Othello has for his vengeance. Iago is of such little power and relevance within societal ranking that if he were to have intentions to sabotage anyone, which he does, are not considered, thus making him easily trustworthy to those of greater dominance. Society’s view of an individual determines how others consider and surmise their persona, though these conclusions may be false.
In the play Othello, William Shakespeare creates an elaborate tragedy with various in depth characters, enhancing the story with powerful characterization. Iago, the main antagonist of Othello, exemplifies Shakespeare’s use of characterization to create in depth and complex characters. Using his manipulative nature, intellectual mind, egotistical attitude, and dishonesty, Iago controls the other characters in order to achieve his goal, leading Othello to succumb to an overwhelming jealousy causing his downfall. In order for Iago to gain control of the characters in the play, he manipulates Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, and more to believe false information and turn on one another.
Iago’s powerfully disruptive insinuations torment Othello to fall precipitously into his intricate trap, believing in the prospect of Cassio and Desdemona’s fictitious affair. Through the use of linguistic techniques such as elliptical speech, subservient vocative choices and a hesitant tone, Iago is able to construct artful innuendoes to deceive and manipulate Othello. Supplementary to linguistic techniques, dramatic techniques such as dramatic irony reinforces Iago’s role as a two-faced villain, who is making a pretence of being Othello’s loyal ensign. Eventually, Iago’s villainy nature sows a seed of doubt in Othello that germinates into the murder of Desdemona. Through the characterisation of Iago as a notorious villain, Shakespeare is able to hold Iago’s actions accountable for the play’s tragic downfall, establishing a sense of powerlessness amongst the
Human nature is perceived as a delightful entity. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, several characters demonstrate the dark side of human nature and display how simple it is to get carried away with emotions. This includes Iago, who only cares for himself, Brabantio who has many doubts, and Roderigo who lacks intellect. Firstly, Iago demonstrates the dark side of human nature by being self-centered.
In many stories, there are villains who seem to control how the characters act by manipulation. These kinds of villains use multiple techniques to get what they want and to execute their plans. The techniques are used to affect the characters in a negative way in favor of the villain. In Othello, the antagonist Iago, plays that role. Iago affects the characters’ lives in a negative way by his honest reputation, his ability to “read” people, and how he “proves” to be Loyal.