Examples Of Manipulation In Othello

Manipulation in Othello
We may not notice it, but manipulation is around us all the time. Yet whether in real life or stories, manipulation is usually always used by people for their own selfish reasons. Such as Shakespeare’s Iago, a character who perfectly embodies a selfish manipulator in the story Othello. Iago is the flag-bearer to the moor, Othello, who chose the mathematician Cassio to be lieutenant instead of Iago; even though Iago is experienced in battle. This decision causes a stir of anger and jealousy within Iago, who then decides to use those emotions as motivation to manipulate Brabantio, Roderigo, and Othello in order to get Cassio fired so that he can be appointed as lieutenant. Iago does so by convincing Othello that his wife,

He tells Roderigo to “call up her father. Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight, proclaim him in the streets. Incense her kinsmen, and, though he in a fertile climate dwell, plague him with flies” (1.1). In doing so, Iago manipulates the situation with Desdemona’s father in order to get him upset with Othello. One can believe that this scene served as the catalyst for the tragic events that unfolded later on in the story. He then lies to Brabantio, implying he is getting robbed by yelling “Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter, check on your money bags! Thieves! Thieves!” (1.1) in order to wake him up. While it was just a rouse to get him to wake up quickly, such a startling wake up call can cause hostile emotions. Such emotions can be beneficial to Iago manipulations since they can encourage behavior stemmed from anger and annoyance, such as confronting Othello with armed

Iago does so by stating “what if I had said I had seen him do you wrong or heard him say- as knaves be such abroad, who having, by their own importunate suit, or voluntary dotage of some mistress, convinced or supplied them, cannot choose but they must blab” (4.1). Othello responds by asking “hath he said any thing” to which Iago replies by saying “Lie-…with her, on her, what you will” (4.1). In doing so, Iago creates intense anger within Othello towards his wife Desdemona. That anger would be responsible for causing Othello to fall into a seizure due to the stress. Iago then mutters “work on, my medicine, work! Thus, credulous fools are caught, and many worthy and chaste dames even thus, all guiltless, meet reproach” (4.1). Implying that he knows his manipulations are working but doesn’t care that Desdemona is an innocent victim caught in the web of