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Iago And Marxist Criticism In Shakespeare's Othello

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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. Othello was fed lies that his wife and Lieutenant were having an affair, leading up to the death of himself along with his wife. Roderigo was blinded by the love he had for Desdemona so badly that he helped Iago …show more content…

He feels and thinks that he has been cheated, betrayed, made a fool of by others—but he has no proof. His arguments for revenge are built on suspicion, feeling, emotion, and impulse.” (Warnken)
In this quote it proves that Iago wants power as a reward rather than to make himself stronger he wants the characters to feel what they made him feel. When Othello gave the ranking as Lieutenant to Cassio, Iago felt that he had been betrayed by Othello. Iago saw himself as the best for the position just as a person would who wanted control. He never sees Cassio as the superior Lieutenant, but as a man who was no better than him. Iago wanted for himself what he couldn’t have, so he did what he knew best, took …show more content…

One criticism that he doesn’t portray is Feminist criticism. Iago cares about himself and his reputation than he does his own wife. If Iago doesn’t care about his wife then why is he married? Iago is married for one simple reason, his need for control. “ Good girl, give it to me” ( Act III, Scene III 322). In this quote Iago’s choice of words shows how he sees her, as his possession. This is why Marxist criticism is the criticism that best describes Iago, he is the true definition of a Marxist character. He likes that sense of power that he has over her and their marriage. Iago doesn’t care about the relationship that he and Emilia have but he cares about what come with the thought of marriage. Typically in a marriage the man is who pays the bills, runs the household, and makes the wife stay home. Iago wanted to feel like a better man in life, he wanted to have a good reputation, a wife that obeyed him, and the perfect

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Othello had a few friends, but the worst of them was Iago. Iago was an ensign in the army, eventually becoming the lieutenant thru misfortunes, lies. Iago was jealous that Cassio became the lieutenant and not himself. He was angry with Othello because he had heard rumors of him sleeping with Iago’s wife, and also heard rumors of Cassio sleeping with his wife too.

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This shows that Iago have real hatred in his heart for Othello and that he is fixed on getting revenge . Iago would not tell the truth . Carol Dweck states “ when you enter a mindset you enter a new world “.

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Similarly, it's revealed that there is another reason why Iago hates Othello so much. In act two, we see Iago lamenting to himself about his motivations. Iago says to himself, "For that I do suspect the lusty Moor / Hath leaped into my seat. The thought whereof / Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards, / And nothing can or shall content my soul / Till I am evened with him, wife for wife" (2. 1.

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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.

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His detachment towards the characters then drives him to do sinister deeds on to them, ultimately causing his downfall. Emilia, Iago’s own wife is another character to which he is detached from. In Act Five, scene two, Iago kills his wife for telling

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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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Othello’s naive nature hindered him from seeking the truth of Desdemona and Cassio and finding out Iago had been lying the whole time. Iago may have been the cause of rumors, however Othello’s own doing ultimately caused him to suffer the consequences due to the fact that he did not communicate with his wife. He let a envious person control every aspect of his perception of his wife. He let a piece of fabric be the defining factor of whether or not his wife was faithful to him. It was the breaking factor of life and death which resulted the death of two innocent souls.

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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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Roderigo, is a young and rich man. He becomes furious when he finds out that Othello marries Desdemona. Once again we see how emotions take over the characters and commit foolish decisions. Roderigo is so in love with Desdemona that he gives all of his money to Iago because Iago promised him that he would help him win Desdemona’s love. Iago once again betrays another one of his victim.

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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.

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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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He is manipulative and tells Othello to “observe her [Desdemona] well with Cassio” (Shakespeare, 3.3:197). Iago feeds Othello with countless lies and makes him miserable with something that is not factual. He is determined to get revenge and he does not realize Iago stands insincere. Furthermore, Iago is selfish when he tells Othello, “I am yours for ever” (3.3:479). He betrays Othello yet still let’s him depend on him for his own

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When he does not get the position he wants and also heard that Othello has been sleeping with his wife Emilia, Iago’s manipulation increases. Iago plans his scheme based on, “[Othello] has done my office, I know not if’t be true/ But I, for mere suspicion in that kind/ Will do as if for surety” (I. III. 431-433). This use of manipulation is all based on an assumption that Othello has slept with Iago’s wife, and this assumption leads to even more horrible events.

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In William Shakespeare’s Othello the two main characters are Iago and Othello. The entire story centers around Iago 's plan to achieve revenge on Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant. Throughout the story Iago tries to convince Othello that his wife Desdemona has cheated on him with his lieutenant Cassio. Iago’s plan is successfully and easily executed. Othello is tricked into believing that desdemona has been unfaithful and in the end he kills her.

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