Shakespeare's Othello: The Manipulator In Fiction

The Manipulator in Fiction Every good story has a character which uses manipulation to get their way hiding in the shadows. The manipulator character archetype is used as a type of antagonist in storytelling. These characters are known for making other do whatever they wish for, either by using their words or their actions. Manipulators are typically deceitful and are controlling others for their own benefit. The characters Iago from William Shakespeare's’ Othello, Tamlin from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, and Hannibal Lecter from NBC’s Hannibal, prove that, even though times and mediums change, the manipulator character still remains the same. One of the most recognizable manipulators in literature is Iago from

I know not if 't be true,/But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,/Will do as if for surety” (Shakespeare 1.3.429-433). Iago does this by manipulating all those important to Othello in hopes of ruining the perception and honor of Othello himself. Iago is playing with the other characters since the first act. The audience sees his first plan to disturb Othello’s father in law in the middle of the night, saying, “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. Though that his joy be joy,/Yet throw such changes of vexation on't/As it may lose some color.” (Shakespeare 1.1.74-80). Iago is manipulating characters

In the popular young adult series, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, the character Tamlin manipulates the main character, Feyre, in hopes that she will fall in love with him and follow his every wish. This is most prominently seen in the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury. In the second book, Feyre has just returned to her new home with Tamlin after going through several devastating trials which wrecked havoc on her mental stability. All of Tamlin’s manipulation comes from his actions, which control the way she thinks . He makes Feyre believe that she is wrong for not wanting the overprotectiveness he gives. On page 52 Feyre says, “But I heard it for the empty threat it was—and how much it destroyed him. That was who he was, what he was: protector, defender. I couldn’t ask him to stop being that way—to stop worrying about me” (Maas). Tamlin makes Feyre feel guilty, which means she isn’t willing to fight against what he asks. Tamlin does this so much that Feyre learns to accept everything he does, “He assured me that he hated the gatherings as much as I did, and that Lucien was the only one who really enjoyed himself, but … I caught Tamlin grinning sometimes. And truthfully, he deserved it, had earned it. And these people deserved it, too” (Maas 24). This acceptance went so far as to Feyre agreeing to marry him in front of his entire Court. However, Tamlin was never able