Othello's Downfall

The Downfall of Othello in Shakespeare's "Othello" Although one may seem sweet, innocent, and harmless, he potentially might just be hiding the beastly side of himself quite well. Shakespeare’s “Othello” depicts the perfect example of this idea of a “two-faced” man using the main character, Othello. Othello, a highly ranked general, starts out as the nicest and most praised man of Venice through most of the play. However, his supposedly good friend, Iago, has a deceitful plan laid out with the purpose of ruining Othello’s life. As the play goes on, Othello loses his recognized manners, self confidence, and sanity because of the untrue information Iago gives to him. In Acts I and II, Othello comes across as one of the most respected noblemen in Venice. This reverence is because of Othello's status as a valiant general. In Act II, Montano mentions "For I have served him, and the man commands like a full soldier." (1.36-37). But, not everyone has Othello's best interest at heart. Iago is disgruntled because Othello chooses Cassio as his lieutenant over Iago, stating "This counter-caster he (in good time) must his lieutenant be and I, bless the mark, his Moorship's ancient." (1.1.32-34). Iago basically refers to himself as the water boy of this situation. In response to Othello's choice of lieutenant,
Manipulation easily plays the biggest role in this play in ruining Othello for good. We should always be cautious of whom we allow into our personal lives, for not everyone is trustworthy. One can not kill the devil, which means one can’t get rid of evil (Insider’s). Not only should we be careful of whom to let in, but we should also be able to trust someone completely if we plan to spend the rest of our lives with them. Ernest Hemingway once said, “The best way to find out if you can trust someone, is to first trust them”