OTHELLO: IAGO’S ART OF PERSUASION In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ focuses on Iago's treatment of Othello in the drama. Iago's conversations with Othello were one of the greatest persuasive skills, scholars find interesting; full appreciation of Iago's genius; questions on how Iago thoroughly convinced and change Othello; the lies he tells to the characters . What also interested many scholars was Iago’s act controlling the shadows of the characters surrounding him. In ‘Othello,’ Iago used many rhetorical strategies to persuade his “puppets” and gets them to do what he wants, so throughout the drama, scholars are intrigued by the “evil genius” behind the good creator of lies.
Iago, is the villain of the play, and in the play he’s a twenty-eight-year-old military veteran from Venice, whose standards are lower than Cassio, the lieutenant for Othello. Although Iago’s obsessive, relentless, bold, and igenius in his efforts to manipulate and deceive the other characters-particularly Othello-Iago’s motivations are notoriously murky. At various points points in the play, he
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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. Though that his joy be joy, yet throw such changes of vexation on't as it may lose some color.” (1.1.74-80) When Iago talks about corrupting Brabantio’s opinion on fair Desdemona, he uses the language of poison and plague, also when Iago tattles on Othello and Desdemona for eloping, he points out on Brabantio's xenophobic attitude toward mixed race marriages. “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: arise, I say.” (1.1.89-93.1) Iago uses this in the beginning to manipulate the words and speak towards his audience, which was Brabantio and Roderigo, and it developed hatred and disgust towards