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Iago As A Villain Essay

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Iago As A Villain Essay
William Shakespeare, the creator of the classic novel Othello, has portrayed the very popular character Iago in such a way that allows readers of all levels to get a fairly common analysis. The conventional interpretation of Shakespeare's Othello consists of the understanding that Othello’s naivety was ultimately the cause of Shakespeare’s signature tragic ending. However, Iago clearly had the most injurious impact on Othello’s transition from being a strong independent man of high credentials and highly respected virtue, to a feeble man of little confidence and susceptible to being scammed or hoodwinked by the other characters in the story. The most universal interpretation of Iago’s character is that he Iago is a mischievous individual. …show more content…
and revenge,” an article in compliance with Iago’s role as the ultimate villain. Handelman states “Iago is a relentless and witty villain…” Iago ultimately causes the deaths of Othello,
Desdemona, and himself. Killing Othello and Desdemona alone, would not have quenched his thirst for evil, he had to destroy the lives of his victims before he killed them (Handelman 1).

In agreement with the idea of Iago being the ultimate villain, Samantha Markham of Suite101.com Inc., wrote the article “The
Brilliant Villain of Othello,” which states that Iago’s talent for manipulating people makes him a villain. Iago has this exceptional talent for analyzing a character and maximizing their negligible insecurities, while using them to tarnish their reputations and inevitably break down their character.
“He has to be the most articulate, because it is his power of persuasion that allows Othello to be taken in by his lies and manipulation…” (Markham 1). With this statement from Markham’s second article analyzing Iago, “The Moor of
Venice,” Markham clearly reiterates the fact that Iago’s ability to manipulate people is injurious to the lifespan of the additional

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