argumentative othello essay

Argumentative Othello Essay In William Shakespeare’s play Othello “Honest Iago” (1.3.295) is perhaps the most interesting character in the play. Throughout the play he manipulates pretty much every character in order to somehow get ahead or to use them later to further execute his plan in destroying Othello. That plan comes to rise because he believes that Othello for many reasons has diminished his reputation. This is why the main motive behind all his actions is that reputation he has tried so hard to keep. Iago feels that Othello’s decision to promote Cassio over him was a mistake on Othello’s part. Iago feels this way because Cassio has “never set a squadron in the field,... And I, bless the mark, his Moorship’s ancient.” (1.2.23-35) meaning that Cassio has never seen battle and only experience is from books he reads yet Iago has fought alongside Othello yet was passed over for the promotion. Iago knows he is superior to Cassio and thinks that the pass of the promotion is an insult to his intelligence and reputation. Due to this Iago hates Othello and wants him to suffer as he has because of the humiliation of the promotion pass over and the damage to his reputation created by this situation. Iago also feels that the so called rumors about Othello and Emila have made an impact on his reputation. These “so called rumors” are pretty much confirmed by Emilia when talking to Desdemona toward the end of the play about the possibility of cheating on their husbands by saying “But for the whole world? Why, who would not make her husband a cluckold to make him a monarch? I should venture purgatory for’t.” (4.3.70-72). Iago hates this because if his wife is sleeping around it makes him look weak and unable to control a simple woman. But that seems to be the only reason he cares what she does because of his dislikes women, even his own wife, due to the fact it could hurt his reputation by her sleeping around. While many people believe that Iago’s actions are