Othello
The Defeat of Othello
The operations of a human beings mind, the place where we hold thoughts, find peace and security is thought to be our own…what if this is compromised? Imagine no longer having control of your thoughts and never feeling secure and stable; the same way Othello felt after being controlled by Iago. In the play of Othello by William Shakespeare, the character Iago shows his abilities of understanding the mind of Othello, leading him to his downfall. He is able to do this by manipulating othello’s closest friends, exploiting his insecurities and revealing the level of jealousy Othello possesses.
The way an individual goes about expressing his thoughts through his words says a lot about him. Iago’s play upon words is like no other; he uses his words to play with the mind of Othello to lead him to his demise. Iago’s way with words helps him to manipulate the closest friends of Othello. Iago starts his manipulation on Roderigo, “put money in thy purse” (1.3- 335); he uses this line in repetition as he addresses Roderigo. He puts into the mind of Roderigo that for him to get a chance to sleep with Desdemona it will cost him money and is suggested to raise the funds for this. Iago tells him that once Desdemona is done with Othello she will want a rich man, hence the raising of the money. In the end the money will become Iago’s. Roderigo even after hearing the statement of “I am not what I am” (1.1-65) by Iago, he still continues to step into traps of Iago and shows how easily he can be controlled and how blinded he is by the idea of being with Desdemona; Iago does not work hard to gain the control of Roderigo. Iago then sets his sights on Cassio, the man who stole his job. While in Cyprus Iago pounces on the fact that Cassio is not much of a drinker. Iago convinces him to drink in celebration of a victory; this situation is very much in favor of Iago. Events occur and Cassio gets thrown onto Othello’s bad side due to a fight that occurred while Cassio
The operations of a human beings mind, the place where we hold thoughts, find peace and security is thought to be our own…what if this is compromised? Imagine no longer having control of your thoughts and never feeling secure and stable; the same way Othello felt after being controlled by Iago. In the play of Othello by William Shakespeare, the character Iago shows his abilities of understanding the mind of Othello, leading him to his downfall. He is able to do this by manipulating othello’s closest friends, exploiting his insecurities and revealing the level of jealousy Othello possesses.
The way an individual goes about expressing his thoughts through his words says a lot about him. Iago’s play upon words is like no other; he uses his words to play with the mind of Othello to lead him to his demise. Iago’s way with words helps him to manipulate the closest friends of Othello. Iago starts his manipulation on Roderigo, “put money in thy purse” (1.3- 335); he uses this line in repetition as he addresses Roderigo. He puts into the mind of Roderigo that for him to get a chance to sleep with Desdemona it will cost him money and is suggested to raise the funds for this. Iago tells him that once Desdemona is done with Othello she will want a rich man, hence the raising of the money. In the end the money will become Iago’s. Roderigo even after hearing the statement of “I am not what I am” (1.1-65) by Iago, he still continues to step into traps of Iago and shows how easily he can be controlled and how blinded he is by the idea of being with Desdemona; Iago does not work hard to gain the control of Roderigo. Iago then sets his sights on Cassio, the man who stole his job. While in Cyprus Iago pounces on the fact that Cassio is not much of a drinker. Iago convinces him to drink in celebration of a victory; this situation is very much in favor of Iago. Events occur and Cassio gets thrown onto Othello’s bad side due to a fight that occurred while Cassio