"Othello" was written in 1603 and is one of many tragedies that Shakespeare wrote. It is set in Venice and is about the downfall of the noble Venetian basic, Othello, credited to grudges harboured by his second lieutenant, Iago. Iago is revengeful, for several reasons, the most visible is the actual fact he's angry at Othello and Michael Cassio (the person who Othello advertised), jealous of Othello and Desdemona (Othello's better half) for their happy marriage and racist against Othello as he's a black man in a "white man's world". It is this racial prejudice and the jealousy Iago helps to keep against him, that finally causes the breakdown of Othello which results in the murder of his partner Desdemona.
Even although play in named Othello, the character who is more technical and mysterious to the audience is Iago. He's the self employed trickster of the play and is simply ruining lives for "sport". Shakespeare lays down the motives for Iago's activities through the soliloquies creating dramatic irony and providing essential information to the viewers. Iago's personally place goal is to eliminate Othello's life. Iago is cunning, untrustworthy, selfish, and plotting. He uses these attributes to his edge by slowly planning his own triumph while you're watching the demise of others. Iago is very deceptive and dupes the character types into believing he's honest and true. Formerly this would have been performed to a live audience in the theater and with the soliloquies that Iago says, he breaks the fourth wall which separates him even further from the other casting customers.
Iago jealously starts off when Othello promotes Michael Cassio to lieutenant, which angered him as he thought that it could have been his campaign. It is this jealously which lighting a fuse in Iago and cause a chain reaction of events. Yet not only is it in his own nature of evil that he succeeds but also in the weaknesses of the other heroes. Iago uses the weaknesses of Othello, specifically jealousy and his devotion to Desdemona. Right away of the play, Iago's scheming capacity is shown when he convinces Roderigo in order to about Othello and Desdemonda's proposal to Desdemona's father, Brabantio. Confidentially Iago persists his plot, which is working precisely how he would want to buy, making fools of others, and himself being rewarded. Inside the play only Roderigo knows Iago's plans. It is because Iago pretends to be a genuine man dedicated to his superiors. The fact that Othello views Iago as reliable and honest presents Iago a perfect possibility to put his techniques into action. He creates the impression that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio in order to build jealousy within Othello.
Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago.
In pursuing him, I follow but myself;
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and obligation,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end:
For when my outward action both demonstrate
The native act and body of my heart
In go with extern, 'tis shortly after
But I will wear my center after my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am
This conversation is relatively early in the play and this is where Iago clarifies what his strategies are to Cassio. He says he doesn't follow Othello because of "love and work" but because he feels he can trick Othello and get revenge on him. Iago says that "I'll wear my center after my sleeve: For daws to peck at" which means he won't let his heart lead him therefore won't get emotionally attached which is one of Othello's downfalls.
As well as being devious Iago is very clever, he considers that Desdemona can be manipulated to be always a very important part in his methods because she can immediately benefit three key players in this game of chess. Othello, Cassio and Roderigo are deeply in love with her, but only Othello has proclaimed this love. By convincing Roderigo that Cassio reaches fault for his mishaps with Desdemona, Iago creates a red mist around him and Roderigo considers that his only potential for getting her is to kill Cassio.
Like Roderigo, Cassio is also unaware that Iago is not aiming to help him and blindly follows every word that he says. One night when Cassio is on watch duty, Iago convinces him to obtain another drink understanding that this might get him drunk. This only proves that Iago has already commenced along with his schemes on the path to the downfall of Othello. When Roderigo should go ahead with the plan that Iago has given him, Cassio is made to look irresponsible and subsequently ends up being demoted from Lieutenant. After this incident, Iago tells Cassio to beg Desdemona to help his situation stating "She contains it a vice in her goodness never to do more than she is requested" which naively Cassio agrees to because he desires his job back. Iago new that this would cause jealous to stir within Othello as all he would see is Cassio trying to get with his wife. He doesn't know that Iago Is playing a casino game with most of them. By this point in the play Iago has recently relised that Othlello thinks thiat he is trustworthy and so uses this to his advantage.
The play then shifts from Venice to Cyprus which is here in the warfare torn villages that Iago commits one of the largest elements of his plan. Function III World III, is vital since it is the point in the play where Iago begins to manipulate Othello. Cassio feels that to be able to get his job back he has to speak to Desdemona therefore fits with her to see what they can do. Iago and Othello enter in the scene soon after Cassio leaves, and Iago attempts to make it look like Cassio kept because he will not desire to be seen with Desdemona.
Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it
That he would take away so guilty-like,
Seeing your arriving.
Iago cleverly means that Cassio is guilty of ending up in Desdemona but yet he never directly accuses him from it. It is this manipulation that just as before stirs the jealousy that Othello has. When Desdemona leaves, Iago will try to boost Othello's views of honesty and trust towards him by saying ironically;
Men should be what they seem,
Or those that be not,
Would they might seem none.
Iago poses the question of why someone would pretend to be something they are not, yet this is everything he represents. After reading what Iago has said about what took place with Cassio, Othello is, for the very first time, unsure about what is the truth. As Emilia becomes suspicious about Othello's new emotions of jealousy, Desdemona promises it is all her fault to be able to defend her man. This shows Desdemona's compassion and willingness to sacrifice herself for Othello. However it is in Work 3, Landscape 4 when Desdemona fails to create a handkerchief. Though it is a tiny item of little functional importance it got a substantial sentimental importance.
Lend me thy Handkerchief
Here, my lord.
That which I gave you.
I own it not about me.
Not?
No, beliefs, my lord.
Act 4, World I persists with the same thoughts that Othello experienced in Work 3, Picture 4. Iago will take advantage of this by being blunt with Othello about Desdemona. It really is here that Iago manages to subtly suggest she actually is having sexual associations with other men which his may include Cassio yet he remains on as though nothing at all has been said. This recommendation about Desdemona transfixes Othello into a trance. Iago convinces Othello to think about eliminating Desdemona and even suggests killing her. It is in his next soliloquy that he confesses his joy of the work he did.
Work on.
My med'cine works! Thus credulous fools are caught,
And many suitable and chaste dames even thus,
All guiltless, meet reproach.
Because Iago has were able to change Othello's view about Desdemona, Othello is now stubborn and enraged towards her, and commits his first take action of assault by reaching Desdemona because she described Cassio to him. From then on Othello's jealous begins to lead to the demise of others and he has isolated himself from everyone except Iago. Here Iago realises they can complete his strategies and he must get rid of Roderigo for him never to tell of what he was doing.
As Othello's brain is so riddled with the lays that Iago has been nourishing him, he kills Desdemona, but she blames the death on herself and not Othello which proves she is good of center. . Iago's wife, Emilia, becomes the ultimate undoing of Iago. After exposing Iago's storyline to Othello, Iago kills her. That is another vicious act that presents how evil Iago is. Othello now realises that he has been tricked into murder:
I look down towards his feet - but that is clearly a fable
If that thou be'st a devil, I cannot destroy thee.
Iago says
"I bleed, sir, but not killed",
This is the ultimate assertion by Iago that truly shows his notion in evil and that he truly considers he's the devil. This is the destruction of all that is good. Hell over heaven and dark over white. Iago, is a representation of evil, has one major motivational factor that leads him to rest, cheat, and commit crimes on other characters. Jealousy. That is represented between Iago and Desdemona. Desdemona is defined frequently by other character types as
"she actually is divine, the grace of heaven"
while Iago on the other hand is described as hellish. After his plot is discovered Iago uses the other individuals in the play to work specifically towards his goal. In this manner, they can maintain his meant ignorance about the situations going on but still work his scheming ways. Iago's schemes however at times seem to work unrealistically well. Iago's major mistake, ironically, is the fact he respected his wife Emilia and discovered that she was not as reliable as he thought. However is not completely victorious towards the end of the play, Iago does indeed successfully achieve his hopes to spoil Othello's life.
