Othello

Iago is an interesting villain. Whereas many of Shakespeare's villains—like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Angelo (in Measure for Measure), Tamora (in Titus Andronicus), and Richard III—generally take care...

It's fair to say that Iago has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. A soldier from the lower-classes, he believes that he's been constantly passed over for promotion in favor of the likes of Othello...

A cuckold is a man whose wife has been unfaithful to him. She has had sexual relations with another man, and now her husband cannot be sure if the children she bears are even his own. He may be...

A rich and powerful man, Brabantio isn't used to people going against his wishes, especially not his own daughter. In common with the prevailing social standards, Brabantio enjoys complete control...

Othello is literally putting out the light of the candle and then poutting out the light of Desdemona's life. The light of Desdemona's life, however, is also an allusion to Prometheus of mythology....

In act 3, scene 4 of Othello, Desdemona has just seen a side of Othello that she's never seen before: a jealous, unpleasant side that makes her wonder whether her husband's been bewitched by some...

In literature, a tragic flaw (or hamartia in Greek) is a trait that causes a character's downfall. Othello's tragic flaw is often identified as jealousy, and he is indeed a jealous man. The thought...

It is Iago's pernicious and consistent manipulation in his desire for revenge that exposes Othello's insecurity. At first, the general's remarks come across as humility but, as the situation...

One is a puppet master; the other, a puppet. Iago plays Roderigo like a puppet. He uses him and his money for his own ends, chief of which is to harm Othello. Othello has supposedly humiliated Iago...

The main significance of this quote is its irony: this is Iago saying people should be what they seem to be and that if they are being deceptive, they shouldn't look like they're being honest (in...

As Iago readily admits, we cannot all be masters. And in Venice's rigidly hierarchical society, there's absolutely nothing he can do about that. There is a natural order of things; some people give...

Iago is a very manipulative character who does everything he can to destroy Othello. From the start, he uses Roderigo as a puppet to get at Othello by promising he will get what he wants. Since...

The quote refers to the level of everyday attractiveness (not just physical, but also in character and personality) that Cassio possesses. This line is often cited to show Iago's insecurity...

Desdemona, Othello's wife, and Emilia, Iago's wife, are the two main female characters of the play. There are several differences between the two. However there are also some similarities which...

"That death's unnatural that kills for loving," Desdemona says to her husband in Act V, Scene 2 of this play. Desdemona, like the audience, knows that Othello is about to kill her, not because of...

The best way to seek out Iago's lies, it to focus on what he says he motives are. These motives can be found in each soliloquy, which, in turn, forwards the plot of the play. Iago begins the play...

This quote, which occurs in the final scene of Act 1, shows the beginnings of Iago's plan to get back at Othello. In reading this soliloquy, we learn that Iago hates Othello not just because...

As part of Iago's evil scheme to avenge Othello for passing him over as lieutenant and possibly sleeping with his wife, he plans to obtain Desdemona's handkerchief, which was Othello's first gift...

After Iago causes an uproar with Brabantio, Desdemona and Othello explain to the Venetian council in act 3, scene 1 that they eloped because they are in love and describe the nature of that love....

Iago is saying that the curse of military service is that preferment, or promotion, does not go by seniority or experience but by favoritism. In Shakespeare's time it was easy for an aristocratic...

In William Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago (addressing Roderigo) promises that he will never wear [his] heart upon [his] sleeve For daws to peck at: I am not what I am. (1.1.64-65). In other...

The above quote originates from Act 1 Scene 3 in Othello where Roderigo complains bitterly about losing Desdemona to Othello. Iago, of course, is unsympathetic. He advises Roderigo to pull himself...

Othello is primarily a victim in the play, although it's important to remember that he is a villain to the extent that he kills Desdemona. Othello is the victim of both Iago's manipulations and his...

Towards the end of act 2, scene 1, Iago lies to Roderigo by telling him that Desdemona is infatuated with Michael Cassio. When Roderigo disagrees, Iago continues to lie by telling Roderigo that...

When Iago talks with Desdemona and Emilia in Act II, Scene 1 of Othello, he expresses his view that women are deceiving and hypocritical. In this scene, Iago observes his wife, Emilia, being kissed...

Othello's demand for ocular proof, that is, tangible evidence of his wife's adultery, is the turning point in the play. It places Iago in a perilous position. He has to produce physical evidence to...

The best way to conclude an essay about Othello or about any topic is to recap what you said throughout the essay itself and emphasize the point that you want your readers to take away from reading...

Iago uses whatever is within people to manipulate them. What is in Roderigo is lust and a desire to have Desdemona at all costs. Iago works him by convincing him that his money (along with Iago's...

A good thesis statement for jealousy in Othello could revolve around examining the close link between jealousy and insecurity, in particular how jealousy homes in and exploits people's innermost...

The quote is taken from Act 2, scene 3. Iago is referring to Desdemona, Othello's wife, in this instance. He is saying that he plans to besmirch her good name and destroy the virtue that she holds....

At the beginning of the first scene in Shakespeare's Othello, Iago is complaining bitterly to Roderigo that Othello has chosen someone other than Iago to be his lieutenant, his second-in-command....

In act 4, scene 3, Emilia delivers an impassioned monologue about the expectations and perceptions of women prevalent in Jacobean England. She lambasts men for being hypocritical, and she tacitly...

Shakespeare begins Othello in media res, in the midst of things, for the play opens with a dialogue between Iago and Roderigo. As we listen in on this conversation, we learn that Iago hates the man...

Othello's suicide signifies his acceptance of his crime of murdering Desdemona and his understanding that, although Iago manipulated him into his actions, he is ultimately the one responsible for...

Iago does what he needs to do to accomplish his goals. He is willing to resort to lying, cheating and trickery to get what he wants. This is Machiavellian because he gains power by manipulation...

The other characters assume that Othello must have used magic to make Desdemona consent to be his wife. After all, she is young and he is much older, and she is white while he is a Moor. Even a...

In act 3, scene 3, Desdemona urges Othello to reenlist Michael Cassio before leaving the scene. Iago then begins asking Othello questions regarding Cassio's role in his relationship with Desdemona....

It is true. Brabantio accuses Othello of winning his daughter's heart through witchcraft: O you foul thief, where have you hidden my daughter?Damned as you are, you have cast a spell on...

In the opening scene of the play, Iago expresses his contempt and hatred toward Othello for offering the revered lieutenant position to the inexperienced Florentine, Michael Cassio. Iago feels...

The first part of the sentence is literal. Othello is actually referring to putting out the light of a candle. The second part is metaphorical. Putting out the light is a metaphor for the killing...

Even with all of his personal achievements and military accomplishments, the title character of Shakespeare's Othello demonstrates character flaws and deep-seated insecurities that Iago exploits to...

Iago leaves Roderigo alone at Brabantio's house because he says that it is not fitting for a man of his inferior rank to be caught sullying the name of Othello. Iago says, "It seems not meet, nor...

Iago is primarily responsible for Othello's downfall because he carefully plans and executes a malevolent scheme to make Othello jealous, which influences the esteemed general to misinterpret his...

IAGO. I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again, I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted ... (Othello, 1.3.28–30) Early in Shakespeare's Othello, Iago tells Roderigo time and again...

Othello's trusted ensign, "honest Iago," is the personification of evil in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago does nothing in the play without an evil ulterior motive. Othello begins with Iago expressing...

The key to understanding Iago is that he hates. We are never given, within the context of the play, solid reasons; his statement that the "Moor has done my office," referring that his wife Emilia...