Is Iago Evil?

To be evil, villainous or Satan-like, is to state that one does hurtful things to other citizens for the pure enjoyment of themselves. Hitler, Stalin and Napoleon are all leaders, who undoubtedly can be stated as evil. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, the character Iago is considered evil. It is argued though that he is not evil, just simply a human. Iago throughout the play becomes insecure over his decline in power leading him to become jealous and get revenge on those who contributed to this feeling of self-doubt. Though Iago at times is satisfied with the way he treats others, his motives are humanistic and the way he deals with his envy for others makes him one of the manliest men in William Shakespeare’s Othello.

Othello trusts Iago and now Iago is trying to take his wife from him for someone else. Furthermore, “He takes her by the palm...sir in.” (pg. 71). Iago watches Cassio and Emilia because he thinks they had an affair he watches them carefully so he can figure out how to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Another example involves the plan to help Othello kill Desdemona. “Do it not with poison. Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” (pg. 185). Othello believes that Iago is most honest, thus he believed killing his wife Desdemona was the right thing to do. Iago brainwashed Othello into believing the wrong thing was the right thing. The characterization of Iago is created by the use of dramatic irony. The audience knew how devious Iago is, but the characters fell for his mischievous acts.

Revenge is the main theme in the play Othello by William Shakespeare and it is portrayed from the character Iago. Through Iago’s soliloquies he reveals his horrible doings. Iago wants to get revenge on Othello and his loved one Desdemona. The reason why he wants to get revenge at Othello is because he promotes Cassio to Lieutenant. Iago takes advantage of his reputation “Honesty Iago” to manipulate other characters in the play to get revenge from Othello. Iago is aware that he can easily manipulate the people around him to get revenge from Othello that he does not stop and think about the harm he is causing. Iago is a brilliant character that he successfully manipulates Cassio, Desdemona, Roderigo and his own wife Emilia to fulfill his

Iago is very notorious for his villainous acts throughout the play “Othello”, by William Shakespeare. Iago’s motives drive him to manipulate and deceive other characters so his “monstrous” (I, iii, 395) plot would succeed. Iago manages to con Roderigo to take his money. Iago also tries to ruin Othello and Desdemona’s relationship by using Cassio as a bait. In this passage, Iago explains how he will manipulate Rodrigo, Cassio and, most importantly, Othello to achieve his goals.

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.

In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, Iago demonstrates a mastery of manipulation over people who had previously trusted and confided in him. His sudden turn from Othello’s loyal ensign to rage-filled villain seems indicative of a man who can no longer accept his position in life. Iago’s plotting of Othello’s demise starts as idle talk of a disgruntled 28 year-old career military man passed over for promotion. Iago believes that such a promotion may never come after Othello rejects his candidacy and makes it clear that he did not believe him suitable. He sees Othello is only concerned with personal and political gain with his choice of Cassio as lieutenant. When Iago teams with love-scorned and desperate Roderigo, he begins

Iago mentions the strength of others wills, and notes how it is simple to change a person with willpower alone. He is then implying that the people who he can trick are inferior to him. In this way Iago is overly proud of his abilities and loves to put himself above his superiors. He is superior to them only his ability to plot complex schemes. His plan to destroy Othello is full of grandeur and risks. Iago sets long series of specific events into motion relying on luck to carry through some of the parts. He is very roundabout on bringing his plan to fruition. Rather than lying to multiple characters and stealing handkerchiefs he could have, just as easily, told Roderigo to kill Othello. However, he seeks to have superiority over his commanders, so in a way, he is trying to prove he is better than they by creating such complex narratives. His actions in this regard are very similar to

In Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, the reader is introduced to the character Iago. There are many different interpretations of his character, was he a ‘skillful villain’? Or was he a ‘mysterious creature of unlimited cynicism’? Or just a ‘wronged man’ who is more sinned against than sinning?

Roderigo is so deeply in love but can’t get her that he suggest to Iago that he should drown himself, which Iago tells him that’s a silly idea and she’ll eventually break up with Othello when he (Roderigo) becomes rich but for now he still pays Iago for his assistance. His gullible mind will ultimately lead to Iago’s betraying him starting in Act 4 when he becomes furious that although he’s been giving Iago money and jewels, he’s yet to progress in getting Desdemona and then Iago tells him Cassio will be defending Cyprus and he needs to take kill him in order to get a higher chance in winning over Desdemona Shakespeare 4.2 185-187, 196-199).

Iago is the antagonist of the play, and one of the most evil Shakespearean villains. Iago is extremely clever in the way he uses unsuspecting power- especially psychological power. He gets into people’s heads in many dishonest ways- by spreading false rumours, telling lies and psychologically tricking people and secretly controlling certain situations. His power to manipulate is a key point in the play, as it results in major consequences and the deaths of some main characters. Iago’s schemes are multi-levelled- he conspires with roderigo, and makes him believe that Desdemona will take him back. On another level, he leads Othello to believe his wife is having an affair with Cassio. He uses his wife Emilia (unknown to her), to bring back the handkerchief he uses to deceive Othello. Iago is an extremely resourceful and talented man, but he uses these resources and talents in detrimental ways. Iago is constantly referred to by numerous characters as ‘honest’. He himself also refers to honesty. Numerous characters believe that they know and trust Iago and that he would not lie, nor deceive them. Iago’s soliloquies also provide invaluable insight into his wicked mind and evil schemes and plans.

In the story Othello, Iago is a very fascinating character. In many ways, he could be viewed as the main character because of his amount of involvement in the story. His motives could be described as being very similar to those of Charles Manson. His cunning use of words along with his ability to relate to the other characters allow him to set up a trap for them that ultimately leads them to do evil things. Iago is the most evil of all considerable villans because of his lack of reasoning, which makes him an unresolvable villan.

355,] By playing on his hopes, Iago is able to conjure money and jewels from Roderigo, making himself a profit, while using Roderigo to further his other plans. He also thinks stealthy on his feet and is able to improvise whenever something unexpected occurs. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona's hand before the arrival of the Moor Othello, Iago says, "With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio." [II, i, 163] This language demonstrates the evil inside Iago’s goals of retrieving absolute power. He actually even says of himself, "I am an honest man...." [II, iii, 245] Iago slowly corrupts the character’s thoughts, creating ideas in their minds without implicating himself. His "medicine works! Thus credulous fools are caught...." [II, i, 44] "And what's he then that says I play the villain, when this advice is free I give, and honest," [II, iii, 299] says Iago. In turn, people rarely stop to consider the fact that old Iago could be deceiving and manipulating them; yet they are convinced that he is "Honest Iago." From these quotes from “Othello” it is proven that the dialogue used between Iago and the others is manipulative causing an evil outcome.

In the tragedy “Othello” by William Shakespeare the antagonist of the play is Iago a Venetian military officer. In the play Iago feels wronged when he is not given a high ranking military position as Othello’s second in command. Iago looking to avenge not being selected for the position by Othello Iago looks to stir feelings of jealousy and mistrust within Othello. Iago also lies to Othello telling him Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair leading to Othello verbally and physically assaulting Desdemona ultimately leading to her death at the hands of Othello. Shakespeare uses Iago’s villainy as a vehicle for Othello’s desenscion from a calm, well-respected,

Iago uses Othello's jealousy of Cassio to make Othello believe that he is having an affair with Desdemona. Iago then uses Desdemona's trust and love for Othello to bring about her downfall. But, he also exploits Desdemona’s virtuous nature of helping people, making her talk on behalf of Cassio persistently in order to enrage Othello and develop his suspicion. Iago even uses his wife's trust to make her not notice his schemes. He makes her steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, yet, her trust of her husband fails to make her understand Iago’s plot against Desdemona and Othello. Iago also uses Cassio's fatal flaw, his admiration for Desdemona and his trust and friendship in order to exploit him. He also exploits Roderigo’s love for Desdemona. But, Iago has his own weakness too, greed. He is greedy for power and is jealous of Cassio for being promoted above him, and will do anything to stop Othello and

Othello is tragedy by William Shakespeare, in which Iago tries to manipulate most of the character of the play to get revenge on Othello because Othello promotes younger man Cassio instead of Iago in a military post. The whole story is roaming around Iago, because he uses all the character to get what he wants. He does not care about others feeling, all he cares about is succeeding in his plan. Iago wants to take revenge on Othello’s life and marriage even if others are hurt or harmed during the process. He also wants to takes revenge on him because Iago believes Othello is having affair with Iago’s wife Emilia and he also explains his desire of getting Desdemona to get