Examples Of Power Struggles In Othello

     Iago told Othello that he would discuss Desdemona with Cassio, and that he would talk about the affair. Iago does not do this, and instead he talks about Bianca with Cassio, and Cassio laughs at things Iago says. Othello sees Cassio laughing and just assumes he is laughing at Desdemona, which in return upsets him very much. Iago used several tactics to set up Othello for deception in this case.

(Act I Scene 3, 374-376) In this quote, Iago says he will have some fun during his deceitfulness. He acknowledges Cassio is handsome and can use that against him. This is where Iago first decides to plot Cassio’s fall from grace. Jealousy is a timeless theme which modern audiences relate

I. 286-287). Thus, Iago persuades poor Roderigo to pursue the uprooting of Cassio, believing that it will bring him closer to Desdemona, while in reality, it will only act as a shortcut for Iago to retaliate against Othello’s alleged actions. Moreover, after Cassio loses his lieutenant position due to another one of Iago’s evil plots, Iago sways the desperate and hopeless Cassio to ask kind, sweet Desdemona to help him regain his position, since “She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so/ blessed a disposition” (II. III 306-309). Iago takes advantage of Desdemona’s genuine pureness and altruism and uses it as a “net” to “turn her virtue into pitch” and “undo her credit with the Moor” (II. III. 345-327). The Machiavellian Iago is targeting innocent, undeserving Desdemona to serve his own morbid, manipulative needs. Another key point is how Iago abuses Othello’s gullibility and jealousy by feeding him false information about Desdemona and Cassio to cast suspicion upon his wife’s fidelity. Iago then continues to manipulate Othello and his weaknesses by telling him that Desdemona “did deceive her father, marrying” him and how it is unnatural for a woman “Of her own clime, complexion, and degree” to be with a man like Othello

In Act II, scene iii, there is a celebration because the Turkish fleet was completely destroyed. Iago has come up with a plan already. In Act II, scene i, he plans to make Cassio get drunk to beat up Roderigo, who will be saying things to Cassio to make him upset and angry. Iago’s goal is to make Cassio look bad infront of the whole town of Cyprus and for him to lose his position. Iago is jealous of Cassio’s position and he wants it because it is a high position to have and Iago didn’t get it in the first place. Iago’s goal was achieved. In Act II, scene iii, lines 108-114, Cassio is drunk while fighting Roderigo. Then, Cassio and Montano fight. Roderigo spreads rumors around the whole town and eventually Othello finds out all of this. Cassio loses his position as lieutenant. He knew he could get Cassio fired all

Iago sets everyone up in the play and makes them think that he is helping each of them while he is really tricking them into what he wants them to do. He does this all because he wants a higher ranking job. Othello is a very jealous person and is sensitive when it comes to Desdemona that Iago is able to trick him into thinking that she is cheating on him with Cassio. Iago takes advantage of Cassio’s youth and gets him drunk which winds

He is a prominent soldier, and he elopes with the lovely Desdemona (who was originally wanted by Roderigo). The Duke immediately assigns Othello as General and directs Othello to Cyprus to defend against the Turks. Iago sees this a chance to plott Othello’s ruin. He is going to manipulate everyone, including Othello to make this happen. Since Iago has been taking money from Roderigo as payment for helping Roderigo win over Desdemona for marriage, he owes Roderigo some justice, he uses this to as a he devises a plan to make Othello believes Desdemona is not faithful and has been with Cassio. Iago while he provides a handkerchief to Cassio that belongs to Desdemona, which was given to her by Othello as a gift. ‘That handkerchief which I loved so much and gave hee Thou gavest to Cassio’ Act 2, Scene 2. pg 179. This results in a fight with Cassio, his demotion, and his expulsion. Iago was already jealous of Cassio since Cassio received a promotion to Lieutenant (which Iago felt should have been his own promotion)...so this works out well to get Cassio out of the way. This act also, in the near future, will lead to the end of Desdemona as Othello smothers her to

Knowing that Cassio is an angry drunk (and can’t handle alcohol) Iago pushes Cassio to drink for “celebration” and thinks, “If I can fasten but one cup upon him… He’ll be as full of quarrel and offense as my young mistress' dog”, indicating how he knows Cassio will pick a fight with someone now that he’s drunk. Iago betrays Cassio by setting him up and manipulating him to get drunk, which then results in Cassio being demoted. After his degradation, Cassio is primarily concerned with his tarnished reputation, and is left vulnerable and desperate to win back Othello’s favor.

As William Shakespeare has written many plays, none may be as powerful as Othello, the Moor of Venice. With the entanglement of love, deception, power and yes even race was an issue in those days in 1597. Although, Othello finds love, it comes at such a cost to him and his wife, Desdemona, with things such as deceit, jealousy, race and even alienation. When a person has as much power as Othello had, it will typically come with a cost, and his cost was death to him and Desdemona. Therefore you will want to know what or why the destruction of Othello happened and was it the power that brought these issues onto him, or was it Othello himself. Othello’s rise in power was through his hard and relentless way of

Iago wants to destroy Othello to seek revenge for naming Cassio as lieutenant. Iago was sure that Othello would give the title to him, so when Cassio was named lieutenant, Iago is enraged. Iago then becomes jealous of Cassio because he is now of a higher rank and is a young handsome moor. As we know Iago is the villain from Othello; Iago poisons people’s thoughts throughout the entire play. He bounces all the other characters around.

During this act we begin to see the importance of manipulation as a central theme, with the plot really starting to advance as Iago plants his seeds of suspicion in Othello's mind and starts to water them. This develops the play significantly as we see Iago put into action the plans he spoke of earlier through soliloquies and asides. In Act III Scene III, just as Cassio scurries out of the room, Iago says, "Ha! I like not that.” (line 33) This is said to arise suspicion in Othello’s mind as it makes Cassio seem guilty of sleeping with Desdemona. Once this has been said, Iago leaves Othello to ponder the various diabolical meanings provided within this short statement, which makes him agitated and irritable. Although on line 93, Othello tells Iago, “No, Iago, I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt, prove, And on the proof there is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy!”

Iago seeing Othello as an easy target to manipulate he goes after him which leads to the unfortunate events in the end. In Act III scene iii, Iago gets Othello alone and starts to manipulate him. It is here where Iago begins to convince Othello that there may be an affair occurring between Cassio and Desdemona. Othello begins to believe that Iago could be correct and this shows his fatal flaw of

Iago uses Othello’s trust for his own advantage for his quest for revenge. Iago is able to hurt Othello so badly because he knows him so well. Iago first gained Othello’s trust after he warned Othello of Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, was coming while him and Desdemona was sneaking around. After gaining this massive amount of trust from Othello, he implanted the idea that Desdemona and Cassio were having an affair in Othello’s head. Then after Desdemona misplaces her handkerchief, Iago keeps reminding Othello then which he said to Iago, “By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it: Thou said’st- O, it comes o’er the infected house…” (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 22-23) Which leads to Iago convincing Othello to murder Desdemona by strangling her in their shared bed that she “contaminated.” After Emilia tells Othello, Cassio, and many others the truth about Iago’s revenge plot, Iago then proves it be true by swifty killing Emilia and dodging Othello’s attack towards him. Iago ran out of the room only to be stopped by the cities guards, after being carried back into the room he then watches along with others Othello kill himself with his own

At first, Iago drew Othello’s attention towards Cassio, the charming soldier, and Desdemona. He pointed out that the two had been spending a lot of time together. This is shown in Othello when Iago says, “Ha! I like not that… Nothing, my lord, or if- I know not what… Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it that he would steal away so guilty-like seeing you coming” (3.3.!). Here, Iago purposely catches the attention of Othello to make him see his wife with his friend, so it will lead Othello to thinking what they could possibly be doing together. From this, Othello’s mind begins to stir and he begins to realize that his wife and

Othello through the whole story believed Iago because he had proof and was know to being “honest”. Iago was a vengeful person and his plan would have fallen, if Desdemona had not left her handkerchief on the bed after wiping sweat off of Othello and stollen by Emilia (Iago’s wife). Iago was very clever as he began his plan by ruining Cassio’s reputation, “I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip, Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb…” (pg. 769) causing Cassio to go to Desdemona for help. When Cassio goes to Desdemona he has no idea that Iago’s plan will commence as he nonchalantly gives Othello the

Iago initiates his plot by speaking with one of his pawns Roderigo, who he knows could be the key player in the role of harming both, Othello and Cassio. Iago knows that Roderigo still loves Desdemona, even after her marriage to Othello. As a result, he devises a lie to make Roderigo think Desdemona doesn’t really love Othello and in actuality, she is having an affair with Cassio. Iago conveniences Roderigo that if he kills Cassio, he could win back the heart of Desdemona. At the same time, Iago is testing Othello’s insecurities by telling him the same malicious lies. Iago feels he is on the path of revenge towards two men he hates and his very pawn, who would just be another casualty in his war.