Even though Othello loves Desdemona, he doesn’t understand how a young, white woman could love an old, black man like him: Haply, for I am black And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have, or for I am declined Into the vale of years (III. iii. 304-7) At this point, Othello has absorbed the prejudice so prevalent in his society, and there is no turning back from here. He believes that because he is old and black, he isn’t good enough for Desdemona.…
Desdemona’s own father presumes that she is petrified of Africans, which commences Othello’s uncertainty. Iago furthers his insecurities by claiming that Desdemona may be having an affair with Othello’s previous lieutenant, Cassio. Iago professes that he cares for Othello, and that he notifies him of the alleged infidelity because he fears that “Her will, recoiling to her better judgment, / May fall to match you with her country forms/ And happily repent” (Shakespeare 3.3. 276- 278).…
Brandon Rubsamen Mr. Davis English I Honors 16 February 2016 Iago’s Reverse Psychology During the peak of his career, William Shakespeare wrote one of his most unique and arguably one of his best tragedies by the title of Othello, the Moor of Venice. Othello is very unique for many reasons, as it takes hold of concepts such as racism, and it also is very different in the way that it presents its antagonist, Iago. Iago is not the average evil enemy character that is common in the thousands of stories where good is pitched against evil.…
Othello’s many shortcomings, from his insecurities, personality, and pride, were the ultimate reasons for his and Desdemona’s downfall; Iago simply accelerated the process. Othello’s vulnerability to those around him—from pressures of being a black man in a white society, to his all-trusting naiveté in a man who despised him, to his clouded judgment and rash behaviour with his final confrontation of Desdemona; drove him to the brink of insanity and was the cause of his death. Othello represents the incompatibility of marriage that comes with some due to the complete fault of one…
Othello Othello’s race plays a major role throughout this play. Othello's race is a dividing element, which causes him to be seen as an outsider. Essentially, the leader and dukes are happy with Othello just working for them but because of his ethnicity, he is not entirely trusted when given control. His race, an element of difference, plays a distinctive role in his downfall. For Example, Iago seizes on the fact that Othello is so self conscious about his race, and convinces Othello that Desdemona may come back to reality liking her own “clime, complexion, and degree of men(3.3.230).…
A Tragedy is a Result of one 's Insecurities A cowardly man will always find spineless reasons behind his actions that may result in a series of disastrous events. In the novel Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago demonstrates the character of an insecure man who encounters insecurities that come in the forms of jealousy, personal/sexuality, and identity. These insecurities have a key role in the development of the play and the creation of Othello’s tragedy.…
Iago: No Ordinary Villain In Shakespeare’s play Othello, from the outside looking in, Iago seems like a villain. Is he a bad person because he will stop at nothing to reach his goals? Iago is not the evil person as we all may think. In fact, he is the anti-hero of the play Othello.…
He thinks because he is black she will not be faithful to him. Iago tells Othello “Her will, recoiling to her better judgment, /May fall to match you with her country forms, /And happily repent. ”(3.3.236-238) Desdemona will change her mind and with not want to be married to him anymore, and leave him for a white man. Othello insecurities about himself led him to believe Iago is telling the…
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the character Iago is a psychopath. This can be determined by the number of characteristics he shares with those who are clinically defined as psychopaths. Firstly, Iago is extremely manipulative, finding every way possible to use and twist people to his own advantage. He is also very selfish-helping and caring only about himself. Most importantly, Iago’s aptitude for insincere speech is his main asset, as he craftily uses it in every situation.…
Prejudices against individuals of African descent, in this case Othello, help Iago convince Roderigo that he indeed has a chance with Desdemona. Using the stereotype that people with darker skin are more likely to change their mind than people with lighter skin, as demonstrated when Iago says “These Moors are changeable in their wills,” (I.iii.389-390) suggesting that Othello could quickly have a change of heart about being with Desdemona. Roderigo readily accepts this stereotypical perception of Othello because, as Robert L. Heilbroner said, “We begin to typecast people in our childhood years.” (Heilbroner 7) therefore they are frequently accepted as the truth. Another stereotype that is crucial in Iago’s plan is a stereotype against women.…
“The meaning of Othello’s murdering Desdemona depends on their marriage and their marriage’s meaning is invested in Othello’s blackness” (Little 306). The racism drove him crazy and Iago didn’t make it better. When Iago tells Othello that Desdemona was cheating on him, he thought that his blackness and Moorish characteristics changed her and made her do it because Iago and other characters like Brabantio said it would. When Othello killed Desdemona, his literal blackness became metaphorical (Little 322).…
Throughout his whole life, Othello has had to deal with racism and stereotyping to the point where he has internalized the negative perceptions of his blackness. Karen Newman, an English professor at Brown University, describes how Iago’s deception of Othello was was rooted in Othello’s own prejudices against his racial identity (133). Iago put words to Othello’s deepest insecurities about his interracial marriage, including the belief that the“fair” Desdemona would prefer a white man, and Othello is convinced that “Haply for I am black/ And have not those soft parts of conversation/ That chamberers have.../ I am abused, and my relief/ Must be to loathe her” (Shakespeare 3.3.260-265). Othello’s projected facade of “honorary white”, as University of Pennsylvania professor Ania Loomba labeled him, is starting to disintegrate; he starts to believe that he possesses the unrefined black stereotype instead.…
Act I Prompt In the play Othello, by William Shakespeare, Iago appears to be evil, very clever, and ruthless when manipulating other characters and using their weaknesses to his advantage. In the beginning of Act I, Scene i, Iago’s personality begins to show when he convinces Roderigo to inform Brabantio of his daughter’s secret marriage with a moor named Othello. Iago demands for Roderigo to, “Chase after Othello and ruin his joy, mock him in the streets…”(1.1.70-71).…
Iago’s evil nature In the story of Othello, we meet many astonishing characters, but there seems to be one character that stands out amongst them all; Iago. Iago is William Shakespeare’s most wicked villain throughout the entire play. Shakespeare uses rhetoric of identity early on when introducing Iago by the “I am not what I am” speech (Act 1, scene 1), perhaps foreshadowing his true personality (Sleczkowski). Iago is the whole reason why there is any conflict in Othello.…
Iago looks at Othello as a lesser human being due to his different racial background which is evident when Iago wakens Brabantio with the news of his daughter’s recent elopement with the Moor. Iago tries to turn Brabantio against Othello saying “Even now, now, very now, and old black ram is tupping your white ewe” (1.3.90-91). Iago uses animal imagery and compares Othello to an old black ram which introduces racial association of black versus white. Iago discriminates Othello as a human being and compares him to an aggressive animal, leading Brabantio to become more enraged and think that Desdemona is under certain witchcraft for falling in love with a black man.…