Iago’s Flaw of Security Essay Example

According to the play Othello, Iago is a bright villain who deceives every single person he encounters. He has no sense of humanity, and he is skillful and eloquent enough to confuse everyone he knows. Being jealous of Michael Cassio, a lieutenant, Iago plans to wickedly destroy Cassio’s life because he wants to take Cassio’s position. He lies to Roderigo, a gullible nobleman, to get help with his plot and to get the money he needs. Iago is also very jealous that Othello could care for anyone more than him – either Cassio or Desdemona. Therefore, he is not only jealous of Cassio but he is also jealous of Desdemona. He wants to be the only person that Othello trusts and depends. To obtain his goal of winning Othello’s favor and the position of his lieutenant, he gets attention by lying about Desdemona to start chaos. With his fame for having an honest and trustful character, no one would think he possessed this corrupted moral behavior. He is confident that he can ruin all who stand in his way, and he plays on the weakness of everyone. He pretends to be honest to ensure his plan’s success as he says “I am not what I am” (1.1.67). However, he cannot play with people and their emotions and expect to succeed in deceiving all of them because he is human and therefore, not invincible. The fact that he believes that he is invincible is why his plan becomes flawed. The first flaw or weakness in Iago’s plan is that he has to lie to too many people. Iago has to abuse everyone in order to carry out his plot. He confidently plans and plays his lies as if he is God. He intends to deceive Roderigo to get money: “Thus do I ever make fool my purse;/ For […] If I would time expend with such a snipe/ But for my sport and profit” (1.3.362-365). Then, to bring down Cassio, he devises a devilish plan: “With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio” (2.1.164-165). Also, he leads Othello to believe that Desdemona is cheating on him. Then, to get the