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Who Is Iago's Ambition In Othello

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Shakespeare continues to compare his two characters to present two categories of people those that are hungry for love and those that thirst for power; nevertheless, Shakespeare reminds us that one group of people will always be torn down by the other. When Othello regales the readers with a tale of his childhood he recounts “Of moving ancients by flood and field/ of hairbreadth scapes i’th ‘imminent deadly breach,/ of being taken by the insolent foe/ and sold to slavery, of my redemption thence.” (1.3.137-140) By being a black Muslim, Othello has lived an arduous life filled with death and brutality. One simple act of kindness would stand out against everything Othello has ever known, so when Iago pretends to be Othello’s friend he is drawn to him and seeks affection. …show more content…

While talking with someone, Iago reveals his ambitions, “ In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,/ Off-capped to him; and by the faith of man,/ I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.” (1.1. 10-12) Iago is furious that he didn’t get the position he wanted so he devotes himself to demolishing Othello as a route to what he covets. To get revenge Iago plans to go through Cassio “the better shall my purpose work on him” (1.3. 392) he states, ”for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor.” (1.3.

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Modern time is similar to Shakespeare’s time in some way. Whatever Iago did was because of jealousy. He can’t see anyone else be on the higher position than he is, so when Cassio got promoted instead of him, which than lead to anger and jealously. He did whatever he can to ruin the reputation of Othello and Cassio in the society so people would hate them. Jealously was the problem back in Shakespeare’s time and still is a problem in modern world too.

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Abstract- This paper intends to explore the concept of Iago, performing his role as the absolute antithesis in Shakespeare’s “Othello”. The ‘I’ that is spoken of in the paper is taken as consciousness as a whole, capable of recognizing the other if not being able to reconcile with it. "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me Man, did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?" (Paradise Lost, X, 743-45, John Milton)

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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

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It is with deep sadness that I inform you that our greatest general Othello has committed suicide. The man responsible for his death and the death of Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo is our very own ‘honest’ Iago. This man is so much more than we thought he was. He has betrayed Othello and the sweet Desdemona.

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(Othello I.i.21-34). Since Iago didn’t get the position of lieutenant, he was jealous of Cassio. Iago felt since he had more battle experience than Cassio, who has never been to war, that he would be a better fit for lieutenant. Also, since Othello and Iago were close Iago felt more entitled to the position, and he felt betrayed by Othello. To get back at both Cassio and Othello, Iago decided to come up with a plan to ruin their lives and

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He expresses his jealousy for Cassio when he says that Othello “already chose [his] officer” who he calls “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine” who “never set a squadron in the field.” Iago believes he should have gotten the promotion because he had more military experience and training. After he gets Cassio drunk and dismissed from service, he devises a plan to manipulate Othello into believing he is cheating with Desdemona in order that Cassio never gets his position again or even killed. Iago also hears a rumor that Othello slept with his

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Shakespeare is a well known author who has written many plays. He has written many plays like Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet. Othello is an african general who has come to Venice to lead the war. He falls in love with Senator Brabantio's daughter, Desdemona. Othello’s passion for Desdemona lead to the death of many and himself because he did not listen to her when she tried to explain that nothing happened, he was filled with so much hatred that he killed her and his passion lead him to acting in a rather foolish way.

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He takes the approach that he is a good friend of Cassio’s but feels it his duty to inform Othello of this issue. Because of Iago’s outstanding reputation, Othello believes that this is simply a caring and considerate gesture on Iago’s part. Othello reassures to him, “I know, Iago, Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, Making it light to Cassio” (Shakespeare, II, iii, 225-226). Iago acts as though it is hard to hurt his friend Cassio like this when in reality, it is exactly what he intended to happen. Othello clearly buys this as he acknowledges Iago’s ever-present honesty.

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Villains prevail throughout all forms of literature, thought to be characters whose evil actions influence the driving plot. Most notorious of villains is Iago, a character who seeks to ruin marriages and reputations with no clear motive — other than it is simply his wicked nature. In the first Act, Roderigo complains to Iago, stating that he lives only for Desdemona’s love and it isn’t in his “virtue” to stop his love for her. Iago, of course, believes this to be preposterous, who then goes on to explain how love can be controlled, just as easily as one tends to a garden. In Othello Shakespeare demonstrates Iago’s artistry as a manipulator and as a villain through the speech in Act I scene iii, revealing Iago as the driving force of the play.

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The tragedy that unfolds in Shakespeare's Othello (1604) is caused by societal prejudice that triggers Othello's inherent naivety and susceptibility to jealousy. The Jacobean era's newfound creative nature influenced Shakespeare to include certain religious ideologies such as The Great Chain of Being. Through consistent racial prejudice directed towards Othello, we witness the belief that those of African descent are low class. Through prejudice, Othello gains a reverence for social status, which manifests into jealousy that allows him to be easily manipulated. The nature of Venetian society made it exceptionally difficult for Othello to gain social status.

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Iago: elusive or illusive? The most profound and intriguing characters in Shakespeare’s plays, at least in the tragedies, are the villains. Don John in Much Ado About Nothing has far fewer lines than the other main characters, yet it is his actions that create consequential events the whole play revolves around. But unlike the comedies, the tragic villains (villains of the tragedies) are more than mere blocking forces.

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During the play Iago seems to transform from slightly conniving to very sinister. This alone contributes to the interest factor of the play. It is later disclosed that Iago does not simply desire revenge for Othello making Cassio lieutenant, but because he believes Othello slept with his wife, Emilia. “For that I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leaped into my sea…” These assumptions lead to a buildup of jealousy and an explosion of revenge, which adds drama to the theme of betrayal by giving the original problem something more to feed off of.

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He verbalizes that his motivation for getting revenge on Othello is because Othello gives Cassio, rather than Iago, the position Iago thinks he deserved, but it goes much deeper than that. Iago is driven by jealousy to seek revenge because Othello has more power, a better marriage, and Othello has more achievements and gets more recognition for them. After Iago becomes Othello’s lieutenant, he chooses not to end his revenge at this point, even though he could have, because of his envy of Othello. Iago is very envious of the power Othello has. Othello is a foreigner in Venice, and the amount of power and respect he has acquired as a foreigner is much more than what Iago has acquired and this angers Iago very much because he thinks Othello is

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Cassio is the one Iago wanted dead or out of position. However, at the end of the play, Cassio didn’t die and Othello advocated him a higher position. Again, lies and ironic thing always come out from Iago’s mouth. He speaks, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy…... ”(3.3.195)

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