Othello Act II Essay
The excerpt of Iago’s soliloquy in Shakespeare’s Othello Act II, scene 3 depicts Iago’s self reflection upon his own plans to corrupt Cassio, Othello and Desdemona. Throughout the soliloquy, Iago constantly questions why he is considered the villain of the situation while revealing his plans to dispose of Othello. It is through the use of literary techniques such as oxymoron, irony, metaphor and simile that Shakespeare portrays Iago’s awareness of the evil intentions behind his behavior, but utilizing his ability to manipulating people, he is able to influence the situation in his favor. Iago’s awareness of the evil intentions behind his behavior is first presented in the oxymoron, “Divinity of hell!/When devils will the blackest sins put on,/They do suggest at first with heavenly shows/As I do now;”. The oxymoron is used to represent Iago as the devil. He uses his innocent facade to mask his immoral reality. Iago understands it is through this quality that allows for him to manipulate people and the situation. For example, although it seems as though Iago is giving Cassio …show more content…
Iago reasons that he is only giving Cassio advice to help him with Othello, although it will lead to a trap for Cassio. Also, Iago claims it is not his fault for Desdemona’s kind nature and Othello’s strong love for her, despite using those qualities to manipulate them. Iago is using his seeming innocent actions to create situational irony by changing those actions to favor his plan. Therefore, even if Iago has done no visible foul action against the three, his plotting and manipulation makes him the villain. Iago’s ability to manipulate the situation will also benefit him because when tragedy strikes, he will be the one least suspected. Thus, not only deceiving Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello, but everyone around
The excerpt of Iago’s soliloquy in Shakespeare’s Othello Act II, scene 3 depicts Iago’s self reflection upon his own plans to corrupt Cassio, Othello and Desdemona. Throughout the soliloquy, Iago constantly questions why he is considered the villain of the situation while revealing his plans to dispose of Othello. It is through the use of literary techniques such as oxymoron, irony, metaphor and simile that Shakespeare portrays Iago’s awareness of the evil intentions behind his behavior, but utilizing his ability to manipulating people, he is able to influence the situation in his favor. Iago’s awareness of the evil intentions behind his behavior is first presented in the oxymoron, “Divinity of hell!/When devils will the blackest sins put on,/They do suggest at first with heavenly shows/As I do now;”. The oxymoron is used to represent Iago as the devil. He uses his innocent facade to mask his immoral reality. Iago understands it is through this quality that allows for him to manipulate people and the situation. For example, although it seems as though Iago is giving Cassio …show more content…
Iago reasons that he is only giving Cassio advice to help him with Othello, although it will lead to a trap for Cassio. Also, Iago claims it is not his fault for Desdemona’s kind nature and Othello’s strong love for her, despite using those qualities to manipulate them. Iago is using his seeming innocent actions to create situational irony by changing those actions to favor his plan. Therefore, even if Iago has done no visible foul action against the three, his plotting and manipulation makes him the villain. Iago’s ability to manipulate the situation will also benefit him because when tragedy strikes, he will be the one least suspected. Thus, not only deceiving Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello, but everyone around