The Plague 3
“The Villain, Iago”
Perhaps the most interesting and exotic character in the
tragic play Othello, by William Shakespeare, is "Honest" Iago.
Iago, through some carefully thought-out words and actions, is
able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him
and moves him closer toward his goals. “Still, for us to question
the instrumentality of the justice, or the wisdom of the
‘justicer’ (as Othello calls himself), is to underestimate the
power of the true engineer of the plot, namely Iago, who is such
a brilliant agitator of human behavior that his influence on
Othello amounts to hypnotic suggestion.” 1 It seems as though
wherever there ...
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the chief characters in the play- Othello, Iago,
Desdemona, Brabantio, Cassio, Emilia- but only Iago, masterly
improviser of evil deeds, doesn’t need to ask the question; that
is because he already knows the answer and rarely takes the
trouble to pretend otherwise.”3 He appears to be the shrewd
character which thinks himself to be wonderful and all-knowing.
Iago is the main driving force in this play, pushing Othello and
many others towards their tragic end.
Iago is not your ordinary villain. The role he plays is
rather unique and complex. “...Iago seems the living type of
honesty: a bluff, gallant, outspoken fellow, no conjurer and no
saint, coarse of speech and cynical of humor, but true and tried
as steel.”4 The reader does not expect the character of Iago to
be so complicated at the beginning of the play, and is surprised
to discover Iago’s true side. “Iago is the man of action in this
play, incapable of contemplation and ...
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as
little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio."
(II,iii,163) His cleverness and craftiness make him a truly
hateful villain indeed.
Being as smart as he is, Iago is quick to recognize
the advantages of trust and uses it as a tool to forward his
purposes. Throughout the story he is commonly known as, and
commonly called, "Honest Iago." He even says of himself, "I
am an honest man...." (II,iii,245) Trust is a very powerful
emotion that is easily abused. Iago is a master of abuse, in this
case turning people's trust in him into a factor towards his own
goals. Iago slowly poisons people's thoughts, creating ideas in
their heads without implicating ...
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"The Plague 3." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 18 May. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Plague-3/83865>
"The Plague 3." Essayworld.com. May 18, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Plague-3/83865.
"The Plague 3." Essayworld.com. May 18, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Plague-3/83865.
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