Nadia
In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the title character is a valiant hero who is in love with his beautiful bride, Desdemona. The play’s villain, Iago, destroys this love by feeding Othello vicious lies about Desdemona, causing Othello to slowly go mad. By the end of the play, Othello, in a fit of jealous rage, murders his wife. This significant change in Othello’s character is not sudden; rather, it is a gradual transformation that takes place after a series of events that occur throughout the play. Othello’s character undergoes a significant change due to a series of events at the hands of Iago, the play’s antagonist to enhance the fact that even a valiant heroes can become corrupt.
In the beginning of the play, Othello adores
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I will a round unvarnish 'd tale deliver
Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what charms,
What conjuration and what mighty magic,
For such proceeding I am charged withal,
I won his daughter. (1.3.79-99)
Othello’s actions in this scene show is undeniable love for his wife, he knows that he could be killed or fired for expressing his feelings for Desdemona. Othello also trusts his second in command, Cassio, very much. He admires him very much and thinks of him as a brother. Othello has a close relationship with Iago, as well. He trusts him and believes the lies that he tells about Desdemona. In one scene, Iago tries to protect Othello from Brabantio, even though he is the one who told him that Desdemona and Othello married in the first place. He exclaims:
He prated,
And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms
Against your honour
That, with the little godliness I have,
I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir,
Are you fast married? Be assured of this,
That the magnifico is much beloved,
And hath in his effect a voice potential
As double as the duke 's: he will divorce
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Othello starts to believe Iago’s lies about his friends and wife, leading Othello to change his behavior towards his closest allies. Iago instigates a fight between Cassio and Montano, and Othello must take charge of his soldiers, he says: Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter,
Making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee
But never more be officer of mine. (2.3.210-213)
Othello makes the decision to fire Cassio, and things get worse when Iago makes his wife, Emilia, steal Desdemona 's handkerchief. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s lodging, and has a conversation with Othello about Cassio, saying:
IAGO Nay, but be wise: yet we see nothing done;
She may be honest yet. Tell me but this,
Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief
Spotted with strawberries in your wife 's hand?
OTHELLO I gave her such a one; 'twas my first gift.
IAGO I know not that; but such a handkerchief--
I am sure it was your wife 's--did I to-day
See Cassio wipe his beard with. (3.3.443-449)
By telling Othello this, Iago makes Othello even more jealous and curious. Othello starts to become irrationally jealous and extremely violent, especially around Desdemona. In this scene, we see the exchange between the couple:
DESDEMONA
Iago then has Emilia, his wife, get Othello’s mother’s handkerchief and plants in Cassio’s room, then warns Othello to watch out for Cassio and Desdemona. Iago then sent Cassio to ask Desdemona and for his job back. Othello then suspects his wife of cheating. When she comes to him soon later vouching for him to give Cassio his job
As the play begins, he trusts and pays Iago to be his wingman in getting Desdemona. As portrayed in the play, Iago is very cunning in his ways. Once they learned Othello married Desdemona, Roderigo instantly grew green with envy and hated Othello for this. Later during the play, Iago plants a seed of jealously in Roderigo’s head, against Cassio. He says: ‘’I must tell thee this: Desdemona is directly in love with him.
Then once Montano comes to intervene the fight Cassio turns to fight Montano. This ruckus awakes Othello and Othello requires Iago to tell the story. Iago says it's basically all Cassio’s fault, so Othello takes Cassio’s position as lieutenant. Later on, Cassio pleads to Desdemona to tell Othello to give him his job back. The pleads Desdemona gives to Othello makes Othello think Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.
At this point in the play Iago had told Othello just enough to make him start to doubt his relationship with Desdemona. Iago realized that the small details would begin to drive Othello mad and he would believe anything, even if it was not real evidence of a relationship between Desdemona and Cassio. Othello will eventually let the Jealously take over and kill his wife over the lies told by
The following passage is significant to the play ‘Othello’ in retrospect to the plot progression, as it reiterates themes and introduces important facets to the plot development. Through Iago’s cunning manipulation and Shakespeare’s crafting of language, this passage is constructed as a pivotal point of the play, marking the transition of Othello’s personality and revealing his deepest insecurities that eventually lead to his downfall and tragic ending. Iago wields a lot of power over all the characters throughout the play, but in this passage in particular he is presented at his most powerful. The passage is riddled with subtle suggestions and insinuations by Iago to raise Othello’s suspicions of his wife’s fidelity, opening with the admonition to “beware, my lord, of jealousy!
In chapter 3 scene 3 page 141 Iago accuses Desdemona of cheating on Othello with Cassio. Othello is in distress and in disbelief that she would do such a thing. This ends in Othello believing the lies and murdering his own wife when she was fully loyal to him. Desdemona never did anything wrong and only lied in order to save her own life. Her goal in her marriage was to live happily with her husband but Iago ruined that for his own selfish desires.
Iago had told Othello that his wife Desdemona cheated on him with Cassio. When all of it was just a lie so Iago can get a chance to kill Cassio. “Othello: It’s sad, but Iago knows she had sex with Cassio a thousand times. Cassio confessed it, and she pledged her love for him by giving him the handkerchief I’d given to her. I saw it in his hand.
Iago is angry that Othello has promoted Cassio to be his lieutenant rather than himself for he explains that he has more experience as a soldier while Cassio is a soldier who boasts about experiences he never had. This is why Iago believes in taking down Cassio as well by breaking up his bond with Othello as displayed in act 3 scene 3 as Iago questions Othello about seeing Cassio leave Desdemona’s room, “Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it that he would steal away so guilty like, seeing your coming” (3.3.41-43). Iago appears to be as shocked as Othello after witnessing Cassio scurry away from Desdemona’s room, but in truth, it was he who presented to Cassio that he should talk to Desdemona about getting Othello to forgive him as taken place in act 2 scene 3, “Confess yourself freely to her.
In William Shakespeare’s Othello the two main characters are Iago and Othello. The entire story centers around Iago 's plan to achieve revenge on Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant. Throughout the story Iago tries to convince Othello that his wife Desdemona has cheated on him with his lieutenant Cassio. Iago’s plan is successfully and easily executed. Othello is tricked into believing that desdemona has been unfaithful and in the end he kills her.
Iago also manipulates Othello with jealousy. When Othello is gone at war, Iago tells him that Cassio and Desdemona were getting too close. At first Othello does not believe him, but by Iago saying “nothing,my lord; or if- I know not what” Othello starts to question if it is true (III. III. 39). Iago constantly uses his “innocence” to make Othello jealous and start to assume that it is true. These actions eventually lead to a tragic event.
In the play Othello, William Shakespeare creates an elaborate tragedy with various in depth characters, enhancing the story with powerful characterization. Iago, the main antagonist of Othello, exemplifies Shakespeare’s use of characterization to create in depth and complex characters. Using his manipulative nature, intellectual mind, egotistical attitude, and dishonesty, Iago controls the other characters in order to achieve his goal, leading Othello to succumb to an overwhelming jealousy causing his downfall. In order for Iago to gain control of the characters in the play, he manipulates Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, and more to believe false information and turn on one another.
Act 3, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Othello embodies a pivotal point in the play, as it is a transition act that grounds the foundation of Iago’s development as an antagonist and the play’s development as a tragedy. In fact, Othello is written by William Shakespeare in the early 17th century. In Act 3 Scene 3, Iago begins his insinuations of an affair between Cassio and Desdemona, which petition Othello to consider the likelihood of Desdemona’s infidelity and Cassio’s disloyalty. In this particular scene, Shakespeare makes meticulous use of linguistic and dramatic techniques to characterise Iago as an scheming, deceptive and hypocritical antagonist.
did I today/ See Cassio wipe his beard with.” (3.3 445-447) Iago falsely accuses Cassio by telling Othello that Cassio was using Desdemona’s handkerchief, the one that Othello gave to her as a first gift. In the article, Navorro (2013) says, “...the narcissist often chooses a profession, guild, organization, occupation, or a job where he or she can manipulate others or the system like a puppeteer.” Iago pretends to be under Othello, meaning he shows honesty and royalty to Othello, and when he finally gains Othello’s trust, he starts to manipulate Othello’s thoughts and beliefs.
Othello’s This rage at Desdemona’s infidelity signals destmetion of his identity as a successful and loving man. It shows that he now completely loses control of himself, he no longer is that gentle man. He has become so poisoned by the manipulation of Iago, he no longer hears out for his “fair
But, Othello did not seem to think so. This caused Iago to feel like he wasn 't appreciated and he vowed to get revenge on Othello. He got his revenge by working Othello 's mind to believe that Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio. After Iago got Cassio drunk one night, Cassio lost his place as lieutenant. Iago suggested that he go plead to Desdemona to show her he is a good man, and then she would convince Othello.