¶ … William Shakespeare's Othello that support the view that Iago, the chief antagonist and primary arch-villain of the play, has been imbued with and personifies a supernatural malevolence to fuel his hatred of the protagonist, Othello. This interpretation of Iago's characterization, however, is tempered by his all too human reasons for being possessed of such a fury towards his enemy: the former believes Othello has slighted him for a military promotion and eventually comes to suspect that the latter may have had a sexual relationship with his wife. Despite such seemingly concrete, logical reasons for despising another, Shakespeare takes great pains to employ devices of description, actions, and dialogue, which support the interpretation that Iago is an infernal creature whose verbal and physical manifestations seem to be aligned with evil incarnate, or at least directly juxtaposed with those of providence. Closer examinations of passages involving Iago and his methods of attempting to destroy Othello and others who stand in the way of his achieving this goal reveal that the author is taking deliberate strides to represent his antagonist as supernaturally malignant.
Aside from the characterization of Iago, a substantial amount of Othello is steeped in the preternatural with several allusions to heaven, hell, sorcery and witchcraft. Iago, however, is most frequently at the center of such references, and appears to take a particular delight in an immoral ambiguity that yields him as a misanthrope. Particular attention must be given to his initial description of the motives that animate his hatred for Othello, which the following quotation elucidates.
"I follow but myself not I for love and duty,
But seeming so for my particular end.
For when my outward action doth demonstrate the native act and figure of my heart
I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not what I am. (Act I, scene I, lines 60-67)."
It should be noted that Iago...
There is a continuing debate within scholarly circle about the "motiveless malignity" of Iago. (Kolin 214) In other words, a close reading of the play raises the question as to whether evil is spurred by ulterior motives and feelings such as jealously or whether evil is a purely senseless act that is its own motive. The poet Coleridge was of the view that Iago represents senseless evil in human nature
Moreover, when Desdemona's handkerchief goes missing, and Othello approaches her about it, clearly thinking that she has given it to Cassio, Desdemona does not suspect that Emilia has taken the handkerchief from her. Unfortunately for Desdemona, her trusting nature ends up being her fatal flaw. Othello becomes increasingly cruel to Desdemona throughout the course of the play. Although the audience is not aware of their entire romantic history, it appears
Work Cited Antony and Cleopatra. Retrieved September 30, 2005 from: http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/cleopatra/full.html Brown, Lenora Inez. "Enter the Body: Women and Representation on Shakespeare's Stage." American Theatre. May 01, 2001. Retrieved September 30, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library Web site. Desmet, Christy. "Women's Matters: Politics, Gender, and Nation in Shakespeare's Early History Plays." Comparative Drama. September 22, 2000. Retrieved September 30, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library Web site. Hunt, Maurice. "Shakespeare's Venetian paradigm: stereotyping and Sadism in
Shakespeare's Othello Iago's view of sexual desire contrasted with Othello's In the play Othello, William Shakespeare is showing the conflict of sexual desire between a man and woman. This is taking place, when Othello (a military commander) marries a woman named Desdemona. However, her father (Roderigo) is upset about this relationship. The reason why, is because he has heard some negative rumors about Othello from Iago (his aide). Iago, was supposed to
Othello is, indeed, unable to 'read' Iago fully, and is initially overly confident that his merit will transcend cultural barriers. By the end of the play, Othello has become so suspicious and twisted by racism that he is unrecognizable, even to himself: "Is this the / noble Moor whom our full senate/Call all in all sufficient?" asks one observer. (4.1) parallel situation for a Black athlete is not hard
SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS William Shakespeare and his plays are the main topic of discussion in this paper. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest names whose literary contributions and writings are considered as assets for the literary world. Shakespeare's plays and writings are of considerable importance for the readers all around the world because his writings and power of expression are unmatchable. William Shakespeare and his plays have in fact formed
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