Iago's Decisions In The Play Othello By William Shakespeare

What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you. Throughout the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago will take steps to poison Othello’s mind against Desdemona and Cassio. Iago will start off by getting Cassio drunk and getting him fired for stabbing Montano. Then, he tells Cassio to get Othello’s trust back he will need to talk to Desdemona about what has happened so she can talk to Othello about accepting him back. Conveniently, Iago will lead Othello over to where Cassio and Desdemona are talking, so Othello will have no choice but to be suspicious of Cassio. He then proceeds to tell Othello to watch his wife closely and to observe her with Cassio. The icing on the cake for Othello is when he hears about Cassio having the handkerchief and about
Iago provides some proof, he tells him about the dream Cassio had the other night when Cassio said, “Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our loves.” He grabbed Iago’s hand and cried out, “O sweet creature!” then kissed him, laid his leg over his thigh, sighed, kissed, and then said, “Cursed fate that gave thee to the Moor!(3.3.419-426)” Iago pretends to reassure Othello saying, “ Nay, this was but his dream”(3.3.427). Othello doesn’t care because he thinks that it represented something that already happened. He is now become very angry with Desdemona saying he will tear her to pieces because he keeps taking in the poison Iago keeps giving to him. Next Iago asks Othello if he’s ever seen a handkerchief with a pattern of strawberries in his wife’s hand, already knowing the answer. Othello replies saying he gave her one like that for his first gift to her, so Iago tells him he saw Cassio wiping his beard with it. For Othello that’s the icing on the cake and he says, “Now do I see ‘tis true. Look here, Iago, All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. ‘Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, for ‘tis of aspics’ tongues!(3.3.442-449)” He is done with her now, his love is gone and it has turned to anger. He orders Iago to have Cassio dead within the next three days, and he says he is going to kill Desdemona. When Othello sees Desdemona he seems to different and upset at her and she becomes upset. Iago enters and Desdemona tells him that Othello is not being himself, Iago pretends he doesn’t know why he’s angry but tells them he’ll go talk to him and find out what’s wrong(3.4.138). Othello and Iago are talking and Othello says he’s out for blood, then he hides because Cassio is coming. Iago starts