Iago as the pinnacle of badness william shakespeares play othello embraces a villain that has come to constitute the true definition of the word villain. Iagos decision to destroy othello is not specifically based on colour, but the fact that he believes the promotion in the military more. Scholars have also suggested that some of the plays were cowritten. Iago is the plays main antagonist, and othellos standardbearer. Discover librarianselected research resources on othello from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Iago hates othello and devises a plan to destroy him by making him believe that his wife is having an affair with his lieutenant, michael cassio. Homosocial desire and its conversion to homosexual desire christopher jason dugger cuny city college. Iago is motivated by anger, revenge and jealousy to commit the evil acts. We observe his plot to destroy othello by instilling jealousy and incidentally cassio and desdemona. On the contrary, shakespeare has displayed othello as a good black man who was driven to do. A storm has dispersed the venetian fleet so that cassio arrives first, anxious for othellos safety.
A jungian approach to character analysis introduction there have been many explanations for othellos downfall. It is thought that his life and character were ruined by the art and skill of the incredible villain, iago. Iago hates othello not only because he has hurt him so badly by promoting cassio, but also because he is bitterly envious of the success which the moor has achieved through his marriage to desdemona. Observing jealousy in othello, the moor of venice vc. Shakespeare scholars have attempted to explain some probable answers for the. Othello the tragedy of othello, the moor of venice is a tragedy by william shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. Materials i discussed in this thesis included a number of articles and essays, as well as a handful of monographs. While racism indeed is demonstrated in othello, it has nothing to do with the tragic outcomes in the play. Othellos jealousy the moral enigma of shakespeares othello othello as tragic hero iagos motives. Iago is able to successfully manipulate almost every character around him without succumbing to. Othello, a moorish general in the venetian army, and his treacherous ensign, iago. Browse fulltext othello articles and other academic articles in inquiries journal. Perhaps iago is the only person not puzzled by iago, and there are signs in the play that he isnt entirely clear about iago either. Iago vows to punish desdemona for choosing to marry othello, the black whitewasher, instead of him.
Roderigo and bianca demonstrate jealousy at various times in the play, and emilia. Essays, articles and book excerpts on shakespeares othello. His techniques were that of an everyday sneaky, conniving bad guy, who always got people to trust him, except the person that was. The villain iago from othello is a central character, and understanding him is key to understanding shakespeares entire play. In shakespeares othello, jealousy is mainly portrayed through the two major characters. Iago and othello are completely different in this respect, with othello being obsessed with hi s.
The cause of tragedy emanates from the fact that othello weds his shadow, iago and ignores his anima, desdemona. Giordano eng 302 databases and articles enter search words search. Iv, i, 34 another example occurs when iago relates cassios dream about desdemona. Articles and essays were selected from several periodicals. Let us know how access to this document benefits you. The play is set in motion when othello, a heroic black general in the service of venice, appoints cassio and not iago as his chief lieutenant. But the conflict between iago and othello if we can call it a conflict, for it is a battle in which one of the two combatants does not realize there is a battle at all, except within himself. It is jealousy that prompts iago to plot othellos downfall. But for a satisfaction of my thought, no further harm. Iago should bow down his head as to ask for something from othello. He got cassio fired, got the hanky that othello gave to des. However, shakespeare initially occludes his characters deviation with extraneous social and contextual factors, such as othello s military prowess or iago s facade.
The unraveling of shakespeares othello scholarship. An international journal of undergraduate research and criticism in the discipline of. Play construction and the suffering and murder of desdemona lectures on othello. Silence, speech and gender in shakespeares othello. He is the husband of emilia, who is in turn the attendant of othellos wife desdemona. Scholarly journals on othello academics explaining. A study of contrast between english and persian translation international journal on studies in english language and literature ijsell page 21 if one wants to reproduce the original style satisfactorily, one must keep two. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Perhaps he has a savage nature within him, just waiting to be exposed.
And that was all accomplished through one guy named iago. We know his actions perfectly well, and he works as a dramatic figure, but we dont understand why he does what he does we dont grasp his motivation. This could not be interpreted as talking to the audience, because the dialogue is designed to address othello. He is willing to take revenge on anyoneothello, desdemona, cassio, roderigo, even emiliaat the slightest provocation and enjoys the pain and damage he causes. Iago refers to othello not by his name but as the moor, calling him the devil 2. An ensign or aidedecamp to othello, a general in the venetian army, iago is enraged when passed over for a promotion, and schemes to destroy the hero he. In the article, doctor iagos treatment of othello, omer and verona 1991 argue that.
Cassio, ever the complement to othellos characteristics and personality, has the final victory in the twisted lie of iagos making, resulting in a victory of good over evil. Jealous of othellos success and envious of cassio, iago plots othellos downfall by falsely implicating othellos wife, desdemona, and cassio in a love affair. Othello fell into iagos trap as iago had shown evidence of cassio and desdemonas affair. The monster in the moor university of south carolina. Play construction and the suffering and murder of desdemona. We might think of a night at the theatre as a deeply uplifting experience because of dramas ability to communicate. Shakespeare shifts the action from venice to cyprus.
Othellos jealousy the moral enigma of shakespeares othello othello as tragic hero stage history of othello othello. Shakespeares othello is engrossed with issues of jealousy, sexuality and gender as the audience watches othello fall into the pit of deception that his ensign, iago, has. Othello is a tragedy that proceeds from misunderstandings and miscommunication. It utterly corrupts their lives because it causes iago to show his true self, which in turn triggers othello to undergo an absolute conversion that destroys the lives of their friends. Shakespeares othello an examination of iagos villainy. Iago uses the conspiracy of the handkerchief and becomes successful in turning othello into an insane person who murders his innocent wife. Iago paints an adulterous scene for othellos imagination, claiming cassiowho talks in his. Did michael cassio, when you wood my lady, know of your love. Publications in the journal are indexed in the annual bibliography of english language and literature chadwyckhealey, the arts and humanities citation index thomson reuters isi, the humanities. The concept of villain in shakespeares othello the canadian. Publications by an authorized administrator of byu scholarsarchive. Iago is able to successfully manipulate almost every character around him without succumbing. Blackamoors in plays before othello are generally wicked wells 245. Scholarly articles from the databases the articles below focus on the hamlets interiority and the soliloquies.
In shakespeares time the part would have been played by a white man in makeup. Othello 1604 through iago, whose main focus in life is to destroy others so will i. Throughout shakespeare s othello, jealousy is apparent. He has risen through the ranks in the army by merit and achievement, and othello, whose military judgment is excellent, has taken him as ancient captain because of his qualities. The villain iago as the pinnacle of badness byu scholarsarchive. T lectures and notes on shakespeare and other english poets. So, in his efforts to distort comprehension, iago changes individuals and their perceptions of one another. Iago and the ambiguity of his motives in shakespeares othello. Djundjung jurusan sastra inggris, fakultas sastra, universitas kristen petra. An ensign or aidedecamp to othello, a general in the venetian army, iago is enraged when passed over for a promotion. The tragedy othello focuses on the doom of othello and the other major characters as a result of jealousy. The character who best exemplifies this theme is the villain, iago.
Othello and others in the play constantly refer to him as honest iago. Honest iago and the evil nature of words by ancona. Ruth vanita a surprisingly large number of elizabethan and jacobean plays represent or culminate in the murder of a wife, the reason cited almost always being her infidelity. Such a lady named desdemona, who was supposedly cheating on a guy whom he once fired. Carl jung from new paths in psychology, in collected papers on. It has been accepted for inclusion in scripps senior theses by. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our cookie policy. First performed 400 years ago, othello is one of shakespeares greatest tragedies.
Iago is often funny, especially in his scenes with the foolish roderigo, which serve as a showcase of iagos manipulative abilities. Othellos conundrum thus concerns whether he should tolerate these feelings and live with his uncertainty about his wifes purported infidelity, or. Many of these errors are bound up with iagos deception, but michael donkor looks at other, additional causes in the play. The play itself speaks to one of the most salient confusions of our time. Othello the moor of venice william shakespeare the. The machiavellian moment in othello, supports this idea when he discusses how iago, dismisses cassio in the. The problem of patriarchy and anxious masculinity in. In iago however, relentlessly seeking revenge on othello for some unknown wrong. Iago and the ambiguity of his motives in shakespeares othello jenny m. List of books and articles about othello online research. Othello represents how jealousy, particularly sexual jealousy, is one of the most corrupting and destructive of emotions. While the verbal marriage between othello and iago results in othellos accusation of desdemona of being a whore, i argue that desdemona escapes this category because a boy actor impersonates her physically and vocally. Iago professes that his intention for vengeance to othello is the driving force of his demonic actions. Iago uses jealousy to control the moor, othello, into committing various acts against his wife, desdomona, and one of his soldiers, cassio.
Racism in othello, by william shakespeare racism in. Scholarly databases and articles shakespeares tragedies. Love and jealousy are powerful emotions that can induce behavior that would otherwise not normally be warranted. This article is brought to you by the college of humanities and social sciences at scholar. Shakespeare othello cassio iago literary elements theatre plays drama foil characters foil. As an inner character, iago fills othellos mind with powerful feelings of jealousy and envy, especially about an alleged relationship between othellos wife and his lieutenant, cassio. Othello is believed to be one of the noblest characters in english literature.
In othello, the moor of venice, jealousy is a very important component of the play. More articles on deception, drama and misunderstanding. Cassio, in the end, seems to represent the better man, the higher sophisticate in othellos mind than his own self. So when othello appears as noble and impressive, magnanimous and commanding, reversing both what iago has prepared us for and the general elizabethan expectation, the effect is dramatic. Through out the play of othello iago used many techniques to get what he wanted and one way or another he somehow all most always got what he wanted. He is jealous of cassio for obtaining the position of lieutenant over him, jealous of othellobelieving that he has bedded his wifeand jealous of othellos position. Posted by mingxue zheng in english 2 pahomov on friday, may 3. In act 2, scene 1 of othello, iago formulates his plan to drive othello mad. The story revolves around its two central characters. The plot line of love and jealousy is deeply compelling, but there are a surprising number of sleep references embedded in the play. This is an openaccess article distributed under the terms and. Iago and roderigo confront brabantio about his daughter. Iagos misogyny has been plain earlier in the scene and builds here.
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