Examples Of Corruption In Othello

Being pushed to their limits can bring some of the most powerful men to their downfall. Whether it be through manipulation or corruption, the downfall is inevitable. Othello by William Shakespeare conveys this message clearly through the use of irony. The brilliant leader, Othello, is brought to his breaking point when his trusted lieutenant manipulates him. Shakespeare’s purpose was to use dramatic plot twists to demonstrate how manipulation can distort someone's judgment. Furthermore, manipulation and jealousy can push the most powerful people to their own breaking point. In act V, scene II of Othello, Shakespeare uses irony to show how jealousy and manipulation can distort someone’s judgenment, causing some of the strongest characters to come to their tragic downfall when facing betrayal, which then leads to the death
Othello is stating that he must complete the task of killing his wife by using the motivation of her being unfaithful in order to complete it, but he is hesitant to flat out say that he is going to kill her. He then goes on to say, “Yet I’ll not shed her blood, / Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, /and smooth as monumental alabaster” (ll 3-5). Othello expresses that he doesn’t want to kill her in a way that would make her bleed or scar her because he wouldn’t want to ruin her pretty skin because it would make it look ruined and dirty. In Othello’s eyes she is already ruined and dirty because she has cheated on him, so he wouldn't want to further ruin her.
Othello continues his soliloquy with, “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men”(l 6). Iago’s manipulation of Othello has led Othello to believe his new wife was unfaithful to him, and he firmly believes that he must kill her now because he doesn’t want anyone else to be betrayed by her. He then