Preview

Iago Is Evil Essay

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2639 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Iago Is Evil Essay
The Shakespeare tragedy Othello was written and set during the early 17th century in Venice rule. The play is set in Cyprus and Venice. In the play Othello, Iago attempts to destroy the marriage of Othello and Desdemona. Iago is a compelling sophisticated villain, who revels in his own ability to dissemble. At first glance Iago is pure evil. He is perhaps the most interesting and deceiving character in the tragic play Othello. During the play Iago uses carefully thought out words and actions which enable him to manipulate others and do things in a way which benefits him and allows him to move closer to his goals. He is a villain who is adept to quick-witted improvisation. Iago's pride is laced with sly vindictiveness; also he is egotistical and independent, convincingly able to adapt his tone and style to any situation. Of all the characters presented in Shakespeare's literature the most sinister one is without a doubt Iago. He is a ruthless sociopath. No other character can even come close to his evil. Most of the antagonists present in Shakespeare's plays have valid reasons for the troubles they cause. Iago doesn't for the most part he just has a burning hatred for the world, especially Othello. This is what …show more content…
Othello and Iago both were suppose to be of a Christian society but the lives they lived were not that of Christ. But there is a romantic union between black and white, which gets destroyed because most people think the relationship, is wrong. At the time the play was written, 1604, even the Queen of England was racist so there must have been a strong hatred of blacks around that time. They are simply weak creatures controlled by the evil powers of the world, money, jealousy, pride, and one that is both good and bad: LOVE. If only they would have been able to see themselves from others eyes maybe than they could have controlled their rage and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Iago was very devil he lied to Othello so Othello’s' could leave his wife Desdemona. Othello tells Desdemona that she cheated, but she didn't.all that happened because of othello’s lies . his lies were kind powerful and believable. Othello was wise, but iago tried to make him look stupid by making lies about his wife Desdemona. Iago tried every kind trick to make Othello give divorce to his wife, but what Othello did was more than divorce which leaded Iago to a bad ending. Iago brought big conflict between Othello and…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago vs Krogstad

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Othello, Iago is a villainous person who is filled with hatred, jealousy and an undeniable lust for power. He influences and manipulates everyone close to him for the sole purpose of destroying their lives.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare has created the character of Iago as the villain of the play. He drives the plot as he schemes and manipulated other characters. He fascinates and terrifies the audience with his revengeful plotting which he has no real motivation for.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago plots to destroy the lives of others by interfering with relationships. “Tis here, but yet confused. / Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used” (II.i.305-306). Iago is plotting his evil plan to destroy the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Iago infers that his plan is evil, and the evilness will shine through, once the evil acts are completed. This makes Iago evil because he is planning destruction. Iago’s goal is to devastate Othello’s life.…

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Race is very important in the play. Othello was a moor. In simplest terms he was a man of color. His race is what set him apart from the other characters. Also Othello is the only character of color which automatically set him inside. Being that he is a military general (a position not offered to black men) a lot of the characters don’t like him, and a lot of characters described him negatively because to them he was just a moor. But others respect and admire him because of his accomplishments. Iago was not his biggest fan so of coarse he said things that were not meant to be nice. “Iago: Even now, now very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise; Awake the snorting citizens with the bell. Or else the devil will make a grandsire if you arise I say!” (Act 1, Scene 1) Here Iago is upset that a moor is with a white woman. So he tells Desdemona’s father about the relationship. But all throughout what he is saying he is making racial slurs. In response to this Desdemona’s father says “BRABANTIO: She, in spite of nature, Of years, of country, credit, every thing, To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on! It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect That will confess perfection so could err Against all rules of nature.” (Act 1, Scene 3) which means he feels that Desdemona’s feelings for Othello is wrong. It is unnatural since he is black and she is white. Even Othello himself describes his color as being something bad at one point. “Othello: All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. 'Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell! (Act 3, Scene 3) Throughout the play there are many comments as to Othello’s race. I personally think the whole play is based around two things his race in comparison to everyone else’s, and his race with Desdemona’s race because he is a “moor” and every one else is not. Well race and jealousy anyway but race is what stands out more.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago in Context

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Iago uses the Elizabethan views and stereotypes to manipulate Othello to do his bidding. Iago assumes that Othello is insecure due to his ethnic heritage, and uses this to his advantage. Iago himself is influenced by the context--the Elizabethan society. While Iago is correct of Othello’s insecurity, it is because of the attitudes towards Blackamoors during the Elizabethan era that Othello was insecure itself. There is evidence that there were a considerable number of black people in England in the late 16th Century. But in 1601, Elizabeth I gave orders to deport them, citing concerns about their irregular behaviour and a fear that allowing them to stay in England would lead to overpopulation.…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago is not to blame for the deaths of Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo, and Emilia because there is no hard evidence that pins him to the crimes. Iago himself did not kill anyone himself so his hands are clean and it would be unjustly to put the blame on him. Not only did Iago not kill anybody but he did not forcly make somebody kill someone else, all Iago did was give his opinion say what he thought. Iago himself even said to his wife,”I told him what I thought, and told no more. That what he found himself was apt and true.” In this instant Iago is referring to Othello and the the death of Desdemona. Othello is the guilty one for strangling his wife because he acted on his accord and was forced by nobody to do so. The only thing that Iago is guilty of is caring for his friend too much…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    what he seems. He is not what he is. And whatdoes he use as his…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago is possibly one of the first villains of Shakespearean times with both redeeming and villainous qualities. In the tragic play “Othello”, by William Shakespeare, Iago is shown as an honest yet manipulative villain; which is uncommon for villains in texts written in Shakespearean times as it humanises the villain. London councils at the time thought that theatre should not allow the audience to relate to villainous characters as it was a negative influence on society so the character of Iago is very unusual and complex.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago is the villain whose motives are to seek revenge on Othello and Cassio both. However, he admits that his plan isn’t perfect yet, so he will not reveal his plan and show his face until his plan get’s done. Iago’s jealousy and greed made him more evil and he used many other characters to work with his plans.…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Iago starts off as a harmless evil, with mild actions, such as telling Barbantio that his daughter ran away, getting Cassio drunk, planting the seed of betrayal in Othello's mind, and planting the handkerchief in Cassio's chambers; however, Iago's true nature of of destructive evil comes out, with his heinous acts, such as planning Cassio's and Desdemona's death, murdering Roderigo, murdering his own wife, and refusing to give anyone the reasons as to why he did what he did.…

    • 79 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Iago Character Analysis

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages

    William Shakespeare's Othello is a play that mostly revolves around jealousy, trust and revenge. Throughout most of Shakespeare's plays, evil characters are not uncommon, but in my own opinion, Iago has to be one of – if not the most - interesting. Even though Iago might be described by some as being just "pure evil" or even "intolerable", the truth still remains that people will read deeper into the play just to see what Iago will do next. Through his words and actions, which are carefully thought out, Iago is able to manipulate others for his personal benefit. Not only that, but he also manipulates people to get him closer to his goals. He is no doubt the driving force of the play, pushing Othello and everyone else towards the tragic ending.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello: Iago the Con

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Perhaps the most interesting and exotic character in the tragic play "Othello," by William Shakespeare, is "Honest" Iago. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him and moves him closer toward his goals. He is the main driving force in this play, pushing Othello and everyone else towards their tragic end.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Iago is one of the main characters in the play Othello. His personality consists of being the personification of the moral behavior. Shakespeare goes a lot deeper than that, he gives Iago this colour that makes him more than just a stock character. Iago gains complexity throughout the play through having multiple motives, his ability to manipulate others and being generally just unsympathetic.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    From this definition, it becomes clear to us that Iago could very well be taken on as an evil character in Shakespeare's play. But where does this evil happen? It is important to note a significant symbolic difference that the playwright used to highlight good and bad in his play. It would appear that before Othello is sent off to Cyprus on a mission the characters live more or less in harmony with each other; i.e. without any sexual jealousy, the main theme of the play. This implies that Venice is the good scenario, where everyone lives in peace, and Cyprus where the characters are constantly challenging each other led on of course, by Iago.…

    • 2002 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays