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Examples Of Iago's Manipulation Of The Truth In Othello

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Othello: Iago’s Manipulation of the Truth A true friend is to be thought of someone who will never betray you and never hurt you in any way. Iago from “Othello” does not fit this description very well and illustrates the exact opposite as the play progresses. Through the examination of Iago and his evil motives against his friends, we can see that he manipulates the truth and turns his friends against one another. Iago also has no remorse for his evil actions and actually gloats about them throughout the play. His victims were completely oblivious to his crimes and suffered due to his obsession with himself and having control of everyone around him. Iago’s first two victims who fell for his trap were Desdemona and Othello. Othello and Desdemona …show more content…

Iago gives Cassio the handkerchief and Cassio ends up giving it to Bianca, telling her it is not from another woman. Iago then expands his manipulation of Othello by striking up a conversation between himself and Cassio. Iago leads him into speaking provocatively of Bianca, all the while Iago hopes Othello is eavesdropping, hearing their conversation and assuming Cassio is talking about Desdemona. Then, Bianca gets upset with Cassio, telling him the handkerchief had actually come from another woman. With Othello hearing all of this, he becomes very angry and Iago tells him he should choke Desdemona. Othello’s rage does eventually lead him to killing his own wife all because of Iago’s manipulation of the truth. Iago then gloats about his amazing ability to manipulate Othello, he states in act 1, scene 3, “Virtue? A fig! ‘Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners. So that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness or manured with industry, why the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills.” Iago is making an analogy between gardening and exercising free will. As a gardener, you can plant what you want and It is the same with free will. You can make your own decisions, right? Having this mentality Iago takes pride in his manipulative manner, referring to planting seeds in the ground is another way of confessing that he is planting seeds of doubt and jealousy in Othello’s

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