Similarities Between Much Ado About Nothing And Othello

Shakespeare uses sticks and stones to break his characters bones, but his use of language sometimes proves to be more deadly. Quite a far cry from the modern day action movies and dramas where gunfire often lasts longer than the human dialogue; deception and manipulation often play a greater role in his works than knives or swords. The plays, Much Ado About Nothing and Othello, are similar in that a villain uses speech to mislead unsuspecting individuals to their doom rather than directly harm them and an innocent woman is falsely accused, but they differ in conclusion. Firstly, and most obviously, Much Ado About Nothing and Othello are similar in that a sharp, self-aware villains that only differ from each other in ability and strategic intelligence (Fleury). Both Iago and Don John are truly evil. They both turn a man against his lover for what seems like no reason other than hate and they both show very high levels of intelligence. Even though Iago proves to be superior in strategy and destructive power, Don John holds his own by manipulating those who should know better than to trust him. …show more content…
Iago is able to manipulate his victims with his clever use of language. He convinces Othello that his young wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him. In a final attempt to convince Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful he presents the evidence of the handkerchief, a marriage gift from Othello to Desdemona, to be in the possession of Cassio, the one Othello suspects of cheating with his wife (III, iii, 447-449). This conversation pushes Othello over the edge and ultimately ends in the death of Othello, Desdemona, and several others including Iago’s own