Vengeance In Shakespeare's Othello

Individuals are often blinded by the need for revenge. In the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, Othello, the main general, promotes one of his best friends, Cassio, to be lieutenant. Iago, who strongly thinks that he is the one that deserves the place of lieutenancy, seeks retribution by planning to ruin the lives of everyone who gets in his way in order to obtain the place he thinks he deserves. As the story goes on, it is apparent that both Iago and Othello will destroy themselves and others to satisfy their own selfish needs for vengeance, it is only when it is too late that they realize that the outcome of their revenge is not worth the price paid. Iago, the main antagonist of the play, is a cunning man who can manipulate his

After Iago orchestrates his plans onto Othello, Othello truly believes that his wife and best friend, Desdemona and Cassio, are having an affair. Infuriated by this new learned knowledge, Othello commands Iago to make sure “that Cassio’s not alive,” while he personally kills his wife (3.4.537). Othello is willing to kill two of the most important people in his life, worst of all, he was easily manipulated by Iago to believe his lie. Distressed by the truth, Othello looks for redemption. Othello dismisses reason once again so he could get vengeance for what he has done. After Emilia tells Othello the truth about Desdemona, and how she was truly faithful, Othello “stabs himself” (5.2.417). When he finally realizes that he has been manipulated by Iago all this time, he still looks for revenge. He even disregards that it was the need for revenge that really destroyed his life. If Othello had thought reasonably, he could have gotten out of the mindset of his own self vengeance, and instead realize that he was being irrational. He most likely would have realized that Desdemona would have preferred for him to live instead of kill himself for