Othello's Jealousy

William Shakespeare’s Othello is a classic work of tragedy named after its protagonist. It is a compelling piece of literature due to the intentions and subsequent actions of not the noble Moor but of his ensign or ancient. The character of Iago is responsible for the conflict within the story. He is villain who manipulates the other characters by assessing and exploiting their weaknesses with complete lack of conscience, and he accomplishes this trickery by employing clever use of language. His methods consist of taking advantage of Roderigo’s feelings towards Desdemona – Othello’s lover – and using the trust that Cassio and Othello have for him against them, and he does it to great effect. As previously stated, Othello is not the only character
In fact, it could be argued that Iago hates Cassio almost as much as he hates Othello for passing on him and promoting Cassio to the rank of lieutenant (1.1.7-32). Cassio trusts Iago, and the scoundrel uses that trust and his reputation as an honest man to cause the good lieutenant to fall from grace. For instance, Iago pressures Cassio to have another drink while socializing with the other officers, which puts him in a vulnerable state(2.3.26-29). A combination of Roderigo’s provocation and Cassio’s uncharacteristic ill temperament leads to the incident which results in the lieutenant’s embarrassment and loss of title. Putting his trust in Iago once again, he accepts the mischief-maker’s advice to speak with Desdemona, hoping that she can sway Othello to change his mind. This, of course, is part of Iago’s plan to make it appear that the two are having an affair. In a famous line from the text, Iago whispers to the audience “when devils will the blackest sins put on they do suggest with heavenly shows as I do now (2.3.346-348). In doing so, he plans to “pour pestilence into his ear” (2.3.351). This course of action causes Othello to further doubt not only Cassio but Desdemona as well, helping Iago achieve his principal goal of destroying Othello by ruining his marriage and removing the influence of his true
Being a military man in a strange land, he often feels isolated and insecure, seeking the counsel of Iago, a fellow soldier who he trusts above all others. Othello declares Iago to be very truthful, saying “O brave Iago, honest and just, thou has a noble sense of thy friend’s wrong” (5.1.31-33). Meanwhile, Iago relishes the thought of manipulating his superior, declaring “Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me for making him egregiously an ass” (2.3.317-320). Iago then continues his plot by influencing Othello to doubt Desdemona’s loyalty by making him believe that his race played a part in her alleged infidelity. He does this by saying “The did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake and fear your looks she loved them most” (3.3.207-209). His reference to her face being “begrimed and black” as his own (3.3.390-391) suggest that he hates himself somewhat for being black. He also refers to their unnatural marriage as “nature erring from itself” (3.3.229). Iago then replies by saying that she refused other suitors of her “own clime, complexion, and degree”, which is a subtle implication that Othello is not on the same human level as the other Venetian men. This evidence makes the possibility of Desdemona’s infidelity more credible upon the discovery of the handkerchief – the symbol of her fidelity or lack thereof in Othello’s eyes