Preview

Iago's Motivation for Manipulating and Destroying Other Characters Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1074 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Iago's Motivation for Manipulating and Destroying Other Characters Essay Example
Iago’s Motivation For Manipulating and Destroying Other Characters

In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the most notorious villain. It is clear that Iago feels that other people’s lives that surround him are insignificant. He will use people as pawns signifying that he feels life is simply a game. Iago is very deceitful; he is capable of manipulating anyone who fits into his master plan. Considering Iago is such a phenomenal mastermind he can easily be compared to a director of a play this is because he finds any way possible to get exactly what he wants. Iago’s capacity for cruelty seems limitless. Although Iago never reveals his motives for manipulating and destroying the lives of people he appears to care about, he demonstrates acts of hidden insecurities, deep resentment towards people, and feelings which influences him to desire to ruin their lives.
Underneath Iago’s fearless facade lays numerous insecurities. Iago does not receive any genuine love from anyone. The lack of compassion in Iago’s life leads him to be to be profoundly resentful and cold hearted towards other people, love and even friendship. He never lets his guard down for he feels he cannot trust anyone. Even though Iago is a married man, him and his wife Emilia are not in a loving relationship. Iago does not respect her or any other women. The lack of respect Iago has for women allows him to treat his wife unfairly and speak to her in a manner no man in love ever would. Iago will tell his wife to shut up when she is speaking her mind and feel no remorse for it. (4,2,140) Iago having an unsuccessful marriage has leaded him to believe that there is no such difference between love and lust. Iago sees love as a useless emotion that makes you lose control and will ruin you. Iago proves this when he says:
“If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise
Another of sensuality, the blood and bareness of
Our natures would conduct us to most prepost’rous
Conclusions. But we have

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • 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

    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 Character Analysis

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Iago is manipulative and also very cunning however what led to his downfall is him underestimating others. He has a talent for understanding and manipulating people around him desires and that makes him both a powerful and a heavily admired character. Shakespeare display Iago as an evil character who’s willing to drag innocent character into his revenge- Roderigo, Desdemona and Emilia. Iago is able to hurt Othello deeply because he understands Othello so well and as the ply progress on seem to grow even closer to Othello as his revenge progresses. He frequently refers to Othello as the 'Moor´ this statement show…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Emilia and Iago had a very complex relationship. They do not have a strong and equal relationship displaying love. This is not what one would expect to exist between a man and his wife. Iago uses Emilia as his puppet; he mocks and disrespects her. He appears to not care much about her well being. This is seen in the lack of affection he shows to his wife. Iago seems as though he does not have the ability to love anything or anyone. However Emilia 's feelings towards her husband completely different from the negative feelings he has towards her. Emilia 's love towards Iago is filled with so much passion and devotion. She tries her utmost best to please Iago."I nothing but to please his fantasy."(Act 3. Scene 3) This is seen when she steals Desdemona 's handkerchief hoping her husband would be appreciative. She is experiencing unrequited love. This is odd as the object of her affections is her husband,whom has no feelings towards her. He is undeserving of her love,as Emilia could be offering all this love to one whom actually deserves it. This is a good character trait in Emilia. Due to her not getting the love she wants from husband, she develops the belief that women should be able cheat on there husbands. Subsequently they had a rocky relationship,even though Emilia really did love her husband.…

    • 1009 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

    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

    Manipulation in Othello

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There is no doubt that Iago is the most manipulative person in this drama, Othello. He even said so himself; "I am not what I am" (1.1.71) Iago only causes chaos and pain throughout the drama, and finds everyone’s weaknesses only to use it against them as seen through Cassio, Roderigo, and Othello.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 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
  • Best Essays

    Charleston Dance

    • 1889 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The period of the 1920s has a complex social and cultural history. From this history, derived the popularity of the upbeat Charleston Dance. Most people will associate this dance with the flappers and the speakeasy, despite its origins, because many young women used it as a way to mock the people who supported the Prohibition. As a result, the Charleston was considered to be a provocative and immoral dance during its time. In this paper, I want to briefly explore the dance’s history, its characteristics, how it reached popularity, how the social implications of the time affected the dance, and ultimately how the Charleston defined women and helped them change the social normative.…

    • 1889 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago has the ability to charm and convince all the characters of his loyalty and honesty “Honest Iago”. But to the audience, Iago is a treacherous manipulator always looking to help himself by using the downfall of other characters. He uses many characters to his benefit, recognizing how trustworthy and oblivious these people are. Iago cannot be relied on as he has many masks, behind which he hides. He has many disguises and secrets that he hides from everyone. “I am not what I am” (Act 1, Scene 1, line 67), Iago’s opinion and treatment of women in the play also contributes to the audiences’ perception of him as cruel and unpleasant. Iago treats his wife Emilia in a very derogatory way, “It is a common thing…To have a foolish wife” Iago’s…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin, the men and women have strongly implemented values; the men believe in patriarchal dominance and the women are taught to be submissive to the men in their lives. Throughout the book, Iago undervalues his wife, Emilia; he sees her as inferior and consistently belittles her. His perception is skewed by his belief that men are superior to women, and he generalizes women stating “ You are pictures out of the door, bells in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended, players in your huswifery, and huswives in your beds.” (II.I.123-125) Iago believes that women are just pawns and a burden to a man, although he has a wife his enforced morals prevent him from treating her and viewing her as an…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What holds us back from being evil? What power hinders us from murdering, stealing, and hurting others? Most would say there is the sense of guilt and possible punishment, but regardless, they say that they still would never commit these offenses even with the repercussions not present. This is not true, we overestimate our actual compassion and to be evil is just a matter of being chastised; and with a lack of punishment, we would all be much more evil than we imagine. In Shakespeare's Othello, we tend to empathize with Othello, the honest Moor, in spite of being much more similar to Iago. We would like to imagine that Othello's actions are human nature, but deep down we understand Iago's behavior. Iago's motivations for monetary gain through…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago's true reasons for his hatred towards Othello are explained during a soliloquy in scene three. Iago proclaims, "... it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office: I know not if't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety." (1.3.380-82). In this soliloquy Iago clearly states that he suspects Othello of sleeping with his wife, Emilia. While he has no proof of this encounter, he states that for "mere suspicion" he will continue as if it was undoubtedly true (1.3.382). Here, in this line, the reader can see Iago's compulsive nature and can infer that although his master plan is throughly thought through, the consequences of his actions are not. In this instance Iago's character can be compared to Othello as almost a foil. While Iago is quick to action, and has no sympathy for the reputation of others, Othello demands proof before condemning someone from such serious accusations. Although eventually Othello allows himself to be deceived by Iago, he truly believes he has witnessed concrete evidence before he turns against his own wife.…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello Good Vs Evil

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the characters’ personalities and motivations influence the plot heavily. Iago is driven by his jealousy of Cassio and his desire to exact revenge on Othello. Othello’s trusting nature leads to his undoing in the play. Iago takes advantage of how he’s seen in the eyes of those around him to carry out his plans. Although Othello is the protagonist of the play and Iago is the antagonist, the two characters are not the ultimate portrayals of good and evil. Othello is not a war between good and evil, but instead a demonstration on how destructive jealousy and gullibleness can be.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays