Iago, By William Shakespeare - 1669 Words

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the antagonist Iago is arguably the most heinous villain in all of literature. His ability to shape shift in and out of character is what makes him unique. His tactics are similar to that of a cold blooded chameleon. Iago’s art of persuasion, his mastery of rhetoric as well as his ability to sense his victims’ insecurities and weaknesses, is what makes him so diabolically ruthless. Throughout the play, one can truly see the power of words and their delivery, and the massive influence that they can have over people. Iago employs charlatan techniques to appeal to his victims’ emotional, logical and ethical weaknesses for his own selfish political gain. Iago’s rhetorical methods entrances many of the key characters and leads them to arrive at the assumptions he wants them to reach. Through these methods, Iago is able to transform Othello from a calm, collected, composed general to an insecure, emotional, and mal leable puppet. Through his manipulation of all the key characters, Iago is nonetheless able to remain in favored perception, as he is ironically referred to as â€Å"honest Iago†. What makes Iago so intriguing, is his ability to carry out his selfish agenda without being detected. Iago utilizes reverse psychology, indirect insinuations, and explicit imagery to deceive others and force them under his spell. Iago’s intentions are always veiled throughout the play. Iago uses a plethora of rhetorical strategies primarily againstShow MoreRelatedThe Concept Of Iago By William Shakespeare1163 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Concept of Iago† William Shakespeare’s plays all have a common theme: death. There is almost always death, and the play of â€Å"Othello† is no different since it ends in a â€Å"tragedy.† It begins with a man named Iago who speaks to Roderigo of how he should have received the position of lieutenant that was instead given to Cassio, a inexperienced man in his words, by Othello, the General. Iago shows distaste towards Othello, the play then goes through the story of Iago attempting to receive the positionRead MoreIago, By William Shakespeare1563 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeare’s malicious characters, Iago seems to be one of a kind. At the beginning of the play, Iago is described as a character who is a good liar with a silver tongued eloquence. However, he turns out be a more villain in the end, putting other characters in peril without any justifiable reason. In Act 1 Scene 1 (Shakespeare, 1997), Iago shows discontentment toward Othello for placing him as lieutenant in stead of promotion. This part clearly shows why Iago is upset and feels hatred. However,Read MoreThe Character of Iago in William Shakespeare Essay665 Words   |  3 PagesThe Character of Iago in William Shakespeare In the extract Iago truly shows himself to be a man of great impression upon people around him, and mostly of course people of his choice, in this case Roderigo being his victim of persuasion. Most importantly to be regarded is that Iagos methods are structured almost completely behind the way in which he communicates, and put Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Othello - The Jealous Iago !1171 Words   |  5 Pages1102 The Jealous Iago! Jealousy is a strong emotion which everyone has experienced in some point or time in their life. Throughout Othello by William Shakespeare, the character Iago is known as â€Å"honest Iago† and deals with the roots of jealously. Iago uses jealousy, lies, and deception to manipulate and hurt other characters for his own personal gain. Iago is consumed with jealousy for Michael Cassio and Othello because he was not chosen as lieutenant, and Cassio was. Because of Iago jealously and hatredRead MoreIago By William Shakespeare s Othello Essay914 Words   |  4 Pageson today. Behind every lie, there is a motive for doing so. In Shakespeare s Othello, Iago is no exception to this rule. He is living a dual life of lies. On one face Iago is a trustworthy friend who is attempting to set up Roderigo with the love of his life. His other face is the one whose main goal is to be the Lieutenant of the Venetian Army. In order to reach that status he must ruin the relationship of Cassio an d Othello. Iago uses each other character against others and against themselvesRead MoreIago By William Shakespeare s Othello946 Words   |  4 Pages Iago’s selfish ways may stem from deep-rooted envy. Cassio, a handsome, well-mannered, likeable strategist was promoted above Iago, despite having no practical experience; unlike Iago who has been Othello’s ensign on the field for many years. Iago’s contempt for Cassio’s â€Å"bookish theoric† as â€Å"mere prattle, without practise† is grounded in jealousy, and his dismissive way of comparing strategy to fighting on the battlefield reveals his dislike of Cassio early in the first scene of the play. In thisRead MoreIago By William Shakespeare s Othello1292 Words   |  6 PagesIago is able to manipulate different characters throughout Othello by appearing to be honest and trustworthy, and using this to make people believe what he is saying is the truth. This means that Iago can tell them what he wants, in order to achieve whatever he desires. Simply, Iago is a two-faced character. A very ironic part of the play is when Iago says, â€Å"By J anus†, as Janus is a two- faced Roman god. The first person/character is Rodrigo. Rodrigo is blinded by his love for Desdemona and is preparedRead MoreIago ´s Facade in William Shakespeare ´s Othello520 Words   |  2 Pagesdescribes the villainous Iago better than this. Iago hides behind the faà §ade of a loyal soldier while secretly manipulating the world around him not only for personal gain but also in order to ruin the lives of those he feels have wronged him. Even those close to Iago, such as his loyal servant Roderigo, who think they know him, are being deceived. Throughout the play Iago shows his ability to manipulate people based on their good traits, one key example being Othello. Iago ruins Othello’s life byRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Othello - A Diagnosis Of Literary Character, Iago1460 Words   |  6 Pages A Diagnosis of literary Character,Iago In a Shakespearean tragedy, no man is left out in the vicious storyline of fate. Meaning in every situation there must be a character that is fraudulent and misleading. To which this character would tell false lies to hopefully make the plot end in disaster. In the dramatic play Othello, Shakespeare unleashes the tale of an interracial marriage between a Moor (Othello) and a Venetian woman. Which continuously builds on internal dialogue, race, genderRead MoreBetraying and Lying in Othello by William Shakespeare1726 Words   |  7 Pagesuntruthfulness are a keen description of Iago. Iago causes pain in a lot of the characters life because he is unhappy about his life; Therefore, Iago is the main problem in everyone’s life. In Othello the main characters are Othello, Desdemona, Iago, and Cassio. Iago causes great conflict between Othello and Desdemona, along with Cassio and Othello. Iago causes all the conflict because he is angry at Othello for making Cassio lieutenant. After Iago put his plan in action he led Othello to a