Othello

We don't know for sure exactly why Iago hates Othello so much and wishes to destroy him. All we have are Iago's own explanations, and given that Iago is notoriously devious and untrustworthy, it's...

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...

In act 1, scene 3 of Shakespeare's Othello, the villainous Iago has already met with a nasty setback in his plan to ruin Othello's reputation. Iago hates Othello and despises serving him in the...

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...

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...

It is often suggested that Othello's fatal flaw is jealousy, but I would argue that this doesn't really strike at the heart of the matter. Yes, Othello is jealous, but before Iago suggests to him...

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...

Iago's suspicion is just an added weapon in his acidic arsenal for revenge against both Othello and Cassio. He hates the two so much that he continuously seeks reasons to support his bitterness and...

"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...

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 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...

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...

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....

In Othello, Iago is manipulative and uncaring. He is self-serving and is happy to cause distress to anyone if it furthers his cause to "serve my turn upon" Othello (I.i.42). Iago, whilst revealing...

At this point in the play, Brabantio has had to accept that Othello did not use witchcraft or sorcery to win the heart of his daughter, and he has had to accept also that there is nothing he can do...

In Shakespeare's Othello, many characters refer to the titular role as a noble person. This helps to establish his noble attitude, which is also upheld by his own words and actions. In act 1, scene...

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...

Most of the dramatic irony in Othello comes from Iago. We, the audience, know that he's a thoroughly nasty piece of work, hell-bent on destroying the man who's supposed to be his master, but none...

In Othello, Iago very cleverly uses much emotional imagery to evoke an emotional response from Desdemona's father Brabantio regarding her elopement. The images are as follow: Thief and Crime...

Firstly, the fact that Iago declares his intention to harm Othello when he speaks to Roderigo, is a good quote: I follow him to serve my turn upon him Iago clearly and unambiguously says here...

In this quote, Emilia tells us what she really thinks about men. The phrase "Tis not a year or two shows us a man" likely means that it can take more than a year or two for a wife to decipher her...

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...

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...

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...

In this speech, Othello is speaking to Iago. He is refuting the idea that he is jealous of his wife, Desdemona, who seems to have attracted Cassio's attention. Othello at first flat-out rejects the...

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...

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...

It is one thing to appreciate a person's qualities from afar (or maybe not so afar, since Brabantio had received Othello as an honored guest in his home), but quite another matter to accept that...

We can interpret this line in two different ways (although they ultimately both have the same end result). In the first interpretation, we can perceive "put money in thy purse" to mean that Iago...

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...

Brabantio says to the Duke: "To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on! It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect That will confess perfection so could err Against all rules of nature, and...

In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, one of the title character’s main fears is that he will be made a “cuckold.” In other words, he fears that his wife will have sex with him behind his back and...

Iago's use of metaphor is particularly colorful and varied. He describes Othello's relationship with Desdemona to her father in the coarsest of animal metaphors, appealing to both his prejudice and...

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...

Iago orchestrates Cassio being stripped of his rank. He is jealous that Cassio was promoted ahead of him and wants to bring him down and take his place. To do so, he persuades Roderigo to pick a...

When considering an introductory paragraph, think about your intention. You want the reader to be interested and intrigued enough to read on. You want the purpose of your essay to be clear by the...

Othello is a man riddled with internal conflict and contradictions. He is a confident military leader and a self-doubting member of society. He is an insider of the Venetian court but a outsider...

The first time we witness Othello falling into a trance is in Act 4, scene 1. Othello is clearly overwhelmed and distraught by the insinuations Iago makes when he suggests that Desdemona might have...

I like this connection very much. Throughout the play Desdemona is equated with money and jewels. Iago tells Brabantio that his house is robbed, a metaphor to explain Desdemona's elopement....

In act 3, scene 3, Iago poisons Othello's mind, insinuating that Desdemona's been cheating on him with Michael Cassio. It's a total lie, of course, but Iago is such a skilled manipulator that he's...

Othello's decision to choose Michael Cassio to serve as his lieutenant is the primary reason Iago seeks revenge. Iago believes that he is significantly more qualified than the young Florentine...

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...

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....

Shakespeare's Othello is a fascinating and complex tragic play that depicts the marriage, downfall, and ultimate demise of the main character, Othello. Othello, a Moor and a general in the Venetian...

Desdemona is far from being the quiet, obedient, even submissive daughter and wife as she's often described. Desdemona has no fear of disappointing her father, Brabantio, or going against familial...

Othello's strengths are his military experience and acumen. He is also bewitching in the tales of his exotic past - bewitching not just to Desdemona, but her father and the Duke also. He has a calm...

Othello is an accomplished warrior but his personal insecurities make him a fool when it comes to love. Othello is first foolish to trust Iago. For a military commander, he is used to loyal...

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...

Shakespeare loves irony, and there are several examples of it in this scene. First, for example, Emilia notes that the trouble between Othello and Cassio grieves [her] husband / As if the cause...

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...