In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, we encounter a man named Lago who feels that he has been wronged in several ways and seeks his revenge on two men, Cassio and Othello. Lago proves to be a very jealous man, though he has the mental capacity to set aside his emotions and act according to reason and careful planning. Lago is a man who loves to see his success in the manipulative work that he does, with no care for the life of another lost due to his (Lago’s) actions. This very jealous man Lago, has the mental capacity to restrain himself from rash action and plan revenge carefully enough that others are entirely unaware of Lago’s manipulation of them.
In Act 2 Scene 1, Lago expresses great jealousy for Cassio, along with hatred for both Cassio and Othello while under the impression that they both have seduced his wife. Othello shows great control over his emotions. Lago states that the thought of his wife being seduced by the two is gnawing and eating at him, “The thought whereof doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards” (Bevington, 2014, 2.1. 288-314), yet he remains calm and plots his revenge against the
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As a side bonus, with Roderigo dead, Lago will be able to keep the stolen items that Roderigo thought was given to Desdemona. Lago is jealous of Cassio for more reasons than just the promotion, Lago sees Cassio as more attractive “He hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly” (Bevington, 2014, 5.1.19-20). At this crucial point in Lago’s plan, everything must work accordingly or else the entire scheme will be revealed to Othello and whoever lives between Cassio and Roderigo. The fear from this step in Lago’s plan would seem to be very heavy, but Lago keeps a calm state of mind and cautiously thinks over the outcomes, while not showing any affection for loss of