Preview

How Does Iago Manipulate Othello's Jealousy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
298 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Iago Manipulate Othello's Jealousy
Jealousy is what got the worst side out of the strong, noble, great Othello. Throughout the play he totally transforms Othello into a different person. Making him feel like a monster. Iago manipulates Othello into believing that Cassio is having an affair with his wife, Desdemona, planting doubt and jealousy in him. Using his reputation as an honest man to his favor is how he gets Othello into believing all the lies that comes to his mind. Othello, like everybody else viewed Iago as the most honest man, not knowing that Iago hated him with a passion. “We've seen how Iago uses animal imagery in his racist diatribe against Othello, which is grounded in the idea that black men (and women) are inhuman.” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Iago doesn’t view

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    At the beginning, we see Othello’s total love for and trust in his wife. However, in scene three that we start to deal with Iago eating away at Othello’s mind and reason. Iago’s comments on Cassio’s exit from the garden when he says: “Ha! I like not that.” From this he creates suspicion in Othello. He carefully maneuvers his words in order for Othello to become more distressed by what he has to say. “But he that filches from me my good name/ Robs me of that which not enriches him”. He suggests that Othello should be wary of being jealous, knowing full well that by nature Othello is not a jealous man: “O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy:/ It is the green-eye’d monster, which doth mock/ The meat it feeds on: that cuckold lives in bliss/ Who, certain of its fate, loves not his wronger”.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago vs Krogstad

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Iago is an evil person but that is all he is guilty of being. Othello was a proven warrior and was respected by high ranking officials because of his proven leadership. However, Othello was a bad judge of character and exercised poor judgment throughout the play by blindly and naively believing Iago’s lies. He did not trust the people that truly loved him and were most loyal to him. This character flaw was exploited masterfully by Iago, to the point that Othello became insanely jealous of the perceived affair between Desdemona and Cassio.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    At the beginning of the play, Iago makes it clear that he wanted Cassio’s position as Othello’s lieutenant: “I know my price; I am worth no worse a place” (Othello I.i.10). He feels that the position belongs to him, and he becomes extremely envious when the position is given to Cassio instead. Lancer mentions that envy is a defense mechanism to insecurity and that those who experience envy “might [even] go so far as to sabotage, misappropriate, or defame the envied person.” This is exactly what Iago does; he conjures up a plan to sabotage Othello and defame Cassio in his fit of rage by using something he has mastered: jealousy/envy. In her essay, “Jealousy in Othello,” Jennifer Putnam states that Iago “wants everyone to feel as he does so he engineers the jealousy of other characters” (43). In short, Iago wanted to bring everyone, specifically Othello, down to the same level as him. He wanted those who made him feel insecure to share the same feelings in hopes of destroying…

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The only things that human beings need to survive in this world are: food, shelter, and relationships. Humans by nature cannot successfully exist on their own, for that reason they are instinctively inclined to crave relationships with others. Whether a relationship be romantic or strictly platonic, it is crucial that one develop a proper foundation before trusting wholeheartedly. The foundation of a relationship, much like any other type of foundation, protects it from threatening outside forces, such as people with malicious intentions, or simply the trials of life in general. There are a myriad of useful qualities that can make up said foundation, however, several important examples are: knowledge of a partner’s character, open communication…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago is a cruel and evil man who uses ways to ruin Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. Othello appointed Cassio, to be his lieutenant. Iago was mad when he heard about it, he believes that he should be the one for the position since he knows more. This started off with his jealousy of Cassio. When Othello and Desdemona got married without letting anyone knowing, Iago begins to plot his plan. He used Roderigo to help him throughout the process of his plan to bring down Cassio. He then told Othello lies to ruin his own relationship. He also use Bianca as his part of the plan. Iago got people into thinking he was a nice honest guy, but he uses other people's jealousy and gullibleness for his own benefit.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His motivation develops further due to jealousy of both Cassio and Othello, and their happiness. These projections of hate are a result of Iago's own insecurities and his obsession with being powerful and in control. Iago is viewed favorably by the other characters and he maintains his credibility by being on everyone's side, seen in comments such…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Iago gets the power that he wants from misleading and taking advantage of them to further his plans. Usually in books, villains are created for the reader to hate, but Shakespeare has found some way to make Iago a villain worth being liked.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this play, jealousy is a dangerous, cruel quality. It is the reason for the downfall of Iago, Roderigo and Othello…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play ,Iago comes off as a diabolical character who sets everyone's lives on fire .However, his motives are often questioned as they seem relatively vague in the play.Throughout the play he cites various reasons to hate Othello.Firstly, he is upset by the fact that Iago chose Cassio over him and promoted Cassio.He feels that he was the perfect candidate for Cassio's position and feels insulted by Othello's choice.He confesses this to Roderigo in the following lines:…

    • 1897 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Reputation Thesis

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Othello, the main characters Cassio and Iago portray how important reputation can be. Iago uses his reputation as an advantage; he manipulates Cassio, Othello and his wife Emilia. No one knows that Iago has two colors and is masking his true self. Othello is under the impression that Iago is an honest man, and he puts his faith and trust on him. Iago starts hinting that Desdemona is being unfaithful to Othello, “She did deceive her father, marrying you ;( III, iii, 206-208). Othello becomes paranoid and doubtful and becomes doubtful of his wife. Iago had malice towards Cassio and he convinces Cassio by…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    english

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Iago shows himself as a two faced person, he seems loyal and respectful toward Othello; however he is totally opposite person behind Othello’s back. “I hate the Moor.” This quotation given by Iago is short and simple, and straight to the point. Iago has hatred towards Othello due to the fact he had given Cassio the promotion that was rightfully his. Furthermore, Iago is manipulating everyone’s thoughts so he can gain the rank that was ‘taken’ from him.…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello is a man very conscious and in some ways obsessed with reputation. He himself is aware of this, as shown in the preceding lines: "I pray you, in your letters, / When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, / Speak of me as I am". Aware of the importance of opinion, which is inevitably affected by one's reputation, he quickly jumps to tell people of how he would like to be remembered. With this obsession with reputation, it is already clear that Othello has a strong motive to put a positive spin on his actions. Indeed, his preoccupation with his reputation and public image was one of the reasons that he killed Desdemona. Also, it is Iago's reputation as an honest man which allowed him to deceive Othello without Othello once questioning his words. Thus, Othello has a strong motive not to portray himself as he really is, but how he would want us to see him and so it is already possible to see that his account of his behaviour may not necessarily be an accurate one.…

    • 825 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello Jealousy Paper

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Beginning with the character Iago, one can see his jealousy fuel a villainous plot to demonstrate the dangers of the emotion. While explaining his hatred for Cassio to Roderigo, Iago complains, “One Michael Cassio . . . that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows . . . had the election” (Shakespeare 5). The conflict evident in Iago’s words is used by Shakespeare to bring forth the destructive nature of jealousy. From the get go, Shakespeare establishes Iago as the villain and Othello as the victim and in doing so, pushes the audience towards feeling sympathetic towards Othello and feeling hatred towards and rooting against Iago. Additionally, the conflict Shakespeare uses characterizes the character of Iago as jealous, which also contributes to molding the audience’s opinions towards him and a development of jealousy’s notoriety. While Shakespeare first introduces the conflict between Iago and Cassio as one over status and power towards the beginning of Othello, he brings the audience’s attention to Iago’s conflict with the Moor by having Iago exclaim, “I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets he has done my office” (Shakespeare 54). Again, in this quote, Shakespeare uses the conflict between Iago and Othello to paint Iago as overly jealous man. The goal of these portrayals was to shine light on jealousy and the dangers that come with it. By portraying Iago as the jealous villain through conflict and Cassio and Othello as innocent victims, Shakespeare sends the idea that jealousy can destroy the…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello" Downfall

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Although Iago is called "honest" by almost everyone in the play, he is treacherous, deceitful, and manipulative. This can be seen when Iago shows the audience his intentions when he states that he has no loyalty to Othello: “I follow him to serve my turn upon him.” (Act 1, Scene 1). This shows that Iago has been plotting Othello’s downfall for quite some time. Iago further reveals his plans to the audience and states that Othello “will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are” in Act 1, Scene 3, indicating his confidence in his ability to control the Othello. We see how Iago started telling Othello lies about Desdemona and Cassio how he thought they were having an affair. He did this by changing the appearance of things and making them look opposite of the actual reality. For example telling Othello that Desdemona gave her handkerchief to Cassio and how they have already slept together. Othello responds to the handkerchief situation saying “farewell tranquil mind farewell content. Farewell! Othello’s occupation is gone” (Act 3 scene 3). This shows us how Othello immediately believed Iago’s lies and now believes everything for him is ruined. It is these…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello Good Vs Evil

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Iago craves getting revenge and taking what he believes is rightfully his and will do anything he has to in order to achieve those goals. Iago wants to take “revenge/ For that I do suspect the lusty Moor/ Hath leap’d into my seat” (2.2 283-85) not because he wishes to cause chaos. He also seeks to take the lieutenant spot away from Cassio because he’s proven himself to be a strong soldier in battle, but he’s achievements have been “lee’d and calm’d/ By debitor and creditor; this counter-caster” (1.1 30-31). Iago’s poor self-esteem leaves him jealous of Othello’s achievements and Cassio’s looks and status, while also leaving him very doubtful and ungrateful for the things he does have. He suspects that his wife has cheated on him without any actual proof and treats her with an aloof behavior, while Othello and Desdemona have a very happy and loving marriage. In comparison to Cassio, Iago is not seen as very good looking or much of a scholar. Iago performs all of his deeds to satisfy his jealousy and self-esteem because he’s surrounded by people who are far more accomplished than he…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays