Essays: Othello and Iago

Submitted By saxonowsley
Words: 1402
Pages: 6
Open Document
In William Shakespeare's Othello, illusion too often disguises reality. The themes of the play are riddled with illusions, for example, love and relationships, peoples personalities, schemes, friendship, and happiness. All these aspects of the play are full of illusion, perhaps having only one "real" part to it, and that is the character of Emilia.

Love and relationships are the greatest illusion in Othello. The greatest of these being the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. Throughout the entire play, Othello is declaring "I love the gentle Desdemona," but it seems this love is nothing but an illusion to hide the reality of their situation. After always declaring his love for Desdemona, Othello's tune abruptly changes, when he begins to hate her, and even plots to kill her. Othello states, "I will chop her into messes." It almost starts to seem as if Othello and Desdemona's "love" is based purely on lust, as even when Othello hates Desdemona he still finds himself attracted to her. His jealousy is sexual jealousy, not because he thinks Desdemona has fallen out of love with him. Desdemona however lover the Moor to the end, even blaming herself for her own death, rather than letting Othello be blamed. In this way her death was in vain, because all through the play she fights to keep a love alive that was nothing but an illusion. Iago and Emilia's relationship however is more "real" than that of Othello and Desdemona. They have not love, but only lust, however they do not pretend, or try to create an illusion that there is anything there that isn't. Emilia and Iago are constantly fighting, and it is very clear to the audience how they feel about each other. With Othello and Desdemona however it is not so straight forward. Othello creates for Desdemona an illusionary state of comfort. Desdemona is forced to live with the illusion that Othello still loves her. Not so with Emilia and Iago. Emilia is very well aware that Iago does not love her, and so she lives in a harsh reality. Bianca and Cassio's relationship is also illusionary. Bianca believes that Cassio will marry her, and Cassio lets her live this illusion. When he and Iago are talking about her, Iago says, "She gives it out that you shall marry her / Do you intend it?" To this Cassio does nothing but laugh, and then follows it up with laughing denials. Bianca is living in a illusionary hope that Cassio loves her, just as Desdemona lives in an illusionary hope that Othello still loves her. Emilia and Iago's relationship is the only "real" relationship in the play. In this way illusion often disguises reality.

Personalities in Othello are also often illusionary. Iago is perhaps the most perfect example of this. HE is absolutely two faced, and never says what he actually thinks. Roderigo sums up Iago's entire personality to perfection. "Faith I have heard too much; for you words and performances are no kin together." We, the audience are able to see through the illusion that Iago has built up for himself, but we are able to see what goes on in his mind. HE is seen by most characters as an "honest" man, and is too aften described as "honest Iago." Even Cassio says "I never knew a Florentine. more kind and honest." However, the audience knows that Iago is anything but hinest, but the characters are not able to see past this illusion. Iago himself says "Men should be what they seem" and later says "I and not what I am." Sometimes it seems almost like Iago can not see through his own illusion. He even, appropriately swears "By Janus" the two faced Roman God. Othello's personality is also full of illusions. He shows a strength to the other characters that he does not in fact possess. What strong man would so "easily be lead by those" as Iago so eloquently puts it. Even Desdemona has little illusions in her personality. Not in her loyalty to Othello, that is real enough, but in her loyalty to her father. Lodovico
Show More

Related Documents: Essays: Othello and Iago

Essay Iago: Othello and Iago

Iago the Great Iago the great warrior, with a beautiful wife, and loved by all who meet him; all Iago wanted was to feel like he was important. Were his motives just? Of course who would not want a title such as that, but to get it is not easy. Othello, whom had the title Iago desired, was dominant. Although Othello was a great man, Iago was the last one standing. Iago felt as if his wife had betrayed him with Othello, he felt he should be the best giving him a inner acknowledgement of defeat…

Words 664 - Pages 3

Essay on Othello and Iago

flaws to his audience. In the play write Othello, he focuses on the nature of jealousy. A.C. Bradley author of The Noble Othello, provides scholarly support to the effects jealousy has on transforming love into hate in the play write. Jealousy is a flaw that exists in everyone and is triggered through the fear of losing someone or something of value, this is clearly seen through the aftermaths of Desdemona and Othello’s relationship as well as in Iago not being chosen as Othello’s lieutenant.…

Words 776 - Pages 4

Othello and Iago Essay

How the concept of the Outsider is represented in Shakespeare’s Othello Shakespeare’s Othello clearly represents the concept of what an outsider is by comparing and contrasting the two main characters Desdemona and Iago. Through Shakespeare’s Othello the concept of being an outsider is questioning how society’s representation of an outsider is formed, why people become outsiders and the consequences of being an outsider. An outsider is a person who is not accepted by or who is isolated from society…

Words 1249 - Pages 5

Essay On Iago In Othello

Shakespeare’s play Othello embraces a villain that has come to constitute the true definition of the word villain. Iago is able to successfully manipulate almost every character around him without succumbing to guilt or exposing his own duplicity. As such, these characters have the potential to become very flat if they can fall under a certain label. There is little potential for substance in a character of repeated use that can fit into any plot and have the same affect. Iago could simply lie under…

Words 999 - Pages 4

Othello: Othello and Iago Appeals Essay

Courtney Tolar Professor Hayes English 252 3 November 2014 Hell, Demons, and Monsters Shakespeare has built the character of Iago from an idea already existing in the theatrical culture of his time: the Devil in religious honest plays, which developed into the villain in Elizabethan drama and tragedy. Iago says in the beginning of the play, “I am not what I am” (1.1.65). This quote is also reminiscent of a quotation from the Bible: In Exodus, God gives his laws to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and Moses…

Words 1176 - Pages 5

Iago and Othello Essay

Michelle Flinton Professor Lasky ENG225-01 7 May 2014 Iago: The Master of Deception Things are not always the way that they seem. The senses can be deceived and make a person believe something is true that really is not. The eyes can trick a person into seeing something that is not there and the ears can be tricked into hearing a noise that is not there. Even the mind can be deceived into believing something that is not true, especially when a person’s emotions are involved. A person’s emotions…

Words 1045 - Pages 5

Othello: Othello and Iago Possess Essay

beginning of Shakespeare’s Othello we are given evidences to the great warrior Othello has been in the past. These are given through the way he speaks and how others speak to him and of him. Unfortunately, these strengths as a general do not transfer over into his personal life. The entire play is an evidence of Othello’s weakness in marriage as a husband. The power to use another person and manipulate them is a great skill which Iago possess, but without all of Othello ‘s weakness’, it would be…

Words 515 - Pages 3

Essay about Othello and Iago

“Othello” is a tragedy play, about a man named Othello, and how a friend of his named Iago betrays Othello and uses Othello’s love for a woman named Desdemona to betray him. It is set in a very late time, and the story is based on mostly of how rumors and trust are used. Iago wants to destroy Othello for a couple different reasons. The first is that Iago has been working with Othello for a long time, and Iago’s position is an ensign, or a standard-bearer, which has a lot of power. Othello had…

Words 559 - Pages 3

Speech: Othello and Iago Essay

This is pivotal scene of the play Othello, depicting the unravelling of Iago’s web of lies. As Emelia discovers how Othello was tempted and deceived by Iago, we observe Othello transitioning to his denouement after his tragic downfall where his attempts of redemption follow. Through the harsh, almost pitiful tone of voice, we have attempted to display Emilia’s shock turned hysteria after she the deception weaved into the entire situation as well as Othello’s agitation after Desdemona’s death settles…

Words 433 - Pages 2

Othello Essay1

Complete the practice essay question below. Your response should be approximately 750-1000 words. You may submit either a hard copy or an electronic copy. "How has your understanding of human nature been shaped by your personal reading of two scenes from the play?” Focus on at least two scenes from the play (you may choose from the list above) and be sure to support your ideas with relevant language and dramatic techniques. Shakespeare’s 'Othello' successfully explores the human nature aspect of…

Words 1294 - Pages 6