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How Does Iago Manipulate The Moor Of Venice

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In Shakespeare’s play Othello; the Moor of Venice, written by William Shakespeare, Iago feels overlooked and plans to take revenge against his General, Othello, also known as the Moor of Venice. Iago manipulates Othello into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair, which provokes Othello’s jealousy, Othello allows this jealousy to consume him, murders Desdemona, and then kills himself. Race affects everything throughout the drama as it shapes the plot and the behavior of the other characters, as they treat Othello significantly more poorly than how they treat each other. In Othello; the Moor of Venice, Othello’s race acts as a weapon against him that other characters could use and manipulate to treat him as an outsider and create …show more content…

In line 426, Iago states in his soliloquy, “I hate the Moor;” However, Iago proceeds to have various lines and soliloquies where he reveals his true motives against Othello to the audience. Iago refers to Othello throughout the play with derogatory terms like “Barbary horse,” an “old black ram,” an “erring barbarian,” and “thick-lips.” Iago purposely identifies Othello strictly by his race; he will not refer to him as an individual or even as his general rank. Iago also strictly uses animalistic characteristics and names to refer to Othello, making him seem less human-like to himself, as Iago craves to feel power over Othello due to his race. One of these examples includes lines 97 to 101, when Iago states, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise!, arise! Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you”. Not only is the comparison between animals and their hyper-sexuality to Othello made here, but it is also the comparison between the devil and Othello that is shown. Iago uses this to manipulate Brabantio's fears of miscegenation and the sixteenth-century idea of black men being evil and the devil taking the form of a black man. This is one of the …show more content…

Additionally, there is a moment where Othello states in lines 442 to 445, “All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven ‘Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell!” These lines show that Othello has begun to feel a lack of pride and confidence within himself and that he is not proud nor comfortable in his skin due to the treatment from Iago and

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