Intense circumstances lead to severe decisions and harsh consequences. In battles, generals are expected to make good split-second decisions, yet in war there usually isn 't a good decision. The more harsh the situation, the worst the decisions become as demonstrated in Shakespeare’s Othello. The extreme circumstances Iago and Othello are confronted with lead to the tragic ending of the play. The play being based on military positions is important because soldiers are considered barbaric, extreme, and rude. In a soldier’s mind you pose a threat or don’t and this black and white state of mind leads to making more severe decisions in life. While this kind of mindset is useful in battle, in daily life it may cause some problems. Othello
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The location being isolated and foreign allows a great breeding place for greed and jealousy. Iago can go about planting the seeds of doubt by saying things similar to “Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; . . . Look to ‘t” (III.iii.229-231) and then retracting his statements with sayings like ” I am to pray you not to strain my speech to grosser issues . . . than to suspicion” (III.iii.255-257). This method of taking back what he is saying causes Othello to believe it even more. Further helped by the situation because away from home, Othello has very few people to trust and being a general of the military, Othello is used to making decisions based on what little information he …show more content…
Iago planned to kill Cassio and Rodrigo, leaving him as the superior choice for lieutenant and no one to challenge him on how he received his position. When his plan goes slightly off track with Rodrigo being unable to kill Cassio, Iago kills Rodrigo because he can’t have anyone blaming him for anything. In the extreme position he is in, coupled with his mindset, Iago sees the only way out is to kill Rodrigo and make him out to be a robber. Earlier Iago and Othello had taken the situation to the extreme by not simply ruining Cassio’s reputation but to kill him. Othello, being told his wife is cheating immediately begins to plan her murder with Iago. Iago managed to plan and deliver almost every action but the two most important he missed were Cassio’s death and Emilia’s reaction. If Cassio had died, Iago would 've been the one to go tell Othello since he was a soldier and closer. Even if Cassio had died, Emilia staying and exposing Iago devilish nature lead to the big break in Iago’s
The location being isolated and foreign allows a great breeding place for greed and jealousy. Iago can go about planting the seeds of doubt by saying things similar to “Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; . . . Look to ‘t” (III.iii.229-231) and then retracting his statements with sayings like ” I am to pray you not to strain my speech to grosser issues . . . than to suspicion” (III.iii.255-257). This method of taking back what he is saying causes Othello to believe it even more. Further helped by the situation because away from home, Othello has very few people to trust and being a general of the military, Othello is used to making decisions based on what little information he …show more content…
Iago planned to kill Cassio and Rodrigo, leaving him as the superior choice for lieutenant and no one to challenge him on how he received his position. When his plan goes slightly off track with Rodrigo being unable to kill Cassio, Iago kills Rodrigo because he can’t have anyone blaming him for anything. In the extreme position he is in, coupled with his mindset, Iago sees the only way out is to kill Rodrigo and make him out to be a robber. Earlier Iago and Othello had taken the situation to the extreme by not simply ruining Cassio’s reputation but to kill him. Othello, being told his wife is cheating immediately begins to plan her murder with Iago. Iago managed to plan and deliver almost every action but the two most important he missed were Cassio’s death and Emilia’s reaction. If Cassio had died, Iago would 've been the one to go tell Othello since he was a soldier and closer. Even if Cassio had died, Emilia staying and exposing Iago devilish nature lead to the big break in Iago’s