Othello Group

Question:

cooolkid
cooolkid
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What does Shakespere want us to learn from Iago deceiving others?

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Posted by cooolkid on Saturday September 5, 2009 at 6:46 PM and tagged with authorial intentions, characters, deception, iago, othello.

Answers:

  1. parkerlee
    parkerlee Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    One message is that looks can be deceiving especially when it comes to human nature. It is wise to not take people or circumstances at face value (as Othello did) but rather consider eventual motivations for people acting the way they do. Othello was a poor judge of character, and Iago used this character weakness to his advantage.

    Another theme which comes out is that pride can be dangerous, and before (over)reacting to a personal slight, one should measure the eventual consequences of retaliation. Othello's rashness and impestuousness might have been his strong points in warfare, but in relationships, these traits led to his downfall. Othello punished Desdemona based on circumstantial evidence alone and never gave her a chance to defend herself. If he had given her the opportunity to speak, Iago's scheme would have been exposed and Othello and Desdemona's relationship restored. In terms of crime and punishment in society, the old adage "presumed innocent until proven guilty" should prevail.

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    Posted by parkerlee on Sunday September 6, 2009 at 12:22 AM