Othello Passage Analysis

The advice Iago gives Roderigo at the end of Act one proves to be very persuasive and somewhat manipulative. He manages to alter a very self-pitying, lovelorn Roderigo from “I will drown myself” at the beginning of the duologue, to “I am changed” at the end after the advice-giving, using his persuasive strategies alone.
When Roderigo declares he will drown himself, Iago responds to this with “If thou dost I shall never love thee after” which could be seen as emotional blackmail. This immediately hints towards the manipulative elements that are so present in his advice, and could also suggest that if Roderigo goes ahead and drowns himself, he will no longer be worthy of Iago’s approval which apparently is reason enough for him not to. Iago proves to be quite fond of bending the truth and making things seem better than they actually are – he’s only twenty-eight years old, but when telling Roderigo how foolish he’s being for wanting to …show more content…
He explains “It cannot be long that Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor”, which although is only Iago’s estimation, yet the way he says it sounds as if he’s giving factual evidence. He then goes on to say “It was a violent commencement to her and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration” which suggests the relationship happened very suddenly, so therefore it will end just as suddenly which, obviously, is flawed logic, but Iago, again, words it in such a way that it sounds believable because he’s stating what should be an opinion as non-negotiable facts – “it was”, “thou shalt”, “it cannot”, etc. He also says there is a “frail vow” between them, convincing Roderigo that their bond isn’t genuine and consequently their marriage is very weak and easily