Othello And Iago's Challenges Essay

Good morning/afternoon fellow classmates and teachers
Everyday people are confronted with challenges; whether they are big or small, challenges can have an effect not only on you but also the people you are surrounded by. The challenges that Iago and Othello experience are no different from today’s challenges, but the way they dealt with them, would not be accepted in today’s society.

Iago and Othello are faced with many complex and personal challenges. Their challenges though different are linked through the quest of revenge, power and control. Iago uses his position as a servant to bring revenge to Othello. Iago believes that Othello has cuckolded him, courtesy of a number of soliloquy’s shown through the metaphorical phrase “and its though abroad that twix’t my sheets he’s done my office”. This knowledge provides him with an additional motive to hate Othello and want revenge.
On the other hand he uses the power of jealousy and Othello’s wife Desdemona.
Othello not only has to overcome challenge possessing a trusting nature, but also has to deal with the obstacles that racism can engender.

Iago has set himself the challenge of bringing revenge on Othello for his suspected sleight to his manhood, he plans to do this by creating jealousy between Desdemona and Othello. As Iago uses language and persuasive techniques to create suspicion in Othello's mind and encourage his jealousy. Iago initially places doubt in Othello by making Cassio's exit seem suspicious, "Ha! I like not that...Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it, /That he would sneak away so guilty-like, /Seeing you coming." he does so to challenge Othello's distrust in Cassio.
Iago also quotes “With as little a web as this I will ensure as great a fly as Cassio” The metaphor of the web, symbolizing Desdemona, will allow Cassio to fall into Iagos trap allowing his plan to be put into
action.

Iagos challenge has an effect on Othello, as one of Othello’s fatal flaws is his honest and trusting nature. He misplaces his trust in Iago, as he sees him as the reliable and honest servant that Iago pretends to be. Iago is prepared to use this weakness against Othello to challenge his love and faith for Desdemona. “ Yet that I put the moor/ at least into jealousy so strong/ that judgement cannot cure”. This juxtaposes both ‘jealousy’ and ‘judgement’ as it shows the challenge Othello has in recognizing his own nature, and the difficulties it can bring and that Iagos plan will succeed as Othello will be blinded by jealousy and unable to judge his actions rationally.

Othello himself has to face the challenges of discrimination due to his race and religion. He is recognized by his ‘thick lips’ and ‘dark skin tone’ words that provide a physical contrast to the rest of society. Othello himself states “for I am black” symbolizing his difference compared to the other characters. “For a black ram is tapping your white ewe”. The juxtaposition of the black ram and white ewe express the difference between Desdemona and Othello. In addition to racism is the miscegenation towards Othello. Brabantio reasoning for this is Othello being ‘a practiser of arts inhibited’. This highlights the cliché of the theory of black people being bad. The use of the word black underlines the physical appearance of Othello and also symbolizes the negative connotations of the word black, which are both evil and devilish.

As seen in the end of the book Othello, challenges, whether there good or bad can change the person you are. Othello fails to see the challenge of who Iago really is, he is gullible enough to believe the mistruths Iago has told and as a result murders his wife Desdemona, without confirming the facts. Although Iagos plan succeeds to bring jealousy to Othello, Iago himself is then brought forward and seen as the disloyal and selfish person his challenge has set him out to be.